rootsandculture

Walter Rodney’s continuing influence and relevance are not solely of his own doing or that of his champions. His books remain a poignant record of our historical struggles and he an example of fearless challenge to power. That should be enough to make and keep him a household name. Of course, it’s not the case. However, Rodney’s detractors contribute as much to his popularity, in small if increasing circles, despite naive attempts to diminish his work, the activism, and the person.  This was never clearer than during the recently concluded general election in Guyana and its immediate aftermath.   The election of May 11 th 2015, returned the People’s National Congress (PNC) to power, as the leader in a coalition of parties renamed A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), after 23 years in the opposition. The Alliance for Change (AFC) also forms part of the coalition but retained its own name. Maybe by design, the election was called during an ongoing Com...

Clairmont Chung First Published by Pambazuka News  2014-12-18, Issue 707 MR Hamilton is a brilliant racer and a bona fide daredevil, already a legend. But in a world where so many people live in darkness starved of fuel, and oil extraction has caused so much suffering to communities, global warming and environmental activists must question motor sports:  the misuse of fuel for the sole purpose of going fast. Lewis Hamilton stands as the first obvious African descendant to participate in and to win a Formula One World Drivers’ Championship (F1). On Sunday, 23 November 2014, Hamilton, born in England to a white British mother and an African Grenadian father, claimed his second championship. He won his first in 2008. There are many parallels between these wins and the historic burdens of other firsts, such as the election of President Obama in the United States and the many successes of golfing legend Tiger Woods. Of course, a key difference is that F1 is a...

Transparency International defines corruption, as "the abuse of entrusted power for private gain.” Then it lists the least and most corrupt nations. Not surprisingly, the ‘wealthiest’ are the least corrupt. Not only is this definition at the core of all oppression, but also at the core of White supremacy, aka racism, and all other kinds of discrimination like gender, age and ethnicity. It is at the core of slavery, colonialism, neo colonialism and whatever you choose to call the current system . Figure 1 Reposted in an Article by Michael B. Kelly, Business Insider , The 17 Most Corrupt Countries, 12/3/2014 So something is seriously wrong when the wealthiest most developed nations, built on the backs of the oppressed, become models of ethics. ⁰ Corruption kills Racism is a ‘private gain’ reserved for one race at the expense of another. Police power is ‘entrusted power’ that protects any challenge to the corruption. The killing of the poor, an...