The African renaissance: A brief historical orientation

Abstract

The African Renaissance - and the accompanying New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and the African Union (AU) - have become political buzzwords in South Africa. The African Renaissance is a vision aimed at uplifting Africa from its present state of widespread poverty, violent conflicts, human rights violations, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the lack of good governance. Even though the emphasis in this article will be on the African Renaissance, it must be stressed that it cannot be understood or assessed separately from the issues referred to above or from the international context in which the vision was formulated and within which the proposed Renaissance must take place.