1963 — Africa Day, the OAU Is Born

On May 25, 1963, leaders of 32 independent African states met in Addis Ababa and signed the charter creating the Organisation of African Unity. They gathered as heads of new nations, determined to speak together and to stand behind those still fighting for freedom across a continent only partly liberated from colonial rule.

With only two-thirds of Africa free, the OAU's first mission was backing the liberation of the rest. The summit declared May 25 a yearly commemoration, today's Africa Day. In 2002 the African Union inherited the dream, keeping the name and the date, and carrying the founding promise into a new century.