March 2nd will be the 40th anniversary of the Black People’s Day of Action, “an unprecedented display of black political power” that “mobilised 20,000 people for a march through the streets of London (1)
Ten years ago, at the 30th anniversary of BPDA, there was a move to establish an interim National Afrikan People’s Parliament (iNAPP) (2). Unfortunately, within four years this new formation suffered an implosion. (3) At an iNAPP meeting in early 2015, the then leadership contrived to demolish the organisation and launch a new body before everyone’s eyes. (4)
Yet, in a sense the BPDA was part of the spirit of the times. Just four years earlier, tens of thousands converged on Handsworth Park, Birmingham for an Afrika Liberation Day observance. So although the conditions seemed right for a mass movement, it just didn’t happen. (5) In fact, the iNAPP example cited above is but one of a litany of setbacks that have blighted the liberation movement in the UK from the BPDA to the current inability to corral a collective response to the Covid-19 situation.
The reasons for this vary widely in scope and accuracy. Undoubtedly some of the ideological tensions (e.g. ‘Race First’ vs. ‘non-Afrikan allies’) between different constituencies played a role (6), as did ambivalence or even “disdain” towards organisations from the wider community. (7) While the source of this this disdain has never been fully established it does bear some of the characteristics of COINTELPRO, even this FBI initiative has never officially been acknowledged in the UK. (8)
In contrast, some place more responsibility on the lack of efficacy of the organisations themselves and the “egos” of their leaders in particular. (9) Yet this perspective is a broadly inaccurate reading of the situation, not least because it tends to portray “ego” in almost entirely pejorative terms. Indeed, one activist once proclaimed that “ego is the greatest threat to our community.” Nevertheless, in his book The Community Of Self, Psycholgist Na’im Akbar, locates the ego as one of the attributes of an individual’s self (that also includes conscience, drives, senses, memory and reason). Of it he says:
“The ego is the part of the self that speaks up for the rights of the individual. The ego’s specialized function is to make sure that the individual needs of the person’s self are not violated… Ego is vital for the life of the community. When the ego is not adequately developed the entire community of self fails to support itself.” (10)
Akbar, makes it clear that the ego doesn’t rule the community of self. That role, he concludes is undertaken by the will, “the divine representation within the person when working with the higher parts of conscience and guided by proper direction is the intended ruler over the self-community.” So perhaps rather than focusing of the ego of random, unnamed ‘leaders’, we need to determine our collective will. (11)
This lack of collective will further underscores the inadequacy of the ego decriers position. For even if they were correct in their analysis, the inability to call to account those, either by their own volition or external direction, who go against community interests is an ongoing reality. Those who engage in egregious acts against our collective will (e.g. destroying, disrupting or otherwise misdirecting community organisations, programmes and initiatives), whether serial or single offenders, are perennially able to restore their reputations with impunity. This in turn can evoke, dissension, anger and even disillusionment.
A case in point is the current campaign against community activist Toyin Agbetu, who recently resigned from the London Mayor’s Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm, after claims of “antisemitism” were levelled against him in a campaign fronted by Conservative Party Mayoral hopeful Shaun Bailey. (12) Prominent references to the late warrior scholar Baba Tony Martin amongst the allegations demonstrate a direct link to the crusade against professor himself back in 2003. In that case, Lee Jasper, as part of then Mayor Ken Livingstone’s administration spearheaded the drive to disinvite and discredit the world-renowned Garvey scholar from the First Voice conference, again under spurious “antisemitism” claims sparking condemnation from the global Pan-Afrikan community. (13)
So the 40th anniversary of the Black People’s Day of Action is a time for commemoration, but as iNAPP strove to do a decade ago, “Evaluate, Organise to Liberate” is also necessary. (14) But it seems that this may remain elusive until the wills into existence its own value system with effective methods of accountability.
(1) Linton Kwesi Johnson (2011) We Have Not Forgotten in Johnson, John La Rose and Gus John The Newc Cross Massacre Story. New Beacon Books / George Padmore Institute. p. 1 At Auntie Jean’s Afrikan Culture Market on 18/01/21, Elder Herukhuti, one of the organisers, put the figure at 60,000.
(2) Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka (2011) Commemorate, Evaluate, Organise to Liberate in The Whirlwind, Edition 9, p. 2-3
(3) iNAPP Council of Elders (15/05/15) Statement From iNAPP Council of Elders. https://web.archive.org/web/20150515165628/http://www.inapp.org.uk/
(4) Global Afrikan People’s Parliament (27/02/15) Statement from the Global Afrikan People’s Parliament (GAPP). https://www.facebook.com/notes/375311420174241/
(5) Caroline Raphael (17/06/18) The untold story of African Liberation Day. https://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/untold-story-african-liberation-day.
(6) John La Rose (2011) Interview with Socialist Challenge in Johnson, John La Rose and Gus John The Newc Cross Massacre Story. New Beacon Books / George Padmore Institute. p. 11; Desmond Hunt (1981) An interview with Linton Kwesi Johnson, The Other Side ‘zine, https://standupandspit.wordpress.com/2014/06/10/linton-kwesi-johnson-1981/
(7) Claudius Adisa Steven (2019) The Evolution Ideas And Practices Among African-Centred Organisations In The UK 1975-2015 in Hakim Adi (Ed) Black British History: New Perspectives. Zed Books. p. 159.
(8) Dia Kayyali (13/02/14) The History of Surveillance and the Black Community. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/02/history-surveillance-and-black-community
(9) Olatunji Heru (2006) Liberate The Airwaves in The Whirlwind, Edition 2, p. 14
(10) Na’im Akbar (1985) The Community Of Self (Revised). Mind Productions & Assoc. p. 5-13
(11) Ibid
(12) Josh Salisbury (24/02/21) London mayor’s diversity champion resigns over antisemitism claims. https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/london-mayors-appointee-resigns-over-antisemitism-claims/?fbclid=IwAR3I0W5gM_MsGcKEt4C1v-5-2xDCJ1ZcQAtPtvFfaY2J2fGghX4coxGSi3Y
(13) 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; Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka (2007) WHAT GOES AROUND! Lee Jasper steals photo-op with the man he refused to share platform with 3½ years ago in The Whirlwind, Edition 4, p. 5
(14) Mbandaka (2011) Op. cit.
We ask the question:
40 Years after Black People’s Day of Action: Where are we now?
1) What happened to the “unprecedented display of black political power” demonstrated at BPDA?
2) What role have intra-community ideological tensions played in the lack of development?
3) Is ego really “the greatest threat to our community”?
4) How can those who work against our community be brought to account?
5) Does our community have a collective will?
Our Special Guest:
Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka: Resident guest who is Spiritual Leader of the Alkebu-Lan Revivalist Movement and an Afrikan-Centred Education Consultant. Bro. Ldr is a veteran activist of almost 40 years standing, a featured columnist in The Whirlwind newspaper and author of Mosiah Daily Affirmations and Education: An African-Centred Approach To Excellence.