“African solutions to African problems” became the unofficial rallying cry for the new Pan-Africanism since the 1990s. The continent's leaders, from Gaddafi in the north to Mbeki in the South embraced what Mbeki called the “African renaissance.” In a guest opinion piece at allAfrica Tsoeu Petlane, a researcher for the Governance at the South African Institute for International Affairs in Johannesburg, takes a hard look at the slogan and the hard realities behind it, finding the new Pan-Africanism wanting, especially in the face of failed states or failing governments. But rather than throw out the ideal, Petlane wants to improve upon the realities.
