IA few thousand years ago, prosperous civilizations existed on this continent. These were in no way inferior to those which then existed in other continents. Africans were politically free and economically independent. They had their own social structure and their cultures were truly indigenous. The colonial period culminated in the chaining and enslavement of our continent. Our once proud and free peoples were enslaved and humiliated. Today, Africa has emerged from this dark period.
It has just been reborn as a free continent, and Africans as free men. The blood that has been shed and the suffering experienced are the best guarantees of our freedom and our unity. Whatever the place of our meeting, it is with respect that we will remember all those Africans who refused to accept the judgment passed against them by the colonialists and the imperialists, of all those who had hope, without wavering, in the darkest times, in an Africa freed from all political, economic and spiritual servitude.
Many of them have never set foot on this continent. Others, on the contrary, were born there and died there. We are gathered here to lay the foundations for African unity. We must therefore, here and today, agree on the basic instrument which will constitute the foundation for the future development of this continent in peace, harmony and unity. (…)
This conference cannot end without the adoption of a single African Charter. If we allow ourselves to be guided by concern for narrow self-interest and vain ambition, if we trade our beliefs for short-term gain, who will trust our words, who will believe our selflessness? We must make our opinions known, on the great problems which preoccupy the world, with courage and with sincerity, by saying what is. (…)
Our actions and attitudes should not be questioned. Let us conform to our beliefs so that they serve and honor us. (…)
We are particularly committed to the total elimination of racial discrimination from our continent. (…) Racial discrimination is the very negation of the psychological and spiritual equality that we have fought for. It is also a denial of the African personality and dignity that we have established through our struggles. The memory of past injustices should not make us lose sight of the pressing problems before us. We must live in peace with our former colonizers. Let us be free from recrimination and bitterness. Let us renounce the futility of revenge and retaliation. Let's get rid of all feelings of hatred that can only undermine our souls and poison our hearts. Let us act as befits the dignity, which we claim for ourselves as Africans, proud of our own qualities, our distinctions and our capacities. We know there are differences between us. Africans have different cultures, specific values, specific attributes. But we also know, and here we have examples, that unity can be achieved between men of the most diverse origins, that differences of race, religion, culture, tradition, do not constitute insurmountable obstacles for the union of peoples.
History teaches us that unity is strength and calls upon us to set aside our differences, to overcome them, in the search for common goals, to struggle with our united forces, in the path of true African brotherhood and unity. What we need is a single African organization, through which Africa can make one voice heard. We express the hope that we will have the wisdom, the judgment and the inspiration necessary to maintain the confidence of our peoples and our countries who have placed their fate in our hands.
"The discipline of the mind is one of the basic elements of authentic morality and, therefore, of spiritual strength. Indeed, a university, taken in all its aspects, is, essentially, a spiritual enterprise which, in addition to the knowledge and training it imparts, guides students towards a wiser life and highly sensitive to the responsibilities in life. We are confident that these institutions which now form the university, will be expanded and developed, so that the number of competent Ethiopian technicians will continue to increase."
Moral Power “No one can ignore the importance of spirituality in this cycle of studies. Instruction and technical training must be nourished by faith in God, respect for the human soul and respect for the reasoning of the spirit. There is no surer anchoring for our instruction, our lives, and our public actions, and these must be coupled with the teaching of the divine and of what is best in the understanding of the human.
The leadership function developed here is inspired by the fundamental values and moral power that have been the essence of our religious teachings for centuries. Ours is a critical time in which nation rises against nation. Tensions are increasing and disaster is possible at any moment. Distances are being shortened. Peace and life are threatened by conflict and misunderstanding. It is high time today that sincere belief in man's kinship with God should be the foundation of all human effort for self-edification and instruction, the basis of all understanding, cooperation and peace.
