What is the relevance of the struggle of Pio Gama Pinto to our Revolutionary Struggles today?: Speech at the book launch of 'Pio Gama Pinto; Kenya's Unsung Matyr'

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 sio?

Pio Gama Pinto’s involvement in the liberation struggle not only in Kenya and Africa but also India and the rest of the world portrays tremendous sacrifice and dedication that is admirable and commendable. Indeed, he recognized the need to support and take part in the proletarian struggle that engulfed the world and that had manifested itself in the struggle for self-determination of the people. Correctly, he recognized further that the proletarian struggle doesn’t end there. The revolution, necessary to solve the tasks of the national-democratic revolution, had to be carried on further and make it a permanent revolution.

Using the scientific analysis that is our world outlook, he, as did other African revolutionaries, recognized the weakness of the African bourgeoisie, wherever it existed, as well as its impotence as far as the attainment of full independence was concerned. The national-democratic tasks of our revolution were never going to be fulfilled by our bourgeoisie, nor the petty bourgeoisie. Instead, the responsibility to ascertain Africa’s sovereignty, to break Africa from the hegemony of Western culture, and to guarantee freedom for each individual lay upon the proletariat; the workers and the peasants of Africa.

It is upon this factual state of affairs that Pio Gama Pinto based his activity. It is upon the desire to carry through the complete liberation of the people of Africa that he did his tremendous work. It is upon his resolve to link up the struggles of the people of Kenya and Africa with the struggles of the people of the rest of the world that he became as active as he was. Further, it is the need to become theoretically and practically correct that he, as did other African proletarian revolutionaries, indulged in the activity to take the society forward.

When Che Guevarra came to Africa, specifically to the Congo, to take part directly in Africa’s liberation movement, one of the things he proposed, upon meeting African revolutionaries in Tanzania, was a Common Front.

Yes, a Common Front to combat the neo-colonial and imperialist forces, as well as their lackeys and their agents!

The Common Front was to bring together the various African Revolutionary Movements in order for them to jointly spearhead the liberation of the people of Africa. This Common Front would, if brought to existence, unite the struggling masses of Africa through their revolutionary movements. By unifying the people, it is needless to mention that the unification of Africa under a Socialist government would be attained. What this would mean would be the breakaway of Africa from the yoke of imperialism and neo-colonialism forever. What this would mean would be the continuation of the revolution into the Socialist one; the attainment of both the national-democratic tasks as well as the Socialist tasks. Revolution in Permanence; voila!

If the relevance of the struggle of Pio Gama Pinto is the question today, then Permanent Revolution is the answer.

The involvement of Pio Gama Pinto in the struggles of the Kenya Land and Freedom Army, FRELIMO in Mozambique as well as Goa point towards his internationalism that is characteristic of Socialism. Internationalism, far from being an abstract idea, is a recognition of the global character of the economy as it is, and a representation of the advancement of the forces of production. Internationalism is an appreciation of the fact that the workers have no country. It is our knowledge of the fact that the struggle is to ultimately free every human being from exploitation and slavery, and to achieve the total abolition of classes.

How, therefore, do we remember and acknowledge the contribution of Pio Gama Pinto to the struggles of the people of Kenya, Africa and the world?

The way to do this, comrades, is to carry through the International Proletarian Revolution. Our task is to pick up the rifle and keep fighting. We have to keep up the struggle as begun and continued by the African revolutionaries. We have to create the Common Front! We have to unite the people of Africa, and the way to do this is to unite our revolutionary movements. We must struggle together. We must unite all proletarian revolutionary parties into one giant organization. With this, we shall be able to carry through the tasks of our generation.

Long live the struggle!