When Afrikan History Month was established in the UK in 1987 the founding events, that took place as part of Afrikan Jubilee Year included a stellar line-up of Warrior Scholars like Baba John Henrik Clarke, Baba Yosef Ben-Jochannan, Baba Tony Martin, Mama Sally Mugabe, Mama Frances Cress Welsing, and Baba Maulana Karenga. It also came with a raft of declarations including: “promoting positive public images and an understanding of Afrikans and people of Afrikan descent and encourage the positive teaching and development of their history, culture and struggles” and to “support Afrikan organisations and liberation movements based in London”. Although AHM UK was borne out of the work of the London Strategic Policy Unit and various supportive individuals, it emanated from the vision of one man Baba Akyaaba Addai-Sebo.Since 1987 the observance has had a varied output. Through extensive local authority involvement and effective local lobbying, some events and been well resourced and impressive. In the absence of that local activism some local authorities seized the opportunity to advance their own (often antithetical) agendas, if they engaged with it at all. Thus events like ‘Mr Singh’s Chilli Sauce,’ ‘Saris, spice and splendour – Asian cultural walking tour,’ ‘The origins and evolution of Tamil people,’ ‘Salman Rushdie in conversation with James Naughtie’ and ‘First Voice – A Dialogue with the Diaspora’ masquerading under the AHM banner.
An encouraging contrast has been the development of a plethora of Black History organisations and initiatives such as Black History Walks, Black History Studies, British Black Music/Black Music Congress (BBM/BMC), Vision and Aspiration’s Lion’s Storyprogramme, Bro. Andrew ‘The Investigator’ Muhammad, Bro. Lascelles “Sax Man” James ’Interrupted Journey series and of course The Black History Man – Bro. Robin Walker, to name a few. This year the Maa Ma’at Cultural Centre in north London has also developed an impressive AHM programme.
Another challenge AHM UK has faced is opposition to its October calendar, in contrast to the USA/international slot of February – originating from the Carter G Woodson/ Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, ‘Negro History Week’ that began in February 1926 and expanded to the whole month in 1970. However, in an interview with Bro. Kubara Zamani, producer and presenter at Nubiart Sound Radio which first appeared in New African magazine, Baba Akyaaba explained the compelling rationale behind the October choice:
“We decided on October as the month to celebrate black history because apart from its significance within the African calendar – the period of the autumn equinox in Africa – October is consecrated as the harvest period, the period of plenty, and the period of the Yam Festivals. It was the time in history when Africa, Egypt and Ethiopia for example were the cradle and breadbasket of civilisation. October is also a period of tolerance and reconciliation in Africa, when the chiefs and leaders would gather to settle all differences. This was also the time to examine one’s life in relation to the collective and to see if the targets set for oneself and the group during the past year had been achieved or not…We were also thinking about the children, and what to bequeath to them. October is more or less the beginning of the school year; their minds are refreshed and revitalised, so they can take in a lot of instruction. This was also one of the reasons that October was chosen.”
The extent to which many schools still acknowledge AHM is remains a testament to its founding vision, irrespective of how cursory that acknowledgement may be. The lesson of our history, for much, much more than the last 28 years teaches us that European institutions that have influence over our young people will only regard AHM with any seriousness if challenged by concerted, organised efforts. As legendary abolitionist Frederick Douglass asserted:
“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”
With arguably much more initiatives dealing specifically with history with us now that in 1987 the framework should be there to do just that.
So we ask the question:
Has Afrikan History month fulfilled its vision?
- Were you aware of the 1987 origins of AHM UK?
- Should we be targeting schools/institutions of embrace AHM?
- Or should we be putting more effort into support community based initiatives, or both?
- How do make our history meaningful and useful for our children and future generations?
Our special guests are:
Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka: Resident guest who is Spiritual Leader of the Alkebu-Lan Revivalist Movement and UNIA-ACL Ambassador for the UK. A veteran activist of over 30 years standing, a featured columnist in The Whirlwind newspaper and author of Mosiah Daily Affirmations and Education: An Africentric Guide To Excellence.
Baba Akyaaba Addai-Sebo: a long standing Pan-Afrikan activist and is one of the main inspirations of Afrikan Jubilee Year, which spawned the establishment of “Black History Month” in the UK in October 1987. He has also been an independent Consultant on Preventive Diplomacy and Conflict Transformation and Special Envoy of International Alert. He helped to broker peace negotiations between the fighting groups in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Other roles held include consultant to The Listen Charity’s (UK) advocacy and fundraising campaign in support of the exemplary work of expert children’s charities mostly in developing countries. Baba Addai currently resides in Ghana.
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