“New Scramble for Africa” at IBW Forum

Dec 12, 2009 from 9:00am to 11:00am EST
Location: Academic Core Building at York College
Latest Activity: Jan 20, 2020

- Press Advisory - New York, November 30, 2009 -- W.E.B DuBois, one of the leading Pan Africanist of the 20th century, once declared that “today out of Africa come 95 percent of the worlds diamonds; 80 percent of the cobalt; 60 percent of the gold;…90 percent of the chrome and manganese;… and increasing part of the uranium and radium and large amounts of tin, iron…” In essence DuBois was proclaiming that Africa is the richest continent on the face of the earth. Cognizant of this fact, European nations gathered in Berlin in 1884 to carve up the continent to ruthlessly exploit its vast resources. Despite successful liberation movements that broke the yoke of colonialism, one hundred and twenty-five years after the Berlin Congress, there appears to be a “new scramble for Africa” with nations like China, India, Korea and the United States competing to gain control over the incredible wealth of resources on the continent. In some instances, it appears that self-aggrandizing/corrupt African leaders are virtually giving away the resources of the motherland. The Institute of the Black World 21st Century (IBW) has assembled a stellar panel of scholars and activists to address this burning issue at a major State of the Black World Forum, Saturday, December 12, 2009, 2:00 – 4:00 PM at York College, 94-20 Guy Brewer Blvd. in Jamaica, Queens. Spearheading the discussion will be the Honorable Dudley Thompson, 92 year old former Foreign Minister of Jamaica, who is still actively promoting Pan Africanism to achieve self-determination and dignity for people of African descent worldwide. According to the Caribbean Hall of Fame, during the course of his illustrious career, Dudley Thompson has been “a friend and colleague of George Padmore, Kwame Nkrumah, C.L.R. James, Julius Nyerre and M.K.O. Abiola.” He played a leading role in the historic Fifth Pan African Congress and was also a lawyer for Jomo Kenyetta during the Mau Mau trials. Dr. Shelby Lewis, former Associate Provost of Clark Atlanta University, has been tasked with making the principal presentation on the topic. As a scholar/activist, she has traveled and studied extensively in Africa and was the founder of one of the first African Studies Programs in the U.S. Other notable speakers/respondents include Dr. Leonard Jeffries, Professor of Black Studies at City College/CUNY and world renowned African-centered scholar; Dr. Chika Onyeani, former Nigerian Diplomat and Editor of the African Sun Times Newspaper; Sidique Wai, President of the United African Congress; and, Dr. Adelaide Sanford, Vice-Chancellor Emeritus of the New York State Board of Regents. Commenting on the significance of a forum on this subject, Dr. Ron Daniels, President of IBW, said, “T he urgent need for people of African descent to have an economic base for global Black Power dictates that we have serious and substantive discussions about what may well be the modern day rape of Africa, unfolding before our eyes. This is a tragic and devastating development which must be reversed at all costs.” Dr. Daniels is also a Distinguished Lecturer at York College. The Forum, which is free and open to public, will be held in the Atrium of the Academic Core Building at York College. For further information contact IBW at 718.429.1415.

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“New Scramble for Africa” at IBW Forum

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