African leaders have gathered to witness celebrations in Addis Ababa for the 50th jubilee of the continental bloc, with its many problems set aside for a day to mark the progress that has been made. Mass dancing troupes performed musical dramas on Saturday to about 10,000 guests in a big hall in the Ethiopian capital, home to the African Union. Today’s 54-member AU is the successor of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), established amid the heady days as independence from colonial rule swept the continent in 1963. African leaders were expected to be joined by Francois Hollande, the French president; Wang Yang, China’s vice-premier; and John Kerry, US secretary of state. Mali is expected to be discussed: it is preparing to receive a UN peacekeeping force to support French soldiers fighting formerly al-Qaeda-linked rebels in the desert north since January. The agenda will also likely include Madagascar – in political deadlock since a 2009 coup – and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where UN-backed government soldiers are struggling to defeat rebels. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, AU Commission chief, said the “celebration of all Africa” was “historic”, and that it was a time to both look back at the past and consider how the continent can tackle the many challenges ahead. “The future is in our hands, its bright … the opportunities are great for the continent to be prosperous,” Dlamini-Zuma said in a statement late on Friday.
