Rudolph Lewis on the Crisis of the Pan African Intellectual

We must admit honestly Pan Africans do not have a military to counter Europe, USA and or China. Or even a rag-tag army of jihadists. We only have words of caution and awareness of the dangers of foreign powers on the African continent, whether they are Christian or Muslims. Pan Africans are talkers, theorists, not men of action (military soldiers). . . . 

The situation shows also the weakness of African states and of the African Union. . . . The present Mali crises are the result of the Western overthrow of the Libyan government. A number of events would not have occurred if the coup and the assassination of Qaddafi had not occurred: 

1) The Benghazi embassy attack 2) the internal breakup of Mali, and 3) the Algerian gas production plant. . . . So African states, Europe, and USA are reaping the whirlwind of their decision to dislodge Qaddafi. Libya will be much weaker than it was. Thus the entire region north, east and west of African states will be less stable, opening the doors for more extensive interventions in African affairs. This has been anticipated for sometime.


Army General William E. "Kip" Ward stands tall as imperialism's shining black prince. He has been anointed to head Africom, a rapidly unfolding plan to establish an expanded western military presence in Africa for the purpose of securing domination of the continent's oil and other natural resources. (Okay, okay - so they claim Africom is designed to quell internal strife and fight terrorism. But none of us believe that.)

http://www.nathanielturner.com/kipwardheadsafricom.htm

Loving you madly, Rudy

Marvin X on the Crisis of the Pan African Intellectual

Marvin X on the Crisis of the Pan African Intellectual

What is the revolutionary Pan African position on the Euro-American-Chinese occupation of Africa?

And what can the Diaspora do to stop the military campaigns for the mineral riches of Africa? Do we have drones, nukes, what? Can we tell African heads of state who are now in league with the Euro-Americans not to join the West in its supposed role of stopping the Islamic revolution? Perhaps we should make clear that the Arab Islamists, including the African Arab Islamists, are as much a problem as the Euro-Americans and Chinese, although the Chinese role appears to be purely economic, which is

nice if there is parity of trade between the Afro-Asians, but too often Chinese made goods destabilize the local economy with pricing and shoddy goods, often imitation cloth such as Kenti in Ghanna.

But what can we do, those intellectuals, Pan Africanists and revolutionary nationalists here in the belly of the beast. Dr. Nathan Hare and Kwame Toure argued over whether our focus should be to cut off the tentacles or the head of the serpent. Of course our focus must be the home front where our people are suffering greatly, jobless, ignorant, incarcerated, drugged out, diseased, etc.  Think globally but act locally. What can we do down here on the ground in Babylon? If you know, teach! If you don't know learn! The nature of events in Africa is complex with major issues of corruption, religion, tribalism, imperialism from a myriad sources, European, American, Arab, Asian, etc.

When will Africa be for the Africans? We see reactionary forces occupying Africa. America is placing American troops in 35 African countries. France is now in Mali to stop the Islamists, with American support of course. But does it matter to us whether the Euro-Americans or the Islamists occupy the land, both are known to be devils and destroyers of African culture.

And what shall we say about the African governments in cahoots with the imperialists or globalists?

The African politicians appear in lockstep with the colonizers and crusaders seeking control of Africa's precious minerals. From the neocolonialism of the last decades, we seek they are in the mood to make deals with the devil. After all, Kwame Nkruma taught us neocolonialism is colonialism playing possum.

The African nations collaborating with the occupiers are in the tradition of those who sold us to slavers.

In many of these nations, the former revolutionaries have turned reactionary, yes, in league with the devil. We can almost say no one in this African quagmire is without sin. Who are the good guys, the African leaders, the Euro-Americans, Arab Islamists, who?

Perhaps we can say the common people are the good guys, exploited and robbed of their labor and natural resources at every turn. How shall they gather the energy to seize people's power? The African bourgeoise is not about to give up power to the masses, thus the masses must fight internal forces and external forces of every stripe, European, American, Asian, Arab. This will employ sophistication and a broad understanding of all the forces involved, political, economic, religious.

Barbara Ann Teer's National Black Theatre

_____________________________________________________________ National Black Theatre Newsletter       Volume 3                                                       # 1       _____________________________________________________________ __________________________________________    featuring  Chesney Snow* Nick Moyer & Varuni Tiruchelvam *appearing courtesy of Actors Equity Association   Official Website: http://lyricsfromlockdown.com/  Tickets available at SMARTTIX __________________________________________  FERTILE GROUND:  AN ORIGINAL ARIST SHOWCASE EVERY SECOND THURSDAY JOIN US FEBRUARY 14, 2013 8PM     SAVE THE DATE:  JUNE 18, 2013 FOUNDER'S DAY - TEER SPIRIT AWARDS _____________________________________________________________    Shop online through Giveback.org   (and select National Black Theatre Workshop Inc.)   to donate a portion of purchases to NBT.     In 2010, Stephen Paletta launched the Give Back Foundation, a 501(c)3 public charity created to help people give back.  The Give Back Foundation (EIN 26-2449481) was established to allow any person to join GiveBack and set up their personal foundation acco unt. The funds that accumulate in that account are part of the Give Back Foundation. Each member has the ability to direct the funds from their account to any charity in good standing with the United States Internal Revenue Service. Together, all of the members' accounts are gathered under one Give Back Foundation account awaiting the direction of each member. The members can give their money away whenever they choose, either as a single donation or as part of a group of people coming together to support a cause. 100% of the money that is directed to a charity is sent to the charity. The Give Back Foundation doesn't charge you or the charity anything for the transaction. Any money that a member adds directly into their GiveBack account is immediately tax deductible to the full extent allowed. Any additional money that may be added, either by our corporate sponsors or other individuals, is not deductible by the member. At year end the Give Back Foundation will issue every member a consolidated giving statement that may be used as an IRS tax receipt.   MAKE YOUR VOICE COUNT!  Help   National Black Theatre  Join the discussion:       'Keep Soul Alive'! A movement to support Arts and Cultural Institutions in America      Keep posted on our programs and progress:      212-722-3800 Make a DONATION  today & invest in NBT's future longevity! Shop at GiveBack.org to donate to NBT   Fertile Ground (Blog)   "Art is growth... come grow with us!"       -New Music & Art Series every 2nd Thursday of the Month-     Fertile Ground: Artist Follow-Spot 1-2 - Olamide | Interview at the National Black Theatre "It is our stand to create in urban communities where indigenous people work, live and serve; a culturally conscious leadership of entrepreneurial artists whose commitment is to ownership, self empowerment, self determination and full creative self expression. NBT is an example for artists to aspire to own and produce art forms that encourage building theatre environments that instill dignity, respect and self love."   - Dr. Barbara Ann Teer. NBT Founder & Visionary NATIONAL BLACK THEATRE SHOWS 2011 Shaneequa Chronicles  Accept, 'Except'  Do Wop Love  Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale  The National Black Theatre is funded in part by:  Council Member Inez E. Dickens, 9th C.D., Speaker Christine Quinn and the New York City Council, City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone and your individual contributions.   National Black Theatre Inc · 2033 Fifth Ave · Harlem, NY 10035 · 212-722-3800

Negro General heads U.S. Forces in Africa

Kip's Folly A Black Commander for U.S. Forces in Africa By Mark P. Fancher Army General William E. "Kip" Ward stands tall as imperialism's shining black prince. He has been anointed to head Africom, a rapidly unfolding plan to establish an expanded western military presence in Africa for the purpose of securing domination of the continent's oil and other natural resources. (Okay, okay - so they claim Africom is designed to quell internal strife and fight terrorism. But none of us believe that.) Although Africom has triggered a wave of grumbling across the breadth of the African continent and into many corners of the African Diaspora, it's a pretty good bet that from the oil company executive suites, to the oval office, to the Pentagon, and on down to the fellas who hang out in the officer's club at the local Army base, General Ward is the man of the hour. Even his nickname has been made to order. Can't you hear the comments? "That Kip is a credit to his country, the armed forces and his race." "Why can't they all be more like Kip?" With degrees from Morgan State University and Pennsylvania State University followed by 36 years of military service in Korea, Egypt, Somalia, Bosnia, Israel, Germany, Alaska and Hawaii, how can you beat this guy? He certainly must have been the kind of person retired generals had in mind when, during the last big affirmative action case to come before the Supreme Court the generals said: ''... the military cannot achieve an officer corps that is both highly qualified and racially diverse'' without race-conscious remedies. And if the military can't do that, whose black faces can be used to give credibility to U.S. military operations in Africa? It is certainly possible that General Ward is a dedicated career military man who, with great sincerity, welcomes the opportunity to cap his long career with service to the continent of his ancestral origins. If so, that is precisely the problem. He and so many Africans born in America who have distinguished themselves professionally within corporate and government structures either naively miss, or deliberately ignore, their drift into roles that require them to work against the interests of their people. In the case of Africom, this project is not divorced from a long history of efforts by Africa's people to wrest control of unquantifiable natural wealth, first from western governments that colonized the continent and more recently from multi-national corporations that exploit Africa with the assistance of black neo-colonial heads of African states. It has been necessary for many of these people's struggles to be carried out with arms in places like Angola, Guinea Bissau, Congo, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Given the determination of exploiters to maintain their iron grip on valuable natural resources, even while Africa's people suffer and starve, it is certainly likely that armed struggle by genuine revolutionaries will occur again in other parts of the continent. When that happens, we can safely bet that the Pentagon will label the African freedom fighters as terrorists and order good ole Kip to "suppress the restless natives." General Ward is not alone in his willingness to play the role of imperialist lackey. Barack Obama enthusiastically embraces the Africom concept. He uttered the following nonsense: "There will be situations that require the United States to work with its partners in Africa to fight terrorism with lethal force. Having a unified command operating in Africa will facilitate this action." If Ward and Obama were to rationalize their compromises with the tired excuse that Africom can't be stopped and "at least it will be under the control of a brother," we would be compelled to respond that our people's history shows that it doesn't have to be that way. At the dawn of the 20th Century, when Buffalo Soldiers were directed by racist white commanders to suppress a rebellion by brown-skinned Filipinos, conscience prevented a number of these Africans from following those orders. During the Vietnam War, some of the brothers in the U.S. military did the same thing. In fact, Muhammad Ali, while at the peak of his career, was moved by conscience to bravely refuse to fight in Vietnam. He lost almost everything as a consequence. We must remember the 43 brothers stationed at Fort Hood, Texas who were prosecuted for refusing to attack anti-war protesters at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. This tradition of refusing to participate in unconscionable U.S. military missions is alive even today. Consider that until the year 2000, U.S.-born Africans accounted for nearly 25 percent of Army personnel. By 2004, less than 16 percent of Army recruits were Africans. That percentage continues to decline. An Army study concluded that the attitudes of black youth were significantly shaped by their community, and the widespread opposition to the Iraq War in that community led to a rejection of military service. According to a Gallup Poll, 78 percent of whites supported the Iraq war, and 72 percent of blacks opposed it in 2003. Is it fair to demand that Ward commit career suicide by opposing Africom, or at least refusing to lead it? The short answer is yes. Since our arrival on U.S. shores, Africans have never had the convenient option of declining heroism. Unlike the majority demographic in this country whose individual decisions often have implications only for the individuals who make them, whenever we Africans take the easy road paved by an oppressive system, large numbers of our people are injured or killed as a consequence. Contemplate for only a moment the incredible number of lives of oppressed people and people of color that have been ruined or lost because of the opportunistic, self-centered careers of Clarence Thomas, Condoleezza Rice, and other lesser-known individuals of that ilk. General Ward stands poised to preside over an operation that possibly poses the most lethal threat to Africa and African people in the modern era. If on the question of whether to go forward as Africom's commander, Ward is to be guided by morality and his people's history, he has but one clear choice. Mark P. Fancher is a human rights lawyer, essayist and activist. He can be contacted at mfancher@comcast.net Source: BlackAgendaReport *   *   *   *   * Africom: The new US military command for Africa—A series of consultations with the governments of a number of African countries—including Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Djibouti, Kenya—following the announcement of Africom found than none of them were willing to commit to hosting the new command. As a result, the Pentagon has been forced to reconsider its plans and in June 2007 Ryan Henry, the Principal Deputy Under-Secretary of Defense for Policy told reporters that the Bush administration now intended to establish what he called “a distributed command” that would be “networked” in several countries in different regions of the continent. Under questioning before the Senate Africa Subcommittee on 1 August 2007, Assistant Secretary Whelan said that Liberia, Botswana, Senegal, and Djibouti were among the countries that had expressed support for Africom—although only Liberia has publicly expressed a willingness to play host to Africom personnel—which clearly suggests that these countries are likely to accommodate elements of Africom’s headquarters staff when they eventually establish a presence on the continent sometime after October 2008.Pambazuka *   *   *   *   * Say No to Africom—With little scrutiny from Democrats in Congress and nary a whimper of protest from the liberal establishment, the United States will soon establish permanent military bases in sub-Saharan Africa. An alarming step forward in the militarization of the African continent, the US Africa Command (Africom) will oversee all US military and security interests throughout the region, excluding Egypt. Africom is set to launch by September 2008 and the Senate recently confirmed Gen. William "Kip" Ward as its first commander. Danny Glover & Nicole Lee. The Nation  / posted 17 November 2007 source: Chickenbones.com

Parable of the Parrot by Marvin X

Parable of the Parrot Marvin X The king wanted parrots around him. He wants all his ministers to wear parrot masks. He said he had to do the same for the previous king. He only said what the king wanted to hear, nothing more, so he advised his ministers to do the same. In fact, they must encourage the people to become parrots. Yes, he wanted a nation of parrots. Don't say anything the kings does not want to hear. Everything said should be music to his ears. And don't worry, he will tell you exactly what he wants to hear in his regular meetings and public addresses to the nation. Everyone will be kept informed what parrot song to sing. No one must be allowed to disagree with the king. This would be sacrilegious and punishable by death. The king must be allowed to carry out the dreams that come to his head. No one else should dream, only the king. In this manner, according to the king, the people can make real progress. There shall always be ups and downs, but have faith in the king and everything will be all right. Now everyone sing the national anthem, the king told the people. There must be a chorus of parrots, a choir, mass choir singing in perfect unity. Let there be parrots on every corner of the kingdom, in every branch and tree. Let all the boys sing like parrots in the beer halls. Let the preacher lead the congregation in parrot songs. Let the teachers train students to sound like parrots. Let the university professors give good grades to those who best imitate parrot sounds. Let the journalists allow no stories over the airwaves and in print if they do not have the parrot sound. The king was happy when the entire nation put on their parrot masks. Those who refused suffered greatly until they agreed to join in. The state academics and intellectuals joined loudly in parroting the king's every wish. Thank God the masses do not hear them pontificate or read their books. After all, these intellectual and academic parrots are well paid, tenured and eat much parrot seed. Their magic song impresses the bourgeoisie who have a vested interest in keeping the song of the parrot alive. Deep down in the hood, in the bush, the parrot song is seldom heard, only the sound of the hawk gliding through the air in stone silence looking for a parrot to eat. President Davis and Reginald James, students of Marvin X's Academy of da Corner, 14th and Broadway, downtown Oakland. President is now at Howard University, Wash. DC, Reginald is a student at UC Berkeley. In this photo they are at Sankofa Books, Washington, DC. 5 April 2010 Source: blackbirdpressnews from The Wisdom of Plato Negro, parables/fables, Marvin X, Black Bird Press, Berkekey, 2012