The president of the main Cuban student union describes his unique meeting with the leader of the Cuban Revolution and former Cuban president Fidel Castro. The 88-year-old revolutionary has become scarce in public after resigning from office citing health concerns, but as this young student narrates, Fidel is still very vital and aware.

As the Cuban revolutionary icon knows only too well, Empire’s war against countries aspiring to live with dignity is widespread: ranging from organizing subversion and coups to economic sabotage.

The 88-year-old revolutionary former President of Cuba does not “trust the US, nor have I exchanged any words with them,” he says in a letter addressed to the student federation at the University of Havana. This is the first time Castro has spoken publicly since the 17 December US push for a historic reconciliation between the two nations.

The developments of the past week in Soweto [widespread attacks on foreigners] manifest from sectional politics that our people were exposed to. When the Pan Africanist Congress adopted the noble idea of Pan Afrikanism it was seen by others as racist. Mangaliso Sobukwe, the first president of the PAC, a visionary, a thinker, speaking about South Africa said: “I wish to state that the Afrikanists do not at all subscribe to the doctrine of South African exceptionalism. Our contention is that South Africa is an integral part of the indivisible whole; that Afrika cannot solve her problems in isolation from the rest of the continent.”

We have a mission as true Pan Afrikanists to educate our people. People might be slow to understand Sobukwe’s noble ideology but that is what will bear the best for human kind. Good ideas are not adopted automatically; they must be driven into practice with courageous patience. The failure of addressing the National Question by the current ruling party has exposed it as not having a clear vision.

FORWARD TO PAN AFRIKANISM,TOMORROW THE UNITED STATES OF AFRIKA!

The Israeli lobby in South Africa, including the SA Jewish Board of Deputies, have – not unexpectedly - been trying to discredit Leila Khaled’s forthcoming 6-16 February tour.

The Federal Government of Somalis as constituted today does not represent the populations under the authorities of Somaliland, Puntland, Jubbaland and Southwest regions. The Provisional Constitution designed to shackle the arbitrary and capricious behavior of rulers has become a worthless piece of paper for lack of compliance and respect.

The Local Organising Committee of the 8th Pan African Congress, Accra, Ghana wishes to inform the Pan African world that the 8th PAC will be held in Accra, 4 – 7 March, 2015 at the Accra International Conference Centre.

Pan-African organisations and Pan-Africanists who are interested in participating in the 8th Pan African Congress may contact Mr. Kwasi Adu on: [email][email protected]

For further information, interested participants should also visit the 8th PAC website at: www.8panafcongress.com where registration can be done online. Other relevant information about the Congress will be published online on a regular basis.

Kwesi Pratt Jnr.
Chairman
Local Organising Committee

The 8th Pan African Congress has been rescheduled to March 2015. Writers, researchers, academics and everyone else interested are invited to send in articles covering a broad range of themes.

In December, progressive peoples across the pan-African world remember the birth of Mangaliso Robert Sobukwe. Dearly loved by his people and fiercely hated by his enemies, Sobukwe remains a tower of inspiration for Africa’s total emancipation from the forces of foreign domination.

5 December marks the 90th birthday of revolutionary anti-apartheid icon and pan-Africanist Mangaliso Robert Sobukwe. This tribute is an introduction to a new book on him.

The events of 31st October 2014, leading to the popular uprising in Burkina Faso that removed Blaise Compaore from power, constitute a turning point for the entire region, and probably Africa as a whole.

There has been much speculation on the death of the former military leader of Burkina Faso, Thomas Sankara.

Now that his successor, Blaise Compare, has been removed from power, it is high time that the international community should seriously consider starting the investigations to know who really killed Sankara.

In overthrowing Blaise Compaoré, the people of Burkina Faso have revived the revolutionary dream of Thomas Sankara whom he killed. Their uprising was against the old ties to imperialist governments and financial institutions, the old relationships of exploitation and the abuse of public office to amass personal wealth at the expense of the people.

The documentary is about the first Pan-African Cultural Festival in the continent that took place in Algiers, seven years after Algeria’s independence. The radical gathering was a genuine meeting of African cultures united in their denunciations of colonialism and fights for freedom.

In this short but bold message to mark 27 years since the assassination of revolutionary President Thomas Sankara on October 15, his widow outlines some of the challenges facing Burkinabes under the failed Compaore regime and urges continued resistance.

In his role as a philosopher, intellectual, political figure and teacher, Nyerere’s philosophy was centered on humanity and unity of the African people to achieve liberation and build African societies. His legacy remains highly relevant in today’s struggles for unity, justice and peace.

The Transitional Justice Tafakari Forum
Date: 6-10th October 2014
Venue: Kampala
Theme: Towards a self sustaining Transitional Justice in Africa

Fahamu in its efforts to create spaces for dialogue and debate to amplify Africa-centred voices, perspectives and solutions has partnered with Refugee Law Project, a Uganda based organisation to organise a dialogical space for conversation and reflection on the complexities of the current transitional justice policies and processes in addressing the concerns of post-conflict societies in Africa.

The forum brings together representatives from the Civil Society, legal scholars/practitioners, researchers, anthropologists, economists, sociologists and activists working with communities that have been victims of collective violence from Burundi, Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda.

The Tafakari Forum happening on the 6-7th October 2014, at At Speke Resort Munyonyo, Kampala, Uganda followed by an Oral History Tour in Northern Uganda on the 8-9th, 2014.

It aims at realising the following:
• Advance on the ongoing critical analysis of Transitional Justice mechanisms in Africa to unearth their complexities, contestations and contradictions in promoting accountability for past atrocities, justice for victims of violence and reconciliation;
• Deriving of context-based action points in promoting self-sustaining Transitional Justice processes that are considerate of the African realities and contexts.

You can follow the conversations on Twitter #TransitionInAfrica and on live streaming at and engage in this crucial Pan Africa dialogue.

The 8th Pan African Congress will be held at the Accra International Conference Centre. Its main objective is to galvanise Pan African efforts towards Africa’s renewal including its total socio-cultural and politico-economic independence, self-reliance and liberation

These anniversaries are important reminders of the work that was done by many great men and women to realize African liberation and to build pan-Africanism. The dream of a fully unified Africa remains a challenge to the present generation

As Africa seeks to reassert its independence, some forces in the West are doing all they can to stop “Africa rising.” As part of this, commentators who provide a different narrative from that of the West become a target of some western embassies in Africa. Those expressing views which seem to question western domination in Africa are particular targets