"We Are Africans": Reviving Pan-Africanism, One Music Video at a Time

Nigerian-born hiphop artist JJC and fans celebrated the UK's Black History Month with the release of a new single and music video titled "We Are Africans." This militant anthem calls for unity among people of African descent, with JJC and his crew, Big Brovas, shouting out to the continent and the diaspora. "As long as you've got black in your skin, say it loud, say it proud: you are African!"

Kwame Nkrumah called for a United States of Africa half a century ago, but in recent years Pan-Africanism has faded from the discussions of many Africans. When one's country is struggling to maintain political order and economic viability, it is easy to forget that there are other countries whose people have had similar experiences of colonialism and oppression. In this video, JJC is unequivocal in demanding pan-African unity and cooperation. The video's nationalistic symbols and the variety of costumes illustrate JJC's vision of Africans united. 

Every nationalist movement relies on symbols that represent ideology in concrete form. In the "We Are Africans" video, JJC uses the flags of Nigeria, Ghana, Jamaica, and other countries to stand for the diversity of Black people. But JJC and his crew are clear in their lyrics that this diversity of heritage should not be divisive: "It's like we're all on the same side; it's like we're all from the same tribe," raps Randy. The video begins in what appears to be a military recruitment facility, with a camouflage wall, laptop computers, and young men and women signing up for duty. Words cut from newspapers, like "torture" and "victim," flash across the screen, referring to the centuries of oppression Black people have endured. But Barack Obama, dressed as Superman, also appears on one of the laptop computers - his presence in the video demonstrates his status as a beacon of hope for Black people around the world. Some of the symbols are more explicit, invoking key moments in Black history: while JJC raps, one of the women sentries holds up a "Black Power" fist, and a crowd of people brandish signs that read, "Change," "Increase the Peace," "We Have a Dream," and "Stop Black on Black Crime." Children make up the front of this crowd, symbolizing the future of Africans and the diaspora.

The costuming chosen for this video also reflects JJC's message. We see JJC in several outfits - he appears first in an army officer's jacket while recruits to his movement sign up; then, we see him dancing on stage wearing an old-fashioned officer's jacket. Combined with the fly whisk he is holding, the jacket reminds the viewer of African kings photographed during the colonial era. Later in the video, the rapper wears a contemporary sleeveless shirt common in West Africa. Around him, men and women wear Western-style clothing as well as "traditional" agbada and cap of the Yoruba people. By using these different fashions, JJC shows respect for the variety of cultures encompassed in the term "African," and he demonstrates pride in the past as well as the "modernity" of African people.

JJC's lyrics (as well as those of Randy and J-Rock) are obvious expressions of pride in an identity as African. Their lyrics, combined with nationalist symbols and the variety of fashions used in the video, are one example of the connection African hiphop artists feel with their diasporic counterparts. It seems that what remains is a response from the American hiphop industry. Although a few artists like Wyclef Jean have reached out to collaborate with African MCs, the kind of unity that JJC calls for remains just out of reach in the hiphop world. When American radio stations give African artists airplay and record companies engage the talented rappers from across the Atlantic, maybe JJC's vision will become reality.