MARTIN MAWAYA
Algiers, Algeria— President of the Pan African Parliament (PAP), Chief Fortune Charumbira has called on Africa to reclaim its cultural identity and values as a cornerstone for true independence and sustainable development.
Addressing delegates at the International Conference on Crimes of Colonialism in Africa in Algiers, Algeria, Charumbira warned that Africa’s development will remain stunted if the continent continues to measure itself against Western standards and value systems shaped by colonial rule.
“Culture is the glue that binds us together, and without our culture we are disunited and directionless,” Chief Charumbira said, adding that the erosion of African cultural heritage under colonial rule left the continent struggling to define its own path.
He decried that colonial education had ingrained a mindset that glorifies Western ideals while undermining African knowledge systems.
This, he said, had led to a pervasive sense of inferiority among Africans, resulting in a preference for foreign products and ideas over home grown innovations.
“Unless we change this mindset, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which seeks to boost intra-African trade and self sufficiency, will fail to meet its noble objectives,” he cautioned.
Citing Zimbabwe’s heritage-based education policy as a model, the PAP president said decolonizing education was key to restoring confidence in Africa’s own knowledge, traditions, and systems of value.
“Heritage-based education ensures that our learning reflects who we are as a people and prepares our youth to solve problems within the African context,” he said.
On reparations, Charumbira warned that Africa faces a “long and bruising struggle” for historical justice, as former colonial powers remain reluctant to account for past injustices.
He noted that Zimbabwe’s ongoing suffering under illegal Western sanctions illustrates the enduring nature of post-colonial oppression.
“Zimbabwe is still under sanctions simply because it reclaimed land that had been stolen by British settlers. Yet, despite the pain, we will never reverse our land reform programme. It is a matter of sovereignty and justice,” he declared.
Chief Charumbira further urged African nations to move beyond rhetoric and pursue reparatory justice with unity and resolve.
Adding that “If Africa is divided, the fight for reparations will be futile”.
The International Conference on Crimes of Colonialism in Africa is being hosted by the government of Algeria in collaboration with the African Union Commission from November 30 to the 1st of December 2025.
The forum has brought together AU organs, ministers, jurists, historians, academics, diaspora representatives, and regional and international organisations.
It forms part of the African Union’s 2025 Theme of the Year: “Justice for Africa and People of African Descent Through Reparations.”
The indaba explores colonialism’s lasting effects on Africa’s politics, economy, culture, and environment, while charting paths to reparative justice for the continent and its diaspora.
