PAN-AFRICANISM and thestruggle ofthe TWO …

1 PAN-AFRICANISM andthestruggleoftheTWOIDEOLOGIESIvanPote khin ,forcedtoabandondirectpoliticalrule,have triedtotakead-vantageoftheirformercoloni es' ,theynaturallywishtoconductanindependent policywhichdiffersfromthatoftheirformerr ulersandindeedveryoftencutsrightacrossth elatter' ,withthebackinganddisinterestedassistanc eoftheSovietUnionandtheotherSocialistcou ntries, ,leadingSocialistpowerhasmedtheAfricans' ,themostadvancedideologyofmodemtimes,is constantly TranslatedfromtheSovietjournalCommunist, thisarticle, , ' ,thebourgeoisandtheSocialist, ,however,duetocertainhistoricalpeculiari tiesandtheexisiingsocialstructure,thisst ruggleisexceptionallycomplicatedbya wholehostofotherfactorsofthepeople'sspir ituallife,suchasnationalism,whichsometim estakestheformofanti~whiteracialism,trib alism(theideologyofpatriarchismand tribalseparatism), ,whoconstitutetheleadingforceinmostAfric ancountriesbecauseoftheweaknessofthework ingclassandthebour-geoisie,is markedbyeclecticismanoddmixtureofdiffere ntandevencontradictory,basicallyidealist icviewsonsociety,thelawsofitsdevelopment andman' , ,hewrote,isPan-AfricanSocialism, :inthesocialandeconomicteachingofIslaman dChristianity,inKarlMarx'seconomicanalys is,intheexperienceoftheQlinesePeople'sRe public,theSovietUnion, ,heconcluded,theyshouldtakefromeverywher eeverythingthatwasofvalueforAfricaandsup plementthiswithAfrica' ,particularlyinthetropicalcountriespeopl edbyNegroAfricans, , ,peoplediedintheirthousands, ,thedescendantsofAfricanswhohadbeentrans portedtherebytheslave-tradersroseupina ,inalliancewiththewhiteanti-slaverycampa igners,werevictorious.

2 OnJanuary1st,1863, , 'srulingof1857inthecaseofDredScott,aNegr o, ,madeina particularcase,proclaimeda principleofgeneralvalidity:Negroeswerein feriortowhitesand,eveniffreed, (1865)and14th(1868) , ,a hundredyearsafteremancipation,showedthat therulingof1857isnodeadletterformodemAme ricansociety,thatsamesocietywhichimperia listpropagandaholdsupasa'model'.Allovert hecountry,reportsRoyWilkins,ExecutiveSec retaryoftheNationalAssociationfortheAdva ncementofColouredPeople,Negroesarebeaten up,kicked, ,notedAmericanNegroleaderMartinLutherKin g, , ,heprotested, ,indeed,becomea ' 'theory'ofwhiteracialsu-periorityandshow thattheNegrowasa ,whenthegreatempiresofGhanaandMaliexiste d, ,whofoughtintheAlgerianrevolution,wrote, Negroeswerefacedwiththeurgenttaskof'prov ingtothewhiteworldatallcoststheexistence ofa Negrocivilization'(FrantzFanon,Peaunoire ,masquesblanes, ).

3 ThefirsttotacklethistaskweretheAmericanN egroeswho,besideshavinga vitalinterestinthisquestion, ,theAmericanNegroesproduceda considerablenumberoftalentedhistorians,t hemostnotablebeingthe ,grandsonofa slave, ;thisideameansrecognizingthatAfricahasit snowpersonality, , 'spiritualdecolonisation', PAN-AFRICANISM isthereforeare-actiontocolonialenslaveme ntinAfricaandracialdiscriminationagainst thedescendantsofAfriCanslavesinAmerica; Pan-Negromove-ment,centredinAmerica,toun itetheNegro ~ ,a , , , ,allthesame,thePan-African39movementthen playeda ' , ,suchleadersofthenationalindependencemov ementasKwameNkrumah,lomoKenyattaandNnamd iAzi-kiwetooka ,theCongresswasstronglyanti~lonialandant i 'byallthemeansattheirdisposal'fortheabol itionofcolonialregimesandtheattainmentof politicalindependence.'..Thestruggleforp oliticalpowerbycolonialandsubjectpeoples isthefirststeptowards,andthenecessarypre requisiteto,completesocial,ecopomicandpo liticalemancipation,'thedelegatesaffirme dintheirDeclarationtotheColonialWorkers, FarmersandIntellectuals.

4 ' !'ThiswasthefirstCongresstomakea callforAfricanunityandtheunitingofallcou ntriesandpeoplesofthecontinentinthefight againstcolonialismandimperialism,andtoad vancetheideaofa ,theywerequiteawarethatitwouldbea greatmanylinguisticgroups;besidesthreewo rldreligions-Christianity,' relationswitheachother;ontheotherhand,ho wever, ,underimperialistpressure,ofeighteenAfri cancountrieswiththe" , ,despitealltheobstacles,theideaoCAfrican anti~ widevarietyofsocialgroups:Pan~Africanorg anizationsofworkers,peasants,youngpeople ,women,journalistsandstudentshavealready beensetup;andlastyeara Pan ~ committeetopreparea (Government)ConferenceinAddisAbabais saidthat'theideaofunityandsolidarityofth eAfricancountriesandtheirdesiretouniteth eireffortsinthefightagainstcolonialism,f orstrengtheningpoliticalandeconomicindep endence,andfortheadvancementandwell~ ' (particularlyinAngola) Africanismunderwenta greatchangewhenslogansonAfrica' ,thishadpreviouslybeenaPan~Negromovement formallyunitingNegroesthroughouttheworld , ,Negrorace,theAfricancontinentisinhabite dbythewhiterace(Arabs,Berbers,etc.)

5 AndtheKhoisanrace(Bushmen,Hottentots), ~opianshaveactivelyjoinedthefightforPan ,however,wastakenupbyotherswhogaveit a ,thenlivinginParis-LeopoldSenghor,nowPre sidentoftheRepublicofSenegal,andAimt<:es aire,fromMartinique, reactionagainstthehumiliationsufferedbyb lackintellectualsandtheirfellowcountryme ninParis;it isa protestagainsttheimperialistpolicyofassi milationandsup-pressionofAfricanculture. 'Negritudeisanideaborninusfromtheawarene ssthatthroughoutthewholeofhistorywehaveb eenrobbed;wroteAliouoeDiop,generalsecret aryoftheSocietyofAfricanCulture.'Negritu deisourmodestbutresolutestrivingtorestor ethevictim'srightsandshowtheworldwhatit hasparticularlyinsistentlydenied-thedign ityoftheblackman.'ButNegritude, :a justdesiretorestorethedignityoftheblackm an,andthereactionarycounterposingofthebl ackracetothewhite, ,whiteandblackpeoplehavea differentwayofthinking:'theEuropean'sway ofthinkingisanalyticalandlogical,whileth eNegro- african 'sisintuitive.

6 'Thisimpliestwomethodsofcognition,and'co gnitionbymeansofcompari-sonandintuitioni sNegro-Africancognition'. ,MarxismissaidtobeunsuitableforAfricaand 'theromantictheme widespreadinEurope'about'theso-calledsol idarityoftheEuropeanproletariatandthecol onialpeoplesdoesnotstanduptocriticism'.T herecanbenoalliancebetweentheEuropeanwor kersandtheimperialist-enslavedpeoplesofA frica, blindeyeonthevaluablecontributionmade,fo rinstance, ,attemptsweremadetoboosttheideaofa singleNegro-AfricancultureandNegro-Afric anliteraturein-cludingliteraturecreatedb yallNegrowritersregardlessofwheretheyliv edorworked-intheCongoortheUnitedStates-a ndonthisbasistoorganizea ,a groupofNegrointellectualsfromFrenchcolon iesinAfricaandtheWestIndiesstartedtoputo uta magazineinPariscalledPresenceA/ricainein tendedto'upholdtheunityofNegroculture'.I n1956,theycon-venedanInternationalCongre ssofNegroWritersandArtists,whichdecidedt oformtheSocietyofAfricanCulture(formally foundedonMarch9th,1957);thewordAfricanis hereusedasa ,a doctorfromHaiti, ' ,however, 'sskinandtointro-duceracialconsideration sintopolitic!

7 ;.SpeakingaboutGarveyism(aNegromovementi nthe1920's) 'sPennanentRepresenta-tiveattheUnitedNat ionsAlexQuaison-Sackeyfrequentlyobserves inhisbookAfricaUnbound(1963, ,161,etc.),howstupiditisfora 'isadangerouscreed:whyshouldthecolourofa man' '.(Ibid., ) ,but'letusceaseutteringreproachesandbemo reattentivetothecontri-butionmadethantot hedamagedone', 'broughtusa highertechniquethanourown;..havingdestro yedtheoldNegro-Africananimism,itofferedu sChristianity-amorerationalreligion'.and soon,andforthatreason'letusstopcursingco lonialismandEuropeandmakingthemthecauseo fallourills'.Inordertojustifytheirstand, theyallege-asLeopoldSenghordid,forinstan ce,whenopeninga seminaron'AfricanSocialism'(Dakar,Decemb er3rd-8th,1962}-thatMarxandEngels'wereno tanti-colonialists'. ,formerlypartoftheFrenchcolonialempire,w hohavegive~theirallegiancetoNegritudehav enotpar~ticipatedintheall-Africanpeoples 'conferences, (theircountrieswereeithertotallyunrepres entedorwererepresentedbyoppositionorgani zationsandleaders).)

8 Theyrefusedtotakepartinthethirdconferenc eofindependentAfricanstates,scheduledfor Tunisin1962,preferringinsteadtoconvenese parateconferences(Brazzaville,December19 60;Yaounde,March1961),asa ,however, ,theyimmediatelyannouncedtheirintentiono fcontinuingwiththeAfro-MalagasyUnion,who seactivity,asPresidentStkouToureofGuinea hasrightlysaid,'isaimedatemasculatingthe AfricanCharter adoptedattheAddisAbabaConferenceofitsdyn amiccontent.'.Thisistheshort,asyetunfini shed,historyofacontemporarymovementfound edona racialconcept:it (slave-owners,colonialists,Germanfascist s,Japanesemili-tarists,etc.) ,theyalwayshavesomefeatureswhichcanbeand infactareusedtoa movementmaymakeuphismind,ormaybeper-suad ed, numberofyearsbeforeitwasbannedbytheGover nment,theCongressofDemocratsinSouthAfric agroupedtogetherEnglishandAfrikanersuppo rtersoftheprogressive,anti-imperialistor ganiza-tionsofthenon-Europeanpopulation- theAfricanNationalCon-gress,theSouthAfri canIndianCongress,andtheColouredPeople' 'sfascistpolicies.

9 'memberssplitaway, ,andsetuptheirownorganization-thePan-Afr icanistCongress-asapurelyracialorganizat ionallegedly'free' ,PatrickDuncan,44a rabidanti-Communist,becamea , ,ofcourse,quitenatural:themaincontra-dic tioninbourgeoissocietyisnotbetweenracesb utbetweenan tagonisticclasses,betweentheforcesofprog ressfightingfortheSocialisttransformatio nofsocietyandtheforcesofimperialistre-ac tionstrivingtosavetheoutlived, ,andwiththesameresult:inturningtheirback onfriends,theyfindthemselvesboundina 'ideologicalindependence' ,theysay, 'Africanexceptionalism' ,itisalleged,is byitsverynatureclassless;elementsofpriva teownershipandexploitationwerebroughtinb ythecolonialistsandarealientoAfricansoci ety;beforethecolonialistsarrived, african societywasalreadySocialist, , ,theconceptof'Africanexceptionalism'isa ;theywereperhapsabletotakeovertheachieve mentsofwhitepeoplesbut,becauseoftheirmen talinferiority, ,somethingoriginalandinthiswaygivethelie totheinsultinginventionsoftheracialistsa ndrestorethedignityoftheNegropeoplesor,a sPan Africanistswouldsay,thedignityofthe'Afri canpersonality'.

10 Butisideologicalindependencepossible?Afr icansocietyincludespettycommodityproduce rs,privatepropertyowners,andpettybour geoisie;inmanycountriesa , , result,bourgeoisideasaremorewidespreadin AfricatodaythanSocialistideaswhichhaveon lyrecentlybeguntofilterthrough, , african ,andtheforeign,imperialist, 'A!r;conSocial-ism'or,togiveitsothervari ant,'Pan AfricanSocialism' 'scientificSocialism'.Characteristic inthisrespectistheevolutionintheviewsoft heConventionPeople' , 'AfricanSocialism',thensimply'Socialism' withoutanydefinition,andfinally'scientif icSocialism'.TherulingpartyinMali,theSud aneseUnion,hasalsogivenupusingtheterm'Af ricanSocialism';atitslast, 'AfricanSocialism'inDakar,theMalireprese ntative,MinisterofDevelopmentSeydouKouya te, ,1962,hesaid:'ThereisalotoftalkinAfricaa boutAfricanSocialismasifthereweresucha thingasChineseSocialism,AmericanSocialis m,YugoslavSocialism,Bul-garianSocialism, ,thenweshallbegintospeakoftheNigerianorT ogoleseroadtoSocialism,aboutSenegalesech emistryorMoroccanmathematics.