Union of African States

The Union of African States, was a short lasting union of first two, then three African states in West Africa, in the 1960s. These states were Ghana, Guinea, and Mali. The Union was politically Socialist and Pan-Africanist, and was led by African revolutionaries Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Sékou Touré of Guinea, and Modibo Keïta of Mali.

History

On 23 November 1958 a Ghana-Guinea Union was formed. In May 1959 it was announced that the Union would be renamed Union of African States. In April 1961 Mali joined the Union. The Union fell apart in 1962, when Guinea started to reach out to the United States, against the Marxist leaning of the other partners, who were more oriented towards the Cold War adversary of the U.S., the Soviet Union.

The three-state Union of African States was the inspiration for the song "Ghana, Guinea, Mali union" by highlife musician E. T. Mensah.

Flag

When the Ghana-Guinea Union was formed, its flag was like the flag of Ghana, but with two black stars. When the Union was renamed Union of African States, its flag was specified to be a flag like that of Ghana "with as many black stars as there are members".Robin McKown. Nkrumah: a Biography. Doubleday, 1973, p. 124. So when Mali joined the Union the flag had three stars. The announcement of the Union's flag did not specify the arrangement of the stars; while shown here in a line, it is not known whether this, or possibly another arrangement, was...
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