In any warfare, it is mostly the losing party that calls for a cease fire and peace, and that peace is usually obtained as the losing party agrees to surrender most of its rights to the winning party. When examining the situation and status of Africans worldwide, prior, and post-independence it is clearly arguable that in most cases we have chosen the accommodation freedom style. This essay discusses briefly the two styles of freedom available to every people being oppressed, and the possible outcomes of each choice.
Overview
Firstly, we are at war. It will be an intellectual cowardness to believe that the world is what the media say it is-a peaceful place, because in reality it is not. Since the coming together of different human cultures and worldviews the world has not been, and probably will not be at peace, for the simple reason that two similar entities cannot occupy a same space at the same time; one should dominate, and another should submit. Hence, the modern world’s history is the history of victories and defeats, conquerors and conquered, the history of wars and violence. In fact, one needs to consider the current structure of the world to understand its paradigm. For instance, the world is divided into two groups of countries; those called developed countries and those considered underdeveloped. In other words, powerful nations, and powerless nations. However, when using these concepts (powerful and powerless) we look mostly at infrastructures, economy and lifestyle of one group of nations against another to define them, but we do not pay much attention to the fact that these nations have perfected the art of war and violence against other with no equal means to wage war. For example, the US is not the most developed and powerful nation because it has a higher moral standard, or higher spirituality and knowledge, but it is because it has the capacity to inflict violence upon other nations that have not developed the art of war. Everywhere the US had gone to demonstrate its power, it does not do it through love and peace, but violence, terror, and massacre. This aspect is unconsciously overlooked because of the media imperialism, which exposes us to some content and narrative that corrupt the perception of many in believing the higher American standard of freedom, democracy and justice. For example, the media will show us a group of Arabs nationalists marching on streets or carrying AK47 and shouting death to America; this type of content change the perception of many people in the world to believe that these Arab groups are terrorist groups, because they shout death to America. Whilst America is not viewed as terrorist organisation because Americans do not shout death to Iraq, Syria and Africa; but they are doing something better than shouting, they drop bombs on villages, schools and hospitals in these weak nations to conquer and dominate. Recently, there is a new developing culture of terror that can be called, “the drone terror campaign”, through which America and its allies have extensively used drone technology to perpetrate bombardment on foreign soils; bus with kids and schools have been bombarded in order to kill one so-called terrorist. With this overview it is easy to state that the world does not function by love and peace, it functions by power, which is nothing more than the ability of one nation to inflict violence and domination on other nations. Having said this, we can now discuss the two alternatives (accommodation and revolutionary freedom) available for all those willing to free themselves from the domination, and ultimately oppression of other nations.
The accommodation freedom vs revolutionary freedom
First, accommodation freedom demands no effort. Perhaps, this is the main characteristic of accommodation freedom style-it requires no important sacrifice from people, but at the same time people sacrifice most of their rights to acquire it. In other words, when people choose to gain their freedom by means of negotiating and accommodating the desire of their oppressors, they end up losing more than what they would have lost by using the other method-revolution. This is true because with any resolution involving negotiation, the outcome is always obtained at the expense of one side, which is the loser’s side. For instance, when considering the African independence, one will realise that for most of African countries independence was a gift from the colonial masters, and many Africans are grateful towards their oppressors for freedom. In fact, this was outlined by Patrice Lumumba in his speech during the Congolese independence ceremony in 1960. While the president Kasa-Vubu thanked and praised the Belgium king for issuing independence to Congo, Lumumba stood up and declared that independence was not a gift, it was fight through which we lost many of our men and women. Moreover, one has to evaluate the secret deals struck between France and its former African colonies as result of negotiating for freedom, in order to understand what Africa has indirectly sacrificed in longing for accommodation freedom style. For example, in Central Africa Republic the terms of the deals stated that in exchange for independence the natural resources of the land, including the resources yet to be discovered belonged to France; and the local government had no right to negotiate with other investors for that matter, unless France and its enterprises declined the offer. These types of deals between France and its former African colonies made it possible for France to remain in charge of Africa by controlling its resources, while Africans were enjoying the freedom of flags, national anthems and other facades.
Whilst the accommodation freedom opts for negotiating with the oppressor, the revolutionary freedom seeks no for such, with understanding that freedom cannot be given, it cannot be negotiated for; freedom must be fought for and gained. Essentially, there was no imperial nation that negotiated or asked the permission of another to invade it, every invader forces his way to other nations to invade, conquer, dominate and oppress. Equally, every oppressed nation that seeks for freedom must force its way up to freedom and liberty; there is no logic in negotiating for your freedom that was taken by war and violence. From above overview, it was emphasised that the context of power in the world today is violence, and that is the way nations go into conquering others, it is also the way by which conquered nations must recover their freedom. This alternative of revolution is the only guaranteed way to secure a genuine freedom that brings prosperity and joy to nations that strive for it, it is all about fighting for freedom or dying trying.
Second, accommodation freedom is always symbolic. Indeed, symbols play an important role in human life, from our cognitive faculties to communication symbols do a lot in helping humans to coexist. However, the challenge is when symbol lacks its substance, as it is the case for post-colonial Africa. looking back in colonial Africa, just like in any situation of oppression, people who are oppressed are likely to envy the position and lifestyle of their oppressors, even when they are unable to be in position of their masters, they will attempt to cover themselves with symbols that reflect the power of their masters. Factually, for a long time Africa was under the oppression of Europeans right after the Arab’s oppression, this is the situation in which an African was defined by his oppressor through power and abuse, emptied of his culture, value system and dignity. For many, it was and still the position of the master, the toilet of the master, his restaurants, his women, amusement parks, suburbs, schools and churches the ideal standard of freedom for the colonised negro. Consequently, the call for independence was not and still is not underlying a true desire to be free from the oppressor and his oppression, but it was mere desire of integrating the world and standard of the oppressor. That is why some politicians, for instance in South Africa, will make statement like “we have fought for the freedom we have today”, while the only freedom given to South Africans is the access into places previously reserved for white only, which is symbolic, and the real economic freedom is still in the hands of the oppressors. Today, the African continentwide is enjoying a symbol of freedom that lack the substance, because he/she negotiated for it, and it was offered to him/her.
On the other hand, the revolutionary freedom is not based on symbols of freedom; it aims for the true substance which is power. Power is nothing more than the ability to do the work, and to define realities. Mostly, it is said that politics is about symbols, but in a geopolitical sphere dominated by vicious powers, the meaning of political symbols is equally determined by the powerful, and therefore, work to strengthen their position. For instance, it is a well-known fact that African states were created, not by poor people or ordinary citizens, but by powerful people in Europe and their African agents, and they were created in most cases as enterprises to work for the interest of Europe. That is the reason why we have leaders who function like employees of Europe, just like in any corporation, employees may hate their employers, but they remain submissive and fearful of him for their survival depends on him. One must think about how African states vote at the UN for various resolutions, they have mostly voted against African interest to please their employers. For example, the recent vote at the UN general assembly condemning Russia with its special military operation in Ukraine, most African heads of states sided with the West, even though it is the West that has inflicted a higher degree of violence and oppression upon Africa. Clearly, this phenomenon cannot be explained in other terms rather than the powerlessness state of African nations and their leaders, all they have longed for was to be recognise as leaders, to be welcomed in Paris, London and New York with military parades and red carpet, while having no real power to redefine their own reality. Therefore, a revolutionary freedom aims not to be recognised or awarded the Noble Peace Prize; revolutionary define and recognise themselves and seize power by all means necessary to change the conditions of their people. Thomas Sankara was a revolutionary freedom fighter, we have another one currently in Mali (Assimi Goita), he has decided to kick French military base including French ambassador out of Mali, but we need more of Goita throughout Africa to kickout all foreign hegemony out of African life.
Way forward
Dr John Henrik Clarke once said that, only a slave can abolish slavery; if someone is seating on your back, you are the only one who can balance him off your back by adjusting yourself, and the right position you must take is to stand straight up. The African solution is not located in Europe, America and Asia, it is right here under our feet. All that is required from us is revolutionary freedom. Essentially, this is not a call to undermining international cooperation with other nations, except that Africans cannot cooperate under their current conditions of subjection and achieve meaningful results, freedom must come first. Importantly, the freedom must be preceded by revolution rather than mere negotiations. However, for one to envisage revolution he must determine the price he/she is willing to pay for that revolution to commit to its initial desire of liberty, justice and prosperity. Freedom is expensive, so is slavery; but those who choose to sacrifice for their freedom do so once for all, and those willing to sacrifice for their enslavement will do so for lifetime. We are at the right time to free Africa, and each African, male, and female has a role to play in whatever we want Africa to become; knowing that the future is not what we hope and pray for, but it is what we accomplish. Revolution, revolution, and revolution. Now, many people in Africa will be frightened with idea of revolutionary freedom style since it might involve war against imperial powers, of which Africa has no means to resist. However, it has been stressed that there is no other means by which a conquered people can freed themselves and rise again than by fighting, and if we are truly longing for freedom, we must accept that and begin preparing for war right now. In fact, if we prepare for war today, we have a better chance of not engaging in military altercation with imperial power for our freedom. Because history has taught us that whenever people prepare themselves for war, they have the possibility to secure victory without bloodshed; it is called the power of dissuasion. For example, it is true that no one will dare attack the following countries without having to face equal and disastrous consequences: North Korea, Israel, China to name but few; if you wonder why, is because they are all nuclear power. That is the preparation of war Africa needs to adopt, and it is the only language of power the world listens to-dissuasion. Essentially, we can do this in the next five years if we are serious about freedom; by redirecting our national defence budgets into inclusive African budget for nuclear power dedicated to defending the continent. Without this approach Africans will have to make peace with their chains of enslavement. Especially, we must accept that responsibility of punishing ourselves, depriving ourselves of some pleasure in laying a new foundation over which our children will rebuild the African global powerbase. Remember, the symbolic freedom that we acquired through negotiation and compromise has not brought prosperity and joy in African nations, it is the reason why Africans are dying on Mediterranean water trying to run away from freedom and independence to go and settle with those inclined to oppress them. Young men across Africa are in churches and mosques praying for Jesus and Hallah to bless them with a visa for Europe; what kind of believer who gets delivered from demon today, and tomorrow runs to the same for food, health, job and money? Especially, this is possible when people negate the hard way of transforming their societies from inside-out, and settle for gifts, or seek for compassion of their oppressors. That time is over. Now is time for strong decisions, commitment, discipline and hard wark, which has proven to many nations to be the only guaranteed way to freedom and success, and the African case is not different.
Revolution or accommodation; the choice is yours, and if you choose wisely, you will find me on your way, and we can walk together. Peace and power.