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"The total liberation and unification of African
under an All African Socialist Government must be the primary objective
of all Black revolutionaries through out the world. It is an objective
which when achieved, will bring about the fulfillment of the aspirations
of Africans and people of African descent everywhere. It will at the same
time advance the triumph of the international, socialist revolution."
-Kwame Nkrumah
"The freedom and development of the African woman
are indispensable to the freedom and emancipation of the African people"
Ahmed Sekou Toure
Myths are stories which, however marvelous and improbable
to us, are nevertheless told to explain why something exists or happens.
Unfortunately, myths can program the writing of history. Myths disguise
truth and are potentially destructive, particularly when their legends
become institutionalized. Our task is to help destroy the damaging uses
of myths be destroying the system which created the myths regarding African
women as we attempt to re-educate and search for new formations and symbols.
The system that created these myths is capitalism. Capitalism
is an economic system by which individuals (the owners of the top corporations
in the world) are allowed to deny the masses of workers and unemployed
an equitable share in the wealth of the world, thereby denying the masses
basic necessities (adequate nutrition, clothing, shelter and education)
for living productive lives and thus limiting the productive capabilities
to uplift humanity.
In attempting to analyze the situation of the African
woman in America, one sees many myths. The system of capitalism under
which we all live has attempted by many devious ways to destroy the humanity
of African people since the inception of slavery. This has meant an outrageous
assault on every African man, woman, and child who resides inside and
outside the United States. Unfortunately African men and women have not
understood the forces against them and have accepted negative capitalist
evaluations.
African women face triple oppression all over the world
as workers, as Africans and as women. African women must destroy the myth
that in order for the African man to be strong the African woman must
be weak. Both must be urged to be strong. The African people need strength.
Telling African women to step back is to tell the African people to wait
for liberation from the poor conditions they are living under today. In
this highly industrialized world, every member of the African nation must
be as educationally and technologically developed as possible.
The only way to deal with capitalism, the root of the
damaging myths we speak of, is through organizing ourselves in order to
equip ourselves to destroy capitalism. The All African Women’s Revolutionary
Union (AAWRU) was established for the purpose of recruiting African women
to work for their people in the context of an organization fighting for
the people. The AAWRU is the women’s wing of the All African People’s
Revolutionary Party.
African women must begin to deal with the problems of
the African masses for their problems are one in the same. A revolution
that engages the participation of every man, woman, and child brings about
a certain transformation in that man, woman, and child. It is through
struggle for Pan-Africanism and the liberation of all African people that
the African woman can and will achieve emancipation from her triple oppression.
"Revolution entails not only the willingness to
lay our lives on the firing line... To die for the revolution is a one-shot
deal; to live for the revolution means taking on the more difficult commitment
of changing our day-to-day patterns. This means changing the traditional
routines that we have established as a result of living in a corrupted
society." (Frances Beale)
The African woman must realize that she has a right and
a responsibility to participate in the struggle for the African people’s
right to self-determination. Participation in this struggle is part of
the history of African women, part of the present, and it will be part
of the future.
African women historically have made immeasurable and
decisive contributions to the struggle to liberate Africa despite the
advance of colonialism. In spite of oppressive social contradiction, there
are numerous examples of African women rising to crush the myths and lies
of her incapabilities as she rose to the heights of human capability.
Dr. Anna J. Cooper, born August 10, 1859, led a struggle
for the education of African women in America. An educator, activist,
and author of "A Voice from the South, By an (African) woman of the
South," Dr. Cooper was a speaker and campaigner for Pan-Africanism.
She spoke before the first Pan-African Congress organized by WEB DuBois
and Sylvester Williams in London, 1900.
Yaa Asantewaa of Edweso, Queen Mother of Ashante, in
1900 spurred one of the most determined resistance movements in African
history. With her personally trained bodyguards she waged guerrilla warfare
to seize the kingdom’s traditional Golden Stool from the British.
She put all her funds towards the national struggle, totally committing
her life to freeing her nation from British colonialism.
Azanian/South African Winnie Mandela continuously struggled
as a member of the ANC against the oppressive Apartheid system. In 1963
she was placed under a banning order for five years. She was held again
in 1969 for 491 days and after five months was charged under the Suppression
of Communism Act. She was then tried in 1970 with other members of the
ANC and served five years under house arrest. In 1976 after her release
from detention she stated, "We are gathered here not only to discuss
common problems but also to rediscover ourselves, our dignity, and to
instill in ourselves self-reliance and self-respect." Though pregnant
at the time, she participated in a massive women’s anti-pass demonstration.
As a result of her activities with student uprisings in Soweto, Winnie
Mandela was banned to an isolated area outside the country.
We see, through these examples, that incapability does
not lie with the African woman, but with the system which seeks to cripple
and confuse the African masses. African women, like any other oppressed
people must take the initiative in destroying conditions in society that
block their development and the development of the African people as a
whole. She must struggle to correct the backwardness of her fellow sisters
who have not yet accepted their responsibility and the men who maintain
backward tendencies that undermine the development of all Africans. Women
must organize their people to liberate themselves from the vestiges of
capitalism. This is the only solution to the problems currently facing
them. African women in mass must organize to employ the genius of all
African women to move towards the advancement of socialist revolution
in a united Africa. Scientific socialism is the political and economic
system that operates for the good of all humans in society as opposed
to just a select few as we have under capitalism.
Around the world the progressive political organizations
and revolutionary parties are proving this. Assata Shakur is the leader
of the Black Liberation Army that is waging armed struggle in the United
States for socialism. She broke out of the Federal Penitentiary and is
now teaching in Cuba. Mozambican women took up arms alongside their men.
Josina Machel, wife of late President Samora Machel died in struggle.
The women of Zimbabwe under the leadership of the Zimbabwe African National
Union (ZANU) played a key role in their liberation composing approximately
30% of the liberation forces. "Liberation Through Participation"
was their slogan. Korea, Palestine, Guinea, Angola, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau,
Vietnam, Cuba and Ireland have all had women who made clear their contribution
to the socialism revolution with their blood and have insured their ongoing
participation by establishing women’s unions which guarantee their
input and the development of equality between men and women.
The All African Women’s Revolutionary Union pledges:
- To develop African women’s historical tradition to struggle and
increase her ability to shoulder the revolutionary responsibilities
necessary to forward Pan-Africanism;
- To help develop African children into revolutionaries and to dedicate
the lives, work, skills and all creative energies to the liberation
of African women, African people, and oppressed people around the world;
- To carry out the above goals with revolutionary discipline, and consistent
ideological and organizational development.
ALL AFRICAN PEOPLES
REVOLUTIONARY PARTY Educational Brochure
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