Ijahnya Of Anguilla to Lecture On Raising Pan-African Consciousness

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Raising Pan-African Consciousness is the theme of a public lecture and slide presentation to be held in Anguilla and St. Martin during the month of August 2011.

The presentation will be made by Ms. Ijahnya Christian, who serves on the executive committee the Caribbean Pan-African Network, and who is the Caribbean Rastafari Organisation’s Liaison to the African Union in Addis Ababa.

According to the presenter, ‘Many people may ask what Africa has to do with our situation here in the Caribbean. The answer is that both Anguilla and St. Martin are very much part of the Pan-African world and if we organise ourselves along these lines, our societies could be more empowered economically and socially as well as culturally. It is said that knowledge is power so self-knowledge must mean more power. It is important for all people to be able to feel powerful in positive and creative ways so that negativity and destruction are minimised.

Since the Caribbean islands were identified by Marcus Garvey as having a critical role to play in African Redemption, Anguilla and St. Martin are excellent places to focus on re-educating and re-acculturating the people so that every young person can be empowered to participate meaningfully in the African Renaissance.’

The lecture will focus on a sample of Pan-African intellectuals and activists sharing their methods of organising for self-knowledge and power among people of African descent. These include Bob Marley, Walter Rodney and Marcus Garvey whose organising accomplishments remain a relevant blueprint for the 21st century.

In Anguilla, the presentation will be held at 7.30 p.m. on Friday 12 August at the Teachers’ Resource Centre Auditorium. In St. Martin the lecture/presentation will be coordinated by the Solidarity Rastafari Organisation and held at the We Agree With Culture Farm, in Belle Vue on Saturday 13th August at 7.00 p.m. Both events will begin on time.

Persons attending the lecture presentations are asked to bring along monetary contributions in support of the work of the Athlyi Rogers Diaspora Center which is being established in Ethiopia.