MALCOLM X: ONLY A STRONG AFRICA WILL GET RESPECT

This week marks 100 years since Malcolm X, one of the most eminent Pan-Africanist icons, was born in Omaha in the US state of Nebraska.

Born at a time of widespread oppression of Black people both in the United States and in Africa, a commitment to the global African people’s struggle marked Malcolm X's life.

The founder of the Organization of Afro-American Unity firmly believed that for African people at home and in the diaspora to be respected, the African continent needed to become economically and militarily strong.

In this video, Malcolm X (1925-65) explained how the Chinese began to command respect worldwide as a force to be reckoned with culturally, economically, and militarily under People’s Republic of China founder Mao Zedong (1893-1976).

Malcolm X said the lesson for us Africans was clear: Unite! Just like the Chinese state could unite a population of 540 million in 1949, according to a 2020 commentary in the journal ‘China Population and Development Studies,’ Africa needs an integrated state to unify our growing population of over 1 billion. Watch him make the point by explaining how a r*cist saying quickly fell out of use once China became powerful.

Perhaps the revolution underway in the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), comprising Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, would have brought a smile to Malcolm X’s face. On 6 July 2024, the three states established an anti-imperialist confederation on their path to one governance in Africa. In less than a year, the AES has repeatedly demonstrated that the journey to a unified African state might still be long, but it is possible.