The 1st of Mosiah (Aug) is the tenth Pan-Afrikan Reparations Rebellion Groundings, taking place at Windrush Square, Brixton. Established in 2014 by Rastafari Movement (UK), it, along with the fledgling interim National Afrikan People’s Parliament (iNAPP) contributed to a palpable feeling of renaissance within the community around that time. (1) Unfortunately that feeling somewhat imploded soon after (2) but a new set of organisers have maintained the Mosiah 1st observance ever since.
It remains a vitally important undertaking and has managed to maintain our focus on reparations, which has only grown in importance to the extent that churches, universities, state governments and even some descendants of enslavers are proferring apologies and/or reparatory compensation or indications of such. This is surely a testament to the global impact of the reparations movement in recent decades. (3)
There are a number of strategies being utilised in different parts of the Afrikan world. The Conference of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has certainly one of the more high profile approaches, although there are concerns in some quarters about its leadership and the general fallibility of the regional governments. (4) Other tactics attempted include the deployment of “allies”, ostensibly in advance if reconciling existing differences within the community. (5) USA remains a useful case study given the longevity of the reparations movement there. However, the strident “anti-Afrikan pro-Blackness while pledging its allegiance to western imperialism (in the name of forwarding the cause of Black people.)” that manifests in some sections has been a cause for concern. (6) Yet even this could be seen as a necessary rearguard action by the opponents of reparations in the face of the “Black world forming some consensus” around the issue. (7)
Reparations arguably currently has a high a profile it has ever had and as such a variety of global institutions, governments and families have been compelled to respond. But history shows that the enemy will also attempt to infiltrate and destabilise from within. The foregoing suggests this may have already begun, so the challenge is how it is dealt with.
(1) Negus Talli Productions (Ed) (2014) Emanipation Day March 1st August 2014 From Brixton To Parliament Square (DVD). Rastafari Movement (UK).
(2) iNAPP Council of Elders (15/05/15) Statement From iNAPP Council of Elders. https://web.archive.org/web/20150515165628/http://www.inapp.org.uk/
(3) Lisa Weiner (26/04/23) British aristocrats ask King Charles to join a slavery reparations movement. https://www.npr.org/2023/04/26/1171593635/british-aristocrats-ask-king-charles-to-join-a-slavery-reparations-movement; Lisa Weiner (26/04/23) British aristocrats ask King Charles to join a slavery reparations movement. https://www.npr.org/2023/04/26/1171593635/british-aristocrats-ask-king-charles-to-join-a-slavery-reparations-movement; Kevin McKenna (22/09/18) As Glasgow University owns up to slavery wealth, others urged to follow. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/22/glasgow-university-wealth-from-transatlantic-slave-trade-reparations; Leah Mahon (08/02/23) ‘This is not reparations’. https://www.voice-online.co.uk/news/uk-news/2023/02/08/this-is-not-reparations/;Catarina Demony and Belén Carreño (18/07/23) EU says slavery inflicted ‘untold suffering’, hints at reparations. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-says-slavery-inflicted-untold-suffering-hints-reparations-2023-07-18/; Donique Weston (22/12/22) CARICOM Reparations Commission acknowledges apology from The Netherlands for slavery. https://www.iriefm.net/caricom-reparations-commission-acknowledges-apology-from-the-netherlands-for-slavery/; Nkechi Taifa (2022) Reparations On Fire: How and Why It Spread Across America. House Of Songhay II. p. 5-14
(4) In 2014 iNAPP raised cocerns about leading member and St. Vincent premier Ralph Gonsalves’ “moral character, leadership and mandate to represent the interests and aspirations of the descendants of the Afrikan enslaved within the Caribbean Diaspora of Afrikans.”
(5) JetBlakInk (03/08/21) Ma’angamizi Rebellion Grounding 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er1yjZw6_qg
(6) Tafadzwa ShakaRa Mbandaka (02/10/22) Afrikan History: Spiritual Healing & Power. Alkebu-Lan Shumira. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-x-zdf7Pk4
(7) Ibid.
we ask the question:
REPARATIONS: Is Babylon on the Backfoot?
1) Have you attended the 1st Mosiah reparations event in the past? Will you be attending tomorrow?
2) Why is the Reparations profile appear so high currently?
3) What “allies” does the Movement require ?
4) Has there been an attempt to infiltrate the reparations movement?
5) Is the Movement moving towards “forming some consensus”?
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.
Bro. ShakaRa Mbandaka: the son of Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka, Father, Partner, Universal Afrikan Nationalist, Organiser, Spoken Word Activist, Writer, Cultural Scientist, Educator, Sema Tawi and graduate of the UNIA-ACL’s Course In Afrikan Philosophy (ShakaRaSpeaks.com).
SIGN: Justice for Black SEN children and families. STOP failures, Save lives: https://www.change.org/p/stop-failures-in-the-system?source_location=se
SIGN: Stop Anti African racism in Tunisia – https://chng.it/5MVRbCD2sn