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Pillars of Change PILLARS OF CHANGE Thomas L Blair "Provocative, intelligent and impassioned, Pillars of Change is a survival guide for Black scholars as alienated youth force the pace of urban change. Based on the Black experience in Afro-Europe, the analysis and solutions will be welcomed in all parts of the Black World." Publishing Information Published by Editions Blair Hertford, England [email protected] A division of Chronicle world Publishing, Hertford Copyright ©Thomas L Blair The moral right of the author has been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the written permission of the copyright holder. First published 2011 All photographs/montage ©Thomas L Blair taken at the occasion of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the 1st International Congress of Black Writers and Artists, The Sorbonne, Paris, 19-22 September 1956. Poster, with “Negro Head” designed by Pablo Picasso appears in the background, acknowledgements to Présence Africaine, Paris The greatest care has been taken in producing this publication, however the author will endeavour to acknowledge any errors or omissions. ISBN 978-1-908480-00-2 eBook conversion by David Stockman Contents Elements of Change · Immigration and its effects · Distress · Attitudes towards Blacks are less welcoming · The historic present · Inevitable results of change Black and Proud · The scholars story · Youth's story · The social change story · What then is the role of the Black intellectual? · Thoughts on an ending Urbanism and Poetics · • Youth's urban cultures challenge Black poetics · • Respect for youth and all who labour · • Towards African European Studies · • Digitising the African Diaspora Homage to Mme Y C Diop - Mother Africa in Europe · Fundamental source of ideas · Niam n'goura · Themes of solidarity · "I must go on" What Can We Do? Resources and Further Reading Notes on the author Acknowledgements Commentaries "Brother Thomas [Blair] writes in the tradition of our most important scholar-activist intellectuals. His work is full of insight and reflection, and useful for the continuing struggle to raise consciousness." Molefi Kete Asante, professor of Africana Studies, Temple University, Philadelphia, USA "At last! A book that challenges Black scholars to recharge their mission and to restore an inter-generational dialogue that has been frozen for decades leaving a generation in amnesia… "At the dawn of the XXIst century, the Pillars of Change is essential reading to take concrete actions in order to promote Black intellectual and cultural heritage...Valérie Kanza, Administator, Brussels, Belgium. "Congratulations. I feel we have a lot to talk about, energies are boiling and I think something new is about to emerge ... like a psychological revolution..." Brima Conteh, Black advocate and founder of Diaspora Afrique, Paris, France "I welcome the author's vision of advancing the work of the First International Congress of Black Writers and Artists by decolonising Black psyche and Black memory. He shows why this can be accomplished at a multi-level dimension including the streets." Blogger Anonymous "I, like you, believe that we should use Internet technology and other audio-visual media to exchange ideas, stay informed and improve conditions…we need to create our own wealth and become accountable to ourselves". Mina Montgomery- Matosi, writer and translator, Paris, France Preface Rebellious Black French youth have stated their case in the worst riots in nearly 40 years in 2005. You could almost feel the fury in their angry cries: "we reject racism and exclusion in housing and employment; we reject heavy-handed police actions and unfair stop-and-searches; we want the freedom to be free". But there is a less well-known and potentially more far-reaching result than civic disruption. The young rebels exposed the unfulfilled promise of post-war Black cultural elites to strengthen the African presence in modernising society. What's more they demonstrated that French society had failed to accept Black and ethnic minorities. Through their rebellious acts they forced leading Black elites and politicians to open up an alternative arena of debate on what it means to be Black and French in the land of "liberty, equality, fraternity". Ethical odyssey The conflicted yet inter-linked destinies of Black youth and intellectuals are tenuous at present — and often hostile. But I believe that together they must assume leadership for Black empowerment in modern French civilisation and in shaping the future of Afro-Europe. The purpose of Pillars of Change is to suggest the basis for this assumption and its justification. There was no "Eureka!" moment when this thought became conscious. But my conviction about Black youth-scholar linkages grew stronger and took shape serving as a panellist in the Contemporary Black World seminar at UNESCO Paris September 2006. The occasion was the 50th anniversary celebrations of the 1st International Congress of Black Writers and Artists in 1956. The celebrants were led by renowned personalities of liberal inspiration. Wole Soyinka of Nigeria, the famed writer, political activist, Nobel laureate and President of the African Community of Culture, opened the proceedings. The high-profile academic Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. offered greetings on behalf of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research, Harvard University. The leading spirit of the celebrations was the grand dame of publishing African culture and literary expression, Mme Yandé Christiane Diop, Secretary-General for the African Community of Culture and director of Présence Africaine. Out of the ashes of the seminar debates, I urged Black scholars to declare a new mission. Its platform rests on three pillars of change. First, they must build links with and learn from the new youth-led urban cultures. Second, they must introduce an Afro-European Studies programme in schools and universities. This will promote awareness of the Black experience and counter the euro-centric bias in the French educational system. Third, Black scholars must digitise Black history and fashion a place in cyberspace for the African Digital Diaspora. Towards a relevant future The pillars of change offer a wholly distinct message: we must review and revitalise the situation of the peoples of the African Diaspora. If not, then the survival and development of Black communities is in jeopardy. Each of us can start this process where we are. The need for change exists wherever youth hunger for intellectual food to fuel their quest for "the freedom to be free". It inflames the dream of progress, whether in the elite halls of academia or in the streets of disadvantage in the French banlieues, the crowded favelas of Rio, the grim bidonvilles of Africa and low income settlements of the Caribbean, or in the Black enclaves of Brixton, London and Harlem, New York. My conviction that Black youth and scholar linkages are crucial for Black survival and development has earlier origins, of course. It stems from my enquiries into the intellectual thought and practice that supports emerging Afro-Europe. It benefits from my engagement with the African Diaspora in the United Kingdom where I have professed sociology and edited and published The Chronicleworld http://www. chronicleworld.org, the Internet news magazine on Changing Black Britain since 1997. Let us be clear, however. Social action for change is not exclusively nor solely the responsibility of Black scholars, writers and artists. Black youth are fuelling the forces of change with their street protests, rallying songs, graffiti and anti-racist slogans. Nevertheless, we Black scholars are one special part of a complex process of change. If we try harder, we can give a voice to Black expression that is lyrical, cheerful and even furious at times. We can help shape the identity of coming generations and lay the foundations for greater understanding among people in multicultural democracies. Seen in this perspective, Pillars for Change is my way of "passing the torch" to a new generation ready to assume great responsibilities. Thomas L Blair, June 2011 Hertford, Herts., England Photos by Thomas L Blair ©2011 Photo 1. “Black and proud” youth. The young rebels forced leading Black elites and politicians to open up an alternative arena of debate on what it means to be Black and French in the land of "liberty, equality, fraternity". Photo 2. Black immigrant workers... at the margins of society are vulnerable to social exclusion in jobs, housing, and education and health services. Many are stigmatised by the judicial state as "illegals", or immigrants "sans papiers", without legitimate status./ Photo 3. Youth is in the vanguard of change and merit full support...As they walked out into the sunlit hall the youth were greeted by well-wishers from many backgrounds – (and the author Thomas L Blair, left). Photo 4. What we can do. Identify the mutual needs of Black intellectuals and urban diaspora communities and youth for cultural expression and collaboration -- Mme Christiane Yandé Diop (centre), Secretary-General for the African Community of Culture and director of Présence Africaine, was the leading spirit of the celebrations, with fellow celebrants from Africa, Europe, USA and the Caribbean. Elements of Change The call went out to honour and debate the work of the Black Cultural Legend, Alioune Diop, and his colleagues. After 50 years does the inspiration that motivated classical post-war intellectuals have relevance today? Anxious to reply we Africans, Afro-Caribbeans, African Americans, Black Europeans and Pan Africanists gathered to discuss this question in the Great Hall of UNESCO in Paris 2006. Culturally speaking, it was a tribute to the pioneering 1956 1st International Congress of Black Writers and Artists. For me it was an occasion to pledge assistance to underserved Black communities in Western societies.
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