We continue our Afrika Liberation Day series focusing on the global fight for liberation. This show we focus on the Pan-Afrikan Movement on mainland Europe, namely Spain.
The country that dominates the Iberian peninsula has historically significant links with Afrikan people – and not necessarily good ones. It was the Afrikans known as Moors that dragged Europe out of the dark ages from around the year 711 A.D. (1) By the time they were expelled in 1492, Spain had emerged as one of the continents dominant forces. Evidence of this can be found in the Dum Diversaspapal bull issued on 18 June 1452 by Pope Nicholas V:
“We grant you [Kings of Spain and Portugal] by these present documents, with our Apostolic Authority, full and free permission to invade, search out, capture, and subjugate the Saracens and pagans and any other unbelievers and enemies of Christ wherever they may be, as well as their kingdoms, duchies, counties, principalities, and other property […] and to reduce their persons into perpetual servitude.” (2)
Thus the Spanish were early investors in the Maafa, making significant inroads in advance of their European competitors. Spanish Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella financed Italian adventurer Christopher Columbus’ expedition to the so-called new world that wreaked havoc on the indigenous population. As a remedy for this Columbus agreed along with Priest Bartolomé de las Casas agreed that indigenous suffering could be alleviated by enslaving Afrikans, entrenching a racialized ideology that persists today. (3)
Over time Spain was supplanted in terror and barbarism by the likes of the UK and France to the extent that by the conclusion of the notorious Belin Conference in 1885, Spain could only claim the smallest territory – Equatorial Guinea (Rio Muni). (4)
Today there are an estimated 200 million Spanish speaking Afrikans representing a significant, if largely under recognised (by English speakers) Afrikan Bloc. One of the most resilient entities in this formation is the Pan-Afrikan Movement in Spain, established 32 years ago. Since then they have become fully engaged in the reparations movement and even established an education institution – the Malcolm Garvey University.
“Malcolm Garvey University was born in Barcelona under the name of the School of African Philosophy, created by militants of the Pan-African Movement of Spain, Ras Babiker and Dr. Zhen in 1997, in the heat of the struggles for the Black Banyoles Dr. Arcelin and the New Black Panther Party. From this time they graduated a generation of activists who will give place to the United States Organization of Afrika. After the Durban South Africa 2001 conference, Abuy Nfubea, Kunu Bdja and Kemit Karebah began preaching in the ghettos of Barcelona, Murcia, Almeria, Bilbao, Torrejón, Zaragoza, Lleida, Vigo, Parla, Fuenlabrada and Madrid; A new pedagogy, philosophy and theology afrocentrada, Garveyista and Cimarrón based on the ideas cimarrón, Malcolm X, Walter Rodney, Molefi Asante and Diop Cheik. As a result, in 1999, together with Abuy Nfubea’s disciple, Kundu Badja refounded the project under the name of MGU and transferred the rectory and campus to Madrid.
In 2013 coinciding with the celebration of the trip from Garvey to Madrid adding the name of Garvey Our academic purpose is an educational training for all those people who want to know and intervene on reality from an afrocentrada perspective. Collectively building forms of thinking and acting that allow us to orient ourselves in a world that threatens and enslaves us through infinite Eurocentric narratives charged with a colonial epistemology. We offer courses, seminars and masters in which we address the issues that most concern the 200 million African-speaking Spanish.” (5)
Included in MGU’s faculty is a stellar array of global activists and scholars including: Dr. Abuy Nfubea, Dj Moula Sasebwera, Marcelino Bondjale, Luis Alarcón ,Hamilton Borges, Kemit Kareba, Baldw Lumumba, Lourdes Antuan, Mateo Nzambí, Dr. Runoko Rashidi, Sharon Oshun Parris-Chambers, Kemi Seba, Adeleye Adeyemi, Esther Stanford and Affiong L. Affiong. (6)
(1) Ivan Van Sertima (1992) Golden Age of the Moor. Transaction Press
(2) Diana Hayes (2003) Reflections on Slavery” in Charles E. Curran Change in Official Catholic Moral Teaching, Paulist Press. pp. 65-76.
(3) Dani Anthony (2015) Bartolomé de las Casas and 500 Years of Racial Injustice. http://origins.osu.edu/milestones/july-2015-bartolom-de-las-casas-and-500-years-racial-injustice
(4) H.J. de Blij and Peter O. Muller (1997) Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts. Wiley. p. 340
(5) Malcolm Garvey University (2017) About Us. http://malcolmgarveyuniversity.com/#actividades
(6) Malcolm Garvey University (2017) Faculty.. http://malcolmgarveyuniversity.com/#actividades
So we ask the question:
How can we make the Pan-Afrikan fight truly Pan-Afrikan?
1. What do we know about activism in the non-English speaking world?
2. What is the significance of 200 million Spanish speakers?
3. How much is language a barrier?
4. Were you previously aware of the Malcolm Garvey University?
5. Could we establish a similar institution here?
6. How can we link the Spanish speaking and English speaking reparations movements?
Our very special guest:
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 African-Centred Guide To Excellence.
Dr. Abuy Nfubea: is a veteran campaigner and activist based in Spain. His previous affiliations include the spanish chapter of the New Black Panther Party and the Anti-Apartheid Movement. He is a co-founder of the Malcolm Garvey University a “Pan-Africanist Afrocentric grassroot Field Black school,” as well being as being on its faculty. Bro. Abuy is also the director and presenter of Uhuru Afrika TV.