Towards Emancipation

Prologue . This reflection of ‘Mwakenya: The Unfinished Revolution’ follows a thorough discussion on the same in our Ukombozi Library – Revolutionary Socialist League (RSL) cell meeting. A book review on the same was the subject of our discussion when we met to specifically discuss this material, and it was thence generally agreed that further reflections be produced and subsequently discussed in two weeks as a continuation of our study session. This reflection seeks to mention and analyse certain key aspects of organizing mentioned in the book, taking into consideration the conditions for organizing during the time of the formation of the Mwakenya – December Twelve Movement (MKDTM) and contrasting them to the present conditions.  Naturally, it is expected that this analysis of theory and tactics of organizing will offer a reinforcement to our own methods as revolutionary organizers, and will serve as motivation to revolutionary groups and organizations w...

The ever tightening stranglehold of the people of the world by the owners of capital based in the North, the ever increasing cost of living, the ever widening gap between the rich and the poor, and the advent of neoliberal capitalism all go hand in hand with the increased militarization of politico-economic relations; an inherent characteristic of capitalism in general and imperialism in particular. It becomes all the more imperative to be well acquainted with the theory and tactics of revolutionary struggle- in this case revolutionary warfare- in order to be well equipped to deliver total liberation and freedom to the people of Africa. Fifty years after its publishing, the Handbook of Revolutionary Warfare   (Nkrumah, 1968) cannot be more relevant. Its vivid description of the state of affairs in post-colonial Africa and what is to be done in that regard should form the basis of our efforts to spearhead and fast-track the fulfilment of the aspirations of the African peopl...

The ever increasing political and economic strife, the ever widening gap between the rich and the poor, the increased militarism of global imperial forces, and the advent of neoliberalism all point to one thing; the class struggle, naturally, keeps getting more and more acute. As the society keeps getting more and more unequal, so does the need for the ruling classes to protect themselves more and more from the people, and, therefore, so does their thirst to maintain the monopoly of violence in a bid to keep the people enslaved. What, therefore, does this mean for us? What are we to do? The need for we as the people to resist this onslaught, as has been done for years and years, cannot be more imperative. For we, as the toiling people, this means nothing but desperate struggle to counter what we can comfortably call desperate resistance from the ruling elite. We have the responsibility to carry through the class struggle to its logical conclusion.   Ushikwapo shikamana, au ...

The philosophical basis of Socialism is dialectical materialism, so called because its view of phenomena, its way of studying and understanding them, its method of apprehending them, is dialectical, whereas its method of interpreting them and internalizing them, is materialistic. Dialectical materialism is created by the fusing together of two major concepts of philosophy; dialectics and materialism. To understand it, therefore, it is critical that one grasps the idea behind these two concepts. Dialectics is a way of looking at things based on analysing their features within them; what characterises their existence and their development. A tree, a book, a human being, a cow and anything else that exists in nature has some features which give it the state of its existence and which determine their development. Looking at them closely and critically, one would realise that there exists some contradictory forces within them, features and characteristics that act opposite of each oth...