If you have been paying attention, you could see the ground swell building over the last several decades. During the 1950s and 1960s, Africa embarked on a courageous movement of mass independence that swept the entire continent. Some of those struggles were won legislatively, but several i.e. Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Zimbabwe, Azania (South Africa) required bloodshed to achieve independence. Similar mass movements swept across Europe, the Caribbean, and the U.S., equally non-violent, but also including Malcolm X’s refrain of freedom “by any means necessary!”
After that period of mass struggle, a new phase began to manifest itself. This period brought in the dominance of individualism and idealism. These beliefs, reinforced consistently by the propaganda arms of the international capitalist system, have promoted the fallacious concepts that the collective advancement of the 50s/60s that required freedom has been replaced. Instead, progress is now measured through individual advancement into the capitalist system. In other words, the strong, independent and principled representation of Malcolm and Betty has been replaced by the nonthreatening entertainment represented by the television show “Malcolm and Eddie.”
In this mindset, any methodology focused on individual advancement i.e. “getting paid” is a manifestation and continuation of our struggle to be free. And that individualism is augmented with visions that are firmly entrenched in idealist thought, meaning whatever subjective interpretation of reality that is developed and exists between people’s ears becomes objective and material reality – “your truth is your truth!”
Fast forward to 2025 and what this onslaught of idealism and individualism has brought us is religious leaders all throughout Africa today who openly call themselves prophets, meaning they speak directly to God. As a result, these people are treated like rock stars. In fact, celebrities are generally regarded within African communities everywhere as the mouthpieces for our people. This is true today despite Malcolm X’s clear refutation of this foolishness in an interview he participated in at the UC Berkeley campus in 1964. In that interview, the interviewers criticized him as not representing the African community. Malcolm’s classic response was that only within the African community are “ballplayers, singers, and trumpet players” given the status of leaders of our community. He continued that these people are created by “white society (the capitalist system)” to be our mouthpieces.
Along with all of the above is the proliferation of social media. Now, with no research required and zero organizing experience and work, with simply an internet account and the ability to manipulate social media platforms, every raccoon and fool now has an opinion about our people’s condition which is punctuated by all the form and no essence of a great presentation with no substance. Coupled with so many people’s unwillingness to exercise their brain cells beyond being entertained, these superficial social media analysts are able to enjoy viral status while activists who offer substantive and insightful analysis about the problems of the day work tirelessly to reach handfuls of people.
Where our complicity in all of this comes in is our unwillingness to confront and challenge this liberalism which has permitted these opportunists to thrive under this individualism and idealism. Where is the collective pushback against these so-called “activists” who have effectively reduced the collective interpretation of reparations from a collective movement for independent Pan-African power centered on Africa into an individual pursuit of a check that’s negotiated with the terrorists who are responsible for all of our suffering? Where is the mass rejection of all of these charlatans who openly and ignorantly claim that we are not Africans, openly disrespecting our African ancestors and the Indigenous people of the Western Hemisphere? Where are the people who are challenging these unchecked and overwhelming attacks against African women?
Our inability to organize any type of cohesive responsibility for the Candace Owens and Akito Dangotes of the world have to bear some responsibility for the Snoop Doggs and Nellys. This is true because in being so liberal and doing everything to avoid any conflict, because it does nothing to advance us individually, we have helped create an environment of subjective reality where truth, and even study, is regarded as unnecessary and even elitist. And, this liberalism is the direct result of so many of us prioritizing our individual desires against the interests of the masses of our people. For example, so many of us in the U.S. see the accension of people like Barack Obama as some sort of symbol of advancement for African people. We want to buy into this corrupt individual model so much that we ignore the serious damage and suffering Obama’s presidency reaped upon the entire planet, especially Africa. Some of us are so invested in this idealism and individualism that while we criticize Trump supporters for displaying blind loyalty to him, we cannot even see how what we do with Obama is no different. No critical analysis. No independent thought. No courage required.
Its easy for us to blame people like Dangote for being a billionaire while the masses of people in Africa have nothing. Its equally easy for us to blame Snoop and Nelly for making career moves at the expense of the African masses. What’s not so easy is acknowledging the class contradictions that exist that permit so many of us to refuse to support genuine efforts at dignity and self-determination for our people. The liberalism that permits us to create alternative realities of idealism while we ignore the real work required to uplift the masses of our people. All of this makes all of us equally responsible. So, if you are mad at Snoop, Nelly, or any other sellout today, and you are not involved in organizing work to build capacity for our people to fight back against these ills, then your next move has to be directing your anger at the image staring back at you in the mirror.
After that period of mass struggle, a new phase began to manifest itself. This period brought in the dominance of individualism and idealism. These beliefs, reinforced consistently by the propaganda arms of the international capitalist system, have promoted the fallacious concepts that the collective advancement of the 50s/60s that required freedom has been replaced. Instead, progress is now measured through individual advancement into the capitalist system. In other words, the strong, independent and principled representation of Malcolm and Betty has been replaced by the nonthreatening entertainment represented by the television show “Malcolm and Eddie.”
In this mindset, any methodology focused on individual advancement i.e. “getting paid” is a manifestation and continuation of our struggle to be free. And that individualism is augmented with visions that are firmly entrenched in idealist thought, meaning whatever subjective interpretation of reality that is developed and exists between people’s ears becomes objective and material reality – “your truth is your truth!”
Fast forward to 2025 and what this onslaught of idealism and individualism has brought us is religious leaders all throughout Africa today who openly call themselves prophets, meaning they speak directly to God. As a result, these people are treated like rock stars. In fact, celebrities are generally regarded within African communities everywhere as the mouthpieces for our people. This is true today despite Malcolm X’s clear refutation of this foolishness in an interview he participated in at the UC Berkeley campus in 1964. In that interview, the interviewers criticized him as not representing the African community. Malcolm’s classic response was that only within the African community are “ballplayers, singers, and trumpet players” given the status of leaders of our community. He continued that these people are created by “white society (the capitalist system)” to be our mouthpieces.
Along with all of the above is the proliferation of social media. Now, with no research required and zero organizing experience and work, with simply an internet account and the ability to manipulate social media platforms, every raccoon and fool now has an opinion about our people’s condition which is punctuated by all the form and no essence of a great presentation with no substance. Coupled with so many people’s unwillingness to exercise their brain cells beyond being entertained, these superficial social media analysts are able to enjoy viral status while activists who offer substantive and insightful analysis about the problems of the day work tirelessly to reach handfuls of people.
Where our complicity in all of this comes in is our unwillingness to confront and challenge this liberalism which has permitted these opportunists to thrive under this individualism and idealism. Where is the collective pushback against these so-called “activists” who have effectively reduced the collective interpretation of reparations from a collective movement for independent Pan-African power centered on Africa into an individual pursuit of a check that’s negotiated with the terrorists who are responsible for all of our suffering? Where is the mass rejection of all of these charlatans who openly and ignorantly claim that we are not Africans, openly disrespecting our African ancestors and the Indigenous people of the Western Hemisphere? Where are the people who are challenging these unchecked and overwhelming attacks against African women?
Our inability to organize any type of cohesive responsibility for the Candace Owens and Akito Dangotes of the world have to bear some responsibility for the Snoop Doggs and Nellys. This is true because in being so liberal and doing everything to avoid any conflict, because it does nothing to advance us individually, we have helped create an environment of subjective reality where truth, and even study, is regarded as unnecessary and even elitist. And, this liberalism is the direct result of so many of us prioritizing our individual desires against the interests of the masses of our people. For example, so many of us in the U.S. see the accension of people like Barack Obama as some sort of symbol of advancement for African people. We want to buy into this corrupt individual model so much that we ignore the serious damage and suffering Obama’s presidency reaped upon the entire planet, especially Africa. Some of us are so invested in this idealism and individualism that while we criticize Trump supporters for displaying blind loyalty to him, we cannot even see how what we do with Obama is no different. No critical analysis. No independent thought. No courage required.
Its easy for us to blame people like Dangote for being a billionaire while the masses of people in Africa have nothing. Its equally easy for us to blame Snoop and Nelly for making career moves at the expense of the African masses. What’s not so easy is acknowledging the class contradictions that exist that permit so many of us to refuse to support genuine efforts at dignity and self-determination for our people. The liberalism that permits us to create alternative realities of idealism while we ignore the real work required to uplift the masses of our people. All of this makes all of us equally responsible. So, if you are mad at Snoop, Nelly, or any other sellout today, and you are not involved in organizing work to build capacity for our people to fight back against these ills, then your next move has to be directing your anger at the image staring back at you in the mirror.
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