Its a tough call. My first thought was indifference. But the World Cup is political; its not just about sports. We pan-Africanists must use the World Cup to propagandize our vision of an united global Africa. I support Algeria in the spirit of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah who married Fathia Rizk, a Coptic Egyptian. Nkrumah also had strong ties with Gamal Abdel Nasser, former leader of Egypt. We have obviously lost ground on north-south unity since the US government-backed overthrow of Nkrumah.
Yes, North Africa is struggling with political Islam and other challenges.
Yes, "Sub-saharan" Africa has its own difficulties.
Yes, relations between "Arab African" and "Black Africa" are bad.
But they are not irreconcilable. I can't go with Chinweizu (who I love) and his idea of writing off "Arab Africa." Algeria, and North Africa generally, must be reconciled with "Black Africa." And the African continent must reinforce its ties with the Global Black/Afrikan Community.
But they are not irreconcilable. I can't go with Chinweizu (who I love) and his idea of writing off "Arab Africa." Algeria, and North Africa generally, must be reconciled with "Black Africa." And the African continent must reinforce its ties with the Global Black/Afrikan Community.
Besides the standard observation that Algerians are anti-black/African, there is the mistaken belief that Arabs and Berbers are not indigenous to Africa. Berbers are, in fact indigenous to the Maghreb (page 54). Arabs invaded the region c. 7th century ACE. Arabic is linguistically an African (Afro-Asiatic) language. The Arab question is not as clear cut. Some scholars estimate that the original speakers of Arabic migrated out of North Africa c. 8,000-15,000 years ago (search Christopher Ehret) and eventually settled in the Levant. The geographical distance for their North-African mother-tongue eventually led to the development of what we now call "Arabic." This hypothesis supports the notion propagated by the Nation of Islam (page 33), the African (American) Hebrew Israelites, and others that the Middle East is actually an extension of Northeast Africa (hence the Nation of Islam terminology, the "Asiatic Black Man").
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| Children of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and Fathia Nkrumah (nee Rizk). From left to right: Francis Nkrumah, Gamal Nkrumah, Fakry Halim Rizk (brother of Nkrumah's wife Fathia), Samia Yaba Nkrumah, Sekou Nkrumah. I took this photo at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park during the interment of Kwame Nkrumah's wife, Fathia. (photo credit: Kwame Zulu Shabazz) |
tags: algeria, Fathia Nkrumah, kwame nkrumah, pan-African
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