The glorious European (White) left has contributed so much to humanity's forward progress. I say that in jest, but in truth, the White left has made some sincere contributions. Nothing anywhere near the level that they wish to convince us they have made, but they have made some. Marxist/Leninist thought and practice has made unquestionable contributions to the class struggle in European and even other parts of the world, particularly as it relates to providing a pole for people who wish to challenge the hegemony of capitalism to rally around. Although major problems result from it, Marxist/Leninist parties led and continue to lead the revolutions in Cuba, Vietnam, and even China. In an attempt to leap frog above the problems, the Cuban revolution has evolved beyond the "strict" Marxist/Leninist line over the years, adopting a tolerance (at first) and then a respect and support for Cuba's strong African cultural experience, including the African spiritual elements that the revolution now realizes can help cement the revolution instead of taking away from it.
So, there are some positives that the white left has contributed, but our issue is the definition of socialist thought and practice today is viewed exclusively through the eyes of Europe as if no other people on earth are capable of developing our own ideology and practice that isn't dominated by Karl Marx, V.I. Lenin, and anyone else White. We have always contended, upon deaf ears, that we study and include the ideas of the White left whenever appropriate to our unique cultural experiences as African people attempting to implement socialist revolution, but we will never be confused enough to permit European ideologies to serve as our guiding light(s). That honor will forever go to our own African revolutionary African personality, or as Amilcar Cabral stated correctly "ideology cannot be imported." As a result, we cannot qualify as Stalinists because our cultural experience is completely different than that which drove the ideas and actions behind the Bolshevik uprising in Russia in 1917. Yes, we do employ some of their tactics, like democratic centralism, but anyone who truly understands democratic centralism (and I find very, very, few who do) knows that if implemented correctly, it is the most democratic process one can imagine. I know this first hand after spending hours upon hours "struggling" as we affectionately call it over ideas within my Pan-Africanist political party. There has been way to much debate that I have participated in directly to let anyone tell me democratic centralism isn't democratic. If anything, I often feel that we give too much of a voice to people who haven't earned the right - through concrete work - to take up nearly as much space as they do, but that isn't the point. The point is by giving them that space, we hope to convince them of the integrity of our process so that they can be moved to dedicating putting in that time. I understand and respect that theory. And we certainly practice it. We also practice building mass political parties which does a lot to eliminate much of the problems that critics of Stalinism raise. For us, since we are not going to people's meetings and secretly attempting to gain control of their political agenda in order to manipulate it towards our objectives, we cannot be accused of carrying out that type of political domination. When we come in the room, we are telling you up front that we are revolutionary Pan--Africanists who's objective is one unified socialist Africa. We make it crystal clear that we are 100% opposed to the capitalist system so if you want to roll with us, you either accept that or you don't, but you can never claim we tried to fool you. So, we don't play those anti-democratic games because we are trying to recruit everyone e.g. mass party building. We aren't just trying to have a few people control our work so the manipulation isn't necessary in our honest and transparent approach. And, despite the lies of imperialism to try and throw shade on the government's of Kwame Nkrumah and Sekou Ture, we have written exhaustively and extensively in ways that clearly invalidate those backward and unprincipled attempts to discredit our self-determination, so don't justify your liberalism and racism by labeling us Stalinists. It won't work. We are not Stalinists. We are not Marxist/Leninists. We are Nkrumahist/Tureists and proud to be so.
By the same token, stop calling us liberals. If people understand the true definition of the word liberal, it has nothing to do with the bourgeois concept of "conservative and liberal thought" as if such confusion could actually exist. Clearly, all thought is dialectical, meaning it is nuanced and includes all elements at the same time. Consequently, that bourgeois definition lacks scientific basis. Instead, we take it back to the classic definition of liberalism which means the unwillingness to challenge core issues of conflict, preferring instead to focus on surface and insignificant issues to avoid being faced with the true contradictions. So, if people understand that classic definition, we are always going to be the last people who could ever be accused to being liberals because we are confronting the core issues in this society better than anyone. The problem here is the bourgeois system has convinced so many people that there is no analysis outside of its parameters. That there is absolutely and resolutely, no way to critique the existence of capitalism without including a solution that involves capitalism. Therefore, the bourgeois capitalist system consistently promotes this backward concept that the only critique of capitalism is that of figuring out how to fix it. Since this is an outstanding example of avoiding the true issue - which is that capitalism itself is the problem that must be destroyed - everyone who raises a voice against this system of oppression is automatically lumped inside of the capitalist system as a liberal e.g. someone who is complaining about the system while simply wishing to improve it.
We have absolutely no interest in rescuing capitalism. We want to pour oil on the fire and help it burn to death. We agree wholeheartedly with El Hajj Malik El Shabazz (Malcolm X) when he correctly stated "I'm not a politician...I'm not a student of politics. I'm neither a republican, nor a democrat, nor an american, and got sense enough to know it!" So, understanding that ill-refutable definition of how to classify our revolutionary personality and position, how absurd and silly it is to lump us in with those who wish only to revise the oppression meted out by the capitalist system. We are not in the Democratic Party (nor the Republican Party). We seek to destroy both of them and all capitalist political parties.
We reject the efforts to label us liberals and Stalinists in all forms that they are presented to us, but we realize that those who make them will continue to do so. That's why we aren't writing this for those opportunists. We are writing this for those of you who may be confused by the constant barrage of backward analysis that pretends to serve as honest dialogue around these issues. We are revolutionaries. Revolutionary Pan-Africanists. We are not concerned with a fool in the white house. We don't care whether they are an orange idiot fool or a articulate African fool. We aren't concerned. We are only concerned - as Kwame Ture stated over and over again - with the power of the organized masses. And we stand ready to engage in serious dialogue around how to build towards that objective whenever people are ready to move forward.
We realize there is quite a bit of work required to make this happen. I'm ready to help you on a individual to make the changes necessary to be ready to engage this work. Click on the personal advising tab to find out more.
So, there are some positives that the white left has contributed, but our issue is the definition of socialist thought and practice today is viewed exclusively through the eyes of Europe as if no other people on earth are capable of developing our own ideology and practice that isn't dominated by Karl Marx, V.I. Lenin, and anyone else White. We have always contended, upon deaf ears, that we study and include the ideas of the White left whenever appropriate to our unique cultural experiences as African people attempting to implement socialist revolution, but we will never be confused enough to permit European ideologies to serve as our guiding light(s). That honor will forever go to our own African revolutionary African personality, or as Amilcar Cabral stated correctly "ideology cannot be imported." As a result, we cannot qualify as Stalinists because our cultural experience is completely different than that which drove the ideas and actions behind the Bolshevik uprising in Russia in 1917. Yes, we do employ some of their tactics, like democratic centralism, but anyone who truly understands democratic centralism (and I find very, very, few who do) knows that if implemented correctly, it is the most democratic process one can imagine. I know this first hand after spending hours upon hours "struggling" as we affectionately call it over ideas within my Pan-Africanist political party. There has been way to much debate that I have participated in directly to let anyone tell me democratic centralism isn't democratic. If anything, I often feel that we give too much of a voice to people who haven't earned the right - through concrete work - to take up nearly as much space as they do, but that isn't the point. The point is by giving them that space, we hope to convince them of the integrity of our process so that they can be moved to dedicating putting in that time. I understand and respect that theory. And we certainly practice it. We also practice building mass political parties which does a lot to eliminate much of the problems that critics of Stalinism raise. For us, since we are not going to people's meetings and secretly attempting to gain control of their political agenda in order to manipulate it towards our objectives, we cannot be accused of carrying out that type of political domination. When we come in the room, we are telling you up front that we are revolutionary Pan--Africanists who's objective is one unified socialist Africa. We make it crystal clear that we are 100% opposed to the capitalist system so if you want to roll with us, you either accept that or you don't, but you can never claim we tried to fool you. So, we don't play those anti-democratic games because we are trying to recruit everyone e.g. mass party building. We aren't just trying to have a few people control our work so the manipulation isn't necessary in our honest and transparent approach. And, despite the lies of imperialism to try and throw shade on the government's of Kwame Nkrumah and Sekou Ture, we have written exhaustively and extensively in ways that clearly invalidate those backward and unprincipled attempts to discredit our self-determination, so don't justify your liberalism and racism by labeling us Stalinists. It won't work. We are not Stalinists. We are not Marxist/Leninists. We are Nkrumahist/Tureists and proud to be so.
By the same token, stop calling us liberals. If people understand the true definition of the word liberal, it has nothing to do with the bourgeois concept of "conservative and liberal thought" as if such confusion could actually exist. Clearly, all thought is dialectical, meaning it is nuanced and includes all elements at the same time. Consequently, that bourgeois definition lacks scientific basis. Instead, we take it back to the classic definition of liberalism which means the unwillingness to challenge core issues of conflict, preferring instead to focus on surface and insignificant issues to avoid being faced with the true contradictions. So, if people understand that classic definition, we are always going to be the last people who could ever be accused to being liberals because we are confronting the core issues in this society better than anyone. The problem here is the bourgeois system has convinced so many people that there is no analysis outside of its parameters. That there is absolutely and resolutely, no way to critique the existence of capitalism without including a solution that involves capitalism. Therefore, the bourgeois capitalist system consistently promotes this backward concept that the only critique of capitalism is that of figuring out how to fix it. Since this is an outstanding example of avoiding the true issue - which is that capitalism itself is the problem that must be destroyed - everyone who raises a voice against this system of oppression is automatically lumped inside of the capitalist system as a liberal e.g. someone who is complaining about the system while simply wishing to improve it.
We have absolutely no interest in rescuing capitalism. We want to pour oil on the fire and help it burn to death. We agree wholeheartedly with El Hajj Malik El Shabazz (Malcolm X) when he correctly stated "I'm not a politician...I'm not a student of politics. I'm neither a republican, nor a democrat, nor an american, and got sense enough to know it!" So, understanding that ill-refutable definition of how to classify our revolutionary personality and position, how absurd and silly it is to lump us in with those who wish only to revise the oppression meted out by the capitalist system. We are not in the Democratic Party (nor the Republican Party). We seek to destroy both of them and all capitalist political parties.
We reject the efforts to label us liberals and Stalinists in all forms that they are presented to us, but we realize that those who make them will continue to do so. That's why we aren't writing this for those opportunists. We are writing this for those of you who may be confused by the constant barrage of backward analysis that pretends to serve as honest dialogue around these issues. We are revolutionaries. Revolutionary Pan-Africanists. We are not concerned with a fool in the white house. We don't care whether they are an orange idiot fool or a articulate African fool. We aren't concerned. We are only concerned - as Kwame Ture stated over and over again - with the power of the organized masses. And we stand ready to engage in serious dialogue around how to build towards that objective whenever people are ready to move forward.
We realize there is quite a bit of work required to make this happen. I'm ready to help you on a individual to make the changes necessary to be ready to engage this work. Click on the personal advising tab to find out more.
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