Chairperson, in honour of President Kabila, Azapo wishes to start off by quoting from a secret agreement that was signed in Accra on 8 August 1960 by Kwame Nkrumah and Patrice Lumumba, and I quote:
The President of the Republic of Ghana and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Congo have given serious thought to the idea of African unity and have decided to establish, with the approval of governments and the people of their respective states, amongst themselves, a union of African states. The union will have a republican constitution within a federal framework. The federal government will be responsible for foreign affairs, defence, the issuing of common currency, the economic planning and development.
There will be no customs barriers between any part of the federation. There will be a federal parliament and a federal head of state.
In Azapo's terms this agreement represents a vision that is relevant today as a point of departure towards the unification of Africa.
Africa has come a long way from the time of colonialism, followed by the political revolution ending direct colonial rule to the period we are in now. The period is in essence a prerequisite for the revolution to bring about a radical transformation of Africa.
With the national liberation struggle to get rid of colonialism over, it is now possible to come to grips with the struggle against the continued exploitation by former colonial powers of African resources and wealth.
Azapo believes that this is the more difficult and protracted struggle, where the enemy is less obvious and is supported by the more complex international, monopoly-financed capital. [Time expired.] [Applause.]