Toward Clarity on ‘Pan-Africanism, Socialism and Communism’

Communism was defined before Marx and Engels. A simple definition was put forward by Kwame Nkrumah in the final paragraph of ‘Class Struggle in Africa’

The total liberation and unification of Africa under an All-African socialist government must be the primary objective of all Black revolutionaries throughout the world. It is an objective which, when achieved, will bring about the fulfillment of the aspirations of Africans and people of African descent everywhere. It will at the same time advance the triumph of the international socialist revolution, and the onward progress toward world communism, under which, every society is ordered on the principle of – from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs. (my emphasis)

This definition pre-dates Marx and Engels and addresses the fundamental distinction between Socialism and Communism. Socialism is a society where the operating principle is ‘ from each according to his ability to each according to his contribution.

One of the significant contributions of Nkrumah-Toureism (N-T) and the AAPRP is clarifying the separation between modes of production – socialism and communism and ideology. Marx, Engels and Lenin wrote to clarify ‘what must be down’ to advance humankind to socialism and communism. Their writings and their organizing made significant contribute to revolutionary theory and practice. Their followers have come to call this body of writings Marxism-Leninism (M-L). The error of these followers is to equate M-L with communism and scientific socialism.

The AAPRP has broken from this trend recognizing that scientific socialism is achievable by all people and does not require commitment to M-L. Using N-T as our guiding ideology and employing the tools of analysis of dialectical and historical materialism we have been advancing the political line and strategy that our people need to seek justice and power that is due us. But our search for justice does not end with socialism nor is it limited to Africa. That in fact is the essence of Nkrumah’s closing sentence in ‘Class Struggle’.

Our comrades in PA chapter have advanced quotes from Lenin on communism as if we are to accept Lenin as the authority on communism. This was his analysis about communist ethics, not ours! Marx, Lenin, Mao and others have written about what communism will look like and even more about how to organize to bring about communism. Some of their analysis his based on dialectical and historical materialism and is scientific. Other of their analysis is based on their cultural experience (their views on Nationalism and Religion) and is inconsistent with the African cultural experience and must be rejected by Africans building on our cultural reality. This distinction is the essence of N-T.

It is our task to advance the path to socialism and communism. How can one adhere to socialism and reject communism. All the quotes, positions, analysis etc.. of the M-L hold for both socialism and communism? There position is consistent for the two. They both wrote that socialism was just a path (phase) leading to communism. The arguments presented by PA chapter are the arguments presented by ‘cultural nationalist’ worldwide as to why we must reject socialism and either go back to traditional Africa or seek a 3^rd way. Nkrumah vehemently combated this bad analysis in his classic work “Two Myths” which he concludes with

Socialism depends on dialectical and historical materialism, upon the view that there is only one nature subject in all its manifestations to natural laws and that human society is, in this sense, part of nature and subject to its own laws of development.
It is the elimination of fancifulness from socialist action that makes socialism scientific. To suppose that there are tribal, national or racial socialisms is to abandon objectivity in favour of chauvinism.

The PA analysis makes no effort to reject socialism. The question is - are they advocating we stop at socialism? Are they arguing that we cannot as humankind advance beyond socialism? This is contradictory to dialectical and historical materialism.

Socialism is a social – economic system where control of the production processes and associated institutions has been taken out of the hands of the capitalist class. During this period the peoples’ party coordinates the transportation of society to eliminate the gap between the haves and the have-nots. This process of class struggle is to eliminate classes. The elimination of classes requires an ideological and spiritual transformation that in essence is the creation of the true human. However, this new society is communism and this new human is the true communist. If you don’t allow yourself to get caught up in the dogmatic elements of the M-L rhetoric, when reading M-L, Maoist, Le Duan and other ideological literature, one will see this common thread. Simply put, socialism is a path and process of class struggle to eliminate injustice and class division bringing us to a social –economic reality where society is ordered on the principle of – from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs – COMMUNISM!!

Our task as Pan-Africanists is to study, analyze and articulate how Pan-Africanism in an objective that will make a monumental contribution toward world communism. While most of the white left dominated socialist movement worldwide has rejected nationalism based on the European cultural experience, we as Africans realize it as a rallying point for revolutionary transformation to a broader union – a united states of Africa under scientific socialism. This should be recognized as a stage toward world communism that should be embraced by all true socialist / communist revolutionaries. Our task is to advance this line of thought in our literature, our programs and our interactions within our communities and within the broader progressive and revolutionary movements.

Concerning the quotes of Kwame Ture (KT) and Sekou Toure, it is unfortunate that the natural language is so ambiguous. Yes most communist parties are atheistic, therefore to be a communist in those parties you had to be an atheist. KT was talking of M-L parties. We are clearly a different communist party. In ‘not going to communism’ KT was in error. We can and must rectify this error. We must categorically reject the notion that ‘scientific atheism is an ideological and philosophical aspect and requirement of communism’. It is nowhere in the definition of communism and runs directly counter to Nkrumah’s ideological contribution to the issue. It is strictly a M-L notion and must be rejected by all true Pan-Africanists!! An accurate interpretation of Toure’s “not bound to endorse philosophical materialism which denies the existence of God” is not a rejection of philosophical materialism, but a rejection of THE philosophical materialism of M-L that denies the existence of God. This is the only interpretation that renders consistency to Toure’s earlier acceptance of dialectical and historical materialism and recognition of Marx’s contribution to class analysis.

I encourage struggle over these and other points.

Pan-Africanism will bring world communism