The Three Horsemen of the African Union

May 1963 saw 32 leaders of newly independent African states come together in Ethiopia to establish the Organization of African Unity (OAU). Following the difficult period of widespread underdevelopment as a result of imperialism, there had been growing calls among African nations for a pan-African vision for development as well as the freedom to control their own destiny. The OAU was an organization that sought to drive Africans towards a unified position of collective development and cooperation. The pan-Africanist views of the OAU were also a reflection of the political consciousness that had blossomed through many African states that were freeing themselves from the vestiges of imperialist colonization. With the guiding philosophy of African socialism and the communal practices of African societies, the OAU sought to coordinate and intensify cooperation not only as a means of defending new-found sovereignty but to promote internationalism. African political leaders like Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah, and Guinea’s Sékou Touré at the time held due regard for the charter of the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement meaning that, while the struggle for a new phase of self-determination had begun, it was also important to build upon diplomatic and economic relationships with countries that have similar development and geopolitical objectives.