Africans Rising is a Pan-African movement of people and organizations working for peace, justice, and dignity in the continent.
Birthed by a series of on and offline consultations and dialogues with intellectuals and popular Social Justice movements, activists, NGOs, and artists among others, Africans Rising started first as The Africa Civil Society Centre in October of 2015 and the African Civil Society Initiative in 2016before finally becoming the African Rising for Justice, Peace, and Dignity after a Validation Conference at the MS Training Centre for Development Cooperation (TCDC), in Arusha, Tanzania on the 23rd and 24th of August in 2016.
The movement hopes to play a critical role on the continent pushing governments, businesses, and even established global and national NGOs to focus on challenges Africans deem critical. These include demands for a fair global trading system, concrete action to address the effects of climate change, and the creation and strengthening of a representative coalition to protect our natural resources and the environment.
Involved in an extensive number of campaigns and calls to action, Africans Rising continues to lend their voices to issues besieging Africa with a specific focus on expanding space for civic and political action, fighting for women’s rights and freedoms across society, focusing on the rights to equity and dignity, ensuring good democratic and corruption-free governance, and promoting climate and environmental justice.
Examples of causes addressed by Africans Rising include an outright denunciation of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin’s decision to launch an invasive attack on Ukraine taking into account the unfamiliar and unpredictable conflicted position Africans in Ukraine find themselves in, particularly as reports depicted that Africans make up more than 20 percent of Ukraine’s international student population many of which had no way out of the country. The African Rising movement demanded a response by international humanitarian agencies to lend their power and resources to support the evacuation of Africans and civilians.
In like manner, they also expressed displeasure at the news of the violent murder of Elvis Nyathi in South Africa, a Zimbabwean national who was killed on 6th April by an angry xenophobic mob, demanding that the South African Government and the African Union comply with laws on international human rights and pursue the legal possibilities that will hold accountable the people responsible for Nyathi’s senseless killing and bring justice to Nyathi’s family and friends.
Series of campaigns, fundraisers and marches have also been led and supported by Africans Rising for causes towards the liberation of Africa and Africans.
Fundraising campaigns such as “Rise for our Lives”, a fundraiser to support grassroots COVID-19 relief efforts.
Other activities include the “Free them” campaign, a petition for African governments to release vulnerable incarcerated political prisoners and journalists.
The “If not now when” campaign, is a petition to end racism and the domination of the countries of the Global North in the UN, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and World Trade Organization. A call to make them resolutely democratic as well as a petition to the Queen of England, to acknowledge Africa’s travails post-colonization, and much more.
Africans Rising for Justice, Peace and Dignity strives to foster an Africa-wide solidarity and unity of purpose of the Peoples of Africa and in turn, build the Africa we want.
Visit their website to learn more.
Original content authored by Philanthropy Circuit.