Marcus Garvey and Being ‘Led’

Self-governance is the natural preserve of Afrikan souls since the earliest of times. It is from self-governance that Afrikan souls have established and maintained the greatest and most enduring civilisations ever to exist. Steeped in their own self-determined way of life, the grand civilisations of Afrikan souls flourished with rightful order.

Unfortunately, foreign forces of ill sought to invade Afrikan lands and impose (amongst other dire troubles of disorder) racially-based caste systems to forcibly relegate Afrikan souls underfoot. With the Maafa of recent centuries efforts to perpetually extend such dire practice have been made by alien forces of anti-Afrikan agency. A question could be posed in the immediate present: can Afrikan souls recognise ploys of such ill amidst the posturing presented in the guise of politics?

The supreme visionary Marcus Garvey with profound insight articulated the following analysis of non-Afrikan government in relation to Afrikan people:  

“To talk about Government is a little more than some of our people can appreciate just at this time. The average man does not think that way, just because he finds himself a citizen or a subject of some country. He seems to say, ‘Why should there be need for any other government?’. We are French, English or American. But we of the UNIA have studied seriously this question of nationality among [Afrikans]  - the British nationality, this French, Italian or Spanish nationality, and have discovered that it accounts for nought when that nationality comes in conflict with the racial idealism of the group that rules. When our interests clash with those of the ruling faction, then we find that we have absolutely no rights. In times of peace, when everything is all right, [Afrikans] have a hard time, wherever we go, wheresoever we find ourselves getting those rights that belong to us, in common with those for whom we claim as fellow citizen; getting that consideration that should be ours by right of the constitution, by right of the law; but in the time of trouble they make us all partners in the cause, as happened in the last war, when we were partners, whether British, French or American [Afrikans]. And we were told that we must forget everything in an effort to save the nation.

We have saved many nations in this manner, and we have lost our lives doing that before. Hundreds of thousands – nay, millions of Black men, lie buried under the ground due to that old-time camouflage of saving the nation. We saved the British empire, we saved the French empire, we saved this glorious country more than once; and all that we have received for our sacrifices, all that we have received for what we have done, even in giving up our lives, is just what you are receiving now….And why? Because we have been satisfied to allow ourselves to be led, educated, to be directed by the other fellow, who has always sought to lead in the world in that direction that would satisfy him and strengthen his position”.

Afrikan souls surely do themselves a great service to establish whatever level of self-governance it is best possible to do within their particular set of circumstances in mission for global Afrikan ascension.  

The inspiration and wisdom guidance of the great Marcus Garvey is surely mission-compelling for Afrikans worldwide. Here, the imperative thrust of independent learning can be energised throughout the levels of the self: