Amos Fofung, Researcher, Leadership & Governance Policy Lab
afofung@africacfsp.org

Sparked by the police killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, in Minnesota and compounded by years of racial discrimination across the globe, African governments, civil society, and activist communities are fighting back.

Prompted by a multitude of Black Lives Matter protests that erupted across the U.S. and the globe following the brutal killing of George Floyd in May 2020, Africa launched various campaigns condemning racism and human rights abuses against Africans – within and without the African continent.

Indeed, it is not the first time that African leaders, diplomats, scholars, artists, and other influencers raised voices criticizing the various forms of systemic racism that Africans have been subjected to for the past 400 years. The anti-racism protesters in the U.S. received an outpouring of support across the African continent from a vast range of key players.

Heads of State

The President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, was one of the first heads of state to respond to the murder of George Floyd. In a statement posted on Twitter on June 1, with Floyd’s face on a black background, he writes:

Black people, the world over, are shocked and distraught by the killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, by a white police officer in the United States of America. It cannot be right that, in the 21st century, the United States, this great bastion of democracy, continues to grapple with the problem of systemic racism. We hope that the unfortunate, tragic death of George Floyd will inspire a lasting change in how America confronts head-on the problems of hate and racism.

Former African Heads of State Write to Donald Trump

Africa Forum, a group of former African Heads of State and Government established in 2006 under the patronage of revered political activist and Nobel Prize laureate Nelson Mandela, issued a declaration on June 1, 2020, expressing anguish and frustration over the police killing of a Black man, George Floyd on May 25, 2020.

The signatories, led by Nicéphore D. Soglo, former President of the Republic of Benin, alongside 37 other African dignitaries, wrote that they were deeply concerned and devastated by the exorbitant levels of crime and violence targeting Black communities in the U.S. They called upon “the President of the United States of America to urgently take the appropriate measures to put an end to this violence and these murders which, alas, exceed the crimes committed against minorities during World War II.”

Standing in solidarity with the victims of police brutality and white supremacy in the U.S. and joining the Black Lives Matters diaspora, former African Heads of States questioned what level of cruelty must be reached before the whole world finally wakes up and expresses its indignation. They demanded that perpetrators of ‘barbaric’ crimes of this nature are punished with the utmost rigor; the signatories call on all African governments to rise against and protest the ignoble killing of George Floyd and the racial discriminations targeting Black Americans.

The Africa Forum concluded by reaffirming its commitment to eradicating racial discrimination and avowing unconditional support for U.S. civil leaders and elected black officials.

UN Urged to Launch Probe into Racism

In a rare united effort toward achieving a common objective, all 54 African countries have requested a formal United Nations-led probe into police brutality and acts of racism against Africans in America and the world over. Penned by Burkina Faso’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, on behalf of the 54 African countries, the request for the UN Human Rights Council pleaded that an “urgent debate” be hosted to deliberate on matters of “racially inspired human rights violations, police brutality against people of African descent and the violence against the peaceful protests that call for these injustices to stop.” The letter requests for the debate to be held during the council’s 43rd session.

100 African Politicians, Musicians, Scholars, Business Magnates, and Journalists Unite for Civil Discourse

The 100 or so African influencers are sentimentally affected by the tragic killing of George Floyd. Their grief and advocacy were outlined and underscored in a solidarity statement. It also detailed a petition condemning police brutality and calling for rejuvenating relationships between all African populations across the globe.

The signatories anathematized the reprehensible incidents taking place in the U.S., whereby it is proclaimed to be the harbinger of democracy in the free world:

In these strange moments of uncertainty and fear, the news from America has broken our hearts. We cannot remain silent! We cannot remain deaf and blind to the plight of our African-American brothers and sisters. We are shocked by the brutal murder of George.

The signatories reiterated the motto that “Black Lives Matter” and that Africa, with a population of 1.3 billion will not stand down and watch its people suffer racial discrimination. The signatories pledged to continue the fight for equality, equity, and recognition for the enormous contribution of Africans in the fields of science, technology, and diplomacy, which has helped shape the evolution of the world: “…we will break our silence, we will claim our rightful place in human history.”

The signatories included legendary African football striker, Samuel Eto’o, Senegalese-American music icon, Akon, Senegalese musician, Youssou Ndour, Burundian writer, Princess Esther Kamatari, Hassan Ba of the United Nations, and Cameroon philosopher, Professor Achille Mbembe.