Greetings,
Last Friday, June 13th, marked the 28th year since Walter Rodney was assassinated in Guyana by agents of the state. In tribute to the work and dedication of this scholar activist, a groundings of sisters and brothers was held in Little Five Points, in the Radio Free Georgia building, in Atlanta GA. Appropriately, the gathering was made up of working people, that strata of society that was essential to Walter's analysis, his thesis and his activism. This grounding humbly tried to remain true to the vital massage of integrity evident in Walter's work for the liberation of working people everywhere.This includes his appreciation of their critical role not only in the production of goods and services, but in the creation and maintenance of culture.
The focus of the discussion was on the conditions facing working people today and looking at Walter's scholarship and activism for direction. Essentially the cost of living, the cost of working is becoming increasingly prohibitive. This is realised in the price of energy in the US, the price of food globally and the impact on the lives of those who toil to produce the wealth for the mega corporations, but do not benefit from the profits. These were the issues, the economic oppression, injustice that informed Walter Rodney's understanding of the importance of grounding with his brothers and yes, sisters. Hopefully the message can make it into the consciousness of the others in academia, who seek to honor or be guided by the service of this intellectual worker.
Walter's appreciation and service to Pan Africanism was noted, particularly to the point that this was evident in his application of theory, of history, to the challenges in the objective conditions facing Africans and oppressed people around the world. Walter Rodney did put Marxist theory to significant use in his assessment, exploration and application of possible solutions to the plight of the oppressed. In this he was quite clear about the role of imperialism and its neo colonial and neo liberal structures in the oppression of the working class. Correspondingly Walter was not willing to give a "pass" to the contradictions within those oppressed communities themselves. Indeed it was on this critique, this level of integrity, that he challenged the corruption within Guyanese society in the 1970s and for which he was ultimately assassinated.
The major theme that emerged was the discussion was the inadequacy of the current dominant global culture in addressing the needs of the working class, indeed of humanity. To be sure, we noted that the current unipolar world, the dominant economic world order was not designed to serve the masses anyway. Walter Rodney's work, points to the need not only for an intellectual critique of the ills of imperialism, but for us to do the disciplined work of assisting in the liberation, the self emancipation of people's creativity, of people's power, to create a better world, a more humane society.
It was agreed by the gathering, that we should convene ongoing groundings in the communities of the working people of Atlanta, in this way we propose to honor the legacy of Walter Rodney by actively engaging the lives of the working class.
"People's Power, No Dictator"
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
The Worth of the Work We Do
Greetings,
I was reflecting on the ever present question of the worth and meaning of our work. It stands to reason that if we are spending the most productive part of our day, putting forth our best physical and mental efforts, a lot more than a nice paycheck should be forthcoming. I would be simplistic and suggest that whatever our vocation it should be nourishing to us and our communities. Is this your situation? This has been the quest of my work life so far and indeed in the relationships I have built, I have found that nourishment. So take a look around in your work station and appreciate the nourishment coming your way. If it is not....................question for you to answer.
In this stream of consciousness I reflected on the work of one dear sister and comrade and tried to wrap a few words of appreciation for the love, labor and wisdom that she is offering to the youth in summer camp.
If you have created a space for young minds to journey
Then you are fulfilled
If you have helped guide the youth to a place of safety and enlightenment
Then the honor is yours
If you have inspired the creativity in latent souls
Then you are the lightening rod
If you have helped soothe a bruised heart
Then you are the healer
If you have helped the young grow beyond their own selves
You are our sacred guide
If you have brought strangers together as friends and comrades
Then you are indeed mother goddess
Birthing
A better world for us all
Medase
I was reflecting on the ever present question of the worth and meaning of our work. It stands to reason that if we are spending the most productive part of our day, putting forth our best physical and mental efforts, a lot more than a nice paycheck should be forthcoming. I would be simplistic and suggest that whatever our vocation it should be nourishing to us and our communities. Is this your situation? This has been the quest of my work life so far and indeed in the relationships I have built, I have found that nourishment. So take a look around in your work station and appreciate the nourishment coming your way. If it is not....................question for you to answer.
In this stream of consciousness I reflected on the work of one dear sister and comrade and tried to wrap a few words of appreciation for the love, labor and wisdom that she is offering to the youth in summer camp.
If you have created a space for young minds to journey
Then you are fulfilled
If you have helped guide the youth to a place of safety and enlightenment
Then the honor is yours
If you have inspired the creativity in latent souls
Then you are the lightening rod
If you have helped soothe a bruised heart
Then you are the healer
If you have helped the young grow beyond their own selves
You are our sacred guide
If you have brought strangers together as friends and comrades
Then you are indeed mother goddess
Birthing
A better world for us all
Medase
Monday, June 16, 2008
On Current Economic Challenges
Greetings Friends/Comrades,
It has been a long time. Since I last posted the dire economic straits, have gotten even more dread and not just for the captains of industry and the mega corporations, who we see crying the blues in the corporate media everyday and then some. Indeed one could be excused for concluding that the major victims of this economic meltdown are the rich and powerful and that the common citizen caused the crisis by greed and risk taking, manifested in the fashionable reason for all current capitalist problems...the sub-prime market.
Well to me there are several factors that figure in this equation. Firstly the proposal that it is the inevitable outcome of a system driven by the principle of ever increasing profit and demand, that is coming apart on its own inherent contradictions.
Secondly the world has been experiencing this global war on terror that is extracting from humanity, particularly the Iraqi people, a terrible price for the imperial pursuits of the militarily dominant, global power. The economic costs of this war is a factor not normally included when the popular media, seeks to address the problems of the global market we suffer in.
In third place is the mega profits being reaped by oil barons from the astronomic rise of oil/gas prices, driven by the knock on effects of the war and the inability of the hallowed marketplace to balance that conundrum or maybe even desire to put a brake on rising prices. After all economic suffering for some adds up to huge profit for others.
My main thought this morning is that the rising cost of energy, transportation, housing, food and other staples of life, is having a devastating effect on working peoples lives and raising the question about the cost of working. Some are already finding that it is costing an obscene amount of money to actually get to work, even as the traditional benefits of pension, health, vacation and the like continue to shrink.
Well I don't think it all has to be doom and gloom. At the end of the day several sectors of society were already struggling, even when the economy was doing better. Now we may find it more appealing to look to our comrades and friends as we seek to address the economic challenges that face us. Indeed just on the level of transportation and purchasing or even growing food, it might be of significant benefit to revisit the option of a collective process as we work to improve the conditions of life and living in these times. Maybe it time to think, act, work and live in cooperative, collective communities, where we produce what we need and consume what we produce.
Peace
Sizwe
It has been a long time. Since I last posted the dire economic straits, have gotten even more dread and not just for the captains of industry and the mega corporations, who we see crying the blues in the corporate media everyday and then some. Indeed one could be excused for concluding that the major victims of this economic meltdown are the rich and powerful and that the common citizen caused the crisis by greed and risk taking, manifested in the fashionable reason for all current capitalist problems...the sub-prime market.
Well to me there are several factors that figure in this equation. Firstly the proposal that it is the inevitable outcome of a system driven by the principle of ever increasing profit and demand, that is coming apart on its own inherent contradictions.
Secondly the world has been experiencing this global war on terror that is extracting from humanity, particularly the Iraqi people, a terrible price for the imperial pursuits of the militarily dominant, global power. The economic costs of this war is a factor not normally included when the popular media, seeks to address the problems of the global market we suffer in.
In third place is the mega profits being reaped by oil barons from the astronomic rise of oil/gas prices, driven by the knock on effects of the war and the inability of the hallowed marketplace to balance that conundrum or maybe even desire to put a brake on rising prices. After all economic suffering for some adds up to huge profit for others.
My main thought this morning is that the rising cost of energy, transportation, housing, food and other staples of life, is having a devastating effect on working peoples lives and raising the question about the cost of working. Some are already finding that it is costing an obscene amount of money to actually get to work, even as the traditional benefits of pension, health, vacation and the like continue to shrink.
Well I don't think it all has to be doom and gloom. At the end of the day several sectors of society were already struggling, even when the economy was doing better. Now we may find it more appealing to look to our comrades and friends as we seek to address the economic challenges that face us. Indeed just on the level of transportation and purchasing or even growing food, it might be of significant benefit to revisit the option of a collective process as we work to improve the conditions of life and living in these times. Maybe it time to think, act, work and live in cooperative, collective communities, where we produce what we need and consume what we produce.
Peace
Sizwe
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