Interview to Abuy Nfubea

executive director of Pan-African congress in Europe Bilbao Basque country 1-4 November 2007. The International event that will bring together about 600 Africans leaders from European Union, will meet in Bilbao Basque Country, to participate in this historical African Congress, to find solution to the millions of problems that Black Community face in the European Union day by day. On 22nd -23th May, he was in Brussel

Enviado por afrobeat | 13/09/07 - 22:16

culturas africanas

President of Pan-African Federation in Spain, member of consultive diaspora council in Spain and executive director of Pan-African congress in Europe will held in city of Bilbao Basque country Spain from 1st to 4th November 2007.

The International event that will bring together about 600 Africans leaders from European Union, will meet in Bilbao Basque Country, to participate in this historical African Congress, to find solution to the millions of problems that Black Community face in the European Union day by day. On 22nd -23th May, he was in Brussels, Belgium in European tour invited by Congolese business women association. In the neighbourhood of Montague he talked with Susanne Batamba Nkamba on free radios how, about the congress in Bilbao.

You are welcome Mr Nfubea

Uhuru m`afrika, thank you so much sister
Yesterday on TV show you said every African organization in Belgium must talking about the Pan African Congress in Europe,

what its the importance of this event by Africans in Europe today.

This conference represents a Call to all Africans-African descendant in Europe to get our first continental meeting to build Black Empowerment. Because we Africans, more than any community we need empowerment but never we will get it without unity .And this unity process its no new , the conference came in the great significance of African kemítica ephemeredes like the bicentenary of slavery abolition1807-2007, 3rd centenary of Equatorial Guinea 1777-2007, 50 th of republic of Ghana 1957-2007, XX anniversary of Thomas Shankara 1987-2007, 2nd anniversary of youth Riots in Paris , 120 anniversary of Marcus Garvey and European year of equality opportunities for all 2007. We will bring about 600 Africans leaders from Berlin, Lisbon, Madrid, Rome, Barcelona, Milan, Amsterdam, Austria, London, Swiss, Sweden, Paris, Marseille etc... to participate in this historical Pan -African Congress, to find solution to the millions of problems that Black Community face in the European Union day by day. Definitely, Will be most important event by Africans in Europe.

What question you will the topic debate?

The question of poverty of black people in European Union. We never can resolve the question of poverty if we don’t l we never can resolve the question of poverty listen voices of the legitimate represents of those poor people. Look, every body in Europe its talking about the millennium goals but we black are the poorest and we are excluded from this and other important debate such as European development cooperation policies, international Cooperation , the impact of institutional racism on Africans communities in European Union, the visibility of Africans associative expression, Reparations for slavery and colonialism, affirmative action on black community, Right Civil of Refugees and black women, Police Brutality on Black Community, semi Slavery situation on Afrikan working class, criminalization of our youth or 2nd generation, students, gender, the roll of Africans embassies, the Roll of African elite (intellectual, sportsmen & artist ) on suffer of the African masses, The great contribution of emigrants in Africans economies, in the impact of intercultural Mediation on Black Communities and So the vision of congress its a grassroots the necessity of African working class immigrants –refugees, women ,youth to win empowerment and to fight for unity we should resume it on the expression One Afrika one Nation. This kind of examples remember us that, the debate about our visibility not going to be relegated to a backroom discussion for few select group, must to opened to the participation of all. Because concern to illegal immigrants; African working class, poor peasantry, refugees and youth 2nd generations.

You said yesterday that this is not the typical congress where select African group discuses about the masses outside of the problems and reality of the masses. What you mean?

The scientifically committee think that the are many taboo question that Africans never have time or opportunity to talk about .that mean the speaker must to be responsible and compromised with the struggle .So the speaker will talked.
What the African grass root want to know about, not about their doctoral thesis investigation in nice university on if we have Africans people in Jupiter (ja, ja, ja), this kind of event aliened our kids and community leaders.
That is not the idea that it’s old idea. So their must be ready to talk about the problems of the Community because all of then are activist & leaders. And their represented their communities, not their own interest about the existence of humans life in Jupiter or how to get a good job in FMI.
This is very important in order to endorse new vision based on responsibility to African leaders.

Some body told me that the congresses will Tribute……..some body.

(ja,ja,ja) Yes, there are too much people fighting for one Afrika one nation all over Europe. Majority of this people are unknown. And we have some debt with them; our children must to now them. So the scientific committee on the congress will Tribute Tomas Shankara in his XX anniversary of Burkina Faso revolution and Madame Diop oldest African editor in presence Africain in Europe. Both represented the highest moral and ethical dedicating their life to the process on African struggle for their unity and liberation. And both are a good example for immigrants and refugee children and youth. For this decision the congress received support statement from prestigious people as Omali Yeshitela, UNIA, Marcus Garvey institute, Alpha Blondy, Winnie Mandela, Rita Marley, President Mugabe, and Jesus Chucho Rodriguez from Venezuela

many people in europe afriad tha two words. Black and power. what Do you mean when you said Black Power?

Fela Kuti teach us ,dont afraid the words. Power it’s the abilities to describe phenomenal and make it desire a correct manner, so African community trough Europe has many thing but the only thing we haven’t is Power for determine our own destiny life as a collective group. In other use this power in correct line this power first must be controlled by the community. We don’t say mediators or white power in black face. Black Power mean capacity building to created small business in Community because if we don’t have proprieties the government don’t respect us .Black Power mean we are able to give job to our people and prepare our children to broke with the culture of afropesimism, withes supremacy and wealth fear. Economically black power is very necessary because means self-determination .In Spanish we use the word tutelage. Look at me, why I m Here?, Im here because the sisters who are members of African business women association invite me and they gave all economical support to my European tour, some of this women don’t have documents ,but they are compromised with the struggle, that because we are here. This is a demonstration on black power.
This power must to came from and respond to the Real needs and organization of majority of African people who are suffering institutional racism in the so call European year of equality opportunities. That mean black power.

For a long time other people talked or fight for you for Malcolm x said don’t let white man talk for you or fight for you, but in EU institution we see too many people talking in the anme of africnas but we dont see the voice of own africans.

During 2004 I was commissary UNESCO of the bicentenary of Haitian revolution with UNESCO Dr James Valencia Salcedo and me started an investigation to know what it’s the real origin impoverished of black organization. During 2 years we travelled troughs African communities in Europe, Peakham –London, Torrejon-Madrid, San Francisco-Bilbao, Belmar-Amsterdam, La Cartier –Paris, Matongue-Belgium, Berlin, Amadora-Lisbon, and in every where we saw the same political relationship. At the same time we saw a special relationship between this with NGO and the local political governments, political relations based on colonial-Apartheid conception of ethnic minority. In every Black Community in Europe we saw big riches NGOs headed just by white people using and trade with the black’s people or gypsies misery suffering condition. in the name of Africans so call subsharians (ja,ja,ja) They controlled to much money from European Union funds. Normally they organized conference or studies group about immigration without immigrant, about Africá without Africans. The topics of this people went about typical philanthropic moral speeches (mediation, inter-culturality, integration, tolerance) made to keep Africans youth sleeping but never, never DEMOCRACY. When hero youth African rebellion took place in Paris we travelled to Africans community and the youth community force was crazy because the mayor spent the money in too much mediators but no in the real needs of Africans masses. The Real needs of economical self-determination, health, dirty and destroyed House, police brutality, no scholarship or grants for black student, this question were absolutely taboo. The speakers use to be carefully selected in terms of House Negro or Uncle Tom. The real needs of Africans masses were taboo. The speakers or the voice of Community use to be carefully selected in terms of House Negro or Uncle Tom.

What were the conclusions of the tesina investigation?

This process it’s scientifically very interesting and important to study because the direct consequence its that the African organization in Europe, went more and more em poorest, deslegitimacy, dis articulated , broken and very, very, very invisible. Never won institutional legitimacy
So our investigation concluded that in Europe African suffer its great business for withes solidarity. And after more that 50 years the direct consequence, it’s that they won to much money and strong political visibility position. Even some of them today are members of some European government. Even in their organization never give opportunities to Africans to worker and be visible.

what was the impact of durban conference?

Durban conference openned a great new era in the African struggle in Europe ,specificly on African communities speaking Spanish. The impact on Durban conference legitimated the reparation movement in Europe. And bring a new generation of African leader on arena. Yes, after Durban conference some Field Negro leaders like Lwenshi Kinshasa, Patricia Lumumba, Christopher Nosh, Njeri Yebienmen, Fulgencio Ngaga, Senfo Tonkam, Yonas Endrias, Alcides Mendes, Madjieguen Cisse, Leonard, Ataya Mbenky, Luis A. Mbolo Etofili, Cloddy Marthell etc…begin to denounce this situation and organized the communities on the question on affirmative action its demands REPARATIONS for genuine economic development, community control against the institutional racism, housing and education, and voting and employment and Democracy as part of human rights for Africans around the world. Those organizations gave us a more deep vision and new dialectical vector in the renovation and salvation of pan-Africanism on the hands of opportunism. And the fact of this new generation was that for the first time in Europe we went to unity movement. In different great organization such a GAC, ITRAP, ASI, and important events as anti colonial conference in Berlin, the annual Pan-African conferences in Stuttgart, Munich, Vienna and Lisbon. The sans pappier movement in Paris and the Black Youths Forum in Marseille, Paris, Amsterdam, called by Surinam joungeren organization, the free mumia movement, the 1st anti racist congress on Africans in Swiss, the 1st and 2nd pan African congress in Spain, the annual ASI-Uhuru conference in London, the Maafa meeting in Paris or the Marches for reparation in Madrid, Paris, Bruselas, London, etc... Without all this effort should be impossible to talk about the pan African congress in Europe. Therefore this is not the 1st, there was and will be many pan African conference.

How the EU government respond?

The European governments respond in two ways. 1st making a more laws to against Africans immigrants but their needed a labour African working class. The 2nd strategy was to and the power answer using the Negroes elite or the so call Africans (sportsmen, artist, intercultural mediators and “intellectual”) .I don’t like to use the word intellectual because Nkrumah, Cabral or Diop was intellectual but (ja, ja, ja),

Go head I understand what you said

Thank you, (ja,ja,ja) but this small group of African they was all time in other hand and interest of powers, never give a fuck about the problem of immigrants masses, refugee, black women, youth criminalization, police brutality, institutional racism, sans pappier or withes supremacy. They spend 24 hours in nice universities studies mediation and astronomy and were isolated from the real life of Africans. When we in 2001 march on Madrid with 100,000 and 75,000 in Barcelona this negro elite disappear from the city .they see this question thought the window but they always need and used the immigrant to get some job, institutional recognized or privilege but never were for compromise.

You said yesterday that we have the opportunity and responsibility to defeat afro negativism and bring affirmative process for the future generations what’s you mean?

Although African won a institutional political representation in some places in Europe in Andalusia, Barcelona, Paris, Basque country, Dublin, Brussels, ACP, Europaid, if today this small portion of African won some freedom and privilege its because grassroots fight against apartheid or slavery or democracy in the past .
Youth are the people who in every where fight for better condition and our children need to see us, as reference of our Comunnitties not such a singers. So the impact of this process was very native on youth, second generation or so call of hip-hop generation went behind of Wutang Klan flag. African youth was fighting against racism skin head on street, campuses, the doors of discos and in this struggle their were looking for, the Real reference political force in the black community and they didn’t find it. Because the black elite was acculturate and we didn’t understand that if in the pas some of this small group of negro won some privilege was because thus immigrants without document ,refugees, African working class grass root and youth was
Fighting on marches, strikes and boycott, NGO etc…people who sacrifice their life for get better conditions for all to win collective Right. If in apartheid regime Winnie Mandela, Stive Biko, Robert Sabukew or demon tutu did fight hose known Nelson Mandela today. We know Nelson Mandela and Tabo Mbeki and all of them because others like Winnie made a strong sacrifice. We never forget those people and our children must to know them as heroes, more than Wutang Klan.

But Europe union prefer to integrate ex communist country NOW CAPITALIST: they oldest enemy than black people. and if Africá its only 17 km form Europe but Europe union prefer to integrated ex communist country Slav: they oldest enemy than black people .

Yes however the nearest of Africa from European borders what we see it’s the new kind of apartheid against African. Al the European policies in the so call European year of inequality opportunities was to invisibilized black people .all the European agency of solidarity (Europaid,) never answer the suffer of black people .The reason its because EU union its made by government and the government reproduce their own racial political in Europe .African people don’t has any voice in Spanish institutions and Spanish government need to fight seriously against institutional racism. No just only talk about tolerance and the new form of neo-colonialism: mediators intercultural. Black people are sufferings racism every day by European institutions, so when some nice with NGO with too much European money in their pocket came to Lavapies or Rabal talking about tolerance or mediation, Áfrican masses look at themselves and they don’t understand what they call tolerance .black people don’t need mediators we need equality opportunities in jobs and this mean stop with the institutional racist. The attitude of government it’s racist because keep black people outside of their true leaders with uncle toms and they spend the money of Africans peoples to making mediation intercultural to integrate Africans. But the black immigrants have expulsion orders, and they no need to go the school to learn how to work at domestic service because this is part of slavery culture. They want to be legalized for to be free. The obvious reason is concern that the influx of migrants will not slow down and will even swell uncontrollably, because there was more slave in the Field than in a house. The congress in Bilbao will discuses about this great treat and I will suggests my sisters and brothers call for the affirmation action and ethnic minority policies for black communities in Europe .Its the only way to eradicate institutional racism.

What about the Basque Country?

Basque Country is a beautiful place where we should meet with the local African movement who are working too much to bring the event in this part of Spain and visibilize the project and struggle of black community, and host this historically Pan- African congress in Europe in the beautiful city of Bilbao. Therefore I want to express in the name of Africans people and organisation committee thank you very for all the official support black-Basque leaders, SPECIALLy Mr tCHAM BISSA the presidnet of pan-african federation in basque country received from Basque governments not only Mr Iturrate of deputation of vizcaya and the Mayor of the city of Bilbao and Mr Mikel Burzako or Aitor Esteban. I think they are in best possition and to dont comited the same wrong than other place in spain comitted with africans

The social condition of Africans in Spain its worst than when they killed Lucrecia Perez in 1992?
There is thousands of Africans people living and sleeping in street of London, Paris, Lisbon, Berlin, Vienna, Hamburg, Barcelona and any cities in European union mostly of them are undocumented immigrant showing an abandoned storage space inside a concrete wall in a park emir Mohamed in Madrid . 5,000 Africans immigrants arrived in the Canary Islands after an 800-kilometre crossing from Senegal, Mali, Guinee Conakry Mauritania, during which over 1,000 migrants are estimated to have drowned in a few months. Others brothers and sisters cross from the Moroccan to the southern Spanish coast or enter the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which made international headlines when thousands of Africans stormed their frontier fences in September and October asking for justice, freedom and equality . Around 5,000,000 Africans have residence permits in Europe, but unofficial immigrants come practically every day from africá.

Reparation it’s another great word and concept today between Africans grass root movement that many people afraid

Yes, remember that Slaves had traditionally included also light-skinned people, and the word “slave” may originally have referred to the Slav origin of many slaves (Russian, Bulgarian, ex-Yugoslavian, etc...).During African-Arab Moorish rule in Spain until the late 15th century, blacks we was associated with Islamic high culture, power and wealth, according to Cheik Anta Diop. Yet with the Atlantic slave trade, the image of the black people was degraded to justify our economical exploitation. That’s because the European institutions after 200 years of slavery abolition still present, African as brutish and fit for hard work... majority with of tourist are people came from UK, Australia, US, Japan, Germany and the rest of European Union. So, two flights carrying immigrants come to Madrid from the Canaries every week. last octuber 12 columbus day we went to the stret of madrid and march caling for reparation. 2 day after the Msr Tomas Vera gave job to 2,000 african inmigrants as gardenman or bulding contructor. Majority of the black people that won the job was illegal inmigrants that sleeped in stret on lavapies nebourghood . But 75% of them didnt go to the march. So we the question tahat nkrumah spoke in the book conciencienismo: the opress people want to aproach on the porcess of freedon making by others. As mALCOLM said they dont want to be free they want a good master.

They organized wars in africá and then when Africans escaped from that war nearly died of dehydration in the Algerian desert. European Union, violet and prostituted the real concept of refugee?

Buried some of his companions there and finally made it through an underground tunnel to Ceuta on the Moroccan coast. After two-and-a-half months at a Ceuta immigrant centre (remember gore island) and the customary 40 days in a prison on the mainland, if you have lucky you should taken by the Red Cross, where you stayed for a few months in a hostel run by the organization until his time was out.
Many of this brothers who in africá was working as professor ,engineers, university student or technical computers but the system want give them odd jobs as an agricultural labourer and factory worker during three years in slave condition , but his attempts to find permanent work always fail because he is in a legal limbo. People are asylum asking but Europe government refuse to give them political asylum to protect its business with the complicity of some housse Negroes government in Africá. You

why spain officail violating all asylum internationals convention.
Defiantly, so when the brother arrives they don’t see any hospitality and they call them immigrants as delinquents, they are not immigrant they are political refugee. The government has hospitality programs with any other withes emigrant (polsky, Rumanian, Bulgarian, and Argentinean) but no for black. Our people back to slave in the so call democratic society.

Spain has legalized large numbers of clandestine immigrants in several amnesties, but black people often cannot obtain the necessary documents why?

As Stive Biko used to say we believe that every form of political struggle must be used to win power without being married to any particular form, recognizing that in the final analysis the struggle for power will have to be won by overturning the system of oppression.
But the amnesty made by Zapatero was very good idea this didn’t put affirmative action policies for black people and even the people who has paper yesterday tomorrow lost it . Because they didn’t made it thinking on black people as human been but a just workers new slaves to work with any civil right. And the condition was so difficult to Africans and afrolatinos came from demonstrate all this documents.

Many youth people are listen us, You said that hip-hop it’s not a culture

Yes hip-hop was born in Africa trough so call griots .Those people that we called in fang language nvet oyeng or in Spanish trovador –mester de clerecia. In the slave ship hip-hop took a great development because was use off the slave masters .And since that time African people use hip-hop as essential link of African youth to resistance Eurocentrism and with supremacy acculturation or what Jean Pierre Kaya and Teophile Obenga call philanthropic imperialism. More that in terms of human right so call free societies and democratic system, The hip-hop poetry in 70s & 80s, with such a Public Enemy, Schooly d, The root, Afrika Baambata, Paris, A tribe call quest , Erik B, Black Sheep, Gunsta, BDP, Negu gorriak , Kortatu, Afrika Islam, Schoot Gerald, LaRock, Run DMC, Tupac, NWA, today Dead prezz or Daree j :Even some housse Negro like Master P played the great roll of agglutinate cultural resistance as the same did Negritude in 20s and 30s. I grow up as a member of Hip-hip generation, and my children are listening hip-hop, so we must be very carefully with the definition of hip-hop as culture. Hip-Hop never was a culture it’s another expression of rich African legacy culture or what Omali Yeshitela call African internationalism in his magnificent book: one Africa one Nation. And this expression played the same roll that rock and roll, jazz Blues or salsa played in Cali or Cuba in 70s or makosa, soukous in Kinshasa, Yaoundé or Malabo or today regeton in the African Spanish speaking communities played: organized the resistance of youth and community against assimilation and neo-colonialism. I believe that sportsman ,artist are the real intellectual of our community , so we fell pain when I see brothers near to Hip-Hop talk about the so call la culture del hip-hop. If we accept that we accept words like Nigger or bichest that some rappers used to referrer my mother, my sisters, wife or comrade as essential categorical conceptual icon of that cultural. This means to accept sexism and machismo and reactionary art as synonymous of African culture. And as H Rap Brown use to said, we use the music to be free not to crookback to the plantation.

According of Lovaina University study 70%of African media it about music, fashion, sport. As a journalist what you believe it’s the roll of African media in Europe on the XXI century?

The congress in bilbao invite all African media in Europe TV, radio and press and wed internet etc... we see that its very important and they should made a great contribution in our children and youth to change the negative image about Africa that our children see every day before lunch in programme such as National Geographic - animals , wars, dictatorship y boats in canary island . A few citizens or African student could say the name of African Nobel price, politics, philosophers, writher or movies director like Usman Semben. 65% of Spanish students don’t know that the Spanish language still the oficial language in Equatorial Guinea. Into era of Internet only 15% of Africans organization has a webside, Africans we still excluded form the European News TV, and we are invisibilized. We need work since other free and democratic subjectivity to defeat mediatical Apartheid against Africa. This pan-African congress in Europe want to work together with media looking for new forms of relationships more justice, visible, where Africans don’t appear just as object, but as subject and protagonist of information. Yes my sister, African media must to represent a strong education weapon to educate our children on Omowale Malcolm X teach, "If you don’t take carefully you will believe your enemy it’s your friend and your friend it’s your enemy “. Yes we need African media and consequently, their will play a great roll in the change of this deontological perceptive.

What is your message of African Women in Belgium?.

I love all this sister . African women was all time in the vanguard of pan African struggle, fela mother’s, Amy Jacques, Rosa Park, Ana Nzingha, Angela Davis, Pam Africa, Betty Zabassh, Espy Campbell, Gaida Gambou the greatest Winnie Mandela, or this beautiful sister will meet in Vienna in September. Therefore we have a great legacy of unity. Brussels is the capital of European Union, and our efforts as community leader must be known by Future generations of Africans immigrants and refugees. The kids must know that, their are part of the Real leadership of grassroots, strong part of this process. I feel and believe that our mission and vision of African freedom cannot exist without the leadership of sisters. The history and our children are watching us. They must to continuous working hard to endorse more people and organization to the congress today. And we need the solidarity of all beautiful sister, mothers, grandmother, wife, comrades, business women in the Media, unions, organization and government and other free journalist, professors in Europe with this historically Congress, our leader and the leader of Black freedom speeches Movement whose are part of our programme. The programme of freedom of African Freedom in European Union. As Africans women their participation and voices in this historically congress, is the most important and can’t be off by any means necessary.

What you most like of matoungue?
The people , the Food and smell very good food. (ja, ja, ja),

Smell?
Yeah, Smell to food in every where Africa every corner you can smell Malabo or Bata, Kinshasa o Duala

Thank you Mr Mfubea, thank to be here
Thank you to you sister and the sister of Áfrican women business association .it was a great honour for me to be here in this radio show .We will see in Bilbao.
Uhuru