Africa's story is incomplete without mentioning Nyerere, Nkrumah, Keita, Kaunda and Mandela, said Mugabe

President Mugabe has urged Africans to never forget the history of liberation movements in Africa and the critical role played by the founding fathers in national and African independence.

The President, who was the guest speaker at an African National Congress centenary conference at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa headquarters on Sunday, said Africa's story was incomplete without mentioning icons like Cdes Julius Nyerere, Kwame Nkrumah, Modibo Keita, Kenneth Kaunda and Nelson Mandela.

The conference was held on the sidelines of the 16th African Union General Assembly that ended Monday.

It was held under the theme "The Liberation Struggle and Shared Values: Achievements, Lessons and the Future", and drew former and current presidents.

These included Zambia's founding President Dr Kenneth Kaunda and former South African President Thabo Mbeki.

Centenary spokesman Mr Zizi Kodwa said the conference was a celebration of the shared values of freedom, justice, democracy, good governance and prosperity, and to promote lessons learnt from the liberation struggle and how these should  translate into a better life for all Africans.

President Mugabe was given the honour of addressing the conference as he is one of the founding fathers who were in Addis Ababa on May 25, 1963 when the predecessor of the African Union - the Organisation of African Unity - was launched to spearhead decolonisation.

The OAU had two primary aims:

    1. To promote the unity and solidarity of the African states and act as a collective voice for the African continent. This was important to secure Africa's long-term economic and political future. Years of colonialism had weakened it socially, politically and economically.

    2. The OAU was also dedicated to the eradication of all forms of colonialism, as, when it was established, there were several states that had not yet won their independence or were minority-ruled. South Africa and Angola were two such countries. The OAU proposed two ways of ridding the continent of colonialism. Firstly, it would defend the interests of independent countries and help to pursue those of still-colonised ones. Secondly, it would remain neutral in terms of world affairs, preventing its members from being controlled once more by outside powers.

Speaking nostalgically, the President took the delegates down memory lane from the days he cut his political teeth as a member of the ANC Youth League when at a South African university, to his entry into Zimbabwe's mainstream politics.

President Mugabe said the founding fathers were keen to see African countries achieve self-rule and self-determination, and they did it all out of self-sacrifice.

He said Cde Nkrumah's enduring statement that Ghana's independence was meaningless unless linked to Africa's total liberation had been shown to be true and the late Pan Africanist had been true to his word by practically supporting decolonisation across the continent.

Turning to the relationship between the ANC and Zanu-PF, President Mugabe said their ties remained strong and lauded Cde Mbeki and Cde Jacob Zuma's role in mediating in Zimbabwe.

President Mugabe bemoaned the loss of focus and deviation from the founding principles of the then OAU by the AU, saying some members were now working with the erstwhile colonisers to the detriment of continental peace and stability