PAC@75: Pan African Congress 75th Anniversary Celebrations

‘We are determined to be free. We want education. We want the right to earn a decent living; the right to express our thoughts and emotions, to adopt and create forms of beauty…. We will fight in every way we can for freedom, democracy and social betterment’. These words, which formed part of the Statement by the Fifth Pan-African Congress in 1945, encapsulated not only the aims of the congress, but the changes necessary to ensure self-rule for countries across the African continent. Whilst borne out of a particular historical and political moment 75 years ago, however, these words still resonate with people particularly in 2020, not only in Manchester, but around the world. With the renewed focus on the Black Lives Matter movement, and an interrogation of the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities globally, this year more than any has made clear to people of all races that the fight for racial equality is far from over. Celebrating the 75^th anniversary of the 5^th Pan-African Congress in 2020 has given us the opportunity to both commemorate and honour the achievements of black and white delegates from Africa and consider how to actualise a future free from systemic racism and oppression.

In the same way that the success of the 5^th Pan-African Congress of 1945 depended upon the solidarity of delegates from Manchester, as well as Africa, the Caribbean, America and Asia, the 75^th Anniversary celebrations too witnessed the cohesion of variegate individuals, communities, and institutions. Together, Manchester Metropolitan University, alongside the University of Manchester, University of Salford, the University of Bolton, the National Black Arts Alliance, the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre, See My World and the North West Consortium of Doctoral Training Partnership (NWCDTP) came together to produce four days of events that placed a spotlight on some of Africa’s greatest historians, thinkers, and artists.

On 15^th October 2020, the 75^th Anniversary began with a visual tribute. Lit in the colours of the Pan-African Congress; red, white and green, the old Town Hall façade – which is now the front of the Manchester Metropolitan New Arts and Humanities Building – formed the backdrop to the opening of PAC@75. There, PAC@75 Curator Professor Ola Uduku, along with co-organisers Dr Jade Munslow Ong, Dr Kai Syng Tan, Berrisford Edwards and students Khadijah Diskin, Kwame Asamoah Kwarteng, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Sharon Handley and Professor Jennifer Watling, began the inauguration of the PAC@75 celebrations. Following the launch, the first day of celebrations witnessed performance artist Tania Camara offer a ‘poetic conversation’ on what has changed since 1945 in Poetics of Freedom; a talk and Live Q&A with Dr Ray Costello, and an online film screening, Voices For Freedom curated by Manchester poet SuAndi and presented by family members of the Manchester-based Pan African Congress 1945 delegates.

The second day of PAC@75 offered a different dynamic, as reflections on race and social inequalities shifted from performance-based practice to conversation and debate. The day began with PAC@75 participant Khadijah Diskin in conversation with Guardian columnist, journalist and documentary maker, Afua Hirsch, before other PAC@75 organisers Dr Kai Syng Tan, Professor Ola Uduku and Berrisford Edwards chaired a debate, considering how African Socio-Political Histories can help us shape a future that meets the demands of the Black Lives Matter movement. Discussion continued with PAC@75 partner, See My World, and their hosting of the Pan-African Youth Panel, which offered a platform to students, artists, activists and young leaders within the community. The finale of day 2 of PAC@75 arrived with the Keynote Address by Kwame Anthony Appiah: ‘From the Problem of the Colour Line to Black Lives Matter’. Drawing upon the words of W.E.B. Dubois, the co-founder of the Pan-African Congress Movement, Appiah explored ‘the problem of the color line’, explaining how the racism ingrained in colonial history continues to affect black people today.

Opened by David Olusoga, Guardian columnist, historian, and author of ‘Black and British: A Forgotten History’, Day 3 of PAC@75 launched the Black History Digital Map of Manchester, an innovative technology that showcases key locations and sites that highlight Pan-African associations within Manchester. Interviewed by Quadri Sogunle-Aregbesola, Olusoga explored the relationship between the Black Lives Matters movement and the contemporary British urban landscape within the context of COVID-19 and the impacts of a global pandemic. Whilst the guidelines surrounding the pandemic meant an Urban History Walk was not possible, the launch of this map was still able to emphasise the role of Manchester in the history of the Pan-African Congress. As an online platform, its ever-evolving nature offers the opportunity for local people to be involved in the preservation of Manchester’s black urban history. This focus on local voices was continued with the ‘Manchester Writes’ session, wherein creative writers from Manchester shared readings of narratives that explored race and identity in a ‘postcolonial’ world. This combination of visual and creative practice was concluded with Farida Vis in conversation, who spoke with Cheryl Magowan about the role of the Fifth Pan-African Congress in her new MA module, Visual Culture.

 As PAC@75 championed the notion of looking to the future, the final day of celebrations were handed over to students – and future leaders – from the four institutions. Following a wonderful poetry performance by Chancellor Jackie Kay, the final day celebrated the talents and achievements of black students, with poetry by Vashti Gbolagun, dance by Carol Tiriongo, Kwame Asamoah Kwarteng, Steadman Ourusu Baptiste and Tony John Belfon-Kaaba, and a music performance by Isaiah Hull. Alongside these performances, which were pensive and joyful, were panels led by current and former SU Presidents - Kwame Asamoah Kwarteng, Boluwatife Oyesola, Ansh Sachdeva and University of Salford graduate, Rosalie Benjamin. Discussing what Pan-Africanism means to black leaders today, and the legacies of colonialism, these students navigated these difficult issues through their passion, pain and humour. Also looking to the future were the students involved the NWCDTP-funded session on Unconscious Bias with The EW Group.

The finale of PAC@75 saw one more ‘in conversation’ session, this time with poet, performer and Manchester Chancellor Lemn Sissay, who spoke about what Pan-Africanism means to him. I had the pleasure of being on a panel alongside wonderful students - Nana Agyeman Fredua, Rudi May Hart and Boluwatife Oyesola, who had the opportunity to ask Sissay his thoughts on decolonial strategies and the global effects of the Black Lives Matter Movement. Through his creativity, his humour, and his expertise, Sissay was able to close the PAC@75 events by acknowledging the vastness of racial inequality, but also inspiring in his audience the determination to overcome the obstacles and systems that contribute to ongoing racial discrimination.

As well as looking back on the group of individuals to whom the success of the Fifth Pan-African Congress is owed, the PAC@75 celebrations brought together a new group of individuals dedicated to making racial inequality, oppression, and discrimination a thing of the past. Together, scholars, journalists, artists, activists, and students of all races demonstrate the determination, passion, and resilience needed to continue the efforts and achievements of the Congress in 1945. Whilst the celebrations are now over, the legacy of both the Fifth Pan-African Congress, and its celebrations, is ongoing. As Professor Ola Uduku stated in the closing ceremony, ‘we should take our history from this time and see how we can actually change the world for the better, where everybody is equal, we all have equal rights, and we are all able to enjoy unity in all we think, say, and do’.