Our Main Focus - Afrika First

Jamaal Brewer

8/14/20223 min read

Pan-Africanism isn't anything new. Though we respect the honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey, the Jamaican African who in the early 20th century organized the masses in the Diaspora. He wasn't the first nor will be the last of our greats to put an emphasis on the continent of Africa and for us to rally behind it. I mentioned him because often that is where people start when it comes to Pan-Africanism. When in fact thousands of our people for many centuries already had such an ideology.

Recently, the We Charge Colonialism book club has been dissecting the book 'Pan-Africanism....a History' by Hakim Adi. It brings up beautifully historical documents as early as the 18th century of enslaved Africans on western soil. And even before colonialism and slavery impacted Africa, you cannot have ancient civilizations without civilians who made their land rich in culture due to African pride which is a form Pan-Africanism. Pan-Africanism is still alive today. Wonderful organizations and people are continuing the work of their foremothers and forefathers daily in which Africa will rise. But we must point certain trickery within the movement that must be addressed.

For one, Africa is NOT for Sale. We have seen often repatriation slogans mention to come to the Motherland to invest, buy up property, and that it's the future through Capitalism. Garvey, whom I mentioned in the first paragraph famously said "I have no desire to take all black people back to Africa; there are Blacks who are no good here and will likewise be no good there." It's admirable to see melanated people with an interest to relocate. But under which circumstances? If you are a diaspora African and you want to live in Lagos (Nigeria), Kinshasa (Congo), Nairobi (Kenya), or Accra (Ghana), will you live in an affluent community and be separate from the masses? It doesn't mean you must live in the slums. But if you are in Africa to kick your feet up and do not formulate a strategy to help the natives rise from oppression, then respectfully you are no different than the colonizers. You are in Africa for your own selfish gains.

The enemy constantly has been at work to decrease the valuable rise of the continent. And it's not always blatant. Most of us are aware of Cointel-Pro that took place (and continues to take place) in the United States in which Black organizations were destroyed within. The FBI used divide and conquer tactics such as instigating bogus feuds among people attempting to liberate the people. Similar has taken place in Burkina Faso and the Congo with the assassinations of Thomas Sankara and Patrice Lumumba with the help of White nations plotting against these countries' head of state. Today you will find Oreo's in top positions; ones who are Black on the outside and white on the in, similar to the cookie. They talk Africa this and Africa that but are a detriment to their people. They are financed by Neo-Colonialist powers working to continue to steal.

Another thing I been witnessing of late is the hijacking of Pan-Africanism. Individuals and groups using the movement with hidden agendas. Feminism, LGBTQ rights, and other movements (Not all) have joined us only to insert what they really fighting for. We must understand that once we establish our foundation, then anything else will fix itself. Yes we can walk and chew gum at the same time, but think about what Malcolm X was said to understand what I'm making...

"It's just like when you've got some coffee that's too black, which means it's too strong. What do you do? You integrate it with cream, you make it weak. But if you pour too much cream in it, you won't even know you ever had coffee. It used to be hot, it becomes cool. It used to be strong, it becomes weak. It used to wake you up, now it puts you to sleep."

We have and will continue to make tremendous strides. This isn't a fight just for us. The groundwork must be done today so our grandchildren's children can also excel in a free Independent Africa. Colonialism did not happen overnight so we would be naive to think it can be reverse in the matter of seconds. But if we stay consistent, then there isn't anything White Supremacy can do to halt us.