Allies, Concerned Citizens And Organisations Urged To Show Support Against Afriphobia By Using Global African Quad Colours Dec. 5-8

 Allies, Concerned Citizens And Organisations Urged To Show Support Against Afriphobia By Using Global African Quad Colours Dec. 5-8

December 1 2022 London, UK

Coverage of this year's World Cup has been as much about people and pundits talking about discrimination as about what has been happening on the playing fields.

As with the use of the Ukranian colours in recent months, we've seen in the last week or so, people and organisations adorn themselves in the LGTBQ colours, from arm-bands, mastheads to social media profile backgrounds.

Next week, from Dec. 5 to 8, the 1st Session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent takes place in Geneva, Switzerland. African identity advocacy group TAOBQ (The African Or Black Question) is urging all who are against discrimination to show solidarity with African people and their distaste for Afriphobia, by posting or using the Global African Quad colours on their online platforms next Monday to Thursday.

The Global African Quad colours – red, black, gold and green, combines the four colours the two Pan-African flags have in common.

The Permanent Forum has been formed eight years into the 2015-24 period, which the UN declared in 2014 as IDPAD (International Decade for People of African Descent), within which, among other things, member states and civil society are to raise awareness of discrimination and racism against people of African heritage (this is specifically described as Afriphobia) and to come up with plans to redress the situation.

Dawn Butler MP with Kwaku Whyworry

Ahead of the Permanent Forum's inuagural session, TAOBQ has co-convened a Zoom conference on Saturday Dec. 3, 3-6pm GMT. It is is an opportunity for the Permanent Forum to hear from African community organisations and IDPAD advocates about the work they've been doing in the UK and across the African diaspora in the last eight years.

The conference, entitled International Decade For People Of African Descent 2015-24: What Practical Gains Can We Make From The Last Two Years Of IDPAD?, can be booked at https://bit.ly/IDPAD2022.

IDPAD is also meant to shine a light on marginalised African histories and highlight African contributions to world civilisation. And incidentally, today, Google Doogle highlights the outstanding late African-American video game electronics engineer Gerald Lawson on what would have been his 82^nd birthday.

ENDS

Kwaku Whyworry
TAOBQ (The African Or Black Question) lead

theaobq@gmail.com

https://TAOBQ.blogspot.com

Editor's notes

1st Session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent:
https://www.ohchr.org/en/events/forums/2022/1st-session-permanent-forum-people-african-descent

It's advised that the Afriphobia spelling, which makes a stronger connection to Africa, be used, instead of Afrophobia or anti-Black

Call It By Its Name: Afriphobia Is Racism Against African People:
http://l-r-c.org.uk/news/story/call-it-by-its-name-afriphobia-is-racism-against-african-people/

International Decade For People Of African Descent 2015-24: What Practical Gains Can We Make From The Last Two Years Of IDPAD?: https://bit.ly/IDPAD2022

Repairing Histories 2: Commemorating Claudia Jones @ 58

This December makes 58 years since Claudia Jones sadly passed. This will be marked by a Zoom conference entitled Repairing Histories 2: Commemorating Claudia Jones @ 58 on Saturday Dec. 17 2022, 1-4pm GMT. 

The aim of the Repairing Histories conference is to have papers that improve or expand the knowledge of the subject, mainly by highlighting the little known aspects of that history, or challenging the received wisdom. It is presented by academic and community historians with a plenary for audience engagement.

Click here to book.

Highlighting Claudia Jones' history in the context of British and Global African history; and to improve or expand our knowledge.

About this event

PROGRAMME:

Repairing Histories 2: Commemorating Claudia Jones @58

A Zoom online conference that will cover Global African and British African history, framed around the British and international histories of Claudia Jones. Presented by academic and community historians, with a plenary for audience engagement.

The aim of the conference is to have papers that improve or expand the knowledge of the subject, mainly by highlighting the little known aspects of that history, or challenging the received wisdom.

This event marks the 58th anniversary of the passing of Claudia Jones, who died in London on Dec. 25 1964. 

Conference Papers:

Claudia Jones: Righting Things In Her Own Words Reimagined

Claudia Jones: A Titan Among Radical African Female Radicals 

Why Claudia Jones Is One of the Greatest British Activists, Ever 

Claudia Jones In The Context British & Global African History 

Plenary

For enquiries: Awula Serwah via btwsc@hotmail.com.

Produced by BTWSC/African Histories Revisited in association with BBM/BMC (BritishBlackMusic.com/Black Music Congress) and TAOBQ (The African Or Black Question)

African History Reflection Day: The Global African People's Forum

 African History Reflection Day: The Global African People's Forum

Wednesday Aug. 31 2022, 6.30-8.30pm BST via Zoom
Click here for more info or to book.

Forum marking African History Reflection Day, by exploring history and social issues put forward by the participants.

About this event

African History Reflection Day: The Global African People's Forum

The motion for African History Reflection Day (AHRD) to be marked on August 31 was passed in 2014, the centenary year of the founding of the UNIA-ACL (Universal Negro Improvement Association-African Communities League). It's inspired by UNIA's Declaration Of The Rights Of The Negro Peoples Of The World, which was adopted on August 13 1920 at a UNIA convention in New York.

In 2021, Costa Rica Vice President Epsy Campbell Barr helped shepherd through the United Nations General Assembly the adoption of the resolution which proclaimed August 31 as the International Day for People of African Descent. This new Day, whichshould give higher profile to the significance of August 31, was revealed by Barr, to be inspired the UNIA Declaration.

This year, AHRD 2022 will be marked by history consultant and TAOBQ (The African Or Black Question) co-ordinator Kwaku leading a forum where the focus will be on exploring history and social issues suggested by the participants.

Ten years ago, TAOBQ (The African Or Black Question) organised a workshop entitled What Does It Mean To Be A Global African?, to explore the meaning. We'll screen a short video of Prof Sir Hilary Beckles talking about the history of Pan-Africanism and why he now talks about Global Africa. 

This is meant to be an inter-generational event, so you are welcome to bring young people to join the Zoom meeting.

See also TAOBQ (The African Or Black Question) Manifesto 2020+ and The Politics Of Racism, Terminologies And Imagery. 

Produced by BTWSC/African Histories Revisited and TAOBQ (The African Or Black Question). https:AfricanHistoryPlus.eventbrite.com

Open Letter To Will Smith, On Behalf Of A Fan

Open Letter To Will Smith, On Behalf Of A Fan

29/03/2022

Dear Will Smith,

We know that you love your wife, but do you remember your grandma Gigi's advice, when you started your nascent rap career? She said that intelligent people don't need to use offensive language or profanity to express themselves.

You not only let her down with the words that came out of your mouth on Oscar night 2022. But you also let down a lady you've most likely never heard of, Ms Serwah or Awula Serwah, who was inspired by you almost 20 years to the day, to set up a small, London, UK voluntary organisation that's been inputting positively into people's lives, and urging young people and adults to eschew profanity, or curse words.

Beyond The Will Smith Challenge, or BTWSC, launched with a seminar on March 23 2002  in east London entitled ‘The Uplifting Power of Music & Words’, which highlighted the prevalence of questionable lyrics and imagery aimed at the youth.

The organisation's name and eponymous project was inspired by your hit single ‘Freakin It’, which threw a challenge to gangsta rappers to come up with a hit song without using offensive language.

Subsequent projects, including the current edutainment Music4Causes strand, go further by continuing to encourage prospective young artists and writers to come up with positive themes that uplift, inspire and empower.

Issued by TAOBQ (The African Or Black Question) on behalf of BTWSC, Music4Causes and Akoben Awards For Positive Music.

Ends

Kwaku
TAOBQ co-ordinator
bbmbmc@gmail.com
https://TAOBQ.blogspot.com

BTWSC is a pan-London voluntary organisation that uses the creative arts to develop potential, raise aspirations, and promote social inclusion. It works with youths, adults and inter-generational audiences. Its core areas of delivery cover music industry, event planning, and African history education and programmes. For more details: btwsc@hotmail.com, https://linktr.ee/BTWSC.