The muscular display of power and pageantry at the inauguration in Washington may be watched by envious eyes around the world. Not least among those who yearn to build another USA – the United States of Africa – under a single president.

Such was the dream of Muammar Gaddafi, a quixotic project that appeared to have died with the Libyan dictator but has now been rekindled by the Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe.

Speaking in Harare after meeting Benin's president, Thomas Boni Yayi, who is the outgoing African Union (AU) chairman, Mugabe argued that a figurehead is needed to move Africa beyond regional blocs and into the global superleague.

"Get them to get out of the regional shell and get into one continental shell," he was quoted as saying by the state-owned Herald newspaper.

"The continent of Africa: this is what we must become. And there, we must also have an African head. He was talking of the president of Africa. Yes, we need one. We are not yet there.

"This is what we must go and discuss, but we must also discuss the issues that divide us."

The AU holds its latest summit this week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Mugabe, 88, warned that Africans are not as united as was expected by the founders of the AU's predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity, half a century ago.

"We really have not become integrated as an African people into a real union," he said. "And this is the worry, which my brother has, and the worry I have; the worry perhaps others also have. That we are not yet at that stage which was foretold by our fathers when they created this organisation."

The founding fathers had a vision of a continent united politically, economically and culturally, he added. "We are not there yet. As we stand here people will look at us, as me anglophone, him francophone, you see. There is also lusophone, but we are Africans first and foremost. Africans, Africans. Look at our skin.

"That's our continent, we belong to one continent. We may, by virtue of history, have been divided by certain boundaries and especially by colonialism. But our founding fathers in 1963 showed us the way and we must take up that teaching that we got in 1963. That we are one and we must be united."

A United States of Africa spanning Cape Town and Cairo was proposed by Gaddafi in 1999 as a way of ending the continent's conflicts and defying the west, but it failed to secure enough support from his African counterparts. Some suspected that Gaddafi wanted the job for himself – a charge that Mugabe is hardly likely to dodge.

There is a case for challenging borders that were drawn up by European imperialists and which continue to inhibit travel and trade. But critics say the notion of uniting 54 countries with their thousands of languages and ethnicities is currently untenable. In fact some parts of Africa have been moving in the opposite direction and seeking local autonomy. Economies are moving at very different speeds.

Lindiwe Zulu, international relations adviser to South African president Jacob Zuma, said: "I don't foresee a single United States of Africa with a single president because we are so diverse politically and otherwise. It is very desirable in the long term but I don't see it any time soon. There is a lot more to be done. We are still agonising over sovereignty."

She added: "When you call for one president, you are calling for ministers to serve under them, one parliament and one legislative process. There are too many things that divide us on political, social and economic levels. We need to have a common agenda and approach to human rights and development before we can talk about one president. We need to deal with democracy on the continent and leaders who think beyond themselves."

Richard Dowden, director of the Royal African Society, said: "The idea that one government could rule the whole of Africa at this stage is silly and unworkable. They need to build from the bottom economically rather than imposing a notion of unity from the top down; it's absurd.

"It is a dream of totalitarian fantasists, not the people. Africa is becoming increasingly local. I'm in Kenya at the moment and the forthcoming election is all about ethnic arithmetic."



http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/21/mugabe-gaddafi-united-states-africa

Bwahahahahahaha

You have a fictitious and artificial "United Nigeria" that isn't working, with the two front-runners for the next presidential election, that are arguably the worst people anyone would ever want to rule a sane country. Yet you want a "United Africa" - the most diverse continent on the planet, that has NEVER spoken with one voice. A continent that has killed, maimed, and destroyed all its brightest brains. A continent that leadership should never in the same sentence with. Etc.. No?

Nah, I want a united Yoruba country, with only Yoruba people - that's what the fvck I want.

.....& to think its proponent is a chauvinistic power mongering old sack of shit who is everythin but antithetical to real democratic norms. United States of Africa ko, United States of Songhai ni. *massive hiss*

shymexx: Bwahahahahahaha

You have a fictitious and artificial "United Nigeria" that isn't working, with the two front-runners for the next presidential election, that are arguably the worst people anyone would ever want to rule a sane country. Yet you want a "United Africa" - the most diverse continent on the planet, that has NEVER spoken with one voice. A continent that has killed, maimed, and destroyed all its brightest brains. A continent that leadership should never in the same sentence with. Etc.. No?

Nah, I want a united Yoruba country, with only Yoruba people - that's what the fvck I want.

shymexx: Bwahahahahahaha

You have a fictitious and artificial "United Nigeria" that isn't working, with the two front-runners for the next presidential election, that are arguably the worst people anyone would ever want to rule a sane country. Yet you want a "United Africa" - the most diverse continent on the planet, that has NEVER spoken with one voice. A continent that has killed, maimed, and destroyed all its brightest brains. A continent that leadership should never in the same sentence with. Etc.. No?

Nah, I want a united Yoruba country, with only Yoruba people - that's what the fvck I want.

Shymexxx. You wicked o! A united Nigeria exists and a united Africa is very possible.

yes we know integration isn't working among countries within africa let alone africa, nevertheless, what is going to be will definitely and must be. all black people of the planet will be one, MAN WILL BE AND SHALL BE ONE AS GOD IS ONE. Don't mistake MAN for mankind (kind of man or image of man) or humanity with MAN, MAN is the natural, the original and aboringinal of the planet earth and the universe as a whole. MAN SHALL BECOME ONE. Anybody that opposes that has his/her life for forfeit. MAN here is the BLACKMAN.

and we don't want that used dirty term "united states of africa", that is dirty and corrupt. a new name for MAN will be manifested and put to use.

UyiIredia:

Shymexxx. You wicked o! A united Nigeria exists and a united Africa is very possible.

On what planet does a fictitious United Nigeria exist? You mean the same country with so many deep rooted fault lines, where nepotism and sycophancy is the order of the day. A country that can't even critique bad leadership without bringing primordial tribal sentiments into - where everything is "us" against "them." A country where the politics is so medieval that it has no ideological base. A country destined for Balkanisation in the nearest future. A country divided along religious lines. A country where the South was created to be in a disadvantageous position against the North. A country where most Northerners still live in the 15th century, while most Southerners are barely literate. A country where the consciousness of all the ethnic identities differ, hence the primeval clashes Etc. No? Bury ya head in the sand and keep living in denial.

The only way a United Africa can be possible is if folks are allow to ditch the artificial borders, and go back to how they used to be. Then create a better AU that will recognise the tribal identities and create a union based on that. But the union has to be based on cooperation not what Mugabe is preaching. Wishful thinking due to the innate mentality of Africans. Whoever tries that would end up getting killed by the same Africans the same way they killed Lumumba, Toure etc.

He will be duly taken care of..
I'm sorry but it's true

united state of naija still dey affect us not to talk of united state of Africa. plz just leave us alone d way we are

hm

These dictators get bored of controlling their people and then try to control others

Edited

I'm in Nigeria at the moment and the forthcoming election is all about ethnic and religious arithmetic.

United Africa will never be possible. Nigerians and Ghanaians can hardly get on well together not to talk about uniting with countries like Morocco, Zimbabwe, SA etc....... For some weird reason, we Africans hate ourselves.

Impossicant drean

Mr. MUMUGABE your days are numbered. Ask GADDAFFI how far. No western world would like to hear that Idea

it will be possible, sorry, it is a done deal. one nation, one people. yes bro, you're right, the blackman hates himself, we don't have knowledge of who we are except of what other people told us of who we were, are or to be.

mickyarams: United Africa will never be possible. Nigerians and Ghanaians can hardly get on well together not to talk about uniting with countries like Morocco, Zimbabwe, SA etc....... For some weird reason, we Africans hate ourselves.

shymexx:

On what planet does a fictitious United Nigeria exist? You mean the same country with so many deep rooted fault lines, where nepotism and sycophancy is the order of the day. A country that can't even critique bad leadership without bringing primordial tribal sentiments into - where everything is "us" against "them." A country where the politics is so medieval that it has no ideological base. A country destined for Balkanisation in the nearest future. A country divided along religious lines. A country where the South was created to be in a disadvantageous position against the North. A country where most Northerners still live in the 15th century, while most Southerners are barely literate. A country where the consciousness of all the ethnic identities differ, hence the primeval clashes Etc. No? Bury ya head in the sand and keep living in denial.

The only way a United Africa can be possible is if folks are allow to ditch the artificial borders, and go back to how they used to be. Then create a better AU that will recognise the tribal identities and create a union based on that. But the union has to be based on cooperation not what Mugabe is preaching. Wishful thinking due to the innate mentality of Africans. Whoever tries that would end up getting killed by the same Africans the same way they killed Lumumba, Toure etc.

Okay then 2015 will decide things? Daz all I have to say.

mugabe of all people?

Mugabe is hallucinating, NLers ignore him. Africa is divided along ethnic and religious lines, with a major part of the continent still finding the definition of development. It will just be a case of the blind leading the blind. In sum, it is imposicant#

Ignore am, why is mugabe also interested in president Goodluck's job ?