The 53rd Venceremos Brigade brought together 37 African, Indigenous, and Palestinian organizers to study the Cuban revolution and build solidarity across national liberation movements. This report covers the political preparation, the sub-brigade structure, and the lessons that grounded the contingent before and during their time on the island. . . .
national liberation
Socialist Cuba: A Reliable Accomplice to African Liberation
A common refrain heard from voices in the African community these days is that our struggle ‘has no allies.’ Anyone who seriously studies our liberation struggle knows that Cuba has always been that ally. That accomplice. The entity that defines solidarity correctly by providing a history of service to humanity without receiving a single thing in return. . . .
On Ritual and Sacrifice: Spirit, Socialism, and the Battle for Sovereignty
Lately I have been studying the relationship between dialectical historical materialism and the centrality of Spirit in our lives as African people. The dynamic interplay between spirit and matter is in and of itself a dialectical relationship. It was not dialectical or historical materialism that guided the revolution that set Haiti free, Vodun did that. . . .
Zionism, Settler-colonialism and the Myth of Democracy
Zionism is settler-colonialism and settler-colonialism is an act of genocide. This current wave of massacres of Palestinians in Gaza is part of a long process of ethnic cleansing that began with murderous attacks on Palestinian villages prior to and in 1948, then proceeded to the expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians in the Nakba. The ethnic cleansing is all these acts of settler-colonial dispossession and deprivation including military assaults, destruction of homes, crops and cultural sites, arrests, rape and torture, blockades and denial of water and food as well as killing of women and children. In the age of capitalist . . .
Social Democracy Will Not Save Us
The Black Liberation Movement in the United States has reached an almost unprecedented level of ideological confusion. Unlike in the 20th century, significant sections of the contemporary Black Left openly embrace an understanding of ‘identity politics’[i] that is based in philosophical idealism.[ii] A somewhat resurgent US Left has, correctly, begun to critique these perceived political errors. Unfortunately, social democrats such as DSA, Jacobin and Cedric Johnson in his award-winning article[iii] add to the ideological confusion. This essay asserts that contrary to the claims of advancing democracy and freedom, social democracy has consistently undermined the struggle for national liberation and socialism. In 1896, Eduard Bernstein, the . . .
A Tribute to Field Marshall Dedan Kimathi
The name Kimathi wa Waciuri has dominated the political scene in Kenya for years. In the early 1950s, he was active in the Kenya Land and Freedom army (Mau Mau) as an organizer in the Rift valley. Later, he led the guerrilla army fighting the British colonial occupation army and rose to its highest military rank, Field Marshal. With victories on the battlefield, came the need to consolidate the political authority of the Kenya Land and Freedom Army. This was done by the establishment of the Kenya Parliament which was the first legitimate African Government of Kenya. On 6th March . . .
The Enemy’s Unity vs. African Unity
Unity has been the watchword for Africa’s enemies. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) united countries engaged in colonialism and imperialism under the leadership of the United States. NATO’s role in Africa has been to defend the United States and Western Europe’s economic dominance over Africa’s land and resources. As just one example, NATO supported fascist Portugal with planes, ships, and arms in the fight to preserve colonies in the 1960s and 1970s. NATO remains a threat to Africa and the world. Under the leadership of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), Africa’s enemies united and used military force to attempt to . . .
Reject Statehood for Puerto Rico
The island of Puerto Rico has been under the direct control of a foreign power for over 400 years. Puerto Ricans have seen their freedoms violently stripped away and their natural resources privatized, yet in the face of this brutal colonization, Puerto Rico is still left standing, flag waving proudly , screaming, “¡VIVE PUERTO RICO LIBRE!”. As Puerto Rico continues to feel the brunt of frequent climate disasters, we must debunk the lie that further colonization through statehood would provide more liberties, aid, or protections from the United States. To suggest that statehood would create these securities is not only . . .