Category Archives: African Struggles
From Signalfire: A Maoist Response to the Ten Theses of Ba Jin
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation: home to a people that Ba Ji and Fire Next Time would have us believe are a “Brown Middle Layer” between Africans and Whites in Amerika
The following article is a response from Maoist Amerikan website Signalfire to the Ten Theses on the US Racial Order by the Fire Next Time Collective based in the eastern United States. This article by the comrades at Signalfire gets a lot right, in particular the emphasis that (New) Afrikan people, along with other “minorities” in fact face national oppression/colonialism inside the United States, and not some kind of amorphous “racial oppression”. It also correctly calls out the FNT’s notion of a “Brown” middle-layer placed between (New) Afrikans and Whites within the supposed Amerikan racial hierarchy. The Speed of Dreams also commends the comrades at Signalfire for emphasising the utter lack of attention paid to First Nations’ (so-called “Indians”) national oppression in the United States by the FNC. Finally, the Signalfire article is refreshing in that it unusual to see North American Marxist-Leninists and Maoists with a (more or less) correct orientation on the settler-colonial origins of the US. Read the rest of this entry
Arab/Black Conflict: A Colonial Gift to Africa That Keeps on Giving
By Mark P. Fancher. Mark is an attorney who writes frequently about the U.S. military presence in Africa. He can be reached at mfancher@comcast.net. As usual the posting of this article does not imply 100% endorsement or agreement.
West Africa teeters on the brink of disaster because of an armed conflict in Mali that escalated after a Tuareg secessionist movement gained control of northern regions in the country. The situation became even more intense when, according to reports, the armed movement was hijacked by extremist elements that are alleged to have used torture and mutilation to enforce what is purported to be Islamic law. These extremist forces are also accused of having connections to terrorist formations.
Although the situation in Mali is rooted in a claimed desire for self-determination for the region that secessionists call “Azawad,” there are no doubt many outside of Mali regard it as yet another conflict between Arab and/or Islamic communities and “blacks.” A BBC News report stated: “The pale-skinned Tuaregs, who inhabit northern Mali, have long complained of neglect and discrimination by the government dominated by [southerners] in far-off Bamako.” The story reports that a Malian arson victim complained of retaliation for the Tuareg insurrection. “People started attacking anything Tuareg. They burnt houses, cars and attacked anyone with white skin – even Arabs.” Read the rest of this entry
The Contributions of Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah to the Global Anti-Imperialist Struggle
The following article is the text of a speech about the political-theoretical contributions of Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah – the Pan Africanist, scientific socialist and anti-colonial leader of Ghana, and the major theorist of the concept of neocolonialism. It was given by Jorge Risquet Valdes, a Central Committee member of the Communist Party of Cuba. Here comrade Valdes illustrates the main points of Osagyefo Nkrumah’s ideas and his influence. Comrade Valdes also illustrates revolutionary Cuba’s strong relationships with various African liberation movements as a display of their strong proletarian internationalism.
However, as usual the posting of this does not imply total agreement by TSoD with the positions of the author/speaker. In particular the author falls into the same trap that many Marxists have over the decades by speaking about “proletarian” struggles within the imperialist nations, and his support of them. The clear understanding of the parasitism of the imperialist working class, what some call a labour aristocracy, puts those views of the author in question.
Finally, this piece was first spotted over at Anti-Imperialism.com, whose Peoples Liberation University project’s upcoming course on colonialism and neocolonialism will feature some of Nkrumah’s writings. Read the rest of this entry
