MAURICE BISHOP'S MESSAGE TO AFRICANS IN THE UNITED STATES

Today, 19 October, marks the 41st anniversary of Maurice Bishop's assassination. Reactionaries within his party had turned against Bishop, ordering a firing squad to execute the Caribbean revolutionary and leader of the Grenadian revolution, along with several of his comrades. The US government under Ronald Reagan used this as a pretext to invade Grenada militarily and put an end to their socialist revolution.

Continued......This is a time to remember the words of the revolutionary prime minister, Maurice Bishop (1944-83), remarking in New York about the danger Grenada's revolution posed to the United States.

The New JEWEL Movement—New Joint Endeavor for Welfare, Education and Liberation—swiftly established the People's Revolutionary Government, ushering in a new era of socialist ideals. Under Bishop's leadership, Grenada underwent a profound socioeconomic transformation marked by extensive reforms and initiatives to uplift the primarily poor population. By 1982, the following occurred: A literacy campaign, the construction of new schools, and the establishment of agricultural cooperatives that benefited unemployed youth in rural areas. Cuban aid bolstered these efforts, providing expertise in education, healthcare, and infrastructure development, including constructing a modern international airport to replace a hazardous existing airstrip.

Unemployment plummeted from 49 per cent to 14 per cent within four years. Symbolising the shift in priorities, vibrant billboards promoting education adorned the island, signalling a departure from those that had advertised cigarettes and alcohol. Grenada's revolution sparked tangible social progress and economic development, leaving a lasting legacy of change and empowerment among its populace.

Can you see why the United States might not want Black people in the US to hear about these things?

SOURCES:

https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/day-grenadas-history-execution-maurice-bishop

https://jacobin.com/2023/10/maurice-bishop-grenada-revolution-caribbean-colonialism-us-relations-democracy

THE SAHEL REVOLUTION: REAL DECOLONISATION!

People throw about the term 'decolonisation' left, right and centre. University campuses say they’re decolonising curriculums, and corporations - the workplace. But true decolonisation is a question of land, sovereignty and self-determination.

Today, three countries in Africa - Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger - have taken revolutionary steps towards achieving just that. They have booted out Western troops stationed on their territories and torn up exploitative contracts with multinationals.

Now the trio is pushing ahead with building nuclear power plants, gold refineries, solar-panel fields and other critical development projects.

Continued……These are vital, as, for example, up until now, people in the three Sahel nations have had little access to electricity, while France has been getting 15% of its (electricity generating) uranium at bargain-basement prices from Niger.

Obviously, the West can’t stand it when Africans stand up for themselves. So the EU and the US have sanctioned Mali, with Brussels also targeting Niamey. There have been multiple destabilisation attempts in a bid to remove the leaders of the so-called Alliance of Sahel States (a mutual collaboration and defence pact between the three, now upgraded to a confederation) - in particular, alleged assassination plots in Burkina Faso.

So while it’s important to decolonise curriculums and workplaces, if we are serious about the struggle, we must defend the gains made by our brothers and sisters in the Sahel. What are your suggestions for how best to do that?

Video credit: https://www.tiktok.com/@bigbrolgnd/video/7390498394873056542

SOURCES:

https://clas.osu.edu/sites/clas.osu.edu/files/Tuck%20and%20Yang%202012%20Decolonization%20is%20not%20a%20metaphor.pdf

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS?most_recent_value_desc=false&view=chart

https://www.politico.eu/article/niger-coup-spark-concerns-france-uranium-dependency/



https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/songhai-empire-ca-1375-1591/

https://www.africanews.com/2024/08/28/burkina-faso-nationalises-two-gold-mines-ending-legal-dispute-between-rival-companies/

https://www.politico.eu/article/niger-coup-spark-concerns-france-uranium-dependency/

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS?most_recent_value_desc=false&view=chart

https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/songhai-empire-ca-1375-1591/

https://www.theafricareport.com/350004/mali-starts-work-on-solar-power-plant-in-partnership-with-russia/

https://www.mining-technology.com/news/mali-russia-gold-refinery-bamako/

https://www.ecofinagency.com/public-management/2411-45079-burkina-faso-to-launch-its-first-gold-refinery-by-the-end-of-2024

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/mali-junta-russian-state-nuclear-firm-sign-cooperation-deals-2024-07-10/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-67098444

GADDAFI: DEAD BUT STILL
CELEBRATED

Last month, Libyans poured out into the streets all across the country to celebrate and commemorate their 1969 revolution - led by Muammar Gaddafi. Today, 20 October, marks the anniversary of his summary execution by NATO-backed rebels. The recent mass show of support, 13 years on, for the old colonel may surprise those more accustomed to his portrayal in the Western media, which paint him as a brutal dictator hated by the people.

The anti-Gaddafi uprising was, in reality, a 'colour revolution' - in the original sense of the phrase, when it referred to Western-backed (as opposed to genuinely popular) uprisings. There is plenty of evidence for this. For example, the founder of the arch pro-US National Endowment for Democracy has admitted funding groups actively opposed to Gaddafi in 2011, such as ‘Libya Forum for Human and Political Development’ and ‘Libyan Transparency Association.’

Continued……The demonisation of Gaddafi in the Western media illustrates Malcolm X’s warning, even truer now decades on:

"The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses.”

SOURCES:

https://www.eurasiareview.com/06012024-color-revolutions-the-most-sophisticated-means-of-warfare-analysis/

https://is.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/zgwj/202205/t20220507_10683090.htm#:~:text=In%20Libya%2C%20NED%20funded%2C%20among,the%202011%20Libyan%20civil%20war.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwm0OZAfF9c

On this day in 2011, revolutionary Libyan leader and pan-Africanist Muammar Gaddafi was captured and executed by NATO-backed rebels. Not long after, The Atlantic published an article with the headline: 'As Qaddafi Died, So Did His Craziest Dream and Mistake: Pan-Africanism.' Yes, they actually said the quiet part out loud.

The article boldly states, "Qaddafi's death -- and the outpouring of support for the late Libyan leader in sub-Saharan Africa following his demise -- is a reminder that pan-Africanism was an historic mistake of enormous proportions -- a simple-minded political ideology that for the past 50 years or so has done more harm than good for Africa's standing in the world."

People across the political spectrum still debate whether Gaddafi really was the brutal dictator the West made him out to be. Was he killed because he was hated by his own people? Or did his anti-imperialist politics and refusal to bow down to the West play a decisive role?

Continued….T oday, in 2024, there is a significant body of evidence that the West had a vested interest in removing Gaddafi, who was working to liberate and unify Africa. This article by The Atlantic was an early clue.

The most persuasive evidence that there was a Western plot to destroy pan-Africanism through Gaddafi's assassination comes directly from email correspondences between former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former aide to President Bill Clinton, Sidney Blumenthal. Here’s an extract from one email:

"This [Libyan] gold [reserve] was accumulated prior to the current rebellion and was intended to be used to establish a pan-African currency based on the Libyan golden Dinar. This plan was designed to provide the Francophone African Countries with an alternative to the French franc (CFA)... French intelligence officers discovered this plan shortly after the current rebellion began, and this was one of the factors that influenced President Nicolas Sarkozy's decision to commit France to the attack on Libya."

They did not want Africa to unite under the golden dinar currency that Gaddafi proposed, so he had to go.

SOURCES:

https://wikileaks.org/clinton-emails/emailid/6528
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/10/as-qaddafi-died-so-did-his-craziest-dream-and-mistake-pan-africanism/247247/

ABUSE OF AFRICAN MIGRANTS IN LIBYA

Thousands of African migrants cross into Libya every year in the hope of crossing over to Europe. Since the assassination of Gaddafi in October 2011 by NATO-backed rebels and the ensuing collapse of the Libyan state, conditions for newcomers have radically deteriorated. As this Al Jazeera clip from 2018 reports, many end up trapped in illegal detention centres, where they face torture and other inhumane treatment.

According to Migration Policy, ‘those living in the community are vulnerable to extortion, violence and slave-like work conditions, while migrants held in detention centres may experience overcrowding, sexual abuse, forced labour, torture, and deprivation of food, sunlight and water.’

Continued......While Libyan authorities continue to deny these allegations, claiming that ‘the issue of migrant abuse is being fabricated to force international intervention,’ the abuse has been widely documented, with first-hand testimonies provided by those who made the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean and reached Europe.

Unlike today, during Gadaffi’s time, Libya had a thriving job market that made it an attractive destination for African migrants. There were roughly 2.5-million migrant workers according to the International Organization for Migration. Thirteen years later, it has become one of the worst places to be an African migrant. Under the guise of propelling democracy and advocating for human rights, the West turned Libya from a successful, economically prosperous nation, to a failed state.

You can watch Al Jazeera’s full report here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjDjVxISk8A

SOURCES:

https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/once-destination-migrants-post-gaddafi-libya-has-gone-transit-route-containment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjDjVxISk8A

https://www.blackagendareport.com/killing-gaddafi-10-years-ago-has-resulted-death-nation-libya-and-destruction-its-people

https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-617123650281

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/french-secret-service-killed-gaddafi-sarkozys-orders-reports

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4taQlVKpMEE&t=4s