Farrakhan: Africa Must Unite!

Farrakhan said African leaders understand what’s at stake and support Mugabe and have even borrowed from his lessons. “There is a movement in South Africa to take back the tremendous hectares of land that white land owners have, and return it to the people. Well if Thabo Mbeki takes that route, will he now be another pariah? Now the question every Black leader has to answer is ‘Do I want the friendship of white people, or do I want the liberation of my people? Do I want friendship
with the former slave masters, the former colonial masters and be rubbed on the head and patted on the behind, or do I want to see my people free?’�

In an exclusive interview on the eve of the Millions More Movement NOI minister Louis Farrakhan predicted the Washington gathering will succeed despite the Bush’s administration’s intrigues. He vowed that the march towards a global and powerful Black Diaspora cannot be stopped. He called on Blacks everywhere to support the African continent on its march towards continental unity and declared support for Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe whose lesson of returning land to Africans has now spread throughout Southern Africa. “We will win,� Farrakhan declared in the interview, as African peoples converge on Washington, D.C., for the October 14-16, Millions More Movement gathering, 10 years after the original Million Man March.

“For the first time in our history, those of us of different ideologies, philosophies, methodologies, denominations, sects and religions, political and fraternal affiliations have come together to create the Millions More Movement,â€? Farrakhan said. “Each of us has agreed to work together for the benefit of the whole of our people.”

“We called it the Million More Movement because we’re not interested in marching; we’re interested in creating a movement that will be more important the day after than before,� Farrakhan added. He explained that, “if we don’t create a movement to address the concerns of our people, then the 10th anniversary is all vanity, and personally, I don’t have time. Black folk don’t have time to engage in some vain exercise, to exalt someone who talks well, but we’re not doing anything to save our people.�

Minister Farrakhan recently completed a 33 city tour to publicize the event. Asked what had been accomplished over the past several years, Farrakhan said: “We did some things, but it wasn’t enough. Our people measure us by the lack of the fulfillment of a word, which we should be measured by, but they never measure the work of the opposition to what we desire to do. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. There was an equal and opposite reaction to the success after the Million Man March.�

Farrakhan slammed some ministers who reneged on backing the D.C. gathering after being allegedly coerced by the President George Bush’s administration. “God is going to make us successful no matter what Karl Rove and President Bush do. I just feel bad for the preachers that have taken Bush’s faith-based initiative that makes the church and its leaders vassals of the state.�

Farrakhan noted that a meeting was called at the popular Bishop T.D. Jakes’ Potter’s House church. “Bush called and all the top Black preachers met at the Potter’s House and the Millions More Movement was on the agenda,” he said, adding that talk show host Tavis Smiley told him that Dr. Cornel West went to Dallas to tell Bishop Jakes it was wrong of him to urge pastors not to support the Millions More Movement. “I see Bush upset,â€? Farrakhan added. “It’s good that he’s upset, but it’s bad that he can get upset and make anointed people into his magicians.â€? The minister said Bush ran to T.D. Jakes, “Because he knew he had messed up with Black people, and he knew Black people respected T.D. Jakes, so he wanted T.D. Jakes to clean him up in front of the people he was negligent toward.â€?

Following the Million Man March, there was “unprecedented Black love and Black unity,� and men returned home to become better husbands, fathers, protectors and community builders, said Farrakhan. Other positive results from the original march were that 25,000 orphans found homes and 1.7 million Black men registered to vote, the minister said.

Farrakhan argued that African peoples everywhere should realize that they have a common destiny. In this regard, we shouldn’t standby as the West moves to recolonize Africa for its vast resources.

“Africa needs help,� Farrakhan declared. “They’re trying to move towards a United States of Africa, and every time they try to do something productive there’s a counter force; and what we don’t see is who the counter force is. All we see is the effect that a counterforce is actually working to destabilizing the aim of Africa to unite; and instead of having 53 independent states that cannot function in a globalized setting, the only way Africa can compete is that Africa must unite and the African Union must become the United States of Africa.�

From Birmingham England to Birmingham, Alabama, Black folk the world over have a role to play, Farrakhan said. “We can help, because in the Diaspora Africa possesses in her sons and daughters, some of the best educated Black people in the world. But we have no arena to execute on the brilliance of our minds, except through corporate America, where they have an aim and we fit their aim. Africa has an aim, and the brilliance of the Diaspora can be included to help Africa fulfill it’s destiny. That is why we were invited to the meeting of the African Union that took place in early July, in Tripoli. The African Union wants the Diaspora to be included.� Farrakhan added, “If Africa is up, the sons and daughters are respected wherever we are, but if Africa is down, how can we the children of Africa be up?�

He vigorously defended Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, who is constantly assailed by the western media. “Mugabe is and was a great warrior who helped to liberate Zimbabwe,� he said, noting that after the former guerilla chief consolidated power for the people, he went to Lancaster House in London, in September 1979, to negotiate an agreement with the British government. “Unfortunately, like most of the promises the oppressor makes, they make these promises never intending to fulfill them. Mugabe was the darling of Europe as long as he didn’t trouble the
white land owners. But when those who fought with Mugabe for the liberation of Zimbabwe came to him and said ‘We fought to free this country so we could retake our land,’ he could not deny that; and once you start depriving the white land owners of the wealth of the land and give it back to those who fought bled and died for that land, President Mugabe then began to be treated as a pariah. So, for his action there was and is an equal and opposite reaction. Their desire is to overthrow him completely, and put someone in power who will reverse his policies.�

Farrakhan said African leaders understand what’s at stake and support Mugabe and have even borrowed from his lessons. “There is a movement in South Africa to take back the tremendous hectares of land that white land owners have, and return it to the people. Well if Thabo Mbeki takes that route, will he now be another pariah? Now the question every Black leader has to answer is ‘Do I want the friendship of white people, or do I want the liberation of my people? Do I want friendship with the former slave masters, the former colonial masters and be rubbed on the head and patted on the behind, or do I want to see my people free?’�

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *