Dito Ariotedjo, Minister of Youth and Sports
Jakarta, IO – Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Indonesia Dito Ariotedjo attended Africa Day 2024 at the Borobudur Hotel Jakarta, Friday 31 May. Menpora Dito was the Guest of Honor, representing the Indonesian government at the event.
“On behalf of Indonesia, I convey warm greetings to our African counterparts on Africa Day. Indonesia commends the African Union and African countries for their progress in facing challenges,” said Dito.
Dito said that Indonesia has a strong commitment to working with African countries to help advance each country economically, socially and culturally.
This commitment has been confirmed by President Joko Widodo’s working visit to the African region in 2023. The countries visited by the Head of State at that time were Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa.
“Indonesia is dedicated to strengthening collaboration with Africa in coming years. Partnership with Africa is very important and getting stronger every day, and is very important for the future,” he explained.
Indonesia and Africa also have a long historical relationship, particularly because Indonesia was the country that initiated and hosted the Asia-Africa Conference in 1955.
This event was lively and a cake was cut by Menpora Dito, together with Special Envoy of Seychelles Nico Barito, Dean of the Group of African Ambassadors accredited to Indonesia Ouadia Benabdellah and a number of other invited guests.
Then continued with the dinner session. There were diverse menus available from several countries such as Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Tunisia, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Libya and others. Visitors were seen going around tasting typical African food while enjoying dance performances.
Africa Day (formerly “African Freedom Day” and “African Liberation Day”) is the annual commemoration of the foundation of the Organization of African Unity on May 25, 1963. It is celebrated in various countries on the African continent as well as around the world. The organization was replaced by the African Union on July 9, 2002, but the holiday continues to be celebrated on 25 May.
The First Congress of Independent African States was held in Accra, Ghana on 15 April 1958. It was convened by the Prime Minister of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and was comprised of representatives from Egypt (then a constituent part of the United Arab Republic), Ethiopia, Liberia, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon, and the host country, Ghana. The Union of South Africa was not invited. The conference showcased progress of liberation movements on the African continent, in addition to symbolizing the determination of the people of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation. Although the Pan-African Congress had been working towards similar goals since its foundation in 1900, this was the first time such a meeting had taken place on African soil.
The conference called for the founding of an African Freedom Day, a day to “…mark each year the onward progress of the liberation movement, and to symbolize the determination of the people of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation.”
The conference was notable in that it laid the basis for the subsequent meetings of African heads of state and government during the Casablanca Group and the Monrovia Group era, until the formation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963.
On 25 May 1963, representatives of thirty African nations met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, hosted by Emperor Haile Selassie. By then more than two-thirds of the continent had achieved independence, mostly from imperial European states. At this meeting, the Organization of African Unity was founded, with the initial aim to encourage the decolonization of Angola, Mozambique, South Africa and Southern Rhodesia. The organization pledged to support the work conducted by freedom fighters, and remove military access to colonial nations. A charter was set out which sought to improve the living standards across member states. Selassie exclaimed, “May this convention of union last 1,000 years.”
The charter was signed by all attendees, with the exception of Morocco, on 26 May. At that meeting, Africa Freedom Day was renamed Africa Liberation Day. In 2002, the OAU was replaced by the African Union. However, the renamed celebration of Africa Day continues to be celebrated on 25 May, in respect for the formation of the OAU.
Read: Releases Album ‘8’, Connecting A Band With Life’s Journey
After Morocco’s official return to the African Union at the Addis Ababa Summit on January 30, 2017, with the support of 40 countries, and following the Moroccan parliament’s ratification of the African Union Charter, Morocco has been actively participating in this occasion, setting up a Moroccan pavilion showcasing a variety of products representing the rich and ancient heritage of the kingdom in the field of traditional crafts.
On May 29, 2024, Africa Day was celebrated in the Bronx neighborhood of New York, with the participation of representatives from African countries, including Morocco. This event, organized by Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, was marked by a ceremonial raising of the African Union flag at the borough’s municipal headquarters, home to the largest African community in the United States. (rp)