A few days ago during AHM as the British establishment participated in a disgraceful piece of media theatre focusing on the so called threat of the inept British National Party, the Metropolitan Police force announced its officers would be armed with machine guns and instructed to patrol, hence terrorise the African community in response for gun crime committed by european gunmen running amok in London. Little connection seems to have been made with the story of Ken Hinds, 50, the youth worker who was awarded £22,000 in compensation from the force after being charged and spending four hours in a police cell for stopping to witness a young African being arrested by abusive officers.
Meanwhile as the public were being sufficiently distracted with nonsense surrounding the “rise of the BNP”, the story of how the British oil trading firm Trafigura had obtained a “super-injunction” preventing the media reporting on its culpability for the injury and in some cases, the deaths of thousands of innocent Africans after illegally dumping toxic waste in Ivory Coast was buried.
Welcome to African History month British style.
Instead of honouring the vision of our Ancestor Carter G Woodson and the works of Akyaaba Addai Sebbo, this October there has been a wealth of attacks against our community snuck in under the institution known as ‘black’ history month.
From its cancellation by organisations and councils that believe it is some how racist in the era of ‘post-racial’ Obamania, to its hijacking by groups trying to promote some ‘ethnic’ or LGBT agenda. Either way African History Month in the UK has rapidly descended into a farce of events focused solely on slavery where paid members of our community are employed to perform in best minstrelesque manner.
Its a disgrace.
History, debate, culture, arts, literature, dance, theatre – some of the very essence of what makes us unique as a people has been stifled as even the broadcaster Channel 4 under the alleged diversity guidance of Oona King prepares to unleash a series of documentaries questioning our intelligence by ‘investigating’ if there is a ‘racial’ component to the ability to acquire knowledge.
It doesn’t stop there, even in academic circles Middlesex University chose AHM to close down the World/African History department where the esteemed historian, Dr Hakim Adi contributed greatly. Archives of our history in the UK are now at serious risk of degradation.
And yet, instead of commenting with weight on these important stories, national media outlets created thousands of pointless debates supporting corrupt and morally bankrupt politicians as they organised a lynching jamboree through the BBC for a classic episode in dunk the straw man. It would seem our allocated amount of outrage at the level of theft these ‘honourable members’ of parliament engaged in when stealing from the public purse a few months ago is officially over.
However, if this was not bad enough, one of the other offensive acts to have taken place this month has been the constant attempts by liberals and rednecks alike to distort the legacy of our Ancestors in order to attract attention to their own sagging careers and deviant behaviours. The double attack on Malcolm X by the queer rights activist Peter Tatchell and even Mary Seacole by the belligerent columnist Rod Liddle are classic examples.
Just as some within our own community media fail to promote the positive stance BTWSC take when it announces in its progressive open letter that African History is Wider than Enslavement and focuses on the contributions of Africans in the UK alongside others, the collective silence of so called liberal media outlets colluding with those that seek to disrespect our Ancestors are guilty of enabling the likes of Tatchell and Liddle to peddle falsehoods such as Malcolm being a “part-time poof” and Seacole “wasn’t actually black” without challenge.
Unfortunately much of our own community media also remains impotent. On Sunday 25 October, thousands of African listeners were horrified as one of the UK’s most authoritative experts on Pan African political theory was shouted down on the basis that he did not wish to be involved with an organisation that like the racists had hijacked Malcolm’s legacy and was using his ‘by any means necessary’ quote and distorting it to mean that drug smuggling was a legitimate means of empowering our community. I speak of the tireless community worker and hero to many - Bro Omowale of the Pan African Society Community Forum.
Caul Grant, a spokesperson from the Campaign for Truth and Justice asserted that lies and injustice can be used as tools for liberation in the same way that snake’s venom is a useful antidote to poisonous bites. In so doing Grant participated in a vicious attack of what can only be described as community self mutilation in attacking one of our own contemporary greats.
In an exemplary example of restraint, Bro Omowale remained cool, calm and collected. He argued a point of principle with dignity, his refusal to lower himself into a public slanging match showed immense discipline and moral fortitude.
Perhaps it is this alongside the forthcoming reparations awareness symposium that will positively reflect the political maturity of Pan Africanists living in Britain during 2009. For if only many of our children had Bro Omowale’s ability to avoid pointless direct and disrespectful conflict and remain focused on our true enemy, then we would be healing any crisis of unity we have in our community far faster than we are now.
Click here and listen for yourself
Toyin Agbetu is a writer, film director, poet, and founder of Ligali, the pan African human rights based organisation
External Links
PASCF - Malcolm X on DrugsYouth worker arrested for watching police wins compensationPapers prove Trafigura ship dumped toxic waste in Ivory CoastHistory is history at Middlesex UniversityThe gang shootings that put police with machine guns on London streets
Meanwhile as the public were being sufficiently distracted with nonsense surrounding the “rise of the BNP”, the story of how the British oil trading firm Trafigura had obtained a “super-injunction” preventing the media reporting on its culpability for the injury and in some cases, the deaths of thousands of innocent Africans after illegally dumping toxic waste in Ivory Coast was buried.
Welcome to African History month British style.
Instead of honouring the vision of our Ancestor Carter G Woodson and the works of Akyaaba Addai Sebbo, this October there has been a wealth of attacks against our community snuck in under the institution known as ‘black’ history month.
From its cancellation by organisations and councils that believe it is some how racist in the era of ‘post-racial’ Obamania, to its hijacking by groups trying to promote some ‘ethnic’ or LGBT agenda. Either way African History Month in the UK has rapidly descended into a farce of events focused solely on slavery where paid members of our community are employed to perform in best minstrelesque manner.
Its a disgrace.
History, debate, culture, arts, literature, dance, theatre – some of the very essence of what makes us unique as a people has been stifled as even the broadcaster Channel 4 under the alleged diversity guidance of Oona King prepares to unleash a series of documentaries questioning our intelligence by ‘investigating’ if there is a ‘racial’ component to the ability to acquire knowledge.
It doesn’t stop there, even in academic circles Middlesex University chose AHM to close down the World/African History department where the esteemed historian, Dr Hakim Adi contributed greatly. Archives of our history in the UK are now at serious risk of degradation.
And yet, instead of commenting with weight on these important stories, national media outlets created thousands of pointless debates supporting corrupt and morally bankrupt politicians as they organised a lynching jamboree through the BBC for a classic episode in dunk the straw man. It would seem our allocated amount of outrage at the level of theft these ‘honourable members’ of parliament engaged in when stealing from the public purse a few months ago is officially over.
However, if this was not bad enough, one of the other offensive acts to have taken place this month has been the constant attempts by liberals and rednecks alike to distort the legacy of our Ancestors in order to attract attention to their own sagging careers and deviant behaviours. The double attack on Malcolm X by the queer rights activist Peter Tatchell and even Mary Seacole by the belligerent columnist Rod Liddle are classic examples.
Just as some within our own community media fail to promote the positive stance BTWSC take when it announces in its progressive open letter that African History is Wider than Enslavement and focuses on the contributions of Africans in the UK alongside others, the collective silence of so called liberal media outlets colluding with those that seek to disrespect our Ancestors are guilty of enabling the likes of Tatchell and Liddle to peddle falsehoods such as Malcolm being a “part-time poof” and Seacole “wasn’t actually black” without challenge.
Ignorant racists who are contemptuous of African History: Peter Tatchell, Nick Griffin and Rod Liddle
By any means necessary
Unfortunately much of our own community media also remains impotent. On Sunday 25 October, thousands of African listeners were horrified as one of the UK’s most authoritative experts on Pan African political theory was shouted down on the basis that he did not wish to be involved with an organisation that like the racists had hijacked Malcolm’s legacy and was using his ‘by any means necessary’ quote and distorting it to mean that drug smuggling was a legitimate means of empowering our community. I speak of the tireless community worker and hero to many - Bro Omowale of the Pan African Society Community Forum. Caul Grant, a spokesperson from the Campaign for Truth and Justice asserted that lies and injustice can be used as tools for liberation in the same way that snake’s venom is a useful antidote to poisonous bites. In so doing Grant participated in a vicious attack of what can only be described as community self mutilation in attacking one of our own contemporary greats.
In an exemplary example of restraint, Bro Omowale remained cool, calm and collected. He argued a point of principle with dignity, his refusal to lower himself into a public slanging match showed immense discipline and moral fortitude.
Perhaps it is this alongside the forthcoming reparations awareness symposium that will positively reflect the political maturity of Pan Africanists living in Britain during 2009. For if only many of our children had Bro Omowale’s ability to avoid pointless direct and disrespectful conflict and remain focused on our true enemy, then we would be healing any crisis of unity we have in our community far faster than we are now.
Click here and listen for yourself
Toyin Agbetu is a writer, film director, poet, and founder of Ligali, the pan African human rights based organisation
Malcolm X: The revolutionary pan Africanist who rejected drugs as a means of liberation
External Links
PASCF - Malcolm X on DrugsYouth worker arrested for watching police wins compensationPapers prove Trafigura ship dumped toxic waste in Ivory CoastHistory is history at Middlesex UniversityThe gang shootings that put police with machine guns on London streets
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Speak Out!
Click here to speak out or read (2) comments about this articleWe have to get together and remove the evils, the vices, alcoholism, drug addiction and other evils that are destroying the moral fibre of our community
Malcolm X
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