Movement for the Social Evolution of Black Africa

The Mouvement pour l' évolution sociale de l' Afrique noire (abbreviated MESAN, French for movement for the social development of Black Africa ) was a political party in Ubangi -Shari and later in the Central African Republic.

The party which originally worked as a social movement, was founded by Barthelemy Boganda in Bangui, the capital of Ubangi -Shari on 28 September 1949 with the aim to combine " all black people of the world" and to the political, economic and to promote social development in Black Africa to break the barriers of tribalism and racism, and to replace the " dehumanizing colonial subordination " by a more humane conception of brotherhood and cooperation.

The MESAN won all the seats in the election to the Territorial Assembly on 31 March 1957. After independence, the MESAN was the government and de facto single party. All citizens of the country have been declared as members and pay dues had. After the military coup of December 1965 and the coming to power of Jean- Bédel Bokassa, the party was indeed exist formally, but had become politically meaningless. The party was dissolved on 24 November 1979 after the overthrow Bokassa.