Nairobi, Kenya – When African leaders gathered in Addis Ababa on May 25, 1963 to found the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the occasion became a symbol of continental liberation that many still call Africa Liberation Day.Sixty-three years later, as the continent marks Africa Day 2026, questions over what liberation really means still linger. What was once defined by flags and anthems is now increasingly seen through debates about who controls wealth, technology and global influence, and how that control shapes everyday life across the continent.For the older generation, Africa Day remains a deeply emotional milestone, a reminder of a hard-won victory against colonial rule and political oppression that reshaped the continent’s history.“We fought for the right to self-govern, and that political liberation can never be taken for granted,” says Mzee Josphat Kimanthi, 74, a retired civil servant in Machakos, Kenya.Generational riftBut Kimanthi also sees a widening gap between generations and a growing sense that the promises of independence have not fully translated into present realities.“We thought political freedom would automatically bring economic freedom. Instead, I watch my grandchildren struggle with the high cost of living under debts we did not sign up for,” he told Al Jazeera.For many analysts and young Africans, money, jobs and economic control now sit at the centre of how liberation is understood today. The debate has shifted from flags, borders and national anthems to deeper questions about who controls economies, who makes financial decisions, and who ultimat …
