Reflecting on the previous shows in the Making History series it is evident that the aspirations enshrined in the Afrikan Jubilee Year declaration (i.e. “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”), that underpinned the founding of Black History Month (BHM) in the UK have not been substantively met.  (1) Indeed, some argue that the observance has gone from “Revolutionary Idea to Tool of Appeasement,” where “caucasian politicians effectively own the ‘brand’ of Black History Month’ in the UK.” (2)

Thus, the vision of using BHM in the UK to buttress the Liberation Movement has not come to pass. For example, there are pronouncements from prominent activists praising (non-Afrikan) “allies” and touting the submergence into movements of the “global majority” without having first solidified the basis (e.g. value system) among ourselves.  (3) As Omowale Malcolm X said: “There can be no black-white unity until there is first some black unity… We cannot think of uniting with others, until after we have first united among ourselves. We cannot think of being acceptable to others until we have first proven acceptable to ourselves.” (4)

This apparent disregard to working towards the unity that “our Shining Black Prince” exhorted, in order to pursue mythical “allies” should be a grave concern, not least because of the message it potentially sends to our young people – that we can’t make it on our own and that “allies” are an integral aspect of our fight (“struggle”). (5)

This is clearly a regression from the Afrikan Jubilee Year Declaration that, while it certainly advocated engagement with local authorities and agencies, it did also point directly towards “Afrikan organisations and liberation movements,” implying at least the possibility of a self-determining future. (6) So, it could be argued that the objective of establishing Black History Month in the UK, taking into account the limitations of the time, was to provide the tools to develop an activist, a liberation, a warrior mentality in our young people.  The disastrous consequences of not doing so are outlined by USA based Warrior-Scholar Mwalimu K. Bomani Baruti of the Akoben Insttitute:

“If we cannot build an army of warriors of character who understand both the concepts of the enemy and community and progressively act on them, then the future’s historical record will clearly show that the best of us spent our time and energy engaging in meaningless and distractive debate about and/or recording the cause and events of our genocidal demise.” (7)

For the avoidance of doubt, Baba Baruti defines what a warrior is:

“By warriors we mean those Afrikans that have opened their eyes to the insane horror of european culture and society, of yurugu’s very nature, and closed their minds to any fear of it.  We are speaking of those of us who have consciously chosen to move as a functional dynamic vanguard of workers against the armies waging eternal war against Afrikan people.” (8)

Obviously, only warriors can raise, or more correctly rear, warriors and set the right example – the challenge facing activists now.  (9) This example, must be manifested in individuals possessing what The Most Eminent Prophet & King, His Excellency Marcus Mosiah Garvey called “sterling character.” (10)  In contrast, some activists seem less concerned with issues of character in favour of what they regard as correct (politically based) ideology/strategy and popularity of their platform.  Yet, those like Baba Baruti, regard character as fundamental.  He further asserts that it is in complementary (man/woman) relationships that the character is built and within this there is a natural sequence of developmental stages:

1) Choosing

2) Marriage

3) Sex

4) Procreation

5) The creation of family

6) Rearing Warriors. (11)

So considering the old adage, in this conception, the personal is very much the political. Indeed, it is very much more than political because at the root, the family (the outcome of marriage) is the goal of complementary relationship which is the foundation of the nation because according to Baba Baruti: “it is within family where a woman truly becomes a woman and a man truly becomes a man.”  (12)

As emphasised by Papa Garvey above, these true men and women are men and women of character, or what Baba Baruti defines as IWA:

“Iwa is conceptualised in terms of a divine ethicality, a universal, Spirit-based definition of what is right and wrong thought and behaviour. It is not individually, idiosyncratically decided on the earthly plane. It follows the order of “as above, so below.” (13)

Within this process, Stage 6 above is significant as it functions to institutionalise the IWA (warrior character) for successive generations.  This is why Baruti asserts:

“Europeans have no greater fear in the contemporary setting than the consciously centered Afrikan family.” (14)

From this perspective, the solution is rooted in a resolute Afrikan-centered, spiritually oriented world-view with a state of complimentarity between Afrikan women and men as a foundation.  (15) This foundation acknowledges the primary roles of men and women and how these relate to creating families and rearing warriors.

(1)  Akyaaba Addai-Sebo and Ansel Wong (Eds) (1988) Our Story – A Handbook of African History and Contemporary Issues. London Strategic Poverty Unit p. 319

(2) Afrika Speaks with Alkebu-Lan on Galaxy Radio (22/10/2018) Have we lost control of Black History Month for good? https://www.mixcloud.com/AfrikaSpeaks/have-we-lost-control-of-black-history-month-for-good-22102018/

(3)   StreetMic LiveStream (01/08/21) Live from BRIXTON: The AFRIKAN Emancipation Day Reparations REBELLION. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQqC-xSO5jE&t=65s;Jendayi Serwah (15/10/21) XR Internationalist Solidarity Network. https://www.facebook.com/115853779805200/posts/678512200206019/

(4) Omowale Malcolm X (12/03/64) A Declaration of Independence. https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/a-declaration-of-independence/

(5) ShakaRa (05/09/07) Garvey Lives! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l00TnBJRx2A: “Resurrected this Movement in fight for liberation. I said the FIGHT for our liberation, cah we don’t struggle no more, because struggle is the last thing a chicken does when you cut of its head   before it dead. The psychology of this is dread so we FIGHT ahead.”

(6)  Addai-Sebo and Wong. Op. Cit.

(7) Mwalimu K Baruti (2010) Iwa: A Warrior’s Character. Akoben House. p. 324-5

(8) Baruti (2010). p. 2

(9) Baruti (2010). p. 203

(10) Bro. Ldr.. Mbandaka (Ed) (2009) Mosiah Daily Affirmations. Soul Force Promotions. p. 13, 17

(11) Baruti (2010). p. 201-3

(12) Baruti (2010). p. 202

(13) Baruti (2010). p. 10

(14) Baruti (2010). p. 203

(15) Mwalimu K Baruti (2004) Complimentarity: Thoughts For Afrikan Warrior Couples. Akoben House. p. 6-7

we ask the question:

Making History Pt. 3: How do we create tomorrows OURSTORY makers?

1) Can we unite with others before uniting with ourselves?

2) Should our priority be the right ideology/platform irrespective of spiritual/cultural orientation?

3) Is marriage/family really necessary or should we keep the personal and political separate?

4) What is IWA and why does it matter?

5) Why do “Europeans have no greater fear in the contemporary setting than the consciously centered Afrikan family”?

Our special Guests:

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.

Baba Mwalimu K. Bomani Baruti:  is an Afrikan Centered Warrior, a Warrior Scholar, a Jegna/Elder-in-Training. He is the co-founder and co-director of Akoben Institute, an independent Afrikan centered full-time and after-school home schooling and tutorial program for middle and high schoolers. He served as Assistant Professor of Sociology at Morehouse College from 1991 to 2001.  Over the last half decade, Baba. Baruti has also taught various Afrikan centered evening classes for adults at the Institute and online.  Baba Baruti is the author of over twenty  self-published books including: Excuses, Excuses: The Politics of Interracial Coupling in European Culture, negroes and other essays, Chess Primer: An Introduction to the Game of Chess, The Sex Imperative, Homosexuality and the Effeminization of Afrikan Males, Asafo: A Warriors Guide to Manhood, Complementarity: Thoughts for Afrikan Warrior Couples, Mentacide and other essays, Kebuka!: Remembering the Middle Passage Through the Eyes of Our Ancestors, Eureason: An Afrikan Centered Critique of Eurocentric Social Science, Battle Plan, Notes Toward Higher Ideals in Afrikan Intellectual Liberation, Sesh: An Afrikan Centered Guide to Writing and Self-Publishing for Warrior Scholars, Nyansasem: A Calendar of Revolutionary Daily Thoughts I & II, Yurugu’s Eunuchs, Centered: Building Afrikan Realities, IWA: A Warrior’s Character, Message to The Warriors and To Educate A People. Bro. Baruti lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife of 35 years, Yaa Mawusi Baruti and is father of daughter, Alaya.

Ena Yaa Mawusi Baruti:  is the co-director of Akoben a full-time Afrikan home-school program. A former English faculty member at Chicago State University and Morehouse College, she has edited books and articles on the Afrikan experience and has recently co-authored articles on Afrikan-centered education.  She is the wife of 35 years of Baba Mwalimu K. Bomani Baruti and mother the of daughter, Alaya.