Senegalese rapper, songwriter, founder of Lady Gaga, and businessman talks at the Youth Connekt in Kigali in Rwanda. He tells a brief but fitting storyline of how America is great because they have been great at branding and marketing (themselves).
America brands itself better than Africa has, primarily because of technology and creative educating methods in film production. Akon talks about this brilliantly in the video above. For years, I’ve attempted to get black Americans to understand the richness of what they have on the African continent.
For years, I could not penetrate to express to them what is really there. The images coming from the television were too overpowering for them. Those images included zebras, elephants, jungles, out of control thuggery, genocides, and other wildlife things people are not used to.
Akon Stresses Control the Narrative
Being from there, I knew better, but I’m glad many others are now going there and visiting to get their own perspective and experience. Share this with others so they also can under the strength in their ignorance.
We all must understand the strength in America’s branding and marketing, and how African authors, marketers, filmmakers, and journalist, need to control the narrative! Akon, black radical!
Oliver Tambo was the interim president of the ANC (African National Congress) of the South African “anti-apartheid” political party. When he served, he did the bulk of the time while he was in exile.
Born on October 25, 1917, in Bizana, South Africa. This radical would go on to serve while in exile as the acting president of the ANC, and his party agitated the apartheid regime. He eventually returned to South Africa in 1990 and turned over party leadership to the nations first democratic president; Nelson Mandela.
Oliver Reginald Tambo, often called OR, belonged to the Pondo people. Twenty-seven years after his birth (1944), Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela helped to form the Youth League of the ANC.
Oliver Tambo the Missionary
With a desire to be a priest, Tambo taught at a missionary school. However, he learned that in order to bring change and equality to his people swiftly, he needed to study law. He believed legal action proved a more powerful tool to dismantle state-supported segregation.
Fifty-two years into the twentieth century, he joined with Mandela to open the Johannesburg-based law firm. It was the first black South African law firm. Tambo was the vanguard of ANC political activity. His radical work further agitated the apartheid (the caste system enforced upon the native black population by the white-controlled government).
Eventually, many party members were arrested in 1956 for treason. They were later cleared. Some members were charged again. This round found his colleague Mandela sentenced to life in prison, and himself exiled.
Coordinating Guerrilla Movements
While in exile, Tambo established residences in Zambia and London. He received party backing from European nations, such as Holland, East Germany, and even the Soviet Union. While overseas, Tambo coordinated resistance and guerrilla movements mobilized in South Africa. Despite internal organizational struggles, he was still able to keep the multiracial ANC intact.
South African Black Radical Fought for the People
Faithful to finding positive solutions for his people, still Tambo was noted for his graceful approach. Tambo was able to return to his native country in 1990 when the ban against the ANC was lifted by new South African President F.W. de Klerk. A black radical to the core, Oliver Tambo fought progressively for equality and for the people.
Most people may have thought that black radicals was or is a new concept or idea. It is not! Black radicals is a terminology that was developed during the Civil Rights Movement in America during the 1950s 60s and 70s.
During that time many black men and women became “radical” in their own personal fight for liberation. They were radical for justice for the colored people in America, especially those of African or negroid descent. They fought not only for themselves and for their people but also for the world.
Really, for the world?
Yes!
The world cannot exist unerringly while people are being oppressed. The bottom will always fall out of such an establishment. Many of the black radicals of the past that were not assassinated or vanquished from the country, found another type of life.
They witnessed and lived through the extremely oppressive and excessive force of violence, drugs, and family destruction to enter the black community. They saw a different type of demon rearing itself in all black communities.
This demon was a psychologically disastrous, misleading educationally, sociologically deprecative, and biologically deadly in their war against the black man woman and child.
Because of this, different organizations were put together to keep the fight for freedom and equality alive. One of which was an organization called the Black Radical Congress or BRC.
Focusing on Increasing Social Justice
They were founded in 1998 in the wonderful City of Chicago. They were a grassroots network of people and organizations all of the African descent. The BRC focused on urging for a wide range of continuous increasing social justice.
They also stood in the gap for racial impartiality and economic fairness for all people in the United States (especially black people).The organization began with 2000 different participants and their first agenda was something called the freedom agenda.
While we (#blackradicals) are pulling most of this information about this organization from Wikipedia, you can still find traces of articles online by doctorate-level scholars who participated with the BRC. We are not sure this organization is still together or if it has been disbanded.
Black Radical Congress and the Freedom Agenda
This article aimed to shed light on the ideology of black radicalism and black radicals in the past. Our current website, blackradicals.com, is not a new idea of progressing and strengthening black presence and equality. Many before us have put in work of immortalizing past works and empowering the current and future black radicals.
All of this will maintain and increase social justice and equality of blacks in America and all over the world. This has been and is an ongoing fight for equality, globally! Keep the fight, become a black radical inwardly!
If you know anyone or anything in addition regarding the Black Radical Congress, please contact us.
Many people know or have heard of the late great Nelson Mandela, as a president, but more as the South African leader. Nelson was born in a village in South Africa called Mvezo, which is in Umtata. This was part of South Africa’s Cape Province.
His middle name is Rolihlahla, which actually means “troublemaker.” Not Mandela, a troublemaker? He made a lot of trouble for racist whites in South Africa, and perhaps some for himself. Nelson will forever be known as the South African political activist, which steered him into the positions he held in his later life.
This black radical spent over 25 years of his life in prison because he opposed the apartheid regime. He was freed from prison in 1990, and four short years later, he was being sworn in as South Africa’s first president. For obvious reasons, this was a big deal.
The MLK Jr. of South Africa
Many men and women have been presidents of countries, but not many presidents have won Nobel Peace Prizes. President Mandela was one of them to win the Nobel Prize, in 1993. He won for his efforts to end racial segregation in South Africa. You can view him as the Martin Luther King Jr. of South Africa.
This kind of goes to show, if the FBI in America did not put out an assassin on Dr. King, Dr. King could have been the first black US president perhaps (we digress). Back to Mandela; before being imprisoned wrongfully, Mandela professionally was an attorney.
He knew the law. And because of racial inequalities, he was in high demand to help stop the apartheid. He was up for the battle because he was committed to the cause. He and other members of the ANC (African National Congress) were arrested for treason.
Nelson Mandela Arrested for Fighting the Apartheid System
Acquitted, Mandela reformed and retooled, only to be rearrested and this time put in jail. Imprisonment was a learning period, and it made Nelson stronger and also well known throughout the world. Although the struggle appeared to be him fighting against white people, Mandela spoke differently. He felt he was fighting against the apartheid system.
When Nelson was released from prison on February 11th of 1990, the country took it as the end of the apartheid. When he assumed power in South Africa as the first president of the democratic state, he wasn’t a vengeful leader. Instead, the late great Mandela was extremely forgiving and generous.
He supported even white groups, encouraging all people to support the Springboks, a group symbolized as white supremacy. That would equate, in the United States, to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. advocating for black US citizens to support the KKK (Ku Klux Klan).
Mandela both a peace and black radical…
This was known as the epitome of peace and forgiveness. It catapulted his status as one of the world’s greatest leaders. He did it his way, supporting so-called villains like Colonel Gaddafi, President Fidel Castro, and President Yasser Arafat. Certainly a radical, and we salute the late great Nelson Mandela, as president, as a political activist, as a social activist, and peace radical. Nelson Mandela, black radical.
Take the time to read about this great man, in his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom!*
*links in this article that lead to Amazon are affiliate links with cookies that expire in 24 hours. These affiliate links, if acted upon, contribute to the work being published on this website for the edification of you and others who enjoy and utilize the contribution. We love revisiting what the black pioneers have done, and continue to do!
Most people do not equate wealth with the continent of Africa. Nevertheless, Africa is immensely wealthy because it produces most of the natural resources that take care of our great planet. This leads us to a resourceful man right from the resourceful continent.
You may not know Africa’s wealthiest Aliko Dangote, but if you’re into natural resources and a businessman, you should. He is a Nigerian and he’s got a lot of bread (money-wealth). We definitely place him high as a black radical.
First his background:
Sixty years young, currently living in Lagos, Nigeria, married with three of them (children). He’s not walking around with some big degree from some big school. He has a modest bachelor of arts and science. He received it from Al-Azhar University.
Last we (blackradicals.com) checked, arts and science degrees weren’t making people one of the wealthiest in the world. How did Africa’s wealthiest, Aliko Dangote, pull this off? Well, he made it his business to go into the industry of cement, sugar, and flour.
He’s industrious, a characteristic of a black radical. Cement is used to build stuff and roads; sugar is used for the sweet tooth, and flour for fufu (Nigerians get it). All that mixed together and BAM, you’re a billionaire! Not so fast; you need a vision, plans, and dedication.
105th Wealthiest Billionaire in the World
Not to mention, Dangote owns stakes in publicly traded salt, sugar, and flour manufacturing companies. He produces cement to the tune of 44 million metric tons on a yearly basis. He also plans to increase that production rate by 2020 by 33%.
His holding company owns 90% of his Dangote Cement company (strategic). Aliko Dangote is recorded as the 105th wealthiest billionaire in the world and is the top shelf guy in Nigeria. That means he’s number one; he holds that also for the continent of Africa.
Everyone says when you meet him, he’s truly a humble person, and certainly deserves features on blackradicals.com.
Ghanaian President Gets Radical with French, Europe
Ghanaian president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in the video above gave a mouthful of words to the French president. Although it was not directed directly at French president, Emmanuel Macron, it sure felt as if it was. Macron was given a respectful mouthful of what needs to be done in Africa.
For so long, as president Akufo-Addo so eloquently said, Ghana has been (slightly or largely) dependent on European nations for over 50 years, since its independence.
A natural black radical, President Akufo-Addo says that it is now time for Ghana and all African nations, which have accomplished its independence more than half a century ago, to become fully independent.
Ghana Must Take the French and European Breast Out of its Mouth
It is the time Ghana comes out of the need to accept financial aid from European taxpayers as a necessity. Also, Ghanaians need to build a system that will allow Ghana to retain its best minds. The most brilliant youth of the nation are currently graduating and fleeing to European nations for a lifestyle and work.
Developing Another House!
Akufo-Addo said that they (the youth) are not leaving because they want to, instead it’s because they have to. They are in this position because they are not able to see the vision Ghana can provide the lifestyle for independent progress. A child who watches his father work for another man will eventually go work for that man also.
The European lifestyle is more modern and offers more opportunity to the burgeoning youth of Ghana and other African nations. If Africa is able to build systems that can promote true independence as other countries have done in shorter times since their independence (such as Malaysia Singapore Canada), then the youth will stay in Ghana.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Gets Radical with French Leader
They will stay and build the rich nation full of its rich resources the way we are seeing in Europe. We can have nothing but respect for the way that president Akufo-Addo verbalize it, and for those statements being his personal thought process.
“We can no longer continue to make policy for ourselves, in our country, in our region, in our continent on the basis of whatever support that the western world or France, or the European Union can give us. It will not work. It has not worked and it will not work”.
We can also only appreciate this for the world to understand that this line of THINKING is what the world needs; independent nations driving upon itself, participating as a developed nation, in a free trade market in the global society.
What do you think about the video, about the message? Is it time for African nations to be totally dependent and AVOID the hand-out help from European nations? Leave your comments!
Dr. Mae Carol Jemison was born October 17, 1956, and she is certainly a black radical. Dr. Jemison is a US engineer, physician, and NASA astronaut. She became the first black woman to travel in space when she went into orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on September 12, 1992.
A Decatur, Alabama native, Mae Carol Jemison was the youngest child of her parents, Charlie Jemison and Dorothy Green-Jemison. Her dad was a maintenance engineer supervisor for a charity organization, and her mother worked as an elementary school teacher, teaching English and math at the Beethoven School in Chicago.
Early on, Mae was deeply interested in the sciences. In college, Mae studied the physical and social sciences and learned to speak two languages, Russian and Swahili. She earned a degree in chemical engineering, as well as, in African studies.
First Black Woman Astronaut
After college, she studied medicine for four years and became a practicing medical doctor. She is an extremely intelligent and determined individual with radical nature.
Jemison was one of 15 astronauts chosen by NASA out of more than 2,000 applicants to go on her first space expedition. When she was younger, not only was Dr. Martin Luther King an inspiration, but Jemison says that actress and vocalist, Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura on Star Trek, was also a “guiding light.”
Jemison became the first Black woman astronaut in space in 1992. She was a Mission Specialist on the shuttle, Endeavour, where the mission was a joint event between the United States and Japan. Dr. Mae also had the honor of being America’s 50th shuttle effort. On this flight, Jemison worked with another scientist on two bone-cell experiments. These experiments also included investigating weightlessness and motion sickness.
Astronaut in Space Mae Jemison
In 1993 Jemison founded her own company, the Jemison Group that researches, markets, and develops science and technology for daily life. Jemison also founded the Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence, named in honor of her mother.
Jemison has vocally credited her parents as the best scientists, mainly because they asked the most and best questions. No topics were not allowed the time and space in her upbringing, which really helped Dr. Mae in arts and sciences.
She believes the future of science and arts, especially for black youth, depends heavily on the leadership, guidance, and positive influence parents give to their children. Far too often, parents run their children from science because average parents often do not understand science.
Engage.
The reason we are enjoying the internet and all the technologies we have today is that of the scientific seeds that were planted 30 years ago. We, adults, are responsible for continuing to plant these seeds. The first black woman astronaut in space, Dr. Mae Jemison, a black radical, and educator.
