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 82nd birthday.
ENDS
Kwaku Whyworry
TAOBQ (The African Or Black Question) lead
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
