African Nationalism and The World Cup

During World Cup season, billions of people around the world have a new dose of entertainment to take their minds off the horrors of widespread economic stagnation, environmental degradation, as well as lower economic prospects for the working class than ever before, it is almost as if there isn’t an ongoing war in eastern Europe…strange times. As sports create an ‘us versus them’ atmosphere, it is also a key tool for soft power, diplomacy, and nationalism. National identity is also fostered through sports, meaning flagship events like the World Cup in Qatar are key opportunities for countries to exhibit national . . .

US officials and African leaders at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington DC

Reject the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit

The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) recognizes the “U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit” — scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C. December 13-15th — as nothing more than collusion between neo-colonial powers and U.S. attempts to advance and maintain dominance over the continent. Liberal elements of U.S. civil society will preoccupy themselves with the issues they think should be addressed at the Summit, claiming to act in the best interest of Africa or, as with the Summit of the Americas held earlier this year, attack those who they say do not deserve to be invited. Such dispositions presume the U.S. has honest . . .

A black panther party graphic that reads "uncle sam wants you nigger" and "hell no! america is the black man's battleground."

(don’t call me) Nigger

To be addressed as Nigger is to beremoved from history — with bloodon the book that the wind has blownaway to the face of a Nigger.In your face a Nigger will smile butcan’t walk a mile when the…placards are up!A Nigger will compromise autonomyfor a pot of porridge to appease hisinsatiable appetite — to fill up thevoid just as Judas his patriot.A Nigger is a killer of the poorrighteous teacher, willing to pull thetrigger on the dreamer; poised to makea Stephen out of every believer!A Nigger plays for the gainhooked up on the pain — a baitto fish the Messiah.A . . .

A graphic depicting a medieval book burning.

Reject Anti-Intellectualism

A disingenuous trend is reemerging, bastardizing concepts of “accessibility” to attack and suppress radical efforts at political education. The focus on consistent ongoing political education is shot down as disconnected from the needs of the people. But these critiques should be seen clearly for what they are: anti-intellectualism masquerading as a faux concern for the elusive “everyday person”. These are not genuine concerns for how people learn (ignoring the array of techniques like creating glossaries, audio recordings of written materials, visual aids or establishing group reading environments), these are attacks on the acts of learning and studying. As an article . . .

A poster written in French calling for the proletariat of all African nations to unite

Steps to a Socialist Pan-African Movement

A recently published book by Vita books publishers Essays on Pan-Africanism edited by Shiraz Durrani & Noosim Naimasiah contains essays on Pan-Africanism written by Pan-Africanist intellectuals at various times. In its preface, Prof. Issa Shivji says writings on Pan-Africanism never become dated for the desire of Africans globally for freedom continues burning, sometimes dimming into a flicker, at other times shining bright but never stuffed out however strong winds. The book has diverse chapters dating back to Karim Essack’s publication in 1993. Nevertheless, there is an important chapter on the necessity of building a Socialist Pan-African movement by Shiraz Durrani . . .

Jay-Z greets NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell

Eat Jay-Z

Jay-Z recently had an incoherent rant on Twitter Spaces that ‘Eat The Rich’ and being called a capitalist is racist. This is a good reason to keep identifying him as a capitalist and to keep trying to ‘eat’ him. People who talk much about not being intimidated are actually intimidated most of the time. The capitalist class is afraid and so are the Black capitalist class, the gatekeepers, that they use to hold down our race. But why are Black capitalists like Jay-Z afraid?  The oppressions of the Black race and that of the poor masses intersect, so much so . . .

The Nigerian middle-class through the years

The African Middle-Class is Either Sleeping or Disarmed

Capitalism and its fraying edges should be discarded, its presence grows dull and boring even though millions of Africans experience capitalism in its most vicious expressions, maybe this is why there is a kind of passiveness to its observation or critique. It becomes the most affected, the most harmed, and the most vulnerable that move to educate whoever will listen on the contradictions staring everyone in the face and how to resist and change the status-quo. With the Nigerian, and by extension, African middle-class in mind, it is vital to note the subtle complicity with neoliberalism within our societies. The . . .