In 1983 there was a popular poem that circulated throughout “conscious” events entitled “Africa is Burning while the Black Man is doing the Freak.” In 2021 and beyond, Africa is burning at an even higher temperature. Political unrest from Somalia to Sudan to Kenya to Zimbabwe to Ghana reflects the people of Africa’s fatigue at being ruthlessly exploited for cheap labor and mineral resources for the benefit of the entire capitalist world. Don’t expect this to change. In fact, these struggles will intensify. Africa will become much more front in center as the image of struggle against oppression worldwide. For anyone who knows anything about Africa’s ravaging from colonialism, this makes perfect sense.
In response to these developments, Kwame Nkrumah – probably the most critical revolutionary African thinker of the 20th century – wrote the “Handbook of Revolutionary Warfare” in 1968. The handbook is viewed by revolutionary Pan-Africanists as the strategic directive on how to organize the masses of people in Africa towards revolutionary Pan-Africanism i.e. one unified socialist Africa.
You won’t learn about it on BBC, NBC, MSNBC, FOX, or CIA networks, but this important work has been taking place consistently over the last 50 years since the handbook was written. Organizations like the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau (PAIGC), Democratic Party of Guinea (PDG) and Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC – South Africa), are struggling to forge bonds to concretize their work as Nkrumah called for. The All African People’s Revolutionary Party (A-APRP) serves as a critical component in continuing to develop this work.
For those of us within the A-APRP who have organized around this work for quite some time in Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, Canada, South America, Central America, and throughout the U.S., we have developed strong lived experiences that have consistently reaffirmed for us the correctness of Africa’s liberation being the key component for progress and justice for Africans everywhere on earth. The question this reality has raised for us continuously has been what role the one billion Africans living outside of Africa will concretely play in contributing towards this revolutionary Pan-Africanist effort?
At this stage most of the work everywhere is political education around the need and value in fighting for one unified socialist Africa. Obviously, this is a monumental phase. We are battling 528 years of systemic anti-Africanism and 100 years of anti-communism. Still, as this work continues, that burning question about the role of Africans outside of the U.S. rages on. And, along with that, the question of what concrete work we can engage people in that will bring to life the studying element present in the political education work? Finally, the continued decline of international capitalism has contributed towards the rise of white supremacist and fascist violence aimed against oppressed populations. What can be done to address all of these very real problems?
One humble method that has been developed to attempt to address these questions is the 76 page manifesto entitled “A Guide for Defense against White Supremacist, Patriarchal, and Fascist Violence.” Written over a three year period, this manifesto attempts to provide a work plan for Africans, specifically those located within the U.S., about how to get the communities they live in organized to resist oppression while linking that work to our revolutionary Pan-Africanist work taking place throughout Africa.
The manifesto provides guidance on how to approach communities to initiate organizing efforts. There are tactics provided on how to interact and engage people around the problems they see in their neighborhoods. Then there are methods which when employed, serve to recruit people into doing this revolutionary community defense work. There are tools to establish and maintain democratic decision making processes. Guidelines how how to start political education programs that operate within neighborhoods. There are tools designed to help develop the necessary resources needed to organize and proven approaches designed to help people learn how to address the inevitable contradictions that arise whenever people attempt to come together. Also, there are arguments presented about healthy ways to engage the work and keep the work going. And, there is a section dedicated on how to continue to grow the work while linking the work to others engaged in similar projects.
Another important element of the manifesto is despite being designed for the African revolution, the components of the manifesto are written and provided in a way that can serve as a model for organizing Indigenous people in neighborhoods/reservations. Indigenous (so-called) Latino people in barrios. Asian neighborhoods. LGBTQ neighborhoods. And, European neighborhoods. And, the manifesto provides suggestions around how all of this work can be supportive among projects.
Everyone who has any experience with revolutionary organizing and struggle knows that no one who writes about revolutionary organizing is going to make money doing so. What this means is that anyone who spends three years writing a manifesto such as this one is someone who understands and recognizes that their goal is to get the concepts contained within the manifesto in the hearts and minds of as many people as humanly possible.
The rising level of violent attacks against Asians throughout the U.S., the continued gunning down of Africans by police and vigilantes, especially the targeting of African Trans women, the rise in attacks against all women identifying people and all LGBTQ people. All of this, coupled with growing open revolt throughout Africa, brings into clear view the necessity for a manifesto like this one. Anyone in 2021 and beyond who sincerely believes that our first line of defense against this oppression is relying on bourgeoisie governments and their apparatuses like police, etc., is someone living completely within a fantasy world. These institutions are not only not designed to protect us, but they exist to subjugate and repress us. What this makes clear is that the only solution for these issues is for people on the ground to start organizing to defend themselves the only way this can effectively happen, through collective organization.
Another important point for everyone to consider is that a major reason why mass organizing doesn’t take place is the absolute difficulty revolutionary organizers have in advancing their messages. We previously mentioned hundreds of years of anti-Africa and anti-communist/socialist propaganda being institutionalized in this society. As a result, there are no publishers lining up to help publish and promotes manifestos like this one. Consequently, we ask that those reading this take on the assignment of bringing this manifesto to your organizations and reading groups to read and discuss. If you don’t have an organization or reading group, we encourage you to start them. If you need help doing so, we again offer our humble assistance in working with you to engage that work.
There is this manifesto and multiple accompanying videos at the www.abetterworld.me site to help people understand more about this work and the manifesto in particular. Also, we would love to speak to your group about the manifesto. You can reach out to us at the site above. Comrade Fidel Castro was correct when he said the only qualification for leadership is sincerity and that people are all the resources needed to solve all the problems we face on the planet earth. Let’s get organized!
In response to these developments, Kwame Nkrumah – probably the most critical revolutionary African thinker of the 20th century – wrote the “Handbook of Revolutionary Warfare” in 1968. The handbook is viewed by revolutionary Pan-Africanists as the strategic directive on how to organize the masses of people in Africa towards revolutionary Pan-Africanism i.e. one unified socialist Africa.
You won’t learn about it on BBC, NBC, MSNBC, FOX, or CIA networks, but this important work has been taking place consistently over the last 50 years since the handbook was written. Organizations like the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau (PAIGC), Democratic Party of Guinea (PDG) and Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC – South Africa), are struggling to forge bonds to concretize their work as Nkrumah called for. The All African People’s Revolutionary Party (A-APRP) serves as a critical component in continuing to develop this work.
For those of us within the A-APRP who have organized around this work for quite some time in Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, Canada, South America, Central America, and throughout the U.S., we have developed strong lived experiences that have consistently reaffirmed for us the correctness of Africa’s liberation being the key component for progress and justice for Africans everywhere on earth. The question this reality has raised for us continuously has been what role the one billion Africans living outside of Africa will concretely play in contributing towards this revolutionary Pan-Africanist effort?
At this stage most of the work everywhere is political education around the need and value in fighting for one unified socialist Africa. Obviously, this is a monumental phase. We are battling 528 years of systemic anti-Africanism and 100 years of anti-communism. Still, as this work continues, that burning question about the role of Africans outside of the U.S. rages on. And, along with that, the question of what concrete work we can engage people in that will bring to life the studying element present in the political education work? Finally, the continued decline of international capitalism has contributed towards the rise of white supremacist and fascist violence aimed against oppressed populations. What can be done to address all of these very real problems?
One humble method that has been developed to attempt to address these questions is the 76 page manifesto entitled “A Guide for Defense against White Supremacist, Patriarchal, and Fascist Violence.” Written over a three year period, this manifesto attempts to provide a work plan for Africans, specifically those located within the U.S., about how to get the communities they live in organized to resist oppression while linking that work to our revolutionary Pan-Africanist work taking place throughout Africa.
The manifesto provides guidance on how to approach communities to initiate organizing efforts. There are tactics provided on how to interact and engage people around the problems they see in their neighborhoods. Then there are methods which when employed, serve to recruit people into doing this revolutionary community defense work. There are tools to establish and maintain democratic decision making processes. Guidelines how how to start political education programs that operate within neighborhoods. There are tools designed to help develop the necessary resources needed to organize and proven approaches designed to help people learn how to address the inevitable contradictions that arise whenever people attempt to come together. Also, there are arguments presented about healthy ways to engage the work and keep the work going. And, there is a section dedicated on how to continue to grow the work while linking the work to others engaged in similar projects.
Another important element of the manifesto is despite being designed for the African revolution, the components of the manifesto are written and provided in a way that can serve as a model for organizing Indigenous people in neighborhoods/reservations. Indigenous (so-called) Latino people in barrios. Asian neighborhoods. LGBTQ neighborhoods. And, European neighborhoods. And, the manifesto provides suggestions around how all of this work can be supportive among projects.
Everyone who has any experience with revolutionary organizing and struggle knows that no one who writes about revolutionary organizing is going to make money doing so. What this means is that anyone who spends three years writing a manifesto such as this one is someone who understands and recognizes that their goal is to get the concepts contained within the manifesto in the hearts and minds of as many people as humanly possible.
The rising level of violent attacks against Asians throughout the U.S., the continued gunning down of Africans by police and vigilantes, especially the targeting of African Trans women, the rise in attacks against all women identifying people and all LGBTQ people. All of this, coupled with growing open revolt throughout Africa, brings into clear view the necessity for a manifesto like this one. Anyone in 2021 and beyond who sincerely believes that our first line of defense against this oppression is relying on bourgeoisie governments and their apparatuses like police, etc., is someone living completely within a fantasy world. These institutions are not only not designed to protect us, but they exist to subjugate and repress us. What this makes clear is that the only solution for these issues is for people on the ground to start organizing to defend themselves the only way this can effectively happen, through collective organization.
Another important point for everyone to consider is that a major reason why mass organizing doesn’t take place is the absolute difficulty revolutionary organizers have in advancing their messages. We previously mentioned hundreds of years of anti-Africa and anti-communist/socialist propaganda being institutionalized in this society. As a result, there are no publishers lining up to help publish and promotes manifestos like this one. Consequently, we ask that those reading this take on the assignment of bringing this manifesto to your organizations and reading groups to read and discuss. If you don’t have an organization or reading group, we encourage you to start them. If you need help doing so, we again offer our humble assistance in working with you to engage that work.
There is this manifesto and multiple accompanying videos at the www.abetterworld.me site to help people understand more about this work and the manifesto in particular. Also, we would love to speak to your group about the manifesto. You can reach out to us at the site above. Comrade Fidel Castro was correct when he said the only qualification for leadership is sincerity and that people are all the resources needed to solve all the problems we face on the planet earth. Let’s get organized!
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