AfricaNow! March 5, 2025 Gerald Horne on Armed Struggle, & Update on the DRC

Topics and Guests: Today the show features a portion of a recent discussion by Dr. Gerald Horne at Sankofa Video and Books.  The conversation centered around Dr. Gerald Horne’s new publication Armed Struggle? Panthers and Communists; Black Nationalists and Liberals in Southern California through the Sixties and Seventies.  In the book Gerald Horne sketches the apparent paradox of some African Americans turning to armed struggle at a time when it appeared that Jim Crow was retreating.  He draws critical distinctions between armed propaganda, armed self-defense—and armed struggle— all of which he places in a global context of anti-war activism, the Cold War, and African liberation.  Professor Gerald Horne is currently the John J. and Rebecca Moores Chair of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston.  Dr. Horne has written nearly 40 books dealing with the confluence of African American History, Communist History, the struggle for liberation, internationalism, imperialism, colonialism, racism, white supremacy, and fascism.  The conversation features an introduction by Dr. Gregg Carr of Howard University and interventions by filmmaker/educator Dr. Haile Gerima of Sankofa. (the full conversation is on Sankofa’s YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x59ltOV2ELE&t=2970s)

As we commemorate Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day on March 8 and following up from our show last week, Maurice Carney, Executive Director and co-founder of Friends of the Congo provides an update on the DRC–focusing on violence against women during the M23 takeover of Bukavu and Goma in DRC.

MUSIC ON THE SHOW: intro--“AFRICA” BY ALICE COLTRANE; break--“JARABI” BY SONA JOBARTEH; intro to update on DRC--“NOT YET UHURU” BY LETTA MBULU; sign-off--“SUFFRI” BY NNEKA; closing--“ALUTA CONTINUA” BY MIRIAM MAKEBA remembering her birthday (March 4, 1932–November 9, 2008).

Support AfricaNow! and your community station WPFW.  Donate online: visit https://pledge.wpfwfm.org/index.php and then on Step 1: Contribution scroll down to AfricaNow! to make your donation to the show. Or on our CashApp, which is $WPFWFM write it is for AfricaNow! and include your email address. Thank you.

Originally broadcast on WPFW 89.3FM, Washington, DC. Tune into AfricaNow! live on WPFW 89.3 FM in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area or visit www.wpfwfm.org on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 2:00PM (U.S. Eastern).

Photo by AfricaNow! of protest at Rwanda Embassy in Washington, DC Feb. 1, 2025. Book cover of Armed Struggle? Panthers and Communists; Black Nationalists and Liberals in Southern California through the Sixties and Seventies by Gerald Horne.

AfricaNow! Mar. 5, 2025 Gerald Horne on Armed Struggle, & Update on the DRC

AfricaNow! March 19, 2025 Freedom Summer, Fascist Winter

Topic and Guests: Today we feature a conversation with Dr. Felicia Denaud and Dr. Joshua Myers.  The discussion focuses on their project–Freedom Summer, Fascist Winter: Black Power 1960-1970.  The project focuses on Black Power politics across the revolutionary 1960s.  As the project description states: Black Power remains a vital context of 20th century struggle and argument, summarizing a range of global activity and thinking linked by a fundamental critique of the West, racial/ colonial rule, and capitalism.  Black Power networks prioritized self-determination and militant struggle though differed widely in the forms of political community toward which they advanced.  Highlighted in this work are key organizations including the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense (BPP), and the Black Liberation Army (BLA).    

Dr. Felicia Denaud, Assistant Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Cincinnati teaching a range of courses that center Black social and political thought.  Dr. Joshua M. Myers, Associate Professor of Africana Studies at Howard University and is a member of AfricaNow!’s and Africa World Now Project’s collective and has published extensively on Black Studies.

MUSIC ON THE SHOW: intro--“BABA AFRIKA!” BY CHRISTINE KAMAU; break--“KURIMA” BY CHIWONISO MARAIRE; sign-off--“FORTIFY” BY NUBYA GARCIA; closing--“WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED” BY SNCC FREEDOM SINGERS at the March on Washington, August 28, 1963.

Support AfricaNow! and your community station WPFW.  Donate online: visit https://pledge.wpfwfm.org/index.php and then on Step 1: Contribution scroll down to AfricaNow! to make your donation to the show. Or on our CashApp, which is $WPFWFM write it is for AfricaNow! and include your email address. Thank you.

Originally broadcast on WPFW 89.3FM, Washington, DC. Tune into AfricaNow! live on WPFW 89.3 FM in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area or visit www.wpfwfm.org on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 2:00PM (U.S. Eastern).

Photos from: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/seminar-freedom-summer-fascist-winter-black-power-19601970-tickets-1220860640039, https://www.freedomforum.org/content/uploads/2024/05/1200x785_column_052124_G21798P-1024x670.jpg, https://mcrm.mdah.ms.gov/sites/default/files/2023-03/ETKS0812209.jpg, https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/api/singleitem/image/p15932coll2/13320/default.jpg, https://content.wisconsinhistory.org/digital/api/singleitem/image/p15932coll2/50224/default.jpg?highlightTerms=Student%20Nonviolent%20Coordinating%20Committee%20(U.S.), https://www.crmvet.org/images/imgfs.htm

AfricaNow! Mar. 19, 2025 Freedom Summer, Fascist Winter

AfricaNow! March 26, 2025 Voices of Conscience, Courage & Resistance

Topic and Guests: As we come near the end of Women’s History Month, AfricaNow! goes into its archive and highlights the voices of conscience, courage and resistance of Dr. Wangari Maathai, Gloria Rolando and Professor Sonia Sanchez.  We begin with an interview of Dr. Wangari Maathai,  the founder of the Green Belt Movement of Kenya, the first environmentalist and first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. This coming April 1 Wangari Maathai—who joined the ancestors on September 25, 2011—would have been 85 years old (April 1, 1940–September 25, 2011).  The show presents a conversation between WPFW’s former Public Affairs Director Gloria Minott and Dr. Maathai on October 7, 2008.  The show also features filmmaker Gloria Rolando as AfricaNow! continues to commemorate Women’s History Month with voices of conscience, courage and resistance from our archive (AfricaNow! June 3, 2015). As an independent filmmaker Gloria Rolando's career spans over 40 years at ICAIC, Cuba's film center. 
 
AfricaNow! also features a brief discussion by Professor Sonia Sanchez–poet, playwright, activist; seminal figure in the 1960s Black Arts Movement; mentor to generations of poets and hip-hop artists. This talk took place on Friday, August 19, 2016 soon after the screening of BADDDDDD SONIA SANCHEZ on the opening night of the 10th Annual African Diaspora International Film Festival DC. Also in the brief conversation is the director of film BADDDDDD SONIA SANCHEZ Sabrina Schmidt Gordon, and the moderator is Diarah N’Daw-Spech Co-Founder and Co-Director of the African Diaspora International Film Festival.

MUSIC ON THE SHOW: intro--“CONUNDRUM” BY KASIVA MUTUA; intro to Gloria Rolando segment--“KURIMA” BY CHIWONISO MARAIRE; intro to Sonia Sanchez segment--“LEKELA MUADI” BY TSHALA MUANA; sign-off--“NUMBER ONE” BY PATRICE RUSHEN; closing--“THINK” BY ARETHA FRANKLIN (March 25, 1942–August 16, 2018) remembering her birthday and commemorating Women’s History Month.

Support AfricaNow! and your community station WPFW.  Donate online: visit https://pledge.wpfwfm.org/index.php and then on Step 1: Contribution scroll down to AfricaNow! to make your donation to the show. Or on our CashApp, which is $WPFWFM write it is for AfricaNow! and include your email address. Thank you.

Originally broadcast on WPFW 89.3FM, Washington, DC. Tune into AfricaNow! live on WPFW 89.3 FM in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area or visit www.wpfwfm.org on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 2:00PM (U.S. Eastern).

Photos from: https://x.com/NobelPrize/status/1774678351166222621?lang=en  https://i.thriftbooks.com/api/imagehandler/m/2F88D54188DD8F1D27ED649AE52CBA3B69E747D5.jpeg https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=841590537638817&set=a.306780931119783 https://images.app.goo.gl/tkhkxbZgrGfYZwew7 https://soniasanchez.net/bio/ https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1492824745i/727394.jpg

AfricaNow! Mar. 26, 2025 Voices of Conscience, Courage & Resistance

AfricaNow! April 2, 2025 The Rhythms of Black Freedom: Africa and Black Internationalism

Topic and Guest: As we begin Jazz Appreciation Month, the show goes into its archives and features a conversation from 2022 (AfricaNow! March 2, 2022 The Rhythms of Black Freedom: Africa and Black Internationalism) with Professor Tom Porter former member of CORE (the Congress of Racial Equality), SNCC (the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), former head of the King Center in Atlanta, former Director of Black Studies at Ohio University, former WPFW Program Director and more. The discussion between Professor Tom Porter and AfricaNow!’s Co-Host and Executive Producer James Pope explores the rhythms of movement, the manifestations of the global Black Freedom Struggle, the impact of Black classical music in the struggle, programs of freedom, conceptualization of human rights which were/is directly related to the temporal conditions produced from various forms of colonialism, slavery, Apartheid, Jim Crow, etc., institution building, Black radical thought and Black internationalism.

Professor Porter is the embodiment of the concept organizer-intellectual; a former member of CORE (the Congress of Racial Equality) ... SNCC (the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) … head of the King Center in Atlanta … former strategist and adviser to Jesse Jackson’s presidential campaign … former Director of Black Studies [Ohio University] … Dean at Antioch Graduate Center in Washington DC ... program director and longtime radio host, jazz critic, sociopolitical theorist [specifically Black radical thought] ... author and organizer. Professor Porter can be firmly placed in the tradition of Black organic intellectuals and political philosophers.

This conversation was a collaboration between Africa World Now Project and WSSU's Office of International Programs, a contribution of People of African Descent to global society, justice, freedom.

MUSIC ON THE SHOW: intro--“AFRICA” BY THE JOHN COLTRANE QUARTET commemorating Jazz Appreciation Month; break--“THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED” BY GIL SCOTT-HERON (April 1, 1949–May 27, 2011) remembering his birthday; sign-off--“PATIENCE” BY HUGH MASEKELA (April 4, 1939–January 23, 2018) remembering his birthday and commemorating Jazz Appreciation Month; closing--“GOD BLESS THE CHILD” BY BILLIE HOLIDAY (April 7, 1915–July 17, 1959) remembering her birthday and commemorating Jazz Appreciation Month.

Support AfricaNow! and your community station WPFW.  Donate online: visit https://pledge.wpfwfm.org/index.php and then on Step 1: Contribution scroll down to AfricaNow! to make your donation to the show. Or on our CashApp, which is $WPFWFM write it is for AfricaNow! and include your email address. Thank you.

Originally broadcast on WPFW 89.3FM, Washington, DC. Tune into AfricaNow! live on WPFW 89.3 FM in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area or visit www.wpfwfm.org on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 2:00PM (U.S. Eastern).

AfricaNow! Apr. 2, 2025 The Rhythms of Black Freedom--Africa and Black Internationalism

AfricaNow! April 9, 2025 Poetry’s Tradition in Action in Challenging Times

Topic and Guests: April is National Poetry Month.  Thus today the show features a conversation with Zein El-Amine who as you might know is the Host and Producer of Shay wa Nana–which airs here on WPFW after AfricaNow! on Wednesdays at 2PM.  Zeine El-Amine is a poet, spoken word artist, writer and Adjunct Professor at American University.  The conversation reflects on the role and tradition of a poet or spoken word artist in speaking truth to power, Zein El-Amine’s influences and more.  

We continue commemorating National Poetry Month with poetry from our archives.  The show features literary activist, short story writer and poet Kadija Sesay a.k.a Kadija George with the poem "THE REALITY OF THE ATLAS."  (The Reality of The Atlas by Kadija Sesay on AfricaNow! Apr. 10, 2013)  Also on today's AfricaNow! is the poetry from poet, writer, songwriter, educator and actress Anna Mwalagho. The poem is “DON’T GIVE UP.”

MUSIC ON THE SHOW: intro--“MARRAKECH BLUES” BY RANDY WESTON (April 6, 1926–September 1, 2018) remembering his birthday April 6 and commemorating Jazz Appreciation Month; break--“MAIDEN VOYAGE” BY HERBIE HANCOCK (April 12, 1940–) remembering his birthday April 12 and commemorating Jazz Appreciation Month Herbie Hancock; intro Kadija Sesay poem--“KURIMA” BY CHIWONISO MARAIRE; background to Kadija Sesay poem & intro Anna Mwalagho poem--“AFRICANO” BY EARTH, WIND & FIRE the song appeared on the album “THAT’S THE WAY OF WORLD” by Earth, Wind & Fire released on March 3, 1975,  50 years ago; sign-off--“AFRICAN PEOPLE” BY CHRISTINE KAMAU commemorating Jazz Appreciation Month; closing--“KANA SON” BY AMADOU & MIRIAM–remembering Amadou Bagayoko (October 24, 1954–April 4, 2025) who joined the ancestors on April 4, 2025.  He was part of the musical duo Amadou & Mariam. Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia were also a married couple.  May Amadou Bagayoko rest in peace and power.

Support AfricaNow! and your community station WPFW.  Donate online: visit https://pledge.wpfwfm.org/index.php and then on Step 1: Contribution scroll down to AfricaNow! to make your donation to the show. Or on our CashApp, which is $WPFWFM write it is for AfricaNow! and include your email address. Thank you.

Originally broadcast on WPFW 89.3FM, Washington, DC. Tune into AfricaNow! live on WPFW 89.3 FM in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area or visit www.wpfwfm.org on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 2:00PM (U.S. Eastern).

AfricaNow! Apr. 9, 2025 Poetry’s Tradition in Action in Challenging Times

AfricaNow! April 30, 2025 On Fanon with Lou Turner

Topic and Guest: This year on July 20 Frantz Fanon would have turned 100 years old.  As we commemorate 100 years of Frantz Fanon (July 20, 1925-December 6, 1961) the discussion with Professor Lou Turner dissects the revolutionary, anti-colonial theorist's ideas in the context of this present socio-political climate.  The conversation with AfricaNow!’s Executive Producer and Co-Host James Pope and Lou Turner touches on the possibilities of activists at this particular moment putting into practise Fanon’s revolutionary ideas.  The discussion also explores continuities in Fanon’s ideas in movements such as the Black Power Movement in the U.S., the Black Consciousness Movement in South Africa and more.

Lou Turner who has written extensively on Frantz Fanon is Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Illinois (UIUC), and former Academic Advisor and Curriculum Coordinator, Department of African American Studies at the University of Illinois (2008-2017). Professor Lou Turner is co-author with John Allan of Frantz Fanon, Soweto and American Black Thought (1978; 1986).  Lou Turner is co-author and contributor with Professor and Counseling Psychologist Helen Neville to a collection of writings for Routledge Press on Fanonian psychotherapeutic practices entitled, Frantz Fanon’s Psychotherapeutic Approaches to Clinical Work: Practicing Internationally with Marginalized Communities (2020).  Lou Turner is also co-author of an Introduction to Critical Black Studies textbook with Professor Sundiata Cha-Jua. 

MUSIC ON THE SHOW: intro--“ALL AFRICA” BY MAX ROACH commemorating Jazz Appreciation Month & International Jazz Day April 30.; break--“FLEURETTE AFRICAINE (AFRICAN FLOWER)” BY DUKE ELLINGTON (April 29, 1899–May 24, 1974) remembering Duke Ellington’s birthday and commemorating Jazz Appreciation Month; sign-off--“CHUCHO STEPS” BY CHUCHO VALDÉS & KENNY GARRETT commemorating Jazz Appreciation Month & International Jazz Day April 30; closing--“ABYSSINIA” BY THANDI NTULI commemorating Jazz Appreciation Month & International Jazz Day April 30.

Support AfricaNow! and your community station WPFW during our Spring Pledge Drive May 3-19, 2025.  Donate online: visit https://pledge.wpfwfm.org/index.php and then on Step 1: Contribution scroll down to AfricaNow! to make your donation to the show. You can also text to donate by simply texting WPFWFM (not case sensitive) to 801801 and then follow the instructions. Or on our CashApp, which is $WPFWFM write it is for AfricaNow! and include your email address. Thank you.  

Originally broadcast on WPFW 89.3FM, Washington, DC. Tune into AfricaNow! live on WPFW 89.3 FM in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area or visit www.wpfwfm.org on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 2:00PM (U.S. Eastern).

AfricaNow! Apr. 30, 2025 On Fanon with Lou Turner

AfricaNow! May 7, 2025 Mineworkers in South Africa--Update of The Stilfontein Story

Topic and Guest: In the spirit of WPFW's mission of being a site of resistance in defense of Truth, Justice and Culture, and as we commemorate International Workers' Day (May 1--May Day or Labor Day) AfricaNow! features Mineworkers in South Africa--Update of The Stilfontein Story with Christopher Rutledge of the Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA) and he is also a member of the Stilfontein Solidarity Committee.  Christopher Rutledge provides an update on the situation of the mineworkers who were in a standoff with the police for months while they were underground operating in an abandoned/closed mine Stilfontein (in North West Province in South Africa).  Earlier this year most of the miners were rescued but unfortunately there were also a number of the miners found dead in the mine.  The discussion also highlights South Africa’s mining history and its adverse effect on communities from colonial rule to apartheid to the current period; the role of corporations; trade unions in the mining industry and more.  Here is my conversation yesterday with activist Christopher Rutledge.

MUSIC ON THE SHOW: intro--“CONTUSION” BY STEVIE WONDER commemorating his birthday May 13 (May 13, 1950–); closing--“STIMELA (THE COAL TRAIN) (LIVE)” BY HUGH MASEKELA.

Support AfricaNow! and your community station WPFW during our Spring Pledge Drive on May 7 & 14, 2025.  Donate online: visit https://pledge.wpfwfm.org/index.php and then on Step 1: Contribution scroll down to AfricaNow! to make your donation to the show. You can also text to donate by simply texting WPFWFM (not case sensitive) to 801801 and then follow the instructions. Or on our CashApp, which is $WPFWFM write it is for AfricaNow! and include your email address. Thank you.  

Originally broadcast on WPFW 89.3FM, Washington, DC. Tune into AfricaNow! live on WPFW 89.3 FM in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area or visit www.wpfwfm.org on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 2:00PM (U.S. Eastern).

Photos: Courtesy of the Stilfontein Solidarity Committee.

AfricaNow! May 7, 2025 Mineworkers in South Africa--Update of The Stilfontein Story

AfricaNow! May 14, 2025 Media’s New and Old Challenges Dissected

Topic and Guest: In the spirit of WPFW's mission of being a site of resistance in defense of Truth, Justice and Culture, and as we commemorate World Press Freedom Day (May 3) AfricaNow! dissects the media's  new and old challenges.  Since 1994 May 3 has been commemorated yearly as World Press Freedom Day, following the proclamation by the UN General Assembly in December 1993 that every May 3 would be World Press Freedom Day. May 3 is the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek of May 3, 1991, where (in Windhoek, Namibia) African journalist put together principles for an independent, pluralistic press reaffirming that freedom of information is a fundamental human right. This year the theme is Reporting in the Brave New World – The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media. The show features recent conversations with Estacio Valoi, an investigative journalist based in Mozambique and is with the Centre for Investigative Journalism (CIJ), and Abderrahim Foukara, Washington Bureau Chief of Al Jazeera.  The conversations with the journalists focus on issues concerning the media: the challenges such as artificial intelligence (AI), attacks and killings of journalists, political interference,  disseminating accurate information, professionalism and more.

MUSIC ON THE SHOW: intro--“WINDS OF CHANGE” BY JIMMY DLUDLU; closing--“MALCOLM’S THEME” BY KAMASI WASHINGTON as we commemorate Malcolm X’s 100th birthday on May 19 (May 19, 1925–February 21, 1965).

Support AfricaNow! and your community station WPFW during our Spring Pledge Drive on May 7 & 14, 2025.  Donate online: visit https://pledge.wpfwfm.org/index.php and then on Step 1: Contribution scroll down to AfricaNow! to make your donation to the show. You can also text to donate by simply texting WPFWFM (not case sensitive) to 801801 and then follow the instructions. Or on our CashApp, which is $WPFWFM write it is for AfricaNow! and include your email address. Thank you.  

Originally broadcast on WPFW 89.3FM, Washington, DC. Tune into AfricaNow! live on WPFW 89.3 FM in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area or visit www.wpfwfm.org on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 2:00PM (U.S. Eastern).

AfricaNow! May 14, 2025 Media’s New and Old Challenges Dissected

AfricaNow! May 21, 2025 Dismantling The Master’s Clock

Topic and Guest: Today AfricaNow! features a discussion on race, colonial time with artist, community activist and lawyer Rasheedah Phillips of Black Quantum Futurism. Among many things, conversation between AfricaNow!’s Executive Producer and Co-Host James Pope and Rasheedah Phillips explores how space and time are intertwined in African peoples worldwide; what tools to use to actualize theories and more.  Rasheedah Phillips is the founder of The AfroFuturist Affair, founding member of Metropolarity Queer Speculative Fiction Collective, co-founder of Black Quantum Futurism, co-creator of the  Community Futures Lab, and creator of the Black Women Temporal Portal, Time Zone Protocols, and Black Time Belt projects.  Rasheedah Phillips’ books include: Dismantling the Master's Clock: On Race, Space, and Time  (2025, AK Press); The Telescoping Effect  (2017, self-published); and Recurrence Plot and Other Time Travel Tales (2014, self-Published).  Rasheedah Phillips currently serves as Director of Housing Futures and Land Justice at PolicyLink.

MUSIC ON THE SHOW: intro--“BLUES FOR MALCOLM” BY TERENCE BLANCHARD as we commemorate Malcolm X’s 100th birthday on May 19 (May 19, 1925–February 21, 1965); break--“BRIDGE THROUGH TIME” BY LONNIE LISTON SMITH; sign-off--“THE MESSAGE CONTINUES” BY NUBYA GARCIA; closing--“MALCOLM X” BY MIRIAM MAKEBA as we commemorate Malcolm X’s 100th birthday on May 19 (May 19, 1925–February 21, 1965).

Support AfricaNow! and your community station WPFW.  Donate online: visit https://pledge.wpfwfm.org/index.php and then on Step 1: Contribution scroll down to AfricaNow! to make your donation to the show. You can also text to donate by simply texting WPFWFM (not case sensitive) to 801801 and then follow the instructions. Or on our CashApp, which is $WPFWFM write it is for AfricaNow! and include your email address. Thank you.  

Originally broadcast on WPFW 89.3FM, Washington, DC. Tune into AfricaNow! live on WPFW 89.3 FM in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area or visit www.wpfwfm.org on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 2:00PM (U.S. Eastern).

Photos: book cover of Dismantling the Master's Clock: On Race, Space, and Time (2025, AK Press)


AfricaNow! May 21, 2025 Dismantling The Master’s Clock

AfricaNow! May 28, 2025 African Liberation Day Commemorated

Topic and Guests: Today AfricaNow! goes into its archive to commemorate African Liberation Day which was two days ago on Sunday May 25.  At this critical time for the African World and also this year being the year in which commemorate the centenarian birthdays of  freedom fighters Malcolm X, Patrice Lumumba, and Frantz Fanon AfricaNow! will continue to reflect on Pan-Africanism and liberation with a series of programs.  Thus the past few weeks there has been a reflection on Fanon and as part of WPFW’s special Malcolm X’s 100 birthday commemoration last week we featured a show with the Kenya Organic Intellectuals Network focusing on Malcolm X’s impact on their work and Africa’s impact on Malcolm X.   The series with the Kenya Organic Intellectuals Network will also feature discussions on Frantz Fanon and Patrice Lumumba.

As mentioned before May 25, is marked yearly as African Liberation Day.  AfricaNow! goes into its archive to commemorate this special occasion with speeches by activists of the Pan-African and African liberation movements. The speeches occurred during two days of various activities in May 1974—May 24 and May 25—in Washington, DC to commemorate African Liberation Day. The program of the two-day session included: panel discussions at Howard University; marches and demonstrations including one to the White House; and a festival at Malcolm X Park.  The organizer of the event was the African Liberation Support Committee (ALSC), and the aim of the program was to express solidarity of the liberation struggle of the African people on the continent and globally. Today we feature portions of speeches during the activities. First, we begin with Poet and Activist and an At-Large member of the African Liberation Day Support Committee Imamu Amiri Baraka; he is followed by Saladin Muhammad, of the African Peoples Party.  That speech will be followed by a portion of a speech by Kwame Ture of the All-African People's Revolutionary Party during a panel discussion. 

The full two-day session to commemorate African Liberation Day in May 1974 organized by the African Liberation Support Committee (ALSC) is available in Howard University’s Digital Howard website at www.dh.howard.edu/iah_alc74/.  The material was made possible through a generous donation and support of long-time activist Dr. Abdul Alkalimat of the African Liberation Support Committee whom we have featured on our show. This footage was filmed for the Howard University Institute for the Arts and Humanities by Mr. Harold Burke who joined the ancestors on October 26, 2021.

MUSIC ON THE SHOW: intro--“AFRICA UNITE” BY BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS; break--“THE KINGDOM OF DISCIPLINE” BY SUN RA (May 22, 1914–May 30, 1993) remembering Sun Ra’s birthday May 22; sign-off--“BRAZILICA” BY RAMSEY LEWIS (May 27, 1935–September 12, 2022) remembering Ramsey Lewis’ birthday May 27; closing--“NOT YET UHURU” BY LETTA MBULU.

Support AfricaNow! and your community station WPFW.  Donate online: visit https://pledge.wpfwfm.org/index.php and then on Step 1: Contribution scroll down to AfricaNow! to make your donation to the show. You can also text to donate by simply texting WPFWFM (not case sensitive) to 801801 and then follow the instructions. Or on our CashApp, which is $WPFWFM write it is for AfricaNow! and include your email address. Thank you.  

Originally broadcast on WPFW 89.3FM, Washington, DC. Tune into AfricaNow! live on WPFW 89.3 FM in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area or visit www.wpfwfm.org on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 2:00PM (U.S. Eastern).

Photos: African Liberation Day (ALD) Celeb. in WDC May 27, 1972; flyer Victory for the People of Southern Africa ALD March to White House May 28, 1977; book cover Dialectics of Liberation--The African Liberation Support Movement by Abdul Alkalimat

New tracks tagged #African World