Thinking about 2011, I contemplated what posts were most memorable. While many were highly important, the productions which were most significant and profound for me were the Watershed episodes with brother Kambale Musavuli, spokesperson for Friends of the Congo and sister Patrice Douglass, a graduate student at University of California – Irvine.
Break the Silence in the Congo with Kambale Musavuli
The destruction and suppression taking place in the Congo, which has enough resources to rebuild the entire world, has monumental implications for everyone living. While the richness of the Congo and all other oppressed nations are controlled by a few, ALL of us suffer (including people of the oppressor nations). Kambale talked about the history of the Congo, the significance of Patrice Lumumba, his assassination, and many individuals who participated in the struggle to liberate the Congo.
Geopolitically, the Congo is one of the most strategically placed countries in the world. As Kambale noted, it is surrounded by nine other African countries and can provide enough energy to power the entire world for thousands of years. Being that the Congo is situated at the heart of Africa and is so resource rich, whoever has control of the Congo has significant power. This is the primary reason why Congo has been war torn by the US and Europe for centuries. The ruling class is clear on this reality and it was my mission to put out a show that would make this clear to everyday people. I wanted to produce a show that did not just throw out random facts like ‘the Congo is in a civil war’, without giving a thorough history and analysis which helped the listener understand the conflict and expose that the conflict is not a civil war, but a proxy war propagated by the same colonial powers that have been terrorizing the Congo since Europeans gave it to King Leopold as his own “personal property”.
It is hard to describe my love, concern and appreciation for the Congo and the Congolese people because most people do not understand how a person can feel so deeply about a place they have never seen. However, it is because I understand the politics of the Congo and its potential to provide a comfortable living standard for the entire world, that I love the Congo. I produced this podcast to raise people’s awareness so that we all stand up for the Congo in the ongoing process to bring its wealth under the people’s control. Furthermore, I understand that I am Congolese and the Congolese are me. In even broader terms, from Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba, Nigeria, Congo, Kenya and everywhere African people live, we are all Africans. We have to recognize this and develop a love for our people and support our struggles regardless of the false borders we were born into. Kambale implored us to come home and participate in the struggle to reclaim our national homeland and, while that may not be physically possible for many of us who are strangled by the capitalist in our respective birth places, I concur that we must at least come home in our hearts and minds.
Racialized Education with Patrice Douglass
Since I graduated college and continued my own education, I started to develop this profound animosity toward my educational process. I felt cheated and duped because all I ever learned about was European history, European science, and the wonders of capitalism. As I continued to expand my own knowledge, I understood more and more why my favorite subject has always been math (either the answer is right or wrong, especially in Geometry, yes, I know, I’m a nerd). Which paradoxically begs the question…is math really my favorite subject? Honestly, I do have a great appreciation for math, but with the limited options presented to us as students we were jammed into a standardized box that didn’t allow us to explore our real talents and interests. This standardization is further compounded when you’re an African whose existence is antithetical to everything you learn is noble and great about the world.
When I interviewed Patrice, she provided even more insight that helped me understand the anguish I felt growing up. She validated my feelings that I wasn’t crazy and that the education system is rife with faculty and staff that don’t want us to think. They only want to train us and arm us with “knowledge” that will maintain the current power structures. Usually, for the African petty bourgeoisie, that means being an administrator in the public (mostly) and private sectors (A Talented Tenth Administrator BABY! Now that’s progress).
I was really astounded by her stories about the anti-intellectual teachers and professors at these institutions. She told me about one professor who claimed that Thomas Jefferson was an ANTI-RACIST! Yes, folks, the grand slave-holder who had such a reciprocal and loving relationship with Sally Hemings (the snark should be obviously apparent) that he couldn’t fathom freeing her, was an anti-racist who OPPOSED slavery. Soon, they’ll start teaching that the Ku Klux Klan were proponents of Black liberation, but were acting as “men of their time” (I think they are already doing that. Think Texas public schools)!
Patrice further discussed the ramifications of anti-blackness in the school system on young people’s psyche and how it affects Black and non-Black children from an early age. I found these stories to be the most heart wrenching particularly because I grew up going to majority Black schools and the “look at the Black kid” comments were not common place. She emphasized that anti-blackness is so profound that other children of color articulate and distinguish themselves from ‘the Black’ even at play.
We also talked about the attitude students have toward Black faculty, the interactions faculty have with each other, and just the overall racists and bigoted atmosphere running rampant throughout all educational levels. Although, these stories often left me speechless, rambling, or flat out wanting to cry, I was so glad that I was able to have Patrice on the show.
THANK YOUS
These two shows stood out because they both had me on an emotional roller coaster. I almost cried in both, laughed in both, and truly enjoyed Kambale and Patrice. They are both wonderful, sincere, patient, and gracious people. I want to end 2011by saying thank you to all my guests including Dr. Frank B. Wilderson, Chioma Oruh, Iyapo Bandele, Kambale Musavuli, Patrice Douglass, Ikonoklast, Ernesto, and Enaemaehkiw. These are all awesome people who produced awesome shows; all of you encourage and motivate me to push and work harder to make this independent media grow.
