This strong we review the 35th anniversary commemoration of the National Black People’s Day of Action (NBPDA), organised by the interim National Afrikan People’s Parliament (iNAPP) at the Karibu Centre in Brixton. The theme was: ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT – Creating Community Wealth: Controlling Our Own Food, Owning Assets, Producing Goods and Services, Investing in Afrika and Building a Credit Union.Using the draft manifesto as a foundation, iNAPP set about putting in place the infrastructure to harness the estimated £300 billion spending power of Afrikans in the UK. (1)
The keynote address on the day was delivered by Bro. Tafadzwa ShakaRa Mbandaka on the issue of Mobilising Black Youth for Economic Empowerment. In a wide ranging at times controversial message, ShakaRa forensically outlined the generational roles in wealth creation and linked this to culture and identity. He added that the best way to mobilise Afrikan young people was through deeds rather than words, even “a good word.”:
“If money and business is the prevailing view of economic empowerment in this day and age, there’s a level to which in order to mobilise Black Youth for economic empowerment we have to reflect and manifest business success.”
ShakaRa also decried the tendency within the community to over emphasise “charity,” compared to “social funding” and “business” and exhorted us to develop the latter two.
Thus, given iNAPP’s pivotal a role in envisioning a model of economic empowerment, it’s development is inextricably linked to the empowerment agenda.
As such, iNAPP Co-Chair Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka highlighted some of the key iNAPP targets for the coming period:
- To reactivate the membership of all signed-up candidate members (reissuing membership cards), aiming at 100 by 22nd May 2016.
- To actively engage most if not all candidate members in existing INOC subcommittees.
- To mobilise 1,000 people to SUTI (Sign Up To iNAPP) by the NBPDA (March 2nd) 2017.
- To assign all candidate members (CM) to the task of meeting the 1,000 SUTI target, by way of a clear strategic plan (each CM to target 2 people/month).
- To set a date (21st May 2016) for a General People’s Assembly, focussed on iNAPP Membership Development (i.e. to clarify and consolidate the terms and status of iNAPP membership).
- To reinstate the Community Law Circles (every 1st Tuesday of the month, 7:00pm-930pm @ Queen Mother Moore School) specifically to facilitate ongoing face to face consultation on the Constitution and Manifesto, with a view to formalising both on March 2nd, 2017.
- To commence a fundraising drive on March 2nd, 2017, to raise £1,000,000 (one million pounds), minimum, for the NAPP treasury, by March 2nd, 2018 (each member responsible for raising £1,000 in 12 months).
To some, these targets may seem ambitious, to others eminently doable. Indeed a live example of helping to consolidate the “social funding” element could be embodied in the current challenges facing the Alkebu-Lan Revivalist Movement (ARM) in its fight to keep its community building that is facing repossession from their mortgage lenders. The premises that current serves as iNAPP’s official address, also houses a number of vital social and cultural programmes for the community, which would be jeopardized if the building is lost. It has been argued that the funding and organising of social entities is a pre-requisite to establishing any economy. If this is indeed the case then it is crucial for Afrika UK to work to consolidate this as we are poorly served by the social entities of the state.
As such, in an attempt to avert the repossession order, ARM need to raise £4,184 by March 15th 2016 (which would amount to, for example, £200 people donating £20 each or 80 people donating £50 each). However, £500 towards this target has already been raised. ARM will be holding an update meeting on this issue at 282 High Road Leyton, E10 5PW on 06/03/16. Community members who wish to contribute at: Nat West Bank, A/C No: 23503351, Sort Code: 56:00:17 A/C Name: Mama Afrika or contact 07908 814 152 or 07939 292 720 for more information.
(1) Akinwunmi, Kay (17/09/15) Data Reveals 5 Key Areas Black Businesses in London Need to Improve Significantly. http://limconcepts.com/blog/five-areas-black-businesses-london-need-to-improve/
So we ask the question:
Do we really want Economic Empowerment?
1. With £300 billion spending power what is really stopping us from developing the structures we need?
2. Will you be SUTI’d and booted at the iNAPP GPA on May 21st?
3. Are we too focused on “charity,” rather than “social funding” and “business”?
4. Is iNAPP’s target of £1,000,000 by March 2018 doable?
Our special guest is:
Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka: Resident guest who is Spiritual Leader of the Alkebu-Lan Revivalist Movement and UNIA-ACL Ambassador for the UK and national co-Chair of the interim National Afrikan People’s Parliament. Bro. Ldr is 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.
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