Tendai MWARI!
Makorokoto egore idzva!
Afenhyia pa!
Odun de!
Happy New Year
A new year presents new opportunities, that the Afrikan community in the UK has no option but to grasp. This was amid a rising tide of white grievance that roared vengefully against Afrikan presence in the public sphere as “woke” and “DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion),” reaching its apex in a summer highly coordinated riots. Meanwhile a major political party donor said that a Black woman MP should be shot yet gun-toting killer cops were getting off scot-free and being hailed as heroes. Assaults on community activists and general members were met with police indifference and after seven years the Grenfell report delivered little and promised less. (1)
On the other hand the spirit of the vaunted interim National Afrikan Peoples Parliament (iNAPP) was revived with the launch of the Pan-Afrikan People’s Parliament (PAPP) to great fanfare during Mosiah. Although growth has been steady, it has already had to stave off attempts of subterfuge. (2)
Of course PAPP is a nationbuilding endeavour seeking national sovereignty to enable Afrikans in the UK the opportunity to forge their own destiny, much like those Ancestors of Ayiti (Haiti) whose 221st anniversary is celebrated this month, acknowledging the eternal vigilence such an undertaking required:
“We have dared to be free, let us be thus by ourselves and for ourselves. Let us imitate the grown child: his own weight breaks the boundary that has become an obstacle to him. What people fought for us? What people wanted to gather the fruits of our labor? And what dishonorable absurdity to conquer in order to be enslaved. Enslaved?” (3)
Thus in the current context clarity must be established about what the mission is. Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka offered the Alkebu-Lan definition:
“A people who are organised as a sovereign entity with its own institutions, drawing on its own agency to promote, preserve and protect its own interests.” (4)
He added that the idea of Afrikan nationhood must be grounded in Afrikan Spirituality as:
“Spirituality is the centre and foundation of Afrikan culture, the core of Afrikan consciousness and the the essence of the Afrikan personality.” (5)
To this end he launched Project 6264 “Raising Afrikan Spirituality to a higher level” a year ago which continues with its 6265 (2025) iteration this year.
The call for nationbuilding has been a familiar refrain in recent years. iNAPP certainly put it on the map but that imploded a decade ago. This the task facing PAPP is to develop a strategy that is dynamic and inclusive.
(1) Afrika Speaks with Alkebu-Lan on Galaxy Radio (04/11/24) Deaths in custody: Will we ever get Justice? Part 15. https://alkebulan.org/2024/11/04/aswag-509-deaths-in-custody-pt-15/; Afrika Speaks with Alkebu-Lan on Galaxy Radio (12/08/24) UK Riots: Why Now? https://alkebulan.org/2024/08/12/aswag-497-uk-riots-why-now/; Kimbunga Media (01/06/24) ELDER MINKAH SPEAKS on Attack by Nour Cash & Carry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k75-mHELpbI; Afrika Speaks with Alkebu-Lan on Galaxy Radio (16/09/24) Grenfell Report: Now What? https://alkebulan.org/2024/09/16/aswag-502-grenfell-report-now-what/
(2) interim National Afrikan Peoples Parliament (15/05/15) Statement From iNAPP Council of Elders. https://web.archive.org/web/20150515165628/http://www.inapp.org.uk/
(3) The Haitian Declaration of Independence (1804) https://today.duke.edu/showcase/haitideclaration/declarationstext.html
(4) Afrika Speaks with Alkebu-Lan on Galaxy Radio (14/02/22) Are we ready for NATIONBUILDING? Part 2. https://alkebulan.org/2022/02/14/aswag-368-ready-for-nationbuilding2/
(5) Ibid.
Can we thrive in 6265?
1) Is the UK getting more right-wing or is it skewed by social media?
2) What are the main opportunities for the Afrikan community this year?
3) If our nationbuilding is rounded in Afrikan Spirituality will it exclude people?
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 over 40 years standing, a featured columnist in The Whirlwind newspaper and author of Mosiah Daily Affirmations and Education: An African-Centred Approach To Excellence.
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