We continue our discussion, appropriately enough for Afrika Liberation season, about how we as a community can move forward, in light of the recent passing of Bro. Dougie Williams and Sis. Nkechi Ode and their respective legacies can be maintained.
Both of guests reached an accord of where we are at and where we need to be. Taking his cue from the Blackprint of The Most Eminent Prophet and King – His Excellency Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka again emphasised the need to “constitute ourselves as a national body.” DJ Supreme lamented that “Our youngsters are actually looking as us saying what have we really achieved? How can you tell me x, y, z and that’s right when there’s nothing really there for us?” He added that our lack of progress was in part due to us being “distracted” as well as our tendency to “self-sabotage.”
Indeed, examples of “self-sabotage” can be seen in a recent valiant attempt to “constitute ourselves as a national body” – the interim National Afrikan People’s Parliament (iNAPP).
iNAPP was born out of the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the ‘National Black People’s Day of Action’ (NBPDA), which was organised by the New Cross Massacre Action Committee on March 2, 2011. It gained significant traction later that year through its response to the Metropolitan Police’s execution of Mark Duggan in Tottenham and continued to build both it’s capacity and constituency by attracting some the community’s most respected activists. (1) However, in February 2015 a leadership implosion took place, described as “a public display of utter deception” where the erstwhile leadership actually contrived to launch their new organisation at an iNAPP meeting. (2)
Interestingly, the protagonists of this “deception” appeared to have suffered no harm to their prestige/status. This must be a community issue as it gives the impression some can act with impunity while others are subject to sanction and is a long-standing tendency. This sanction can also take different forms such as misrepresentation or besmirching. A classic example of this is a particularly egregious mischaracterisation from 1981, by a community luminary regarding what he considers “the small minority of blacks who believe in the ‘back-to-Africa’ idea, or nonsense like hating the white man. These elements represent the ass-hole end of black politics.” (3)
On the other hand, the adage goes, if you can’t say anything nice… Another approach is to ignore them altogether as typified in the 2014 article Anger over media appointed ‘community leaders’, which includes an extensive roll-call of activists, organisers and organisations – with some curious, notable omissions. (4). Six years earlier, this same source proceeded to extol the virtues of “Independent African media” in the community, ignoring certain grassroots efforts while including outlets headed by non-Afrikans (i.e. neither Afrikan or independent). (5)
It’s not clear what for the basis for this antipathy towards certain sections of the activist community is, nor who it benefits. While at the same time those who have grievously assaulted community sensibilities, such as the 2003 disinvitation of Baba Tony Martin from the Mayor of London’s First Voice conference that sparked global outrage – maintain prominent platforms to this day. (6)
The key themes to emerge of the foregoing are accountability and (political) maturity. Dealing with the latter first, this can lead to a virtual re-writing of history, by omission by excluding those of a different ideological, philosophical or even personality perspective – irrespective of the good they may have done – from documented narratives, potentially depriving our people of valuable insights. (7) Another aspect of this manifests itself in the failure to support (or even actively oppose) viable initiatives because of “issues” with some of the people involved or simply to “stand back and observe how it develops.”
The accountability issue can be seen as a structural deficiency. Unlike the state, the Afrikan community has no capacity to punitively sanction transgressive behaviour, assuming that what constitutes transgressions can be agreed. To put it more colloquially – we can’t sack anybody, we can’t lock anybody up! Moreover, those of elevated standing/status rarely operate under compulsion to atone, especially if their rhetoric is ‘hot.’ The result is the perennial demoralisation of being unable to build or maintain institutions without a clear overstanding of why. Are we not up to the task? Are our efforts being sabotaged? Do we have a framework for identifying which? The failure to address or sanction such transgressions must surely lay the groundwork for them to continue.
What has changed was where one is was commonplace to eschew the very notion of not just poor leaders but leadership itself, replete with epithets around ‘ego’ and ‘personality cults.’ (8) Presently, the concept of Black leaders is rather less maligned but has yet been superseded by what Mama Julia Hare referred to as “leading Blacks.” Mama Hare defined the former as a natural outgrowth of community/organisation, while the latter may or may not be imposed from without but limited or no organizational agency yet enjoy a high profile. (9) The ‘leading Black’ may be informative, inspirational even but is not necessarily driven by a commitment to institution or nation building. The current era of Zoom Conferences, many organised with the best of intentions has created a heyday for some leading Blacks but it remains to be seen if their participation will lead to meaningful results.
The Summit Of Solutions is a definite current candidate to advance a nation building agenda. The challenge that it faces is whether the climate of unaccountability or even political immaturity will affect its ability to gain a firm foothold on its way to reaching its objectives.
(1) Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka (2013) Our National Leadership. The Whirlwind, Edition 10. p. 4-5.
(2) Afrika Speaks with Alkebu-Lan on Galaxy Radio (02/03/20) Should we commemorate the National Black People’s Day of Action? https://www.mixcloud.com/AfrikaSpeaks/should-we-commemorate-the-national-black-peoples-day-of-action-02032020/
(3) Desmond Hunt (1981) An interview with Linton Kwesi Johnson, The Other Side ‘zine, https://standupandspit.wordpress.com/2014/06/10/linton-kwesi-johnson-1981/
(4) Toyin Agbetu (14/01/14) Opinion: Anger over media appointed ‘community leaders’. http://www.ligali.org/article.php?id=2381
(5) Ligali (02/01/08) Independent African media facing threat of closure. http://web.archive.org/web/20080616110211/http://www.ligali.org/article.php?id=1766
(6) Blacks and Jews.com (2004) Dr. Tony Martin to Speak in London! http://web.archive.org/web/20081026203944/http://www.blacksandjews.com/Martin.UK.Disinvitation2.html
(7) Esther Stanford-Xosei (2019) The Long road of Pan-African liberation to reparatory justice in Hakim Adi (Ed), Black British History: New Perspectives. Zed Books; Agbetu. Op. cit.
(8) Kubara Zamani (04/05/08) Nubiary Diary – Lez Henry. Afrikan Quest
(9) Tavis Smiley Presents (10/02/07) State of the Black Union 2007, Afternoon Session. https://www.c-span.org/video/?196530-2/state-black-union-2007-afternoon-session&event=196530&playEvent
We ask the question:
After DOUGIE & NKECHI: How do we move FORWARD? Part 2
1) Do we really “self-sabotage” our liberation fight?
2) Do we have ‘leading Blacks’ or ‘’Black leaders’?
3) Does the activist community possess the political maturity to work together to build meaningful institutions?
4) Are you willing to throw your weight behind initiatives like the Summit Of Solutions or just “stand back and observe how it develops”?
Our Special Guests:
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 Approach To Excellence.
DJ Supreme: is a broadcaster, organiser and activist. He hosts the More Knowledge Show on Concious Radio every Wednesday evening from 6pm to 9pm. DJ Supreme is part of the Summit Of Solutions Communications, IT and Media team and currently working with the family of Dougie Williams to preserve the legacy of the Find Your Voice platform. i