See on www.europe-solidaire.org

This electronic roundtable marks the one-year anniversary of Jadaliyya’s Arabian Peninsula Page, in which time we have hosted work by activists, journalists, artists, and scholars that has made a significant intellectual—and, we hope, …

See on www.jadaliyya.com

People tuned into news from Palestine are often surprised to hear that one of the occupied West Bank’s main industries is tourism.

See on www.jadaliyya.com

[All photos by Mohammad al-Azza.] “We were joking,” said Mohammad al-Azza from his hospital bed, “but I couldn’t take the joke.” My husband and I had called and woken up our friend, a photographer and documentary…

…

A soldier told Mohammad to stop shooting, but he told him he would not stop. “You’re shooting bullets. I’m just taking pictures.”

See on photography.jadaliyya.com

Seed and the control of seed lies at the heart of agriculture. In Africa, 80% of seed comes from local and community saved seed resources. It forms an integral part of community food security. This entire traditional system is now under threat.

See on sacsis.org.za

Dr. Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala, the 2012 Green Party presidential and vice-presidential nominees, marked the beginning of Earth Week by announcing a new Green Shadow Cabinet that will serve as an independent voice in U.S.

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“Is the ANC rewarding Forbes Burnham for the assassination of Walter
Rodney?”

by Horace Campbell

Walter Rodney was assassinated on June 13, 1980. At the time of his
assassination, Forbes Burnham was the President. Since the
assassination, there have been numerous calls for an investigation
into the circumstances of the killing. The brother of Walter Rodney,
Donald Rodney, survived and told the world that the bomb that
assassinated Walter Rodney was placed by Gregory Smith. Smith was an
operative from the Guyanese Defense force and he was spirited out of
the country to the colonial territory of Cayenne. He died there
after more than twenty years. There has never been an inquiry into
the assassination.

Since the assassination of Walter Rodney, popular activist and
historian, author of How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, the Burnham
forces in the Caribbean have been working very hard to discredit the
ideas and the lessons of the life of Walter Rodney. This
rehabilitation of Burnham has taken many forms with books, papers,
conferences and foundations supporting the idea had betrayed the
interests of Africans. In the context of Guyanese politics, this
last line was supposed to consolidate the image of Forbes Burnham as
holding the line against the Indians in Guyana. Walter Rodney had
worked hard to bring unity between the African and Indian working
peoples. He had worked in a formation called the Working People’s
Alliance (WPA) that brought blacks and Indian workers together.

While the distortion of the importance of Walter Rodney had been
energetically promoted by the followers of Forbes Burnham and racial
excluvists in the Caribbean, the reputation of Walter Rodney had
been very good in Africa. Now, the forces that supported Forbes
Burnham have lobbied the leadership of the African National Congress
to reward the Burnhamite forces for the assassination of Walter
Rodney. It was announced in the Caribbean press that,” Former
executive president of Guyana, Linden Forbes Burnham has been
honoured by the South African government with the prestigious Oliver
Tambo Award. “

It was further reported that “Roxane Van West Charles, his daughter
will be travelling to Johannesburg, South Africa to accept the award
which was conferred on the late Burnham by President Jacob Zuma. She
will be accompanied by her sister Dr Francesca Onu and her husband,
Dr Richard Van West Charles. The award ceremony will take place on
April 27.”

This report, if true deepens the questions about the present
leadership of the ANC. In the report, the press release praised
Burnham for his opposition to colonialism. At the time of the global
opposition to apartheid, most leaders, even Mobutu Sese Seko of
Zaire mouthed anti colonial statements while supporting French and
US colonialism. Burnham was the same. While he was publicly praising
anti-colonialism in Africa, he was collaborating with French
colonialism in the Caribbean. Hence, the closeness of relationship
so that the Burnham government could find refuge for the killer of
Walter Rodney in a French colonial territory of Cayenne.

 Oliver Tambo was unstinting and unrelenting in his opposition to
all forms of oppression. It is my view that the granting of this
posthumous award will demean the memory of Oliver Tambo. If there
are still progressive forces within the ANC they should rescind
this award so that this ceremony of April 27 will instead be one
that honors the memories of Walter Rodney and Bernard Magubane.

–

CALL FOR THE 8TH PAN AFRICAN CONGRESS

We, Africans, of the African continent, the Diaspora survivors of the Trans- Atlantic, and Indian Ocean slave trade, and recent emigrants from Africa dispersed throughout the world, moving from objects to subjects of history at this most critical juncture of Africa’s narrative urgently and enthusiastically  make the call for principled unity of all African people. 

Evermore weary from the 500 years continuum of imperialist enslavement, colonialism, neocolonialism, mass incarceration, war and anti-Black racism we can no longer remain silent and passive. The global norm of the imperialist dominion of western cultural world order linked to transnational corporate capital, the military interventions of NATO/AFRICOM, xenophobic micro-nationalism and politico-religious militarist organizations undermine our efforts to create a self-actuating, prosperous and unified African world. We African peoples, Pan African activists, bring to bear our collective right and will for self-determination in making the call for the 8th Pan African Congress to bring to the forefront an agenda of action to resist  and overcome the continuation of our exploitation and to reconstruct our African world.

We make the call to those at home and those abroad; those born on the continent of Africa and those of the Diaspora, all survivors whose ancestors braved invasion, kidnap, rape, forced labor, social and cultural deconstruction and dehumanization. We make the call to those who remember and will never forget our identity, our shared history and our birthright. 

We recognize and salute Continental and Diaspora leadership, community organizations and institutions of African peoples at all levels of struggle that have been working to bring about closer political, social and economic aggregation and integration among Africans.  We the survivors of invasion, enslavement and dispersal, colonization, anti-Black racism, internecine conflict and neo-imperialist economic exploitation seek greater mobilization, participation and inclusion in the institutions, strategic planning and implementation of actions to emancipate and reconstruct our world.

It is time now to rejuvenate the Pan African Movement to make Africa whole, To make Africa a place of prosperity, life affirming social, economic, cultural, political and spiritual justice. The situation and life conditions for African peoples on the continent and the Diaspora are in perpetual crisis and survival mode of existence. The re-balkanization, re-colonization and military occupation of the continent is currently in full swing. The life chances and living conditions of African people globally continues to occupy the bottom rung of all national and international indices as a direct result of institutional racism and economic exploitation.

We are not cowed by AFRICOM and its robot killing machines, the French Foreign Legion, NATO bellicosity, United States’ covert activities and neo-apartheid cultural hegemony, transnational corporate economic machinations or the self-indulgent political-economic elite African globalization compradors. With this in mind, with life and death urgency we bring to bear our historical legacy enshrined in the immortal words of the Rt. Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey, “Africa for the Africans those at home and those abroad”. 

Therefore we Pan African activists, delegation organizers, leaders, participants and attendees of the 7th PAC –  including Prof. Kazu Wamba-dia-Wamba (Congo),  Prof. Ikaweba Bunting (Tanzania), Deo Lukyamuzi, (Uganda), Stella Sabitti (Uganda) Khafra Kambon (one of two Diaspora members of the African Union Economic and Social Council of the Civil Society wing of the AU from Trinidad) and Felipe Noguera (Trinidad and Tobago) call for the establishment of a planning committee of principled Pan Africanists, who uphold honesty, integrity, accountability and transparency to solicit global inputs for a Pan African agenda for the 21st Century for Africa and Africans, those at home and those abroad in building the 8th Pan African Congress, to chart the way forward for unity, self-determination and social and economic justice on the African continent and for African people globally.

It was a Trinidadian, Henry Sylvester Williams who convened the First Pan African Congress in 1901 at the beginning of the 20th century.  We are calling for the 8th Pan African Congress to be convened in the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad and Tobago in July/August 2014 in the beginning of the 21st century.

Cognizant of the long suffering of Black people in all nations and regions wherever we live, but especially in areas of conflict, environmental degradation and economic disparity on the continent of Africa and also including the Caribbean, South America and Africa-America; aware of the revolutionary renaissance amongst indigenous peoples in South America that is engendering resistance to imperialism and a strengthened identity with the African world and oppressed peoples globally; in the spirit of the historical solidarity between  Africans fighting  against enslavement and South Americans fighting against colonization  as exemplified by the cooperation and solidarity between Toussaint L’ouverture and Haitian Revolution and Simon Bolivar and South American Revolution we think it therefore appropriate and inspirational to convene the 8th Pan African Congress in Trinidad and Tobago the birth place of the Pan African congresses as part of the rejuvenation and resuscitation of a grass Roots Pan African peoples’ movement and the inclusion of the South American Diaspora a heretofore underrepresented constituency of the Pan African World . We are compelled to act. We are compelled to unite.

We invite you to join our effort to convene the 8th Pan African Congress.

Please contact us at 8thpacplanning@gmail.com   

COSATU is in the midst of the biggest crisis in its 27-year history. This crisis has arisen from an SACP-driven attempt to oust democratically elected COSATU General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, under the guise of corruption charges….

See on www.amandla.org.za

That was the message  in the streets of Accra on April 12th. As the French TV coverage of the event put it, “people in many African countries, including Ghana, do not approve of the French action i…

See on www.pipelinedreams.org