Towards Emancipation

Fundamental questions are often asked as to the methodology for effecting change in the society. Human beings are constantly busy trying to make progress in the society, discarding whatever holds them back, and adopting better and better systems to enrich their existence. Revolutions are a natural phenomenon, being the process by which the society discards a system that holds them back in order to institute one which promotes their highest level of existence. But even then, revolutions don't just happen by themselves; they are made. A most vital question, therefore, which frequently befalls the partakers of the revolution; the revolutionary vanguard, is if and how it should be planned, if and how it should be prepared in advance with or without the participation of the masses and if and how it should be led by a small group of people, the vanguard. In short, spontaneity or conspiracy? It goes without saying that many revolutionary situations throughout history have been met by th...

It is needless to mention the ups and downs, twists and turns and all the events that have characterised African history from time immemorial. Ever since the human race came into existence, society has been subjected to changes in its structure and organization, gradual and rapid, in the course of time. In their analysis of human society, Marx and Engels identified various phases that human beings have experienced in the course of history; communalism, slavery, feudalism, and capitalism. The next logical stage is socialism, and ultimately communism. The African society, before the invasion and colonization by Europe, was majorly in the first phase of human progress. Most African communities lived under communalism, where all land and other means of production were commonly owned by the people, there was joint contribution of labour to the production process and the proceeds of production were distributed equally among the members of the community. The society was purely classless. Va...

That the epoch of capitalism is on borrowed time is a fact that goes without saying. In its struggle with labour, capital has over the years fought the progressive forces of the people with desperate resistance. But it is the absolute law of nature that everything comes and goes, and everything comes into existence and passes away. Africa and the South have been adversely affected by this exploitative system, and Kenya is no exception. As a country that has endured decades of betrayal by its bourgeois leaders; agents of imperialism, Kenya finds itself at an increasingly revolutionary situation year after year. The common citizen has to put up with an increase in food prices every year. The ordinary citizen has to fork out extra shillings in tax to the government year after year. The common man has to endure the agony of poor delivery of public services every year, from healthcare, education, transport to security. The state of housing is alarming. The level of poverty is shocking. The...

Doubtlessly interesting is the manner in which life, nature and matter are always in a state of change. Everything is in a state of motion, and nothing is static or immobile. Society, being part of nature, follows this trend. Modes of production and ways of life have been constantly undergoing change ever since the human race came into being. Society in today's world exists under capitalism; predominantly the mode of production. Nearly the whole world has been subjugated to the power of capital, with its ever increasing appetite looking to devour more and more. A legal and political superstructure has arisen out of this, and all state institutions are merely tools for the advancement of capitalism, even in the most democratic republics. But the contradictions within capitalism are immense. In its quest to maximize profits by whatever means possible, capitalism has led to the concentration of the world's wealth in a few private hands, alienated from the very masses who partici...

You know something is wrong with your society when you cannot tolerate people from other societies. But when this intolerance becomes violent, you know something is seriously wrong. The xenophobic attacks in South Africa are as disturbing as they are surprising. Disturbing in that one cannot imagine the violence and atrocities that may be directed towards foreigners in the country, and surprising in that one cannot imagine an African relating to a fellow African with hostility and suspicion. But perhaps it is important to examine the root cause of this xenophobic violence. With this regard emphasis should be laid not on the direct triggers of the violence, but on the general composition of the society of South Africa. South Africa remains one of the most scarred African countries in relation to colonial exploitation. The settling of the Boers, as early as the seventeenth century, was itself a critical problem. Native populations were displaced, and many have never recovered their land...

It cannot be denied that the 21st century has seen the entrance of newer players into the global superleague. Countries which were hitherto semi industrialized or semi peripheral as concerns the international economic system have been transformed into economic powerhouses almost overnight. Countries in the Far East, such as Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea make up this list. Of particular interest, however is the People's Republic of China. In Imperialism , Lenin observes that weak and underdeveloped economies can become developed and industrialized - to the point of challenging the 'traditional' developed economies - at a very fast pace, as in the case of Germany in the second half of the 19th century. Throughout the 20th century, China's economy was nowhere near those of the powerful Western countries. The situation is completely different now. China has made strides in industry and agriculture, and its economy is only second to that of the United States. In fact...

Decade after decade has seen prominent Pan Africanists come and go, preaching and spreading the same message; Black Consciousness, economic and political emancipation and anti imperialism. Credit to them. It is through their hard work that many of us became aware of the origin and nature of the exploitation that we have had to endure over the centuries. However, words become meaningless when they are not accompanied by action. Future generations will be not so kind to us if we fail to take in the consciousness of our situation, perceive the contradictions in the international economic system, make a tactful and intricate revolutionary plan and, within the shortest time possible, seize political authority and take charge of our destiny. But first, what is to be done? An observation into all previous revolutions, most preferably the Bolshevik revolution, reveals that foremost a theory, or a sort of ideology, has to be developed. For the struggle, as Friedrick Engels observed, would be o...