N Dlamini Zuma: Pan-African Parliament Design Competition Awards
ceremony and gala dinner

7 November 2007

Programme Director, Ambassador Rantobeng Mokou
Honourable Minister of Public Works, Ms Thoko Didiza
Honourable Chairperson of the Jury, Mr Femi Majekodunmi
Honourable Commissioner of the African Union, Ms Julia Dolly Joiner
Members of the PAP Design Competition Jury
Members of the African Union of Architects
Members of the South African Institute of Architects
Members of the Inter-Ministerial Committee
Members of the Steering Committee
Members of the Working Committee
Honoured and Distinguished Guests
Ladies and gentlemen

Today we are celebrating a truly wonderful day in the life of the Pan
African Parliament and that is of course the announcement of the winning design
for the new home of the Parliament. This is indeed an occasion of celebration,
another milestone in the journey towards African unity as we quite literally
begin to plan and lay the foundation stone for the Pan African Parliament of
the future.

A great son of Africa, iNkosi Albert Luthuli, Nobel Laureate, a President of
the African National Congress (ANC) and an internationalist, passed away 40
years ago this week. Today I am reminded of his words in his Nobel Lecture in
1964, when he made the following observations:

"Let me invite Africa to cast her eyes beyond the past and to some extent
the present with their woes and tribulations, trials and failures and some
successes and see herself as an emerging continent, bursting to freedom. This
is Africa's age the dawn of her fulfilment, yes the moment she must grapple
with destiny to reach the summits of sublimity."

"To us all, free or not free, the call of the hour is to redeem the name and
honour of mother Africa. In a strife-torn world, tottering on the brink of
complete destruction by man-made weapons, a free and independent Africa is in
the making, in answer to the injunction and challenge of history "Arise and
shine for thy light is come."

This was more than 40 years ago and since then we have indeed cast our eyes
beyond the past and have begun to imagine a better future. We have all been
seized in the making of this "free and independent Africa". We, who have fought
for this freedom, are only now beginning to experience the results of our
collective labour.

As Africans, especially for those of us here in the south, our freedom was
part of the second wave of democracy to sweep the African continent since the
1990s. With the end of apartheid came the possibility of a new beginning. The
African continent was given another lease on life. More so than ever before, we
are now able to ensure that this is Africa's age and that we have it within our
grasp to bring about the economic, social and cultural development of all
African people.

With the formation of the African Union (AU) and the establishment of its
various organs, the conditions are being realised on the ground for Africans to
prosper, for the attainment of permanent African peace and for a flowering of
society and culture. In addition, the African leadership has embraced New
Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) as the social and economic
initiative of the continent. With the alignment of African leadership, the
institutional support of the Continental body, the African Union and
underpinned by the work of the Regional Economic Communities, as Africans we
are better placed than ever before to arrive at a common destination.
The African Union already has a number of organs in place, the African Union
Commission, the Assembly of the African Union, the African Court of Justice,
the Peace and Security Council, the Economic, Social and Cultural Council and
the African Court on Human and People's Rights, the Executive Council, as well
as the Specialised Technical Committees and the Permanent Representatives'
Committee. Our task now is to consolidate and strengthen the work of these
organs and committees.

Through a co-ordinated African approach, we have been able to make
connections and to understand and harness the interconnections between peace,
security and development which former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan sees as
the building blocks or the pillars that can help us to achieve a larger and
greater freedom. It is in this context that the building that will house the
Pan-African Parliament should be seen as a monument to democracy and freedom, a
beacon to dialogue and the sharing of ideas and expertise to make Africa a
better place for all who live in it.

Democracy has brought about freedom, good governance, peace, security and
stability in many of our countries. Now, we are ushering in another wave of
democracy through the building of institutions that will protect the gains that
we have made during our struggle for freedom and liberation. These institutions
will ensure that we fulfil our mandate of furthering the aims of economic
prosperity and social cohesion in our own communities. It is within this
context that the African Union under its visionary and committed leadership is
making progress in creating a united, prosperous and peaceful continent and we
have taken significant steps in putting all the building blocks in place to
realise our dreams of unity.

The Pan-African Parliament is only three years old, yet it is also as old as
the dreams of African unity first dreamt by Sylvester Williams and W E B Du
Bois more than a century ago. It is as old as the revolution in Haiti by
Toussaint L'Ouverture and his comrades in 1804 who established the first black
Republic of San Domingo. It is as old as the victory at the Battle of
Isandlwana in 1879 and the Battle of Adwa in 1896. It is as old as the oldest
liberation movements on this continent, as old as the independence of Ghana 50
years ago and as the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).

Yet it is also as young as the new generation of African activists,
intellectuals and representatives of their people whose role it is to fulfil
the new mission of bringing an end to African poverty and of sustaining
development.
It is as young as the Abuja Treaty of 1991 which first conceived the Parliament
within the context of entrenching political unity and the Sirte Declaration of
1999 which called for the establishment of the institutions of African unity
including the Pan-African Parliament. It is as young as the dreams of a new and
modern Africa eager to play its role on the international stage and eager to
build a more people-centred and egalitarian world. It is as young as the
evolving identity of a new generation who have given new meaning to common
African-centred dreams for liberty, for transformation and for full
emancipation.

Let me also remind you of the words of the great statesman and leader, Kwame
Nkrumah, who in his book, Africa must unite, maintained that:
"I am convinced that the forces making for unity far outweigh those which
divide us. In meeting fellow Africans from all parts of the continent I am
constantly impressed by how much we have in common. It is not just our colonial
past, or the fact that we have aims in common, it is something which goes far
deeper. I can describe it as a sense of one-ness in that we are Africans."

It is my view that, among others, tonight's occasion represents an attempt
to go "far deeper" and to embrace the shared experience of being African and
the recognition that these commonalities are not only political or about our
economies, but that it is also about the assertion of African culture and
identity.
Amilcar Cabral tells us that:

"Just as happens with the flower in a plant, in culture there lays the
capacity (or the responsibility) for forming and fertilising the seedling which
will assure the continuity of history, at the same time assuring the prospects
for evolution and progress of the society in question. The building of a unique
structure to house the Pan-African Parliament is about part of that journey of
growth, as we build upon our self-definition and set about practical tasks to
nurture a reality that reflects and develops on our identity.

It is also a message to the world that Africans no longer accept a second
class and marginal status in international affairs. It is a statement that no
longer can our past and present be appropriated by others through architecture
and culture we have embarked upon new narratives new ways and shapes of
representing who we are and imagining the future.

Buildings, places and spaces are all as the late Edward Said, tells us
territories that have been contested terrain. The construction of new kinds of
knowledge about ourselves, about where we want to go depends upon the character
of the place, the structure we create for ourselves. The new building is part
of our extension of our freedom.

As the great African writer, Sekou Toure explains:

"To take part in the African revolution it is not enough to write a
revolutionary song, you must fashion the revolution with the people. And if you
fashion it with the people, the songs will come by themselves, and of
themselves."

The new building of the Pan African Parliament must indeed be a structure of
the people and for the people! A design that gives form to our progressive
ideas and struggles and helps us to give political revolutionary content to our
actions and interventions. The architectural designs that were received for
this competition indicate the depth of artistic talent that the continent has
in this field.

It has made us realise how architecture is another form of showcasing our
cultural identity and instils a sense of pride of being an African. Our
continent is renowned for its rich architectural heritage that to this day
continues to contribute to and inspire the development of the architectural
profession. Yet despite our positive contribution to the profession of
architecture, the potential of this field has not yet been fully realised by
our people.

I hope that this competition will do more to popularise and encourage our
people to consider architecture as a fulfilling career path. The announcement
tonight of the overall winner of the Continent-wide Design Competition is the
first step towards building a new image for Africa and a permanent home for the
Pan African Parliament that will host parliamentarians from all AU member
states.

Conclusion

I hope this competition will further enhance the development of architecture
amongst the people of the continent not only as a form of economic empowerment
but also as an act of culture and an exercise of freedom of expression.
As work begins to translate the designs from paper into bricks and mortar, new
challenges begin. But the search for a design is over. To the 250 entrants and
the 4 runners-up, we say you have come so far, that you too deserve our
gratitude and praise.

May the injection of resources which the prizes bring, help the winners
build on the foundations they have laid. May their example strengthen the
partnership of government, people and communities towards a better African way
of life. Together, we have made a good start. Let us work together to build our
countries and the continent of our dreams. As South Africans privileged with
the honour of hosting the Pan-African Parliament, we are hard at work in
helping to fulfil all our obligations as host.

Of course, preparations are underway for our country to deliver the second
phase of its commitment namely that of providing the people of Africa with a
permanent state of the art structure to house their Parliament. I hope the
winning team will leave a legacy that will inspire a generation of new
architects to continue drawing designs that promote an African culture and
society in which all our hopes and dreams can be fulfilled.

I thank you.

Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
7 November 2007
Source: Department of Foreign Affairs (http://www.dfa.gov.za)