JANUARY 2006

PO Box 23074 Oakland, CA 94623  (415) 789-7360

E-mail AAPRUP2@aol.com

www.aaprup.org THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BEING AFRICAN

In the 1970’s the African revolution waged a relentless struggle in North America on the question of “African Identity.”         

 We often quoted President Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana. “All people of African descent, whether they live in North or South America, the Caribbean, or any other part of this world are Africans and belong to the African nation.” This came at a time when most Africans born in the United States of America were ashamed of being African just like there are many Africans in the U.S. today who are ashamed of being  African. There were also many Africans born in the U.S. who were proud of their African identity.

Today we see a number of people displaying  African identity, i.e. African names, clothing, maps of Africa, speaking African languages etc. These are very positive developments. But today it is not enough to know you are African or to simply identify with Africa. The important question is, which side are you on?

President Nkrumah states, ”A fierce class struggle has been raging in Africa. The evidence is all around us. In essence it is, as in the rest of the world, a struggle between the oppressors and the oppressed. ” Malcolm X said, “If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.”

From April 15,1958 to June 8,1963, ”African Liberation Day” was called “African Freedom Day”. The name was changed at the first summit of the Organization of African Unity, which was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on June 8,1963. The change from “Freedom” to “Liberation” was a turning point in our revolution, because liberation meant the unity of organization and armed struggle

Samora Machel wrote,  “Nobody will overthrow the independence of Mozambique. We have chosen socialism and we shall build socialism. Nobody will come from the outside to build it for us. It doesn’t matter if they ignore us in the West. We do not exist because of them. They did not produce us. They did not give us independence. Whether they say anything or not, what does it matter? We are speaking. We have our own tongues.”

 “Good roads, clean water for all, housing for the entire people... each with his own home, and sport for all as well. This is the socialism we want. Socialism means an organized society; fighting disease; respecting the family, educating the children, sharing responsibilities. We must have schools for everyone, hospitals for everyone. That’s what we call socialism.”  

Land is the basis of power. NO LAND. NO POWER. It is from the land that we get the necessities of life; food, shelter, clothing, transportation, jobs, etc. If a nation is to be respected, it must provide these necessities of life to its people. The people must have control of their land to be independent.

Africa is the richest continent in the world in terms of natural resources, but African people are among the poorest in the world. Why this contradiction? It is because the masses of African people are not in control of Africa. This is the reason why African people are poor all over the world. The only way we are going to get control of Africa is through unity of organization and armed struggle. The more organized a nation and people, the more powerful that nation and people. To expect another nation (i.e. France, the U.S. etc.) to solve the problems of Africa is to give up all rights to independence.

We are in the second independence movement in Africa. The second independence movement is simply carrying out the requirements of the first independence movement but at a higher level. The Fifth Pan-African Congress in Manchester, England in 1945 called for the organization of mass political parties to struggle for a socialist, United States of Africa.

We call on all people of African descent, whether they live in North or South America, the Caribbean, or any other part of the world to make some kind of contribution and/or sacrifice for the African revolution. No small section of the population will free the people. It is only the people that can liberate the people.

Samora Machel states, ”In this context, work, participation in production, is not only a duty but also the right of each and everyone. For the revolution there are no unemployed, no useless or disqualified, no talents that cannot be used. Everyone has both the duty and the right to take part in the common struggle to transform society and use natural resources for the benefit of the community. Taking part in production unites us with our class, and a refusal to participate reflects opposition to our line and support for the exploiters…Collective living, work and study, criticism and self-criticism, and mutual help are the food, salts, and vitamins of unity.”

“It is not by words that we are bound together, but by the many activities we share when serving the people, it is unity fed by sweat, and suffering and blood that binds us together…What makes it possible to overcome the enormous material shortcomings and gain victory is the participation by hundreds of thousands, or millions of individuals in the various tasks that are required from armed combat to production, from transport of material to reconnaissance of the enemy. However, to involve the broad masses in the fight for liberation, it is imperative that the vanguard forces in their midst undertake prior political work in mobilizing them and organizing them.”

  "There is nothing more noble than the people, more dignified, and more intelligent than the people. As long as this is not taken in account, one still lacks a revolutionary mind. "President Sekou Toure