Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter Indira Gandhi came in for fulsome praise by some of the top African leaders as they recalled the historic ties Africa shared
Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter Indira Gandhi came in for fulsome praise by some of the top African leaders as they recalled the historic ties Africa shared with India.
South African President Jacob Zuma and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe were among those who mentioned the contribution of these leaders in strengthening ties between the continent and India. The summit began with images of Nehru and former Egyptian leader Abdel Gamar Naseer, evoking nostalgia in Indo-African ties of the decades gone by.
“We would like to recall the historical ties that bind us over the last century, emphasising particularly the role of two of your visionary Prime Ministers, Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter, Indira Gandhi,” said President Zuma as he addressed the summit, attended by 54 African countries.
Calling Nehru an active participant at the Bandung Conference in Indonesia in 1955 and subsequently a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961, President Zuma said the principles enshrined in the Non-Aligned Movement were reflected in our South-South solidarity interactions in today’s challenging times.
“Indira Gandhi, in her first 11 years in office from 1966 to 1977, changed India’s African policy through the introduction of the Africa-India Development Cooperation and India’s support for liberation struggles in Africa, including South Africa. ...The actions of these two Indian visionaries have created the base of strong solidarity between African member states and the Republic of India,” Mr Zuma said.
In his address, Mr Mugabe said Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru led the way through non-violence and showed the path to rid India and Africa of colonialism. According to news agencies, Mr. Mugabe also termed the Indian National Congress as a “great party” as he recalled Africa’s ties to Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress.
