The African Unification Front (AUF) is an organisation aiming to promote the

political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

and

economic An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...

union of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

History

AUF was formed in August 1996. The AUF advocates for transformation of Africa into a federation, with the

Pan African Parliament The Pan-African Parliament (PAP), also known as the African Parliament, is the legislative body of the African Union. It held its inaugural session in March 2004. The Parliament exercises oversight, and has advisory and consultative powers, ha ...

as the highest government, overseeing key institutions including a single currency, and one all-African army. The AUF promoted the creation of the African Union in the mid-1990s and continues to advocate for an end to

neocolonialism Neocolonialism is the continuation or reimposition of imperialist rule by a state (usually, a former colonial power) over another nominally independent state (usually, a former colony). Neocolonialism takes the form of economic imperialism, ...

. It has also been active in campaigns against abuses by the diamond industry, weapons traders, and unfair

terms of trade The terms of trade (TOT) is the relative price of exports in terms of imports and is defined as the ratio of export prices to import prices. It can be interpreted as the amount of import goods an economy can purchase per unit of export goods. An i ...

in the

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

industry.

Organization

The AUF National Committee is the body that elects the AUF president. The AUF Executive Committee is the body that implements policies and oversees the day-to-day administration of the AUF. AUF has been responsible for initiating and organizing several strategies, including the AUF's Fairtrade Coffee Campaign that pushed for reforms in the coffee industry. The AUF, also known as the African Front, consists of a worldwide network of supporters, who believe that Africa must be unified into a

federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-govern ...

as a means of securing peace and an end to

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

s and poverty. Although most members of the AUF are Africans, membership is open to non-Africans.

Past leaders

Other past AUF leaders have been Fesseha Demessae who served as Deputy Secretary General and Director of Cultural Affairs, and former vice-president Mongezi Sefika wa Nkomo. Kirimi Kaberia was the first president of the AUF. Mouhamed Taofic Youssouf served briefly as AUF president, after Kirimi Kaberia accepted a posting as deputy ambassador for Kenya in Washington DC, USA.

In the PAP

Following the creation of the

, the AUF became the first All-African (continental) political party. Several PAP members are also members and supporters of the AUF. AUF members who have served in the Pan African Parliament include Dr. Amani Walid Kabourou from Tanzania, Chrispin Mwitila Shumina from Zambia, and Loyce Bwambale from Uganda. Other influential supporters of the AUF include

John Atta-Mills John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills (21 July 1944 – 24 July 2012) was a Ghanaian politician and legal scholar who served as President of Ghana from 2009 until his death in 2012. He was inaugurated on 7 January 2009, having defeated the governing party ...

the president of Ghana, Alhaji Yahaya Ndu who is also a member of the AUF National Committee and the president of the

African Renaissance Party African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

in Nigeria, Alimamy Bakarr Sankoh, head of the Sierra Leone People's Democratic League (PDL), and Dr.

Miria Matembe Miria Rukoza Koburunga Matembe, LL.D ''(honoris causa)'' (born 28 August 1953) is a former member of the Pan-African Parliament from Uganda. While serving there, she was chairperson of the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline a permanen ...

, formerly chair of the Pan African Parliament's Rules Committee and a close ally of AU President Gertrude Mongella.

Symbols

The

Maure A Moor's head, since the 11th century, is a symbol depicting the head of a black moor. Origin The precise origin of the Moor's head is a subject of controversy. But the most likely explanation is that it is derived from the heraldic war flag ...

is used as the AUF's flag and

emblem An emblem is an abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a king or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and '' symbol'' are often us ...

. The head is blindfolded representing the impartiality of justice, and the knot is tied into a stylized Adinkra symbol for omnipotence ( Gye Nyame).African Unification Front Flags & Emblems
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References

External links

Organisation's website
{{Pan-Africanism African Union Pan-African organizations Pan-Africanist organizations in Africa Politics of Africa Transnational political parties