Arts as Drivers of African Bilateral Relations and Regional Integration: the Example of the songs of Mamman Gao and Abubakar Ladan Zaria

Abstract

International Relations is a pervasive field that encompasses the interactions between and among
states and non-state actors that cut across political, economic, cultural and even private domains.
International Relations is therefore the entire politico-economic, sociocultural, techno-scientific
and strategic military relations between and among international actors. With her 54 nations
composed of multiple cultures, Africa’s integration is to be sought in her cultural diversity rather
than conference hall debates by diplomats. This is because African nations’ borders are as fluid
as the notion that ‘Africa has no history and therefore has no culture’. In response to this runny
opinion, some African artists came up with forceful arguments for African unity, integration and
development through cultural diplomacy. This paper examines Mamman Gao’s ‘Najeriya da Nijar
Duk Ɗai Suke’ and Abubakar Ladan Zaria’s ‘Haɗin Kan Afirka’. Using documentary analysis, the
paper establishes that African integration is strongly rooted in African identity. The paper further
establishes that African integration can be achieved on a sound basis through the promotion of
cultural diplomacy in addition to the continental and sub-regional initiatives such as the regional
economic communities (RECs) established based on the geographical and cultural affinities the
people of people of these contiguous regions.