Nationalistic roles and impact of Individuals And Groups
What is Nationalism?
Nationalism is a strong sense of national consciousness, love and pride for one’s country, along with a desire for that country to run its own affairs and be free from foreign control and dominance.
Roles Of Individuals in Nationalist Movement
Certain individuals in Africa did great things for their country. Here are some of them:
1. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe: Dr. Azikiwe who was born at zungeru, in Niger State, on 16th November, 1904. He was one of the people who fought diligently for Nigerian independence. He was involved in setting up political parties in Nigeria, like NYM and NCNC. He developed newspapers like the West African Pilot as well.
Nnamdi Azikiwe did a lot to help Nigeria’s law grow and change. He was Nigeria’s 11th Governor General and ceremonial president from October 1, 1960, to January 15, 1966.
In 1979 and 1983, he ran for president as a member of the Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP), which is no longer in existence. He passed away on May 11, 1996.
2. Kwame Nkrumah (September 21, 1909–April 27, 1972): From 1952 to 1956, Nkrumah was the leader of Ghana and its former state, the Gold Coast. He worked hard to get the country out from under British colonial rule in 1957.
He was both Ghana’s first president and the very first prime minister. He was a very important supporter of pan-Africanism in the 20th century.
Nkrumah was one of the people who started the Organization of African Unity. In 1963, he won the Lenin Peace Prize. He asked women to take part in politics at a time when women didn’t have the right to vote in Africa.
In 1950, Nkrumah was put in jail for his political work. He died in Bucharest, Romania, on April 27, 1972, when he was 62 years old.
3. Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in a place called Mvezo in South Africa. He was involved in politics in South Africa and spoke out against the Apartheid government. Because of this, the Apartheid government locked him up in 1962. Mandela was in jail for 27 years, and many of those years were spent on Robben island.
After he was freed on February 11, 1990, he led his party in the conversations that led to the multiracial democracy in 1994. In the end, in 1994, he became the president of South Africa. He passed away in 2014.
Roles of Groups in Nationalist Movement
- In 1943, the Nigerian Trade Union Congress was established to protest the rising cost of livelihood.
- Political parties were important because they boosted people’s understanding and gave them a place to run for office.
- The National Congress of British West Africa (NCBWA) got people in west Africa involved in politics and started putting pressure on the colonial rulers to make changes quickly so that west Africa could become independent. It was made in Accra, which is in Ghana.
- WASU, which stands for West African Students’ Union. African Students in West Africa put this together. It made West Africans become more aware of their own race. WASU became a place where many future nationalist leaders from West Africa learned how to function.
- In 1920, a Jamaican man named Marcus Garvey set up the University Negro Improvement Association. They preached the saying “Africa for Africans” to people in Africa.
- The Pan Africanism Movement was an organization that asked all black people and people of African descent around the globe to fight against racism and colonial rule.
Nationalistic roles expected of individuals in the society
- Getting the government and other leaders to pay attention to the most important wants and problems of the society.
- Finding answers to problems in society and the community.
- Getting more people to do things, like vote in elections.
- Making sure there is justice, fairness, and fair play in society.
- Putting the needs of the country ahead of personal interest.
- Opposition to the adoption of policies and programs that have nothing to do with people (policies that are “anti-people”).
- Criticizing the leaders and policies of the government in a positive way.
- putting one’s life on the line for the sake of national security
- paying taxes on time when they are due
- To be a good example of one’s culture or country
- Stopping any attempt to cause damage to the society or country.
- Promoting the use of local items and services made within the country.
- Fighting injustice and corruption in all aspects possible
- Respecting the people in power
