Revolutionary Action in Afrika

[afrikaNOW]

This board seems to be swamped with love for revolutionary movements in Latin America, and hardly no discussions about revolutionary actions being taken in Afrika. Hopefully, i can bring awareness about the class struggle in afrika to those who are ignorant. Here for example, is what is going on in Nigeria, particular the militant action taken by the comrades in the Niger Delta region.


Nigerian youths seize oil station

Some communities seek compensation via armed action
Young men armed with Kalashnikovs have seized one of Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell's flow stations in the Niger Delta region, Nigerian police say.
Army guards were kidnapped earlier when the crude oil pumping installation near Nun River in Bayelsa state was stormed.

Security sources said it was because of a local dispute between the oil company and a nearby local community, rather than any broader militant action.

Fuelled by poverty and anger, violence erupts easily in the weapon-rife area.

The BBC's reporter in Lagos, Alex Last, says the oil companies regularly sign memorandums of understanding with local communities, offering money, contracts or services to appease local deep-seated anger at the exploitation of their land by the oil industry.

Despite the government receiving billions of dollars in oil revenues, it has failed to provide basic services in the communities where the oil is produced.

Many communities feel that the best way to get swift compensation is to get an armed group to attack an oil installation, our correspondent says.

Last month, President Olusegun Obasanjo promised strong action to curb armed groups in the Niger Delta.

bbc.co.uk

[CheRev]

Thanks for the update AfrikaNow.

You´re right about the lack of talk about African revolutionary actions on revleft. Not sure what the reason is, I guess it´s partly to do with the media at large. The media in Latin America seems to be more developed and as such we receive more of their news. It´s also on the US´s doorstep so maybe it´s perceived as being more´important´.

Looking forward to hearing more about leftists actions in Africa...

[OneBrickOneVoice]

interesting... you're right. Probably because Latin American movements are just larger at this moment. Could you give us more of a link than bbc.co.uk? That would be cool thanx

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

While there is probably a little bit of a trend of ignoring African struggles here, I think the reason is just that alot more is happening (speaking of worker and farmers' movements) right now in Latin America than any other region in the world.

The Nigeria conflict has been ongoing, and some of the newer groups to emerge in the delta seem very promising. We had some threads about actions taken there a short while ago.

[Rawthentic]

Isnt the FPM in Nigeria? What kinds of actions is it taking out?

[afrikaNOW]

Originally posted by Compañ[email protected] 11 2006, 02:49 AM
While there is probably a little bit of a trend of ignoring African struggles here, I think the reason is just that alot more is happening (speaking of worker and farmers' movements) right now in Latin America than any other region in the world.

The Nigeria conflict has been ongoing, and some of the newer groups to emerge in the delta seem very promising. We had some threads about actions taken there a short while ago.
Not even. Let's be straight forward. It's not a small trend as in as a coincidence or as if not alot of revoltionary struggle is happening in Afrika. It's either people choose to ignore it or do not know of it. There are not only countless threads about the Oaxaca Commune but also a seperate forum for it. People tend to get excited when revolutionary struggle happens in Latin America or Europe, but not Afrika. If a revolutionary militant orgarnization took over oil refineries or a mine in Latin America, the board would be flooded with posts about the event, but when it happens in Afrika, there is barely any discussion. There are lots of worker and farmer movements going on in Afrika, there is class struggle, there is peasant and proleteriat movements, there is militant revolutionary struggle, and yet noone is discussing these issues. Yes, the Nigeria conflict has been ongoing, but has anyone been discussing these events in specific Nigerian/Afrikan threads? No.

Stop overlooking the struggle of Afrikans, whether from the continent, the caribbean, or America. Stop.

Do you want a world revolution?Or do you want revolution only in America, Europe and Latin America? If you want world revolution and freedom from all, then you need to stop ignoring and downplaying the struggle in Afrika and recognize that Afrika is a key component in world revolution.


Ready for Revolution
Forward forever

[YSR]

Dude, fairly confident that people want revolution everywhere. It's just that an overwhelming majority of people here are from Europe or the Americas. So we tend to focus on these places.

But you are certainly correct in your overall analysis. The modern left tends to be very Eurocentric. The development of revolutionary consciousness regarding Latin America is actually reasonably recent.

[Tekun]

Of course everyone wants a world revolution...however, I think that most tend to overlook Africa due to the lack of organizations and the scarcity of such actions
Ever since the MPLA, I've heard very lil of socialism in Africa
Though Im not deterred...

But yeah, the ppl of Nigeria and of all Africa are slowly but surely gaining strength and sooner or later they're gonna explode, and heads will roll, cappie heads that is

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

Not even. Let's be straight forward. It's not a small trend as in as a coincidence or as if not alot of revoltionary struggle is happening in Afrika. It's either people choose to ignore it or do not know of it. There are not only countless threads about the Oaxaca Commune but also a seperate forum for it. People tend to get excited when revolutionary struggle happens in Latin America or Europe, but not Afrika.

Okay, let's examine the example you gave. In Oaxaca, a teachers strike turned into an open rebellion of workers and farmers, who seized control of the state capital. That's a major event, and it's under the extreme threat of (another) bloody crackdown. If something similar to this occurs in Africa, I'm sure we'll react in the same way.


If a revolutionary militant orgarnization took over oil refineries or a mine in Latin America, the board would be flooded with posts about the event, but when it happens in Afrika, there is barely any discussion. There are lots of worker and farmer movements going on in Afrika, there is class struggle, there is peasant and proleteriat movements, there is militant revolutionary struggle, and yet noone is discussing these issues.

I agree to an extent. Many struggles in Africa are written off, usually by the ultra-leftists of the board who are waiting for a "pure revolution" to occur in the imperialist states.

There should be more coverage of the movements in the Delta of Nigeria for example. You should make posts about the situation. People need to be made aware of what's going on. That sort of thing can encourage people to research the situation, and in turn may spark more posts on the subject.

Look at Oaxaca! Most people here didn't even know anything was going on until a small number of members began posting threads on it.

But there is also a lack of revolutionary actions, not only in Africa, but in many areas, and that too contributes to the lack of discussion here.

And finally, alot of people are so used to reactionary cliques battling it out in certain parts of the world (the Congo, for example) that they don't realize it when an armed body of workers' and farmers' rises.


Yes, the Nigeria conflict has been ongoing, but has anyone been discussing these events in specific Nigerian/Afrikan threads? No.

Actually, yes, as I previously mentioned.

One on the Delta rebellion (http://www.revolutionaryleft.com/index.php?showtopic=46435&hl=)
One on a Nigerian army attack on the Delta rebels (http://www.revolutionaryleft.com/index.php?showtopic=46451&hl=)
One on Nigeria giving up Charles Taylor (http://www.revolutionaryleft.com/index.php?showtopic=47894&hl=)

And here's a recent thread on Dafur (http://www.revolutionaryleft.com/index.php?showtopic=56206&hl=nigeria)
One talking about Uganda (http://www.revolutionaryleft.com/index.php?showtopic=56117&hl=nigeria)
One on the Ethiopia / Somalia conflict (http://www.revolutionaryleft.com/index.php?showtopic=53017&hl=)
One on the Soweto uprising in S. Africa (http://www.revolutionaryleft.com/index.php?showtopic=52148&hl=)
One on the "peace keeping" mission in the Congo (http://www.revolutionaryleft.com/index.php?showtopic=46870&hl=)
One about the capitalist-created famine in the Horn of Africa (http://www.revolutionaryleft.com/index.php?showtopic=46626&hl=)
One on Christian-extremists in Uganda (http://www.revolutionaryleft.com/index.php?showtopic=55664&hl=africa)
An intersting one on recent events in S. Africa (http://www.revolutionaryleft.com/index.php?showtopic=54779&hl=)
One on Apartheid in S. Africa (http://www.revolutionaryleft.com/index.php?showtopic=51334&hl=)
One on Libya (http://www.revolutionaryleft.com/index.php?showtopic=50044&hl=)
One on KK (http://www.revolutionaryleft.com/index.php?showtopic=50407&hl=)

There are others...


Stop overlooking the struggle of Afrikans, whether from the continent, the caribbean, or America. Stop.

Like I said, there is a bit of a trend of that; but if you want to counter it, here at least, then start creating threads about struggles in Africa, to make people more aware of what's going on.

An on the Caribbean, there are plenty of threads about the Dominican Republic and Cuba.. Some about Haiti too.. There have been threads on the revolution in Grenada.. There should be more coverage on the English and French-speaking islands, but there just isn't alot going on in the way of workers' revolution..


Do you want a world revolution?Or do you want revolution only in America, Europe and Latin America? If you want world revolution and freedom from all, then you need to stop ignoring and downplaying the struggle in Afrika and recognize that Afrika is a key component in world revolution.

I don't think anyone -- certainly not I -- besides a few ultra-leftists, rejects the fact that Africa is an integral part of the world revolution. As a continent made up entirely of imperialist-oppressed countries, it is very important, and will be a scene of major struggles.

The truth is, however, like I said, that there just isn't as much going on in Africa as there is Latin America right now.

Not alot of people are mentioning East Asia right now either, but you didn't bring that up. Months ago, when the Maoists were on the rise in Nepal, there were alot of threads about the region.

Look, I dig it if you have a special interest in Africa, but I don't think it's being purposely ignored. I just think more light needs to be shed on the continent by people who are up on things there.

[Karl Marx's Camel]

Of course everyone wants a world revolution...

Who is "everyone"?

[rouchambeau]

Everyone that matters. =P

[Raj Radical]

Just curious, why do you spell Afri"k"a that way?

[afrikaNOW]

Why spell Afrika with a K?
Posted: February 17, 2002
An analysis by
Dr. Kwame Nantambu

According to the Afrikan-American poet and writer Haki Madhubuti in his From Plan to Planet (1973), there are basically four reasons to spell Afrika with a K.

They are:
1. Most vernacular or traditional languages on the Continent spell Afrika with a K. K is germane to Afrika.

2. Europeans particularly the Portuguese and British, polutted Afrikan languages by substituting 'C' whenever they saw 'K' or heard the 'K' sound B as in Kongo and Congo, Akkra and Accra, Konakri and Conakry B by substituting Q whenever they saw KW. No European language outside of Dutch and German has the hard 'C' sound. Thus, we see the Dutch in Azania calling and spelling themselves Afrikaaners.

We are not certain of the origin of the name Afrika, but we are sure the name spelled with 'C' came into use when Afrikans were dispersed over the world. There the 'K' symbolizes our coming back together again.

3. The 'K' symbolizes a kind of Lingua Afrikana, coming into use along with such words and phrases as Habari Gani, Osagyefo, Uhuru, Asante, together constituting one political language, although coming from more than one Afrikan language.

4. As long as Afrikan languages are translated (written) into English, etc., the European alphabet will be used. This is the problem. The letter 'K' as with the letter 'C', is part of that alphabet, and at some point must be totally discontinued with the original name of Afrika used. The fact that Boers (peasants) in Azania also use the 'K', as in Afrikan to represent the hard 'C' sound demonstrates one of the confinements of the alphabet. Azania is the original name for South Afrika.

Shem Hotep ("I go in peace").

Dr. Nantambu is an Associate Professor, Dept. of Pan-African Studies, Kent State University, U.S.A.

[Phalanx]

I admit I'm shamefully inadequate when it comes to modern African revolutionary movements. If you've got information, please share it. The vast majority of us are ready and willing to learn about struggles other than our own.

[afrikaNOW]

A series of recent government clashes with Niger Delta militants has
displayed the difficulties in solving the delta crisis through the use
of force. After Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo's August 15 order
for security services to use "force for force" against the militants,
the military increased its operations in the delta.

These operations, however, have revealed the inherent difficulties in
fighting an enemy that uses guerrilla-style tactics and is indigenous to
the region. On October 2, for example, 15 government soldiers were
escorting a group of barges that belonged to oil company Royal Dutch
Shell in Cawthorne Channel in Rivers State.

The convoy of ships was ambushed by militants at a bend in the sea and
five soldiers were killed (Vanguard, October 7; AFP, October 11). The
militants captured a barge of diesel fuel and kidnapped 25 Shell
workers. Major Sagir Musa, the public relations officer for the army,
explained that approximately 70 militants in six boats encircled the
soldiers and quickly began firing on the convoy.

According to Musa, "It was a surprise attack. Our soldiers were 15 and
the militants were 70…At a narrow corner on the sea, unknown to the
soldiers, the boys [militants] had laid ambush. The soldiers were not
seeing ahead because of the bend" (Vanguard, October 7).

In a region like the delta, with its vast swamps, dense mangroves and
maze-like waterways, knowledge of the terrain is a decisive advantage.
The militants consist of men from the Ijaw ethnic group, which is
indigenous to the delta. This allows them to wage a low-scale conflict
by choosing their targets judiciously and commencing attacks on their
own terms.

Additionally, because the government is not waging a full-scale war in
the delta, their security patrols contain small contingents of men,
allowing the militants to overwhelm them numerically during ambushes.
These guerrilla methods reduce the losses to the militants' ranks and
increase their opportunities for successful operations. Musa further
explained these difficulties: "some soldiers are not used to the
geography of the waters.

The militants were born here…some soldiers' experience had been that
when you followed a route in the water, by the time you're coming back,
that route would have already been blocked. Fighting in an area where
you are not knowledgeable can be a problem. Besides, the militants
always outnumber the soldiers deployed to locations" (Vanguard, October
7).

In addition to these clashes, delta militants have engaged in a series
of brazen kidnappings in recent weeks. On October 3, for example, 18
militants stormed the Esa Akpan Estate in Eket, in eastern Akwa Ibom
state, and kidnapped seven expatriate workers.

The workers were sub-contracted to an Exxon-Mobile facility. As part of
the kidnapping, the militants killed two security guards on duty, and
then disappeared with the hostages into the Eket-Etinan swamp before
police arrived on the scene. The operation was significant since
militants have rarely stormed expatriate residential compounds (This
Day, October 5).

Unable to confront the militants directly, the security forces have
responded by mass arrests in some cases, and the razing of villages in
others. On October 5, for example, the army allegedly razed the Ijaw
village of Elem-Tombia in Rivers state. The destruction of communities
often increases local anger against the government, thus adding
indigenous support to the various local militant groups.

Overall, the situation in the delta shows no sign of improvement. In
fact, it may regress further as national elections approach in 2007;
during past election years, politicians have armed and funded criminal
and separatist groups in exchange for the intimidation of their
opponents, which is part of the reason why the delta is so unstable
today.

One of the main Ijaw militant groups leading the insurgency, the
Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, said in an early
October statement that its goal "remains the destruction of the Nigerian
oil industry and all who stand on the pathway to our objective," warning
that a "worst-case scenario" could result in a one to two year shutdown
of Nigeria's oil industry in the delta

[afrikaNOW]

Attack on Nigeria oil facilities
Map
A group of protesters have invaded three Shell oil stations in the Niger Delta, forcing the facilities to be shut down, the company said.

The demonstrators are accusing the oil giant of failing to fulfil an agreement to provide them with aid.

Shell refused to say how much oil had been cut off following the attack.

Militant groups have stepped up attacks on oil facilities in the region in recent months, demanding more local control of oil wealth for residents.

Shell said members of the Kula community living near the company's Ekulama 1, Ekulama 2 and Belema oil pumping stations had invaded the facilities.

Chevron also shut down its platform in the same area as a precaution.

A Chevron spokesman in Nigeria, Femi Odumabo, said government officials in charge of the area were holding negotiations with the protesters to address their problems.

Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil producer but militants have been demanding a greater share of the oil wealth for locals in the Niger Delta.

On Saturday seven oil workers - including four Britons - were freed after being held hostage in Nigeria.

The men were captured on 3 October when gunmen raided one of Exxon Mobil's residential compounds housing expatriate workers in the Niger Delta.