Pan-Africanism is more than just an ideology—it’s a movement for the liberation, unity, and self-determination of African people everywhere. It emerged in resistance to centuries of slavery, colonialism, and neocolonial exploitation that fractured the continent and stripped it of its dignity and resources. Pan-African thinkers like Kwame Nkrumah and Marcus Garvey believed that only a united Africa, free from foreign control, could reclaim its rightful place in the world.

Yet even today, the continent still bears the scars of Western domination. The United States and Europe have long shaped Africa’s political and economic realities, from redrawing borders to installing and supporting corrupt regimes that favored Western interests. Multinational corporations continue to extract Africa’s wealth, while international financial institutions impose economic policies that weaken national sovereignty.

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It is in this context that former U.S. President Donald Trump’s comment referring to African nations as “shithole countries” becomes not just offensive, but hypocritical. The very forces that helped destabilize Africa—slavery, colonization, economic sabotage, and military interference—were largely Western-made. Africa has been denied the space to grow and define itself on its own terms.

Enter leaders like Captain Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso—a new symbol of resistance and hope for many Africans. Since taking power, Traoré has called for an end to neocolonial influence, rejected foreign military interference, and championed Pan-African solidarity. He speaks openly against Western exploitation and envisions a self-sufficient Africa where Africans control their own destiny.

Traoré represents a bold shift: a generation of African leaders who are no longer willing to be puppets of foreign powers. He embodies the spirit of Pan-Africanism not just in rhetoric, but in action—mobilizing youth, reclaiming national pride, and forging alliances with other sovereign African nations.

If Africa has been turned into a “shithole,” it was not by its own making. But through unity, leadership, and the Pan-African dream, the continent can—and will—rise. Leaders like Traoré remind us that the struggle is far from over, but the path forward is clearer than ever.

Comr.Chima Chinenyeze .