Mr Kariuki has a position in an institute, which is positive. But my experience is that the task needs different persons each doing specific work.

I would go into the details of international law strides we have made–but for security reasons I won’t here. We have engaged as certified Human Rights Defenders since 1999. For ten years we have been immersed in international law and not from an intellectual basis but as UN Convention Refugee claimants and stateless persons.

Guide to Action

In my view there are a few tiers in which to look at reparations:

1. Legal professionals enabled in international law (Mr Kariuki is right to distinguish between Haiti, US and other regions and their legal thrusts for reparations.) A common mistake is for us to see the diaspora as a blanket situation here–not so!

2. NGOs and activist organizations.

3. Educational institutions at the grassroots

4. Public Campaigns led by Africans

5. Public Campaigns by sympathetic others

6. Autonomous agitation groups

In my view, academia has to be downplayed. Writers and editors organically grown from the grassroots take care of the sure opposition that will rise, paid and bought by enemies.

Future

The future is cloudy because education on the issue is at a low point. Not understanding power relationships does not help. In the midst of the mass imprisonment of youth in the US specifically (that is where there is a history of reparations being slaughtered)technology and resources can’t easily be utilized. It goes without saying that when you are trying to survive and have been criminalized you cannot go overseas to network. And so a visit by Bush to Goree is not a viable trigger to get to work. Cultivating a mindset from an early age, or if circumstances force it, at the prison gate or street corner or university should be paramount.

With that, I’ll wrap up.

Many Thanks for posting Mr Kariuki’s work.

Bankole

My criticism with most articles that I read about African reparations in general is that there is no activist element. In other words, no matter how many conventions, statistics and passionate rhetorical podium pounders are representing the cause, few people see that they must act.

No government or bureaucracy gives out concessions.

Anything African people in Diaspora gained was because of forceful agitiation and the reasoning of a sane mentality.

Years ago, in practical terms, people in the Black America I grew up in got the idea: Don’t Buy Where You Can’t Work and numerous campaigns created a dialogue with an oppressor.

I can recall that in Philadelphia in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s we didn’t bother to shop in the city center. No need to do business with racists and ignorant people who had no intention of circulating money with you or engaging in a human relationship even for the brief period of a financial transaction. Nine times out of ten, a real bond emerged with that Brother or Sister and you had stuck it with one motion to the ’system’.

In time, I truly desire to see and hear more reparations proponents deal with the concept of a general strike and further actions to get the attention of the so called authorities. Toussaint, Nanny, Harriet Tubman, George Padmore, Marcus Garvey, Kwame Nkrumah, Queen Mother Moore and Malcolm X put these ideas into action and so can we.

As the old saying goes, Nothing Comes to a Sleeper but a Dream.

Keep Strong,

Bankole