Commemoration of Walter Rodney

الاخوه الاعضاء

للمهتمين منكم بمفكري التحرر ارجوا ان يكون لهم بعض السلوي في سيرة المفكر الغياني الكبير ولتر ردني الذي تجري الاحتفالات لاحياء ذكراه ال 25. هذا المقال الجيد عن حياة المفكر الكبير من pambazuka في عددها الاخير.

عسكوري

WALTER RODNEY, THE PROPHET OF SELF EMANCIPATION
Horace Campbell

Guyanese activist and academic Walter Rodney, the author of 'How
Europe Underdeveloped Africa' was not just a Guyanese figure. He was
known worldwide, especially in Africa, where he enjoyed great
popularity for his solidarity with the struggles of the working people.
This year marks 25 years since his assassination and efforts are
underway to commemorate the life of a man who became known as the
'prophet of self emancipation'.


The year 2005 marks twenty-five years since Walter Rodney was
assassinated in
Georgetown, Guyana. Walter Rodney was a tireless champion of the
rights of working peoples everywhere and in his short life of thirty
eight years he made his mark as one of the pre eminent thinkers of the
20th century.

When one reads his monograph, 'World War II and the Tanzanian
Economy', (published by Cornell University, African Studies and
Research Centre) one can get a sense of the kind of conditions into
which Walter Rodney entered this world. This reflection on the war was
also contained in a paper delivered by Walter Rodney in London on
comparisons between Tanzania and Guyana under colonialism. War and the
destruction of human lives by capitalism were constantly on the mind of
Walter Rodney.

Secondary Education in Guyana

Walter Rodney was brought into this world in the midst of war,
conceived by Guyanese working class activists who were very much part
of the anti colonial struggles of the society. Rodney was born on March
23, 1942 in Bent Street, Georgetown, where he grew up and spent his
childhood. After attending primary school, he won an open exhibition
scholarship to Queen's College, then one of the elite schools in the
colony. Rodney grew up in a time of ferment in Guyana and he paid close
attention to what was happening in his society while excelling in every
area of life that he participated in. He was involved as a school
cadet, as a debater, as a member of the sports team and was known to be
a very good bridge and chess player. Rodney came to adulthood when the
questions of the centrality of the working people in the future of the
country were being debated (with words and with imperial intervention).
Both of his parents were active in the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP)
led by Cheddi Jagan and were outspoken in their opposition to racism,
colonialism and imperialism. Walter Rodney often attended political
meetings with his mother and went around distributing anti-colonial
literature himself.

Walter distinguished himself in high school and in 1960 won another
open scholarship, this time to the University of the West Indies (UWI)
campus at Mona, Jamaica. In Jamaica, he was an active supporter of
Caribbean Unity and he traveled extensively in Jamaica supporting the
West Indian Federation during the referendum of 1961. Three years
later, he obtained a degree in history with First Class (top) Honors.

While as an undergraduate he was outspoken in the defense of the poor
and his activities were monitored by the Jamaican police, who were
afraid of the strident defense of the rights of ordinary people. As an
undergraduate, he was already writing and contributing to scholarly
journals on the issues of slavery and capitalism. In one particular
essay entitled, "The Slave," Walter brought out not only the humanity
of the enslaved African, but the capacity to organize and rebel under
the most brutal conditions.

Walter Rodney in London

In 1963, he received yet another scholarship, to study African History
at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of
London. At that period, the questions of decolonization in all parts of
the world were being debated. The legacies of the post war agitation by
Africans who were involved in the West African Students Union (WASU)
had inspired a spirit of cooperation beyond national boundaries. In
London he deepened his understanding of Pan Africanism and was in
contact with students from Africa and the Caribbean. C. L. R. James
provided the bridge between these communities. James had been a member
of the International African Service Bureau (IASB) and had cooperated
with George Padmore, W.E. B Dubois, Jomo Kenyatta and Kwame Nkrumah in
placing the decolonization question squarely before the British
political leaders and peoples. Walter was a member of the group of
Caribbean workers and students who studied and debated with C.L. R.
James. These study sessions included the cream of the anti colonial
youth who were being trained in Europe at that time.

In 1966, at the age of 24, Rodney received his PhD. His doctoral
thesis was published in 1970 as 'A History of the Upper Guinea Coast,
1545-1800'. Because of the scholarly breakthroughs in this study,
Rodney's work was published in the most distinguished Journals of
African History and he made a name for himself as a pre - eminent
African historian. It was while in London when he married Patricia.

Rodney and Tanzania

His first job in academia was an appointment as lecturer in history at
the University of Dar es Salaam, in Tanzania, East Africa. At that
time, Tanzania was the Headquarters of the OAU Liberation Committee. In
1964 the Zanzibar revolution had radicalized the politics of East
Africa and in 1967 the Tanzanian government launched the Arusha
Declaration. Che Guevara had also traveled through Tanzania on his way
to fight in the Congo.

Returned to Jamaica

In 1968, he returned to Jamaica to lecture at Mona campus, his old
university. Rodney's second coming to Jamaica coincided with the rise
of mass political activity on the island, activity in which he became
deeply involved. He worked closely with poor people and "grounded" with
Rastafarians in Kingston and other parts of the country. He was
constantly under surveillance by the police but was not intimidated.
The scholarly work of Rodney increased while he was publishing for
journals, but he found time for working with the ordinary people. In
this regard, Walter was the quintessential organic intellectual.

Rodney was very popular with the Jamaican masses, but his activism was
frowned upon by the middle classes who felt that he was wasting his
time with the Rastafari. At that time, the Rastafari were considered
"outcasts" and "criminals." The influence of Walter Rodney on the
lyrics of Bob Marley can be seen from reading 'Groundings' and
listening to the Album 'Survival' by Bob Marley. (See Walter Rodney,
'Groundings With My Brothers') In seeking to respect the culture of the
people, Rodney participated in numerous sessions teaching the history
of Africa in poor communities. For this, he provoked the wrath of the
Jamaican government, which claimed that he was a threat to national
security.

The year 1968 was historic in the uprisings all over the world. Walter
Rodney attended the Black Writers Conference in Montreal in October
1968. On his return to Jamaica, the government banned Rodney from
Jamaica. The JLP government sent him back to Canada on the same plane
on which he had arrived. The ban resulted in major uprisings in
Kingston. This was a demonstration of the love that the people had for
him.
Students marched on government offices and ordinary people in
Kingston, angry at the expulsion of the beloved "Brother Wally," joined
the demonstration, which eventually turned into a popular uprising. The
event, which became known as the "Rodney affair," resounded throughout
the Caribbean. Some of the public presentations Rodney gave in Jamaica
were published in a small book, 'The Groundings with My Brothers'.

After his expulsion from Jamaica, Rodney spent time in Toronto, Canada
and in this period traveled to Cuba. In early 1969 he returned to
Tanzania, where he resumed teaching at the University of Dar es Salaam.
At this time, The University of Dar es Salaam was a magnet for all of
those in Africa thinking through the issues of liberation and freedom.
These ideas were debated at the University of Dar es Salaam. It was in
this intellectual milieu when he published his best-known work, 'How
Europe Underdeveloped Africa'. This book broke with the Eurocentric
conceptions of African history and immediately the book became one of
the most widely-read and influential books on Africa and the third
world in general.

In addition to his scholarly pursuits, Rodney was deeply involved in
working with those dedicated to freedom and emancipation. He gave
classes to the Workers at the Urafiki Textile Mill near the University
and traveled on weekends to communal villages. Tanzania was then
undergoing a revolutionary experiment, and it also served as the
headquarters for many liberation movements from various parts of
Africa. Rodney, who considered study and struggle inseparable, was
involved in all of these activities.

He was central to the development of an intellectual tradition that
became known as the Dar es Salaam School. His numerous writings on the
subjects of socialism, imperialism, working class struggles and Pan
Africanism and slavery contributed to a body of knowledge that came to
be known as the Dar es Salaam School of Thought. Issa Shivji, Mahmood
Mamdani, Claude Ake, Archie Mafeje, Yash Tandon, John Saul, Dan
Nabudere, O Nnoli, Clive Thomas and countless others participated in
the debates on transformation and liberation in the University. He
traveled extensively throughout East Africa and was one of the founders
of the History Teachers Workshop of Tanzania. This workshop assigned
themselves the task of rewriting the text books for high school
students in Tanzania. One of the results of these debates was the
effort of the World Bank and western donors to prop up a conservative
brand of economic theory in the University. By the end of the eighties,
World Bank thinkers and consultants were blaming Walter Rodney for the
radical thinking in the University of Dar Es Salaam.

Return to the Caribbean.

Walter was a teacher, a political activist, a father and husband. Two
of his children, Kanini and Asha were born in Tanzania. His son, Shaka
Rodney was born in Jamaica in 1968.

Walter always wanted to return to the Caribbean and he wanted his
children to know Guyana. Hence in 1974 he moved with his family back.
Initially, he was appointed as Professor of History at the University
of Guyana. The government of Guyana, however, canceled the appointment.
Because of his independence and clarity of ideas, the government
thought that he would leave. Out of paid work, he refused to leave the
country. Instead, over the next six years he threw himself into
independent research and political organization. He increased his work
as an international scholar, teaching and researching on a full time
basis. Many did not understand how he could work full time as an
activist in the Working Peoples Alliance (WPA) and remain committed as
a serious scholar.

Walter threw himself into the study of the Guyanese working people and
brought out a study of Guyanese plantations in the 19th century. He was
involved in a three volume study of the Guyanese working people but
before it was complete, he was assassinated on June 13, 1980. After his
assassination, the first volume, 'A History of the Guyanese Working
People', 1881-1905 was published by John Hopkins University Press. This
book provided the historical foundations for the political movement he
played a central role in founding and leading until his death, the
Working People's Alliance (WPA). More than anything else, the WPA was
committed to the politics of reconciliation among all racial groups in
Guyana, beginning with the working people.

The dominant theme in Rodney's life and work, intellectual and
political, is a deep and abiding commitment to the struggles of the
working people everywhere for emancipation from all forms of
oppression. It was the principle for which he lived, and the principle
for which he died. His last major project was the writing of books for
children. It was his view that only when children learnt proper history
and respect for others that the struggles against racial insecurity
could be overcome. Two children's books were produced. His legacy
remains an inspiration to lovers of justice and human dignity the world
over.

Walter Rodney was assassinated on June 13, 1980. He had traveled one
month earlier to Zimbabwe in Southern Africa to celebrate the
independence of Zimbabwe. He had been under house arrest and the
political leadership panicked when they learnt that he had met the
Prime Minister and leaders of the Zimbabwean struggle.

From 1979 Rodney was under constant surveillance and close colleagues
of Rodney were killed in 1979 (Ohene Kahama) and in 1980 (Edward
Dublin). Finally, they killed him on June 13; murdered by a bomb
concealed in a walkie-talkie. The man who handed the Walkie Talkie to
Walter was whisked out of Guyana and protected by international
imperialism until he expired nearly twenty years later.

His death shocked Guyanese of all racial groups, women, men, and
youth. He had dedicated the latter part of his life to bridging the
divisions between the people of Guyana only to end up paying with his
life. Rodney was not just a Guyanese figure. He was also known
worldwide, especially in the Caribbean and Africa, where he enjoyed
great popularity for his solidarity with the struggles of the working
people. It was for this reason Eusi Kwayana termed him as the 'prophet
of self emancipation'.

* Horace Campbell is chair of the Walter Rodney Commemoration
Committee (http://www.rodney25.org/) Contact [email protected] to find
out more about planned events.

* Please send comments to [email protected]

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