Gaza, Soweto And African American Thought: A Message Of Enlightenment Part 2 Written by By Bishop Donald Corder

Part 2 of 3: A Message of Enlightenment

Caught in an illusion and seeming invincibility of the moment, fantasy of grandeur immerges as the Don Quixote of America stands in the Maya of Zionism. The distinction between consciousness and physical matter, between mind and body, distinction between the self and the Universe is a false dichotomy resulting from an unenlightened perspective. Wherein truth is dressed up and there is no turning back from the lie camouflaging the devastating implications of a war against Iran as a humanitarian gesture; rendered on behalf of regional peace. Men and women of good conscience look upon and find themselves therein criminalized within the paradigm both for their pacifism or raising their voices and lifting their hands in opposition to the sheer madness now orchestrated in the Middle East, by the dogs of war. All taking note the good people, should quite simply have looked the other way.

Wherein the material and moral realities singularly inherent and contained within these construct, Gaza is relegated to being collateral damage. Whose story is echoed in the apartheid of Soweto South Africa and articulated within the prolific writings of Black intelligentsia giving historical voice to a revolution in asymmetrical warfare and reason. In 1951 I.B. Taba stated in his opening address to the first conference of the Society of Young Africa (SOYA), ‘…I lay great stress on the importance of ideas…The ideas are weapons with which you cut your path in the barbaric jungle of South African society today. We have to fight ideas with ideas.

Before his murder, which was deemed reasonable and practical by the South African regime in September 1977, Steve Biko formulated a philosophy based upon the cultural and political revival of an oppressed people. Where recognition of the death of white invincibility gave rise to questions of individual and collective actualization of Blacks. Boldness, dedication, sense of purpose and clarity of analysis springing forth out of deliberations akin to, “I think therefore I am.” Not quantitatively analyzable but these providing impetus to the power of the South African and Soweto movements’ resisting Apartheid, as these all changed the habits of a people as a force of revolution.

Realization budded as the intuitive understanding of an oppressed people centered upon knowledge that change is not the result of might but of dedication, of moral persuasion. Black consciousness was employed as the term employed to identify Biko’s ideology but the latent thrust held in reserve was learning that in order to feature well in the game of power politics, they have to use the concept of group power and to build a strong foundation based upon their common experiences of being historically, politically, socially and economically disinherited and dispossessed as a people. This call for Black consciousness was the most positive call to come from any Black group in the world since the indoctrination of the Willie Lynch syndrome – a Black self-hate, divide and conquer model – introduced to the Virginia slave owners in 1712 America as a way to control their slaves a thousand years.

Franz Fanon engaged the African struggle and in his 1961 book “Wretched of the Earth” he sets forth that colonial revolutions must by necessity take account of the dual ferocity against both the body and mind of the persecuted and oppressed. Subsequently setting forth the need to completely set aside the old systems of socialization and domination; and structuring an altogether new society. This tenant is being vehemently opposed by the blood oath of Menachem Begin, Ariel Sharon and an undisclosed number of contemporary Zionists denying the eventuality of Palestinian autonomy. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister seated on a sofa in the house, tells that he deceived the US president of the time, Bill Clinton, into believing he was helping implement the Oslo accords, the US-sponsored peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, by making minor withdrawals from the West Bank while actually entrenching the occupation. He boasts that he thereby destroyed the Oslo process.

Current political climate espoused in the discussion of the Nation of Palestine is driven by the appearance of busyness but in actuality peace talks are a manipulative notion that utilizes the power of illusion through suggestion of a negotiated two state solution or just maybe a one state remedy. Relegating such to nothing more than a carrot employed for talking points and photo opportunities but not real life and Zionist surrendering of power. Israel’s grasp of Fanon’s revolutionary ideology and philosophy of violence in its true historic form, as being a pathway to freedom is fully recognized by the occupiers of Gaza. Wherein response to Fanon they now require ‘special security needs’ so offensive Justice Goldstone in his Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict (document A/64/L.11) called them Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Moving into the complexities of operations and agenda necessary to build political consensus for war we must consider “The Politics of Language in African Literature” by Ngugi wa Thiong’o. Therein disclosing the underlying messages cannot be discussed meaningfully outside the context of those social forces which have made those messages both an issue demanding our attention, and a problem calling for resolution. Ngugi wa Thiong’o thus finding consensus with Karl Marx and his observations dating back to 1840, that there is a language of dehumanizing employed by the ruling classes, that Karl more fully developed in his work “Ethnological Notebook.”

But noteworthy is Marx’s having objected to the capitalistic usage of language and his having demonstrated a sensitivity that was integral to his whole philosophy, which he called “new Humanism.” Yet, today we are confronted and infused with negativism, confusion of cultural nuance and failures to communicate along our historic cultural dictate and value system. We are subjected to continual infusion of personally destructive subliminal through an innumerable array of mediums perpetuating negative programming and stroking to the victims of US and Israeli imperialism.

Camel jockeys, sand niggers and rag heads is employed in the dehumanization of an honorable Arab people not unlike newsreels propagating the barbarous depiction of the Japanese and their subsequent internment in US concentration camps during WW II prior to America’s dropping the bomb. Or, the global stereotypes attached to the castration of African and African American men as we are forced to endure right wing depictions of President Obama as a jungle bunny running around with a bone in his nose. Whereas Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin defines all non-Jews as excretion and Israeli Rabbi Preaches ‘Slaughter’ of Gentile Babies. Demeaning as the name calling and negatives appear their real intent is to create a culture that makes it easier for them to murder us. Sun Tzu speaks to this in his work The Art of War ‘… Now in order to kill the enemy, our men must be roused to anger; that there may be advantage from defeating the enemy, they must have their rewards.’

Vastness of the psychological warfare in which we are engaged makes us all vulnerable to some extent and no one person can sustain by themselves. Global medium has caused us to gather together around the message of enlightenment conveyed within this written treatise. Whether the governments have been sold by their own Supreme Courts, fail to govern according to the higher dictate of divinity or choose to not believe such reference to a higher power. Perhaps they just turn a blind eye and ignore the inspirational defiance of China not abandoning their business commitments to Iran in the face of unwarranted sanctions, or example of the Turkish government’s decisive response to the murder of their citizens by Israel. Or, maybe there be one who is bold enough to not condemn but support these fiery acts of defiance waged against the dominance of the US hegemony and ruling classes giving rise to murder by Zionism. We nonetheless are all individually accountable and must decide upon a personal response to all of these things.

Character of contradictory parts or opinions confronting us is not solved solely in the universities, think tanks and courts of law. Rather, it is our sitting around the kitchen table with family and friends where we all care enough to discuss these gravely serious matters and explore what part we can possibly play. Opinions formed being shaped by the healthy discourse between the young and the old, those who have reputation dialoguing with those of us who are of humble means. We can choose to educate ourselves or not. All do not have same access to the political apparatus and even fewer are heard and respected. But, we can touch the lives of those persons who cross our paths and maybe conversation will ensue and the rippling effects of such dialogues might just change or even save a life.

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Gaza, Soweto And African American Thought: A Message Of Enlightenment Part 2 Written by By Bishop Donald Corder

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