We mark Africa Day in 2020 just over three months since the first case of coronavirus on the continent was confirmed.

Today marks 57 years since the leaders of 32 independent African nations met in Addis Ababa to establish the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the precursor to the African Union.

The preamble of the OAU charter is a rousing call to unity, cross-cultural understanding, and solidarity.

Like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Charter and the South African Constitution, it affirms the inalienable right of all people to control their own destiny.

We mark Africa Day this year just over three months since the first case of coronavirus on the continent was confirmed.