We've all heard of the European Union, and many of us may have a good idea of how it
works, but did you know that there's also an African Union?
The African Union (AU) is a political organization, founded in 1999, and launched in 2002, and
descended from the earlier Organization of African Unity (OAU), established in 1963,
to fix the damage caused by colonialism, solve international disputes in Africa, and protect
African interests.
Its members now consist of 55 member states, finally spanning all of Africa, now that Morocco
finally joined 30.Jan.2017.
The AU works somewhat similarly to the EU, and also works alongside the UN to maintain
peace and resolve disputes.
Currently, there are plans to launch the Afro as a single currency in 2023.
Though the largest city on the continent is Lagos, Nigeria, its two political centers
are in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, and the largest city in South Africa, Johannesburg.
The AU also has at least 8 official languages, including English, Arabic, French, Portuguese,
Spanish, Swahili, and what Wikipedia calls "African languages".
This is a similar situation to South Africa, which alone has 11 official languages, since
it's so diverse.
For the longest time, Morocco had been the oddball of the continent, much like Switzerland,
being the only African nation not in the AU… much like Switzerland.
This was because of all the drama going on in Western Sahara, which is a member, as the
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, even though its existence is disputed… much like Sw…
It would be like if Catalonia were in the EU, but not as a province of Spain.
Madrid wouldn't be very happy about that.
Nowadays, however, the whole of the continent is a member of the AU, which meets to decide
on stuff in the Pan-African Parliament in Addis Ababa, as well as many other organizations.
The AU is mainly concerned with social issues with colonialism and violent disputes on the
continent, as well as economic issues in the nations.
One of the organization's most noteworthy duties in their short history has been in
operating peacekeeping missions in areas on the continent under attack from Boko Haram.
Unfortunately, the AU is somewhat underfunded, with many members not paying their membership
fees, something complained about by the President of Rwanda, which has led to some complicated
records in recent wars and outbreaks.
Many in the AU strive for eventual unity, as it was even brought up in some of the earliest
talks about the idea, though the idea still has a bit of a ways to go, since the AU lacks
a Schengen equivalent, or anything else like that already seen in the EU.
AU members also have different economic groups within, like the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU),
and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
A more apt comparison would be something like the UN, which serves as more of an international
forum to resolve disputes, and has actually had to step in for the AU.
Nevertheless, the AU is a new organization with high hopes for a powerful, united Africa,
both for the sake of its soon-to-be 4.4 billion citizens by 2100, and for North American citizens
who are just bad at geography.
Thanks for watching this brief summary of the African Union.
This video was meant more for people who had no prior idea the AU existed, but if you found
this video informative, do be sure to give it a like and subscribe to learn something
new every Sunday.
For more infomation >> Robin Thicke is a father again! - Duration: 1:54. 
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét