Reassessing and Reconstructing Pan-Africanism: Are we going to be Africans or not

An African, a term that represents us as a specific people, with similarly connected or related cultures, ways of life and a harmonious psychology prior to invasion or intentional interruption. But we have not been taken seriously, and as that has been cultivated, so have we unfortunately inherited the result of such. In this we must ask ourselves, how can a specific people properly establish Pan-Africanism if we display a plaguing ignorance of ourselves? Many times even a deliberate display of ignorance while many know better. Allow me to articulate upon that more so that the issue isn't blurred, or given room for excuse while noticeably clear. We cannot be who we are, if we are being as those who are not us, nor can the use or remixing of foreign religions, mentalities or isms be present among us and think we won't be contradicting ourselves in accordance with the key word African, or that we actually take ourselves seriously. There is no system of oppressive populations that will see Africans as anything other than a joke or oxymoron, if we ourselves as Africans are leisure about being Africans. Knowing this, it must be revealed that this both fundamental and ultimately self-defeating mindset is a disgusting congestion that plagues Pan-Africanism. Pan-Africanism needs to be uncompromisingly stringent, if not then we as Africans will continue to repeat this cycle of contentment in being lost, and even when we think we are "progressing", that progression is a false one, a comfort in failure at best.

Within the entirety of Pan-Africanism, the definition of it must evolve and indicate or express its criticality. In the definition of Pan-Africanism, it’s of no affordance for the definition to use euphemism for emotional accommodation, or for any reason should it decrease in what's being emphasized. Thus we must recognize that the uncompromising standard must be steeped in the meaning of Pan-Africanism, and it must not contrast from being of African essence due to any leniency. Understand that past definitions of it were general, spoke on commonalities, and show desire to work together. But the definitions were inconsistent, and very much so just momentary. As expressed by an author, "In fact, there has never been one universally accepted definition of exactly what constitutes Pan-Africanism. Some writers on the subject are even reluctant to provide a definition, or suggest that one cannot be found, acknowledging that the vagueness of the term reflects the fact that Pan-Africanism has taken different forms at different historical moments and geographical locations." (Adi, Hakim). Although its understood about the different times and locations, but once recognized there must be a proactive base definition or concrete principle. If not, what is being expressed won't be firm like it should be and we would have failed to stress a sense of an unwavering standard.

Along with a concrete definition of Pan-Africanism steeped in stringent Africanity, there must be a mentality and functions in which do not contradict that. Many of our people often intentionally try to use futile reasoning in order to suggest keeping foriegn religions, mindsets, and or ways of operating. That thinking in and of itself shows detrimental historical ignorance, and an inability to be analytical or critically think. Without a doubt we must clean house before the rebirth of Pan-Africanism, all inclusive of intellectually, physically, scientifically, culturally and all which is in reality. Most don't do this, so as a result their movements didn't succeed in the correct solutions neccessary. Our people must understand that there aren't any shortcuts in this, "quick fixes" wont help, and watered down versions will do nothing but spin us in a cycle of failing at the very same points in which have been addressed already; As Carter G. Woodson has once said "No people can go forward when the majority of those who should know better have chosen to go backward, but this is exactly what most of our misleaders do." such shows that our people have still not learned, and or know better but refuse to operate in that.

A great ancestor of ours known as Marcus Garvey left us a great example. Garvey had it correct as far as a goal, vision, blueprint, and the strength to stand up to those that objected the mission of returning home. Greatly, he dealt with the false notion of us as Africans having to do things the European way, and or within their confines of the correct procedure in order to accomplish what we must do. These individuals that are committed to backwards thinking, get addressed by Garvey as he states in Africa for The Africans "For five years the Universal Negro Improvement Association has been advocating the cause of Africa for the Africans—that is, that the Negro peoples of the world should concentrate upon the object of building up for themselves a great nation in Africa. When we started our propaganda toward this end several of the so-called intellectual Negroes who have been bamboozling the race for over half a century said that we were crazy, that the Negro peoples of the western world were not interested in Africa and could not live in Africa. One editor and leader went so far as to say at his so-called Pan-African Congress that American Negroes could not live in Africa, because the climate was too hot. All kinds of arguments have been adduced by these Negro intellectuals against the colonization of Africa by the black race. Some said that the black man would ultimately work out his existence alongside of the white man in countries founded and established by the latter.". Sadly we see even today that many of our people are still trying to act blind to what we must do by our own uncompromised African essence in exchange for ridiculously opting to coattail ride the opposition's new world order. Such a choice is completely non-African, it is clearly in Contrast to being a Pan-African.

There is no longer time for those who love to compromise, attempt to weaponize pettiness to justify their compulsive hoarding of Non-African mentalities, and anything foriegn to us in general. We must remove the presence of infirmity in which frivolous individuals infect Pan-Africanism with. No longer can we validate those of our people who coward out or compromise for the opposition's isms, use and abuse the old saying of "leave your religion at home"that never worked and it surely will not work now. Plus utterances like that show disingenuousness now, we must always be of our original African selves, not just African sometimes; there can be no ignorance in the reality that if we are not genuine about being uncompromisingly African all the time, then Pan-Africanism will fall. Compromise of any kind must not be prohibited any more, only original Africanity must reign, if not then we are failing to be revolutionary and cooperating in our own demise. Understand that being true to being African and to operate in Pan-Africanism absent of corrupt influence is the equivalent of returning to our pre-Decentered selves culturally, linguistically, psychologically, scientifically etc. We will either be uncompromisingly African or we wont be Africans at all, there can be no in-between, and as an Elder of mine Olatunji Mwamba has stated before "We will rise again. We just have to work for it again, the way we brought it forth in the beginning.".

References:

Adi, H. (2018). Pan-Africanism: A History . Bloomsbury Academic. Garvey, M., & Garvey, A. J. (2014). Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey [Volumes I & II in One Volume] . Raising Awareness: Past, Present, Future . (2021). Woodson, C. G. The Mis-Education of the Negro . (1933)