|
|
Recent articles by Tokologo African Anarchist Collective
Η πολεμική το&#... Jan 16 17 Χρήσιμες βυζ ... Jan 11 17 The Vision of Revolutionary Anarchism Dec 29 16 The Struggle of the Working Class Can't Be Ended Unless We Radically Change Society international |
anarchist movement |
policy statement
 Tuesday April 05, 2016 16:34 by Tokologo African Anarchist Collective - TAAC tokologo.aac at gmail dot com
 Tokologo African Anarchist Collective statement, Johannesburg, 2015 The struggle of the working class in South Africa is a struggle against the slave bondage of capitalism and the state. Capitalism and the state are based on the ruling class minority (capitalists, generals, top officials, professional politicians) exploiting and oppressing the working class majority (workers of all grades, our families, rank and file soldiers, the unemployed, and the rural poor). The two classes have totally different interests: we are locked in class struggle. "The Struggle of the Working Class Can't Be Ended Unless We Radically Change Society"Tokologo African Anarchist Collective statement, Johannesburg, 2015Published in TOKOLOGO: Newsletter of the Tokologo African Anarchist Collective # 5/6
AGAINST CAPITALISM AND THE BOSSESThe struggle of the working class in South Africa is a struggle against the slave bondage of capitalism and the state. Capitalism and the state are based on the ruling class minority (capitalists, generals, top officials, professional politicians) exploiting and oppressing the working class majority (workers of all grades, our families, rank and file soldiers, the unemployed, and the rural poor). The two classes have totally different interests: we are locked in class struggle.APARTHEID BUILT CAPITALISMCapitalism in South Africa was built through apartheid oppression: land dispossession, the compound system, migrant labour, the pass laws, and denial of basic worker and human rights to black workers.THE STRUGGLE CONTINUESApartheid was defeated by workers' struggle. But the legacy of apartheid lives on. It cannot be removed, unless we radically change society. The elections of 1994 did not remove the key cause of apartheid oppression, which is capitalist exploitation. The struggle must continue against both capitalism and racism: one enemy, one fight!ONLY THE WORKING CLASS CAN FREE THE WORKING CLASSOnly revolution by the working class and poor can end the nightmare of racism and capitalism, creating freedom and equality for all. Only the workers and the poor can create a free society because only we have the organisational power, will, numbers and class interest in overthrowing this system.AGAINST OPPRESSION AND DISCRIMINATIONWe oppose all oppression: racism, sexism, imperialism, environmental destruction, discrimination against gays and lesbians. We are for real equality for all. Only the revolution by the working class and poor can end all oppression; only the fight against oppression and for working class power can unite the workers. Oppression and discrimination are against the interests of workers. They divide and weaken our struggle.FREEDOM CANNOT COME FROM GOVERNMENTWorking class freedom cannot come through parliament or the seizure of state power. The state (judiciary, government bureaucracy, police force, parliament etc.) is a tool of capitalism, bosses and politicians. The use of the state can only lead to corruption, defeat or dictatorship over the workers' movement. The economic disaster and political tyranny of the Marxist-led Soviet Union shows this clearly.INSTEAD: REVOLUTIONARY TRADE UNIONISMSocialism must come from below, from mass action. The trade unions must take over the land and the factories and put them under direct workers control through a revolutionary general strike based on the occupation of workplaces. The workplaces should be run through workers' assemblies, committees and councils linked up across industries.AND MOBILISE WORKING CLASS COMMUNITIESThis must take place in alliance with organised community takeovers of municipal services and control, through neighbourhood assemblies, committees and councils, linked up across the towns and villages.Together, the worker and community councils should plan, from the bottom-up, the economy, using the democratic workplaces to meet the needs of our communities, to improve our working conditions and incomes, and to create an environmentally sustainable society in which all people are treated equally. TOMORROW IS BUILT TODAYThe seeds of the workers' and neighbourhood assemblies, committees and councils are to be found in today's unions and social movements. By ensuring that these movements are organised democratically and rely on struggle, and by educating the members in the revolutionary theory of anarchist-communism, we build tomorrow today through building "counterpower" and revolutionary "counterculture".WORKERS OF THE WORLD - UNITE!To be successful, the revolution must be based on a working class / poor movement united across colour, sex, and national lines. Capitalism is international, and therefore the revolution must be spread internationally by the working class.We oppose all attempts to divide the masses by race, language, religion: black workers have nothing in common with the black members of the ruling class, white workers have nothing in common with the white members of the ruling class. But black, Coloured, Indian and white working class people have everything in common with each other. INTERNATIONAL UNITY, ANARCHIST-COMMUNISMThe revolutionary general strike will establish a non-racial international working-class democracy: anarchist communism. This will be based on federations of grassroots workplace and community councils, and defended by a workers' militia.We want a society without bosses, rulers and oppressors of any description. We want a democratic economy under the direct control of the working class. We are anti-authoritarian: the only limit on individual freedom should be that it does not remove the freedom of others. AIMS OF THE TOKOLOGO AFRICAN ANARCHIST COLLECTIVE (TAAC)The Tokologo African Anarchist Collective does not stand in elections or aim to take state power. The TAAC is not a trade union. The TAAC is a political organisation for militants who aim to encourage the self-activity and political consciousness of the mass of the people - the workers and the poor - so that they can make the revolution for themselves. Our role is to promote the struggle, but in the end, only the working class can free the working class! Tomorrow is built today.We support all struggles against oppression. We support the progressive student movement. We support existing trade unions, but fight for workers control of the unions, a revolutionary programme of anarchist communism, and the formation of "One Big Union" uniting all workers. We oppose elections and we oppose social movements being used as voting cattle by politicians. A FIGHTING TRADITIONWe proudly stand in the mass tradition of anarchist- communism and syndicalism. Our movement has historically attracted millions worldwide, because it serves the needs of the workers and the poor, not the power-seekers and exploiters. Today it is growing across the globe.If you agree - JOIN the TAAC.
Add Your Comments >>
 printable version
with comments
   |
Front pageSolidaridad y Defensa de las Comunidades Frente al Avance del Paramilitarismo en el Cauca A Conservative Threat Offers New Opportunities for Working Class Feminism De las colectivizaciones al 15M: 80 años de lucha por la autogestión en España False hope, broken promises: Obama’s belligerent legacy Primer encuentro feminista Solidaridad – Federación Comunista Libertaria Devrimci Anarşist Tutsak Umut Fırat Süvarioğulları Açlık Grevinin 39 Gününde Recordando a César Roa, luchador de la caña Prison Sentence to Managing Editor of Anarchist Meydan Newspaper in Turkey American Anarchist and Wobbly killed by Turkey while fighting ISIS in Rojava Attaque fasciste sur la Croix Rousse et contre la librairie libertaire la Plume Noire Red November, Black November – An Anarchist Response to the Election 1986-2016: 30° anniversario di Alternativa Libertaria/fdca El feminismo es cuestión de vida o muerte International | Anarchist movement | en Mon 06 Mar, 12:35
The Anarkismo network has already published a statement that it would wait until all parts of the accusations by Reid Ross and Stephens were published, as well as the answers of M. Schmidt, before making any judgements on the case. Now that this has been forthcoming, as well as two more responses by Reid Ross, we are issuing a second statement to make public our intentions regarding the present situation.
This is a solidarity Statement For Rojava from an old group that is reviving itself somewhat: Neither East Nor West-NYC
We are very pleased to be able to congratulate you on the realisation of your First Congress as a specific anarchist political organisation. In light of the disbanding of the Federación Anarco-Comunista Argentina we believe that this is a very important step both for our shared especifista tendency as well as for the development of anarchism in general, both in Argentina and the region. Anarchist Women attending to the Young Women Conference, in a small village Amara which is in Urfa (Kurdistan), made a speech on the resistance in Kobane, the effect of women on this resistance and women's freedom struggle.
This year marks the 140 year anniversary of the first anarchist International held at St.Imier, Switzerland, in 1872. In celebration of the anniversary an international gathering was called in St.Imier in mid-August. A contingent of Collective Action militants attended the gathering along with thousands of other anarchists from around the world to discuss politics, create new international ties and, of course, have some fun. August saw a gathering of a couple of thousand anarchists from all over the globe in St Imier, Switzerland. This small town was the site of the founding of the Anarchist International in 1872, the gathering was organised to commemorate this event and involved dozens of political, organisational & cultural events. As part of this gathering Anarkismo, the international network that the WSM is the Irish section of, held both a European conference and a global gathering. [Italiano] The Black Flame blog has just been updated. The blog collates news, views and reviews of Lucien van der Walt and Michael Schmidt's book, "Black Flame: the revolutionary class politics of anarchism and syndicalism". The Zabalaza Books pages have moved to the new ZB site. On the weekend of 26-27 February 2011, delegates representing organizations from the UK, France, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, Ireland and Italy met to discuss how they could work more closely together. [Dansk] [Deutsch] [Italiano] [Ελληνικά] [Nederlands]
In the last few years, Anonymous has gained increasing notoriety for its action against websites, agencies and organizations that promote censorship and control. It has helped spread information and supported protestors demanding freedoms and rights. But the popularity of the movement, the attention it brings along, and the structure it has engendered threaten to push Anonymous away from the decentralized, collective movement it has been. As decisions become more centralized and newcomers jump on the bandwagon, Anonymous risks becoming yet another ineffective reformist group, fueled by well-meaning rethoric but subject to third party interests and paralyzed by its fear of authority... more >>
Under the title, "The Two Main Trends in Anarchism," a selection of my writings has been published in Greek. ΟΙ ΔΥΟ ΚΥΡΙΕΣ ΤΑΣΕΙΣ ΤΟΥ ΑΝΑΡΧΙΣΜΟΥ. The writings are taken from Anarkismo, except for the following, which was written originally for the new book. It focuses on the centrality of a vision of freedom, cooperation, and happiness in the program of anarchist-socialism.
There are many people from leftists, communists , socialists and some of the anarchists believe that Marxism and Leninism are two different things . They think that Lenin has distorted Marxism. My article here explains with evidence that whatever Lenin said and did have been originated from Marx . It tells you that Marxism has contributed greatly in damaging the socialist/ anarchist movement as much as the rightwing did.
Since 9th of March, across the French territory, an important and combative social-class struggle is taking place against the “labor law” by which the French Government attempts to impose a total restructuring of labor relations. By constant squatting in schools, colleges and public buildings, through reappropriation of public spaces on a daily level, with strikes and sit-ins in factories and in conflict with the forces of repression, French society ‒ especially the youth ‒ holds strong resistance against the attack unleashed by the bosses and the State.
Today’s attack on society is the result of the endless effort made by the state and bosses to transform it into a sweat-shop and a prison. Within conditions of an overall profound systemic crisis and de-legitimation of the political system, this attack is escalating. In the process, it is revealing the incurable contradictions of the state-capitalist organizational structure, as much as the absolute weakness to produce from above any coherent social vision, perspective or hope.
"Africa today lies prostrate, bleeding, and embattled on all fronts, a victim of capitalist and, to a great extent, state socialist ambitions. The heart-rending misery of its peoples, the conditions of abject poverty, squalor and disease in which they live, exist side by side with the wanton luxury, rapacity, and corruption of its leaders." Sam Mbah and I.E. Igariwey, 1997, African Anarchism: The History of a Movement, Sharp Press: Tucson, Arizona. Our vast continent, Africa, is the poorest in the world, host to dozens of wars and conflicts, and marked by instability and inequality. The root causes of the instability lie in political corruption and the profiteering system run by local and international elites. The local ruling classes are interested in making profits and getting wealthy, by any means necessary. The elites are not promoting the development of the working class and peasants (small farmers), but only worsening our conditions. If the choice is between building a road in a poor area or pocketing the money, they will pocket the money. more >>
The Anarkismo network has already published a statement that it would wait until all parts of the accusations by Reid Ross and Stephens were published, as well as the answers of M. Schmidt, before making any judgements on the case. Now that this has been forthcoming, as well as two more responses by Reid Ross, we are issuing a second statement to make public our intentions regarding the present situation.
This is a solidarity Statement For Rojava from an old group that is reviving itself somewhat: Neither East Nor West-NYC
We are very pleased to be able to congratulate you on the realisation of your First Congress as a specific anarchist political organisation. In light of the disbanding of the Federación Anarco-Comunista Argentina we believe that this is a very important step both for our shared especifista tendency as well as for the development of anarchism in general, both in Argentina and the region.
The Black Flame blog has just been updated. The blog collates news, views and reviews of Lucien van der Walt and Michael Schmidt's book, "Black Flame: the revolutionary class politics of anarchism and syndicalism".
The Zabalaza Books pages have moved to the new ZB site. more >> |
make this your Anarkismo.net front page
Digg this
del.icio.us
Furl
Reddit
Technorati
Facebook
Twitter
|
