The role of Humanism in promoting African unity and identity
By Norm Allen Jun.

Historical Examples

Many religionists tell us the term "religion" means "to bind together." However, religion has usually done more to divide people than to unite them. Malcolm X was one of the few African American leaders of international renown to understand this fact. That is probably the main reason he formed the completely secular Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU), patterned after the Organization of African Unity.

Malcolm firmly believed in uniting people of African descent throughout the world. He traveled to Ghana, Nigeria, and other African countries in a sincere effort to bring his dream to fruition. He taught that by denigrating African culture and history, white Westerners had indoctrinated Blacks with a deep sense of racial inferiority. He firmly believed that before Blacks could unite and advance, they had to overcome this inferiority complex.

In The Autobiography of Malcolm X, the leader discussed the contempt that many Blacks have for their physical features-from the darkness of their skin to the texture of their hair. He talked about his attempt to straighten or "conk" his hair, despite the excruciatingly painful burning sensation he experienced in the process, so deep was his sense of shame and self-abnegation. He would later say: "You can't hate the roots of a tree and not hate the tree. You can't hate your own roots and not hate yourself." In other words, Black people could not hate their African ancestry and not hate themselves.

Malcolm later realized that when he was with the Nation of Islam (N01), he was very dogmatic. He believed that all Whites belonged to "a filthy race of devils." He firmly believed in female submission and authoritarian leadership. Later, however, he renounced his bigoted views and developed a progressive, secular, and Humanistic worldview. Though he embraced Sunni Islam, he formed the OAAU for Muslims, Christians, Atheists, Confucians, and others interested in the liberation of people of African descent. He formed another organization-the Muslim Mosque, Inc.-for spiritual concerns. However, he gave the former organization the bulk of his attention.

Malcolm is just one influential leader of African descent that promoted a Humanistic vision for Black people. Indeed, many Black thinkers maintain that Humanism is firmly rooted in the Black experience. In an interview in the winter 1993/94 issue of Free Inquiry, the late great Nigerian educator Tai Solarin noted:
Humanism and atheism develop in the mind of man, not for a special breed of Homo sapiens, but for humanity, just as the wheel has been invented, not for whatever race invented it, but for humans everywhere. Whatever are branded "un-African," for the Aryan races are epithets for cheating.

In Anthony Finn's book By These Hands: A Documentary History of African American Humanism, African American Humanist Bill Jones makes the point that Black Humanists reflect upon their own circumstances when developing their world view; He writes:
".. .black Humanism emerges as part of a debate that is internal to black life and thought. It is not a spin-off of the enlightenment, the scientific revolution or, as Deotis Roberts has suggested, a borrowing from Comte. Rather, as Benjamin Mays, an eminent representative of black Christian theism, has correctly perceived, black incredulity about the divine, as well as agnosticism and atheism "do not develop as the results of modem science, nor from the observations that nature is cruel and indifferent; but primarily because in the social situation, [the black American] finds himself hampered and restricted... Heretical ideas of God develop because in the social situation the 'breaks' seem to be against the Negro and the black thinkers are unable to harmonize this fact with the God pictured by Christianity." (p. 41, quoting Mays from The Negro's God as Reflected in His Literature, 1969, pp. 281-2)"

No doubt, Humanism among indigenous Africans is often grounded in the contemplation of the existential problems confronting African people. However, such is not always the case. People have different reasons for embracing a Humanist life stance.

One of the earliest African Humanists was the pharaoh Akhenaton of Egypt's 18th Dynasty. This pharaoh was known as "the heretic king." According to the African-centered Ethiopian scholar and freethinker Dr. Yosef A.A. ben-Jochannan, Akhenaton embraced "the purest form of monotheism in history."

Akhenaton taught that the sun was the only giver of life, and the only object worthy of worship-a sentiment shared by many Secular Humanists. In World's Great Men of Color: Volume I, the Black Humanist and anthropologist J.A. Rogers wrote that Akhenaton uttered the words "the Kingdom of God is within you." This sentiment is also found in the Bible and many writers attribute it to King Solomon. (However, Rogers was of the opinion that Solomon was vastly overrated. Moreover, the scholar wrote that many passages in the book of Proverbs appear to have been copied from the sayings of the ancient Egyptians.)

Akhenaton apparently did not use religion as a weapon to exploit the people's desire for comfort, safety, or immortality. His intentions seem to have been very honorable, unlike those religionists that continue to use their belief systems to inflict immeasurable harm upon their fellow human beings.

History's most influential Black Humanists were primarily concerned with African unity and identity. According to many Black scholars, W.E.B. Du Bois-along with Cheikh Anta Diop of Senegal-was the most important Black intellectual of the 20th century. He maintained great interest in Africa throughout his life. Writing in my first book, African-American Humanism: An Anthology, David Howard Pitney relates:
"In 1961.. .he went to Ghana to direct production of a multi-volume Encyclopedia Africana, he eventually adopted Ghanaian citizenship and worked on the project until his death in 1963. Du Bois also exerted leadership in organizing the international Pan-African movement. He was the secretary of the first Pan-African Congress held in 1900 and helped organize Pan-African congresses of black representatives from around the world in 1919,1921,1923,1927, and 1945, earning him recognition as the "father" of Pan-Africanism. Africa's collective fight to overthrow European colonialism and to establish independent nations that would secure human rights made it the "Spiritual Frontier of humankind," paving the way to universal freedom and democracy. Du Bois believed that Pan-Africanism was destined to expand and have a unifying effect on black people everywhere, emboldening them to break the bonds of white domination."(p. 30).

Du Bois would eventually compete against Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association (U.N.I.A.). Black Humanists played a major role in the U.N.I.A. Hubert Henry Harrison edited The Negro World, the group's publication and the most widely read Black newspaper in the world. Early in his life, Harrison, one of the finest orators and debaters of the 20th century, vowed to dedicate his life to the advancement of people of African descent. When he was 24, he made the following entry in his diary:
"Poor heart-sore and soul-starved Mother Race, who shall administer to thy deep desires, who shall bind up thy wounds and raise thee up again if these and such as these are to be thy prophets and priests? Oh Africa! [W]hen shall be the term of thy long degradation? Behold here, even now, I pledge thee, 0 my Mother, that I shall devote my years to thee, shall work for thy redemption even in the land of thine exile and set before mine eyes an ideal of service to thee inextricably blent with service for myself; shall love thee and be proud of thee and glory in thy power now lying dormant and shall strive to bring it to the light. Take my youth, my labors, my love, my all and do thou when I shall have died for thee, take me to thy bosom, an untamed, untamable African." (From A Hubert Harrison Reader, p. 33, edited with introduction and notes by Jeffrey B. Perry.)

Harrison, a native of the Virgin Islands, authored When Africa Awakes in 1920. It became one of the most influential books on the topic of Blacks and international politics. Though his interests cut across racial and class lines, he was particularly concerned with bringing about true democracy throughout the African continent.

Harrison had a strong impact upon the life and thought of the secular Humanist Joel Augustus Rogers. Rogers spent 50 years of his life researching the history of Black people throughout the world. He wrote such books as From Superman to Man, As Nature Leads, 100 Amazing Facts About the Negro, Africa's Gift to America, Nature Knows No Color Line, and three volumes of Sex and Race. According to Rogers and other scholars, Garvey owed his success largely to the intellectual work and activism of Harrison.

Rogers attended U.N.I.A. meetings and lectured on Black history. He delved into African history and challenged the racist assumptions of mainstream historical scholarship. His books influenced Garvey, Malcolm, Haile Selassie and other leading Black historical figures.

In 1990, Leopold Sadar Senghor, the former Senegalese president, was elected to the International Academy of Humanism. The academy is composed of Humanists that are committed to free inquiry, the scientific methods of investigation, and the furthering of "Humanist ethical values and principles."

Senghor was largely responsible for popularizing the term "negritude," a way of identifying with "Blackness" without having to draw upon culture, language, or nationality. In this way, Senghor believed people of African descent could transcend their differences and unite on the basis of a shared collective experience and sensibility. He saw Blacks as unique people with special contributions to make to the world.

In the year of his induction into the Academy of Humanism, officials dedicated Senghor University in Alexandria, Egypt. Citizens of Francophone countries considered it to be "a powerful instrument of secularization." Under Senghor's political leadership, Senegal was a secular state, despite the fact that 90% of its citizens are Muslims. One of the major goals of the university is to combat Muslim extremism.
Senghor led his country from its political independence in 1960 until he voluntarily stepped down in 1980. At a time when much of the continent was ruled by dictators, much of the world saw this as a huge leap toward democracy in Africa. In the 2000 election. President Abdou Diouf, Senghor's former Prime Minister, lost to Abdoulaye Wade.

Senghor had many critics, particularly those who believed he was controlled by French and American imperialists. Some have said that his love for French language and culture came at the expense of his native language, Wolof. Others claim that he destroyed Diop's opposition party. Despite his faults, however, Senghor fostered democratic and secular ideals that had a profound impact upon Africans throughout the continent.
During his presidency of Zambia, Kenneth David Kaunda promoted what he called "Christian Humanism." This was a philosophy in which he stressed the importance of the centrality of humanity while embracing a progressive conception of Christianity. He has always stressed the central role that education must play in the uplift of African people. After Zambians gained political independence, they built many primary schools and colleges to train nurses. On the humanitarian front, Zambia would become a leader in the fight against apartheid.

However, after the outbreak of violence during the 1968 elections, Kaunda banned all political parties. In 1972, he turned Zambia into a one-party state. By the 80s, there was much government corruption, and many Zambians had stopped believing in Kaunda and Christian Humanism. By 1991, times had changed, and Kaunda lost his presidency in multiparty elections. However, like Senghor before him, he handed over power in a peaceful manner.

Today Kaunda is the first Balfour African President-in-Residence at Boston University's African Presidential Archives and Research Center. He advocates democracy and free market reform. In 1986 he lost a son to AIDS and discussed the ordeal publicly. He has since become an outspoken activist in opposition to the disease, promoting the use of condoms in preventing its expansion.

This latter point contrasts sharply with the views of many conservative religionists. Indeed, Zambia has banned the distribution of condoms in the nation's schools. Education Minister, Andrew Mulenga, believes condoms encourage sex among unmarried young people. He believes students should be taught abstinence instead. At present, however, condoms are still available in some Zambian schools.

Last December, the Somali Ulema Council promised to use Sharia law to deliver floggings and other punishments to anyone using condoms. They were responding to a campaign supported by the U.N. to promote AIDS awareness.
Catholic leaders in southern Africa have supported the Vatican's ban on the use of condoms among their followers for years. However, in 2001, the AIDS office of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference considered relaxing the ban. Some of the bishops believed that condom use would prevent the spread of disease among those not following the Catholic ban on condoms.

In the same year, predominantly Muslim nations, including Egypt and Libya, opposed a U.N. global AIDS plan to "promote and protect the health" of gays, prostitutes, drug addicts and other vulnerable groups. Some of the leaders in opposition to the plan were of the opinion that such groups have brought the disease upon themselves by engaging in ungodly behavior.

Obviously, Kaunda's Christian Humanism does more to prevent the spread of AIDS than simplistic preaching about the virtues of abstinence. Moreover, as we will see, the promotion of human welfare must always take precedence over rigid conceptions of African identity.

Kwame Nkrumah had a Humanistic approach to African politics and identity. The book Commanding Heights, by Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw, contains excellent biographical material on Nkrumah. (Pages 83-88 are excerpted at
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheiqhts/shared/minitextlo.prof kwamenkrumah.html When he was a child, Catholic missionaries trained him. Much later, in 1935, he moved to Harlem, New York and lived with West African friends. He attended the oldest historically Black institution of higher learning in the United States-Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. He learned philosophy and theology, and Christians would sometimes invite him to speak at churches in Philadelphia and New York City. He became actively involved in the culture of Black communities in the U.S. He made connections with African American intellectuals, many of whom were embraced by African thinkers. After WW II, he moved to London and put together Pan-African Congresses, uniting African intellectuals with Black intellectuals in the West.

Nkrumah embraced Marxism, and after he became Ghana's president, he built roads, including the Tema Motorway, which many compared to Germany's Autobahn. He developed and reformed medical services and built schools, clinics, and irrigation systems.

However, in 1964, Nkrumah gave himself the title "President for Life," banned opposition political parties, violated the civil rights of some of his fellow citizens, and unjustly imprisoned many of his enemies. On February 24,1966, The Ghanaian armed forces, along with the National Police, took over the country in a coup.
Despite Nkrumah's failings, he succeeded in helping to lead the drive for a politically independent African continent. He was able to unify many Black people throughout the world. In his book, I Speak of Freedom: A Statement of African Ideology, he wrote:

"Critics of African unity often refer to wide differences in culture, language and ideas in various parts of Africa. This is true, but the essential fact remains that we are all Africans, and have a common interest in the independence of Africa. The difficulties presented by questions of language, culture and different political systems are not insuperable. If the need for political union is agreed by us all, then the will to create it is born; and where there's a will there's a way." (p. xiv).

In this way, Nkrumah made clear his belief that people of African descent could have unity without unanimity. Moreover, his emphasis was upon political unity, rather than religions unity. He once stated: "Seek ye first the political kingdom, and all else shall be added unto you." It was clear to him that the political kingdom-and not necessarily the supposed kingdom of God-was of utmost importance in bringing about African independence.

Former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere was a Catholic Humanist. As a child, he learned from Roman Catholic fathers. He later studied Fabian thought and would eventually wed Socialism to African communalism.
Nyerere's conception of Socialism was human-centered. He believed in self-improvement and self-help. He stressed the importance of education and critical thinking. Indeed, he made primary education universal, and by 1986, Illiteracy in Tanzania was below 10%.

In 1954, Nyerere succeeded in uniting different Tanzanian nationalist groups under the Tanganyikan African National Union (TANU). He was able to bring together Muslims, Christians, animists, and others. In 1959, he led the Boycott Movement against apartheid. In 1960, the movement went under a different name-the Anti-Apartheid Movement. It eventually succeeded in bringing forth an international boycott that led to sanctions against South Africa.

Nyerere was a Pan-Africanist and supported the Pan African Congress, (PAC), the African National Congress (ANC), Robert Mugabe's revolutionary group, Zanu, and the Frelimo organization in their struggle against the Portuguese.

Nyerere led Tanzania to political independence without having to resort to bloodshed. As the leader of his nation he stressed "family-hood," and "collective responsibility." He set up secular socialist villages, though missionaries ran the schools. He advocated equality between the sexes. In his essay "Woman's Contribution to the Pan African Struggle," he wrote: "If we want our country to make full and quick progress now, it is essential that our women live on terms of full equality with their fellow citizens who are men."

In 1985, Nyerere voluntarily stepped down from power. He retired to a farm and went on to serve as an important advisor in African politics. He tried to end wars in such places as Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He died on October 14,1999, and was eulogized by people from all over the world.
Nyerere had his critics. His economic program failed. Throughout most of his presidency, he led a one-party system. He unjustly imprisoned many of his detractors. He forced 10 million poor people into rural communities. According to writer Mzee Abdullah on
http://www.muslimedia.com/archives/special99/nverere.htm, Nverere was "the west's
ultimate anti-Islamic warrior in post-colonial Africa."

However, Nyerere is regarded as a giant among Afro-centrists and most others who embrace an African-centered worldview. He practiced what he preached, and unlike so many other political leaders, never coveted great wealth. The unity and well being of African people were his greatest concerns, and he was consistently at the service of his people throughout his entire career.

Maulana Karenga is a major Black studies scholar in the U.S. He is the leader of an organization known as United Slaves (US). He is a former member of the American Humanist Association and at one time tried to promote Humanism among African Americans.

Karenga is best known as the creator of the Kwanzaa holiday. "Kwanzaa" means "first fruit" in Swahili. One of the main goals of Kwanzaa is to promote unity among people of African descent. Indeed, the first day of the celebration is called umoja, which means "unity." The other six days are:
- Kujichagulia (self-determination)
- Ujima (collective work and responsibility)
- Ujamma (cooperative economics)
- Nia (purpose)
- Kuumba (creativity)
- Imam (faith)

The Kwanzaa celebration runs from December 26th until January 1st. Celebrants decorate the entire building in an African theme. They display the red, black, and green unity flag popularized by Marcus Garvey. (Red represents the blood that has been shed by African people. The Black represents the color of the people, and the green represents the color of the African continent.) They light red, black, and green candles. They drink from the kombe cha umoja (unity cup) during the tambiko (libation) as they call out the names of ancestors.
Kwanzaa continues a long tradition of African "first fruit" celebrations in such nations as ancient Egypt and Nubia, Ashanti land, Yoruba land. South Africa, Southeastern Africa, and Central Africa. Today, Kwanzaa, celebrated since 1966, has celebrants in the U.S., Canada, England, and some African nations.

Karenga insists that Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday. Rather, it is a cultural holiday. He understood that a religious holiday would alienate many people. In fact, imam (faith) is celebrated on the last day. Celebrants are free to interpret faith in their own way. However, Karenga is primarily concerned with strengthening faith in African people, African identity, African institutions, and African progress.
Who Determines African Identity?

Many scholars contend that African identity is inextricably linked to spirituality. Indeed, the late African-centered scholar John Henrik Clarke wrote and spoke widely on African history, unity, identity, and culture. Clarke, a freethinker, was highly critical of Christianity and Islam, though he held indigenous African religions in high regard. He firmly believed that significant numbers of Africans would never accept a non-theistic life stance.

This is not necessarily true, however. According to the Ghanaian Humanist and philosopher Kwasi Wiredu, there is no concept such as heresy in the Akan culture of Ghana. Religious faith is not necessarily deemed a virtue. They attach great importance to freedom and tolerance. Their conceptual framework comprises ideas that are accessible and empirical. Wiredu contends that their beliefs are testable by the scientific methods of investigation.

In my first anthology, Wiredu writes in his article Morality and Religion in Akan Thought:
"The late Dr. J.B. Danquah, one of the most respected of Ghanaian public men, philosopher, lawyer, politician, man of letters, and specialist in Akan culture, author of the celebrated Akan Doctrine of God, has testified thus vigorously to the absence of any reliance on revelation in Akan culture: "...[T]he original Akan society did not act according to any Christian conception. We have never had a Christ or a Buddha or a Mohammed. Never in the history of the Akan people, so far as we know, have we had what is known as a revealed religion, a revelation to, or by, a prophet, of duty to a Supreme Master or Lord, residing in your heart or presiding in Heaven, who sits there waiting for you at the end of your life, to judge you as either a goat or a sheep, and to send you to Paradise or to Hell, according as you are a sheep or a goat".
(p. 219 of anthology, from "Obligation in Akan Society," West African Affairs, No. 8 (1952), published by the Bureau of Current Affairs, London, for the Department of Extra-Mural Studies, University College of the Gold Coast, p. 3.)

That is to say, Akan morality is independent of theism. We therefore have an example of an indigenous African belief system with no need for a belief in God. For this reason, the claim that non-theism might be un-African does not stand up to critical examination.

Aside from theism, many assert that other beliefs and cultural practices are rooted in tradition and are therefore central to African unity and African identity. However, though tradition is not necessarily "the dead hand of human progress," it often presents obstacles to human advancement in general, and to African development in particular.

At one time, chattel slavery was a time-honored tradition throughout the Western world (and in some part; of the world, such is still the case). Female submission and religious intolerance were also traditional practices. However, Westerners have not experienced a debilitating identity crisis simply because they no longer consider these practices to be honorable.

Similarly, it makes good sense to oppose any harmful traditional African practice, no matter how deeply people might cherish it. Many will claim that female genital mutilation (fgm), polygamy, ritual killings, and witch killings are traditions among some Africans. However, why should humane people place culture above universal human rights? Though it is certainly difficult to find unanimity on the issue of human rights, the effort to do so is still worthwhile.

Obviously, there are many Africans that are not wedded to the idea that tradition is necessarily good and desirable. Though Westerners often express shock and outrage at the practice of fgm, Africans have taken the lead in trying to eliminate it for years. In the 1990s, grassroots women's organizations in 25 African countries, quietly and with little funding, assumed leading roles in efforts to eradicate fgm. Political leader in several African nations have outlawed the practice. There is no sound reason why the elimination of fgn should be deemed "un-African."

Humanists of African descent must have a major role in determining what constitutes African identity. African Humanists are certainly no less "African" than their religious counterparts. In fact, many African Humanists discovered Humanism as a result of Afro-centric thought and literature. There should be no deeply cherished African tradition that denigrates the use of critical intelligence in all areas of human endeavor.

Secularism-a handmaiden of Humanism-is a unifying force. It fosters liberty and serves as a bulwark against religious strife and religious oppression. In Africa, secularism is especially crucial. In January 199C in an effort to combat religious extremism worldwide, Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka asked the United Nations to declare the 1990s as the "Decade of Secular Options." As Adewale Maja Pearce writes in his 1991 book Who's Afraid of Wole Soyinka?: Essays on Censorship:
"Only a secular society has the capacity to generate the levels of internal criticism and debate-primarily through literature-which is the difference between stagnation and progress. The outcome of this battle will determine whether Nigeria develops its undeniable potential to become a force on the world stage, or whether it degenerates into another Sudan where the parliament argues the merits of cross-limb amputation as the Nile floods the city and tens and thousands of the country's citizens (but only infidels, after all) die of starvation in the war zone. After three decades of independence Africa has reached [the] breaking-point; and it may be just as well that fundamentalist Islam in sub-Saharan Africa's most important country is forcing us to choose the kind of society we want in the 21st century". (p. 65).

Will large numbers of Africans accept a Humanist life stance? That remains to be seen. However, there is no good reason why Humanism cannot have great influence in Africa. We have already seen some of the precedents. With enough aid from the West, Humanist organizations in Africa could make numerous positive contributions to the continent. Why should the 21st century not be the century of Humanism? In the words of Humanist philosopher Paul Kurtz:
"Is it not the turn of the Eupraxophers [i.e., Humanists] to set forth-to draw wisdom, not based upon philosophy alone, but upon the sciences, and concerned not simply with the love, but the practice, of wisdom? We need men and women of good intentions and moral empathy and compassion, who drink deeply at the well of Sofia, and attempt to apply with reason and understanding the best knowledge of the day. They are unwilling to abandon ethical means to achieve ideal ends (as the Utopian purveyors of ideals of past generations did with tragic results), but will attempt to help develop the highest potentialities, for the fullness of life."

Norm Allen Jun is Executive Director of African Americans for Humanism