How did we allow it to devolve into a celebration of handpicked and anointed heroes, stripped of their historical relevance and made into hollow representations of themselves?I remember the first time I was called a nigger. It was during sixth-grade phys ed class, after a disappointing game of touch football. One of my white classmates took offense at my aggressive style of play, and I took offense to him shoving me in response. When I confronted him, verbally berating him with every curse word I knew, he retaliated by calling me a nigger. My fists clenched on their own as the adrenaline coursed through my veins and my steps became quicker, all thoughts of peaceful conflict resolution tabled for the moment. The only thing that saved him from an epic beating that day was a girl from another class witnessing my pursuit and swiftly moving to restrain me, my fists and my emotions. I recall another, less volatile, childhood memory that was instrumental to informing my ideas about race and racial identity. Conversations on myriad topics took place on the school bus I rode as a high school student, and race, as thorny as it may have been, was never excluded. There was a set of white twin girls who seemed obsessed with looking and acting "black," as far as they understood the concept. They had no shame in asking the black students what would be required of them to achieve their goal. They asked me -- but with hesitancy, because they presumed I was biracial: "You're not all the way black, are you? You don't talk like it." It's no accident that these memories come to me most vividly during Black History Month. Every year, as the first of February rolls around, it brings renewed discussions about the purpose, necessity (or lack thereof) and viability of Black History Month, conversations that are surely intensifying in the age of Obama. Attacks come from all angles. Some opponents believe it condescending to have only one month when black history is the national focus, while being ignored the other 11 months of the year. Still others, uninformed of Black History Month's origins, recite tired jokes about using the shortest month of the year to celebrate black history, which must have been a deliberately racist move on the part of white people. My personal favorites, however, are those people who simply don't believe there is enough notable black history to warrant an entire month of discussion. But I think I've come to understand the apprehensiveness toward Black History Month. It has nothing to do with the length of the month or the lack of interesting history to investigate; rather, it concerns the fact that -- as I did in the childhood stories I just shared -- African Americans have allowed white people to dictate the contours of blackness. The celebration of our history and culture that Carter G. Woodson envisioned when he founded Negro History Week has been not only co-opted but completely hijacked by pressure from mainstream white America. Yearly, images of handpicked and anointed heroes are trotted out in classrooms and other public spaces, stripped of their historical relevance and deep abiding commitment to the construction of black culture, and made into hollow representations of themselves. As a result, blackness is being defined and dictated to us by government and media -- institutions that have historically excluded voices of color -- instead of growing authentically from our bodies and minds. The name and image of Martin Luther King Jr. is now used to sell automobiles. Malcolm X's legacy has been reduced to the context-less slogan, "By any means necessary." W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington have become known for little more than a debate that amounts to "bootstraps" vs. "the talented tenth," approaches to improving conditions for the black community, while the fullness of their legacies and nuances of their positions are lost. And as Danielle L. McGuire's book At the Dark End of the Street shows us, the narrative that we have come to accept about Rosa Parks being no more than a tired seamstress who refused to give up her seat on a bus because her feet hurt is disrespectful to her important work standing up for the human rights and dignity of black women. This happens in all mainstream discussions of history as facts and figures are diluted so that they fit seamlessly into a narrative that is palatable to a large number of people. Meanwhile, it is a narrative that does the least to incite true debate or threaten the privilege and standing of those in control of it. The process is particularly dangerous when it comes to black history because little attention or respect is given to the historic contributions of black people in the first place. To further diminish those contributions by reducing them to mere platitudes is contemptible. The worst part is that black people have been complicit in this process. How often do our scholars, invited to speak and make media appearances during Black History Month, allow the standard depictions of these historical figures to go unchallenged, perhaps to ensure that they will be asked to make more appearances in the future? How many T-shirts/mugs/pens/hats -- plastered with the words and faces of our most celebrated heroes (along with a few conspiracy theories) -- have been manufactured and sold for a quick buck on 125th Street in New York City's Harlem, with no further thought or discussion given to their true meaning? At one point this may have been acceptable as a compromise to ensure the exposure of black accomplishments to the wider world. However, passively accepting outside definitions of blackness can no longer be an option. We can and should reclaim Black History Month and use it to reimagine, redefine and shape anew what we mean when we refer to ourselves as black. We have to push to include those who have constantly been moved to the margins as a consequence of identity and archaic cultural beliefs. We have to work to be more inclusive of historical figures such as Bayard Rustin, the architect of the 1963 March on Washington, who is only recently becoming more well known as we begin to open up the historical "closet" where openly gay individuals have been forced to reside. There must also be room within the narrative to discuss the contributions of women such as Jo Ann Robinson, who was instrumental in organizing and doing the legwork needed to make the Montgomery Bus Boycott a success. It's important that we dismantle the "black heterosexual superman" narrative that too often has dominated the telling of our history. And it must be done on our terms, because self-definition is vital in the building and maintaining of a vibrant culture of which we can all be proud. This process shouldn't be confined to February, to be sure, but I see Black History Month in sort of the same vein as education: It should not take place exclusively inside the classroom, though those four walls can be used as a structure allowing for some of the most intensive and thorough investigations and sharing of ideas. But that happens only when we decide that it's time for us to reclaim ownership of Black History Month and, by extension, ourselves. Mychal Denzel Smith is a writer, social commentator and mental health advocate. Follow him on Twitter.
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Saturday, February 26, 2011
African Americans Must Reclaim Black History Month - Mychal Smith
Living In Black: Those Who Believe to the Point of Action
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Tre9 launches "Youth Are Listening" Campaign to fight filthy songs
Something for the Conscious Community to consider: Can we or should we walk in solidarity with this campaigh ? Tre9 is urging the Christian hip hop community to take a stand against obscene music over the airwaves nationally, targeting "Make a Movie" by Twista featuring Chris Brown in the initial launch of the Youth Are Listening campaign. Tre9 would like to point out that the Christian hip hop industry is flooded with songs opposing explicit lyrical content, and would like to challenge artists to file this complaint with the FCC before writing another song. Youth Are Listening, let's stand with our brother in prayer and in action. |
Save The Date! March 12th Film Screening of "All The Ladies Say"
--- On Wed, 2/23/11, Happily Natural Day <info@brothermanifest.net> wrote:
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KOCH BROTHERS rumored Anti-President Obama Campaign
On Fri, 2/25/11, Tahuti Taylor <tahutitay@hotmail.com> wrote: Brothers Charles and David Koch, with a combined worth around $35 billion dollars, are waging a war against President Obama. The Koch brothers are the majority owners in Koch Industries, America's second-largest private company with revenues of $100 billion in 2009, and 80,000 employees in 60 countries. Koch Industries main source of revenue is from the manufacturing, refining, and distribution of petroleum. They are major financiers of the Tea Party. They also are providing money to run anti-democratic ads. Do not allow your money to be used to sponsor the Tea Party. Don't buy these products! Pass it on to others !!! Products by Koch: Industry/Georgia-Pacific Products: Angel Soft toilet paper Brawny paper towels Dixie plates, bowls, napkins and cups Mardi Gras napkins and towels Quilted Northern toilet paper Soft 'n Gentle toilet paper Sparkle napkins Vanity fair napkins Zee napkins http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/08/30/100830fa_fact_mayer?currentPage=all |
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
You Can't Hate the Tree and Not the Roots
Alafia All,
by Malcolm X
You have to realize that up until about 1959, Africa was dominated by the colonial powers. And by the colonial powers of Europe having complete control over Africa, they projected the image of Africa negatively. They projected Africa always in a negative light—jungles, savages, cannibals, nothing civilized. And, naturally it was so negative, it was negative to you and me. And you and I began to hate it. We didn't want anybody to tell us anything about Africa, and much less call us an African. And in hating Africa and hating the Africans, we end up hating ourselves, without even realizing it.
Because you can't hate the roots of a tree and not hate the tree. You can't hate Africa and not hate yourself. You show me one of those people over here who has been thoroughly brainwashed, who has a negative attitude toward Africa and I'll show you one who has a negative attitude toward himself. You can't have a positive attitude toward yourself and a negative attitude toward Africa at the same time.. To the same degree your understanding of and your attitude toward Africa becomes positive, you'll find that your understanding of and your attitude toward yourself will also become positive.
"Our ancestors understood that no one has the power to steal your joy, peace of mind, nor opportunity to realize your greatest good, unless you give it to them, because no one can control what you think or feel but you. As we maintain our power, we realize that there is no reason to be resentful. The universe is just, everyone reaps what they sow. Our challenge to sow only good and good must return to us." Myers
"It's ok not to know, it's a shame not to want to know." Dr. Clarke
Ankh Uja Snb
Asar Gary
"Words cannot give wisdom if they stray from the truth."
Ancient Kemetic Proverb
by Malcolm X
You have to realize that up until about 1959, Africa was dominated by the colonial powers. And by the colonial powers of Europe having complete control over Africa, they projected the image of Africa negatively. They projected Africa always in a negative light—jungles, savages, cannibals, nothing civilized. And, naturally it was so negative, it was negative to you and me. And you and I began to hate it. We didn't want anybody to tell us anything about Africa, and much less call us an African. And in hating Africa and hating the Africans, we end up hating ourselves, without even realizing it.
Because you can't hate the roots of a tree and not hate the tree. You can't hate Africa and not hate yourself. You show me one of those people over here who has been thoroughly brainwashed, who has a negative attitude toward Africa and I'll show you one who has a negative attitude toward himself. You can't have a positive attitude toward yourself and a negative attitude toward Africa at the same time.. To the same degree your understanding of and your attitude toward Africa becomes positive, you'll find that your understanding of and your attitude toward yourself will also become positive.
"Our ancestors understood that no one has the power to steal your joy, peace of mind, nor opportunity to realize your greatest good, unless you give it to them, because no one can control what you think or feel but you. As we maintain our power, we realize that there is no reason to be resentful. The universe is just, everyone reaps what they sow. Our challenge to sow only good and good must return to us." Myers
"It's ok not to know, it's a shame not to want to know." Dr. Clarke
Ankh Uja Snb
Asar Gary
"Words cannot give wisdom if they stray from the truth."
Ancient Kemetic Proverb
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The Hip Hop Hustle: Why Hip Hop hasn't changed
| The Hip Hop Hustle: Why Hip Hop Hasn't Changed TRUTH Minista Paul Scott The year is 1991, alarmed by the raising level of negativity in Hip Hop, activists and artists from across the country gathered for a major Hip Hop Summit. One by one speakers stepped to the podium and pledged themselves to fight in the war to "save Hip Hop." Never again would they allow corporations to destroy their culture. Never again! The year is 2011, alarmed by the rising level of negativity in Hip Hop.... Every since NWA dropped "Straight Out of Compton" in the late 80's there has been a concern about the effect of corporate sponsored Hip Hop on the youth. Over the last 20 years , there have been thousands of conferences, lectures, books and CD's addressing the "problem." What is problematic is that after all of that we are no closer to finding the "solution" than we were two decades ago. Unfortunately, we rarely stop to ask ourselves why? Has there really been an effort to change Hip Hop or has it all been one big hustle to throw Hip Hop conference after- parties or sell books? Dr. Amos Wilson, once said, "the most practical thing that you can have is a good theory to guide your behaviour." The one thing that is lacking in our efforts to analyze Hip Hop is a good theory. In discussing the current condition of Hip Hop many in the "conscious" community, blame it on on COINTELPRO type "agents." Although this theory is over used and over simplified there are ,actually, three types of agents that would have an interest in Hip Hop. While some argue that "government" agents are attacking Hip Hop, that theory would really only concern a small percentage of artists that are actively, negatively, affecting America's national and international interests. This immediately disqualifies Waka Flocka Flame and 99% of commercial rappers. In an effort to "prevent the rise of a black messiah" which was the goal of COINTELPRO, the Fed's would have more of an interest in maintaining the current direction of Hip Hop than changing it. The second type of agent would be one sent by the entertainment corporations, as they would have an interest in making sure that their bottom lines are not messed with. So for them to send in operatives to disrupt any attempt to change Hip Hop is not only possible but probable. Perhaps that is why most of the "conscious" Hip Hop artist never name the names of those who really control the industry.. The third type of agent and the most destructive would be the agents of COINTEL-ego. These are the ones who show up at every meeting and disrupt it purely out of self interest. The next theory as to why Hip Hop has not changed has to do with interlocking relationships and conflicts of interest among black leaders and Hip Hop activists. The music industry is like a three headed dragon, each head representing the video channels, the radio stations and the artists, themselves. Unfortunately, most of the leaders to whom we look to be on point against the coonery of commercial Hip Hop are influenced by at least one of the entities which, despite the feel good speeches, makes them impotent when it comes to launching an effective campaign against the industry. For instance, suppose one leader can't go against the music video channels because he is scheduled to be on this year's Hip Hop Award Show. The next leader can't go against the major radio conglomerates because he has a show on one of the networks. And the last leader can't speak out against Hip Hop artists because millionaire gangsta rapper "Dr. Death" makes a yearly contribution to his organization. So, on some level, everyone responsible for the degradation of black culture is given a "ghetto pass." Another, barrier to changing Hip Hop lies within the propagation of myths that have been repeated since the late 80's but are rarely challenged. One of the most repeated is the myth of "balance" within Hip Hop, where the argument is that for every song that calls black women queens there must be one that calls them hoes. For every song that promotes healthy living there must be one that glorifies selling crack. And for every song that talks about saving the life of a black child there must be another song that promotes taking it. This is the nonsense that has been repeated for decades even though it goes against all scientific, philosophical and theological logic. It is a scientific fact that two objects cannot exist in the same place at the same time. So, scientifically speaking, good and evil, truth and lie, right and wrong will be constantly fighting for the control of space. Also, for a "conscious" community that can quote "The Art o War" and "48 Laws of Power," word for word, the question becomes, what military strategist goes into war with compromise as the end game strategy? Some have even used the MAATic balance as justification for allowing negativity in Hip Hop despite the fact that Anthony Browder in his book "Nile Valley Contributions of Civilization" states that, according to the principals of MAAT, in the final judgement, one's deeds are weighed against the weight of a feather. This same school of thought is repeated in most spiritual expressions of Afro-Asiatic origin. Perhaps the largest barrier against changing Hip Hop is Capitalism and its uncanny ability to absorb all opposition. As the saying goes absolute power corrupts absolutely. Capitalism can convince one that he can fight the power and be part of the power structure ,simultaneously. As Kwame Nkriumah wrote in his book "Consciencism," "running with the hare and hunting with the hounds is more than a past time to Capitalism, it is the hub of a complete strategy. What is most troubling is the fact that, compared with the other problems facing African people,globally, the assault on black culture would be the easiest to fight. In his essay "Rebellion or Revolution" Harold Cruse suggests that the "cultural front" is the weakest point in the armor of Capitalism. Cruse wrote, " the only observable way in which the Negro rebellion can become revolutionary in terms of American conditions is for the Negro movement to project the concept of cultural revolution in America." Dr. Claude Anderson echoes this sentiment in his book, "Black Labor, White Wealth, where he writes "the wealth and power of the music industry offer the most compelling reasons for blacks to recapture control of this cultural resource." So, the obvious question iafter all these years is, so, what's the problem? Dr. Frances Cress Welsing answers that in her book, the Isis Papers. The reason is fear and self doubt. Despite all of the revolutionary talk, many black folks are still mentally enslaved. As Dr. Cress Welsing wrote, "If we do not have confidence in our ability to make independent black analyses and Black plans for Black action, why should we talk about or seek Black liberation?" In 2011, we can no longer sit back passively while our culture goes to hell in a hand basket. The time for complaining without action is over. Either we are going to revolutionize Hip Hop and make it responsive to the needs of the people or we should all grab a 40 and a blunt, throw on a Gucci Mane CD and have a happy. The choice is ours. TRUTH Minista Paul Scott can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com Article courtesy of The Militant Mind Militia http://www.militantmindmilitia.com |
757 Event:ODU Intl Festival oppurtunity: 3/27/11 please come!
Looking for performers, vendors, and such for ODU's International Festival We are having our annual ODU International Festival on Sunday March 27 (it is free) from noon to 5pm at the big Ted Constant Center on Hampton Blvd. Over 33 countries participate and it is for the entire community as well as ODU students. Everyone is welcome! I would like to encourage you to perform for us too- on a b ig stage. (We do not pay you however.) I love your drumming sessions, or spoken word, singing, dancing etc. There will be several African American tables, I believe. If you wish to apply, please call the office of Intercultural Affairs at ODU at 683-5080 (Lesa Clark is in charge) and ask for the web site of the Intl Festival, then apply online . You must apply by March 14, in about two weeks...... We also need more displays-African, African American, Arab, Muslim, Caribbean, Latino etc. Do any of you have beautiful souvenirs from a foreign country, for example? or African American, Middle Eastern, Muslim or Latino artifacts? You would get one free table and two chairs. We also need more vendors : you would get one table free (with a second table for $11, I believe) if you are selling books, for example. Food vendors however have to pay a lot; call ODU for specifics on that please. If you have any questions, email me. But if you want to apply to participate, the best bet is to call the number above. They can also answer your questions at ODU. Merci, shukran (in Arabic), Christine Hoppe Multicultural Alliance of VA, Secy. Professor of French and Italian, ODU Colonial Place, Norfolk christine hoppe < cthoppe10@yahoo.com > |
Friday, February 18, 2011
M1 (Dead Prez) Speaks
Fantastic new interview with Bro. M1 of Dead Prez, check it out (it's only approx. 10 mins long and very well worth it!) as you know the Bro. is speaking truth to da people, as always!! |
Monday, February 14, 2011
Why the Heck Are you Celebrating Valentines Day?
Why the Heck Are you Celebrating Valentine's Day?
Imhotep All,
You know I was coming with some truth for you. Again as always, it's ok not to know, its shame not to want to know. They key is...once you do find out the truth do you keep doing the same thing which doesn't make sense or do you make a change for the better.
Now, I don't celebrate Valentine's day because I'm not going to let society and Capitalism tell me when I should shower that lady in my life with gifts of love and joy. If this person really is special to you, then the showering of love and gifts should not happen on a day Capitalist use to pimp your pockets of your finances.
On a side note, if people really knew the truth about Valentine's Day they'd think twice about celebrating it. I encourage folks to do some research and understand the truth behind exactly what it is that you are celebrating. Valentine's Day stems from Lupercalia who killed his girlfriend and stabbed her in the heart with an arrow out of a rage of jealousy.
Now, of course the Catholic Church changed the story around like they did with the pagan (Christmas and ST Nicholas story), that St. Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers.
Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death, therefore making him the CATHOLIC martyr St. Valentine.
So, know what you are celebrating because when you know the truth behind it you may become appalled (i.e. Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, etc...)
Ankh Uja Snb (Life, Health, Strength)
Asar Gary
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Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Cleaning for a Reason...Please pass along.
Hotep (peace & blessings) All,
Cleaning for a Reason...Please pass along.
If you know any woman currently undergoing chemotherapy, please pass the word to her that there is a cleaning service that provides FREE housecleaning - once per month for 4 months while she is in treatment. All she has to do is sign up and have her doctor fax a note confirming the treatment. Cleaning for a Reason will have a participating maid service in her zip code area arrange for the service.
This organization serves the entire USA and currently has 547 partners to help these women. It's our job to pass the word and let them know that there are people out there that care. Be a blessing to someone and pass this information along.
Great information. <http://www.cleaningforareason.org/>
Ray Parks
Director of Nutrition & Transportation Services
RRCSB - AAA
Amani (peace)
Asar Gary
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Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Our Bananas Displace Blacks in Columbia
Our Bananas, our people in ColumbiaSince early December, hundreds of private contractors of multinational banana corporation Banacol have illegally invaded and occupied Afro-Colombian peace communities in the Curvaradó river basin in order to clear the land for banana cultivation. Their actions have been supported and assisted by local paramilitaries, army soldiers and municipal governments.
The peace communities’ collective territory is protected under Colombia's Constitution and protective measures under the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
According to documents released by the Colombian human rights organization, Intereclesial Comisión de Justicia y Paz (Justicia y Paz) , Banacol workers are displacing vulnerable Afro-Colombian peace communities, thus enabling the corporation to occupy sections of communal, resource rich land. This violates the sovereignty of the long-standing communities, and puts them at risk for complete displacement from their collective territory in a country with almost 5 million internally displaced people. They are also bulldozing the subsistence farmers’ crops, destroying natural habitats and contaminating waterways.
Flyers posted in poor neighborhoods and communities across the northwestern part of the country lured the squatters into Curvaradó in the Urabá region of Chocó, Colombia. The flyers assured three months of paid living expenses, titles to 2.5-hectare plots, materials and pay to build settlements, and a contract with Banacol Inc. to grow bananas.
What the flyers didn’t include is that the Curvaradó territory is already inhabited by Afro-descendent communities, committed to maintain their collective territories, granted to them under law 70 of Colombia (1993), which recognizes and protects Afro-Colombians’ right to collectively own and occupy their ancestral territory.
The “bad-faith occupiers,” as the Curvaradó residents call them, are mainly made up of vulnerable individuals; some displaced by violence in other regions of the country, some farmers without land, and others recently unemployed by palm oil or banana plantations. Unfortunately, their vulnerable situations put them at risk to be taken advantage of by the corporate agenda, promising them “the good life”, and thus at risk to further impoverish other vulnerable communities for their gain. According to the ancestral inhabitants, the invaders admit that they collectively own the land, but contend to remain on the stolen plots because it is their only opportunity for work. Banacol, as so many other multinational corporations, has pitted these vulnerable populations against one another, putting them at higher risk of oppression.
The squatters say they expect to receive up to 180,000 pesos ($90 U.S.) for each hectare cleared. So far, according to Justicia y Paz, they have cleared-out over 200 hectares and built over 122 temporary huts and camps. The “bad-faith occupiers” are still arriving by the hundreds. Although the squatters would not identify who the money is coming from, the promised contracts with Banacol implicates them as the instigators and funders of an intended illegal displacement for profit.
The peace communities filed a legal complaint with the municipality of Carmen del Darién, but no response has been taken by local authorities thus far. The Carmen del Darién police ordered an eviction of the illegal occupiers, but then said that they do not have the resources to carry out such an action. The most recent demonstration of state support and collusion with the illegal occupation was the funneling of flood victims relief funds to the illegal land invaders by the Mayors Office in Carmen del Darién, according to Justicia y Paz.
History
These Afro-Colombian communities have lived in the region for generations, peacefully farming the land for subsistence. Chocó was a relatively low populated department of Colombia, with little conflict until the late 1990s, when violence erupted from the paramilitaries protecting large landowners from hovering guerrillas.
The paramilitaries protected certain properties, and attacked others, displacing thousands of indigenous, Afro-Colombians and mestizos in less than a decade, amidst the presence of a large military force.
Subsequently, demobilized paramilitaries and many survivors of the violence have testified to complete collusion of the military with the paramilitary that involved the sharing of information, weapons and even feet on the ground, to the extreme of the second shift idea in which military soldiers would work for the army by day and the paramilitaries by night.
One example of the military and paramilitary cooperation and collusion is Operation Genesis, the largest counter-guerrilla operation in Urabá during this period of violence between 1996-1997. Documentation of this state offensive shows that the Colombian army aerial bombed ancestral subsistence farming communities and immediately afterwards the paramilitaries entered on foot raiding, massacring, and burning the remains. In total, 140 innocent civilians were killed.
Since those mass violent displacements, palm oil plantations, extensive cattle ranches and banana companies have moved onto the vacant land, still protected by paramilitaries.
After ten years of living displaced in humiliating conditions, some of those displaced from the Curvaradó river basin decided to return to their land. The initial group was mainly mothers and children; the mothers determined to die for their ancestral lands if necessary.
As of today, approximately ten percent of the Curvaradó small-scale farming communities have organized themselves and nonviolently returned to their territory with the accompaniment and advocacy of national and international human rights organizations such as Justicia y Paz and Peace Brigades International.
With the territory as their history, the land is their only possible dignified future. Because their livelihood is tied to the land, some returned communities sought and received protective measures by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. With this protection, the communities’ plots are called Humanitarian Zones (living spaces) and Biodiversity Zones (native fauna and flora reserves). No armed actors, state or independent, are allowed within the premises of the zones, as a means to protect civilian life from the surrounding armed conflict.
Since their establishment, the communities have faced recurrent, rampant repression in the form of intimidations, death threats, political and media smear campaigns, and judicial frame-ups where they are accused of being guerrillas or guerrilla sympathizers.
Just last October Justicia y Paz received warning that a prosecutor in MedellÃn issued around twenty arrest warrants for Afro-descendant community leaders of Curvaradó. The anonymous source indicated that the warrants are based on the claim that the communities have been collaborating with the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – Ejército del Pueblo (FARC EP), and that there are plans for armed forces to plant weapons and guerrilla publications on community private property in order to provide false evidence for the case. No arrests have yet taken place, but the warrants are now an available tool in the defamation campaign.
Consequences of Occupation
This invasion puts the Afro-Colombian communities at increased risk for two reasons. The first is that it greatly diminishes the communities’ ability to cultivate subsistence crops, such as corn, rice, plantain and yucca, since the invaders are clear-cutting the area, many of their crops along with native flora is being killed. The farmland resides outside of the established humanitarian zones because of a legal loophole in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruling, that only protects the life and safety, and ability to live in their ancestral territory, and only advocates for their ability to subsist in their ancestral territory. This legal impediment places the farmland outside of protective measures, making the crops more difficult to physically and legally protect. If the people have nothing to eat, they have to leave their homes to find food. And because they are subsistence farmers, they have no other immediate sources of income to supplement their diet.
The second reason is that such a drastic shift in the local population, with an average of fifty people in each humanitarian zone, greatly affects elections, which ultimately decide the fate of these communities.
Article four of Law 70 of Colombia (1993) specifically gives authority to and protects “Community Councils” as the governing body of each community. The establishment of this Community Council makes the community legally recognized and able to receive and occupy its collective, ancestral territory. As stated in article four, “…other functions of the Community Councils are: to watch over the conservation and protection of the rights of collective property, the preservation of cultural identity, the use and conservation of natural resources; to identify a legal representative from the respective community as their legal entity, and to act as friendly conciliators in workable internal conflicts.”
Because of continual disputes concerning who is the real regional community council in Curvaradó, a census has been ordered to establish who is living and subsisting in the collective territory. After the census is complete there will be regional elections for the regional community council (Curvaradó), to verify that the authentic inhabitants support the current, legally recognized community council.
With all the new “inhabitants” in Curvaradó, because of the land invasion and occupation, the elections could be substantially swayed by whatever their suspected funders, Banacol, want. Therefore, the ancestral inhabitants would also lose their power over their collective property, cultural identity, natural resources, and legal representation.
Banacol's Bloody Bananas
The Colombian tropical fruit company Banacol bought all of Chiquita Brands Inc.'a Colombia banana plantations back in 2004, while accusations were mounting that Chiquita was funding the paramilitary group the A.U.C. (United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia). This purchase made Banacol the largest banana producer in Colombia. Chiquita pled guilty in 2007 to the felony, “Engaging in Transactions with a specifically designated Global Terrorist,” admitting to funneling funds to the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC) through its subsidiary Banadex Inc. (now Banacol), from 1997 through 2004, totaling 1.7 million.
This all took place in the same Urabá region where Curvaradó is located.
According to reporting done by El Espectador, a Colombian newspaper, the Colombian prosecutor’s office found that Chiquita Brands Inc. acquired two cover companies to continue their relationship with the A.U.C.: Invesmar, by means of Banacol Inc. and Olinsa Inc. The Prosecutor’s Office even has testimony of a former A.U.C. member, alleging that Banacol Inc. paid his group three million pesos. The Attorney General’s Office investigated the claim by reviewing Banacol Inc.’s accounting records and found funds given to terrorist groups.
Natalia Springer of El Tiempo, Colombia's most prominent newspaper, reported that Banacol paid taxes to a local death squad to protect their plantations and profit, thus reaping the bloody benefits of their purchased paramilitary violence.
Through interviews with ex-paramilitaries and banana businessmen, Springer found that in late 1997, with high paramilitary violence across Colombia, banana corporations operating in the country met to strategize a collective approach to interacting with the country's powerful and growing right wing paramilitary death squads. According to Springer’s interviews with the former AUC leader Salvatore Mancuso, “Chiquita Brands Inc., Dole, Banacol, Uniban, Proban, and Del Monte all entered into this agreement. They paid us one cent for every box of bananas that left the country.”
Banacol and their paramilitary allies are being assisted by the U.S. supported Colombian government to occupy the sovereign Afro-Colombian territory, clear-cut natural habitat, and displace peasant farmers in order to produce and export bananas for profit.
The more the international community allows multinational corporations to exploit our brothers and sisters, and our environment in this way, the more we allow them to exploit all of us.
We need to put tremendous international pressure on Banacol Inc. through public denouncements and boycotts, and on the Colombian government by U.S. representatives to hold corporations accountable to Colombian law, so that these ancestral Afro-Colombian communities will not again be displaced and desolated by death squads for the profit of the multinational Banacol Inc.
Megan Felt is a Catholic Worker in Des Moines, Iowa, and an international human rights activist. She has traveled throughout Latin America, most recently to Colombia. She has been to Colombia three times for human rights work and anthropological research, each time accompanying the Afro-Colombian peace communities focused on in the above article.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The Wedding Masters (Hampton Roads Virginia)
This is a sponsored advertisement from a sponsor of The Imani Foundation
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Black owned company presents an event for companies who market their services to Virginia's wedding market. Contact Monica @ monica_f_bond@hotmail.com or call 757-515-5699, or visit http://happilyeverafter.be/theweddingmasters.html to inquire about participation.
.Black owned company presents an event for companies who market their services to Virginia's wedding market. Contact Monica @ monica_f_bond@hotmail.com or call 757-515-5699, or visit http://happilyeverafter.be/theweddingmasters.html to inquire about participation.
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