We all know that God is not white, says Buntu

IT is only by speaking out against the wrongs that Europeans inflicted on Africans that these imbalances will be erased, says a South African-based Pan-Afrikanist.

Amani Olubanjo Buntu advocated this view at a public lecture on ‘Afrikan History and Pan-Afrikanism:Theory, Praxis and Centredness’ at the Polytechnic of Namibia in Windhoek last week. Africans should not be afraid to say that Europeans did wrong by colonising them, Buntu said.”I do not agree with people who say we should not talk about the past.It is reality”, said Buntu.He said he could even say that a European was the “greatest liar, greatest murderer, greatest thief”, while an African was the “greatest [sic.] enslaved, greatest victim, greatest self-hater”.Buntu charged that Europeans even portrayed God as a white person.As a result every white person felt that they looked like God and looked down on Africans.”We all know that God is not white,” he said.Buntu said he could not understand why Africans had been patient for such a long time – being victimised by Europeans – and were still not doing anything about it.”Being angry is not necessarily bad.Being emotional is not necessarily bad but it must be directed.We have been colonised for too long and we are still quiet,” he added.He accused Europeans of deliberately making Africans believe that everything Eurocentric was best, while Africans had a rich history of which every African could feel proud.The Pan-Afrikanist said there were many Africans who had invented a lot of things many, many years ago, but Europeans had taken their inventions and claimed them to be theirs.Buntu said Pan-Afrikanism needed to be promoted – both on the continent itself and in the Diaspora.This would unite Africans and lead to them being treated on the same level with people of other races.He quoted Marcus Garvey who once said:”The greatest enemy of an African is disorganisation”.Buntu said the fear that stopped Africans from speaking out against injustices inflicted on them by Europeans was holding them back.”Freedom is not given, it is claimed,” he pointed out.He then lashed out at adult Africans who said that the youth of Africa was lost, and that they just wanted to follow the American way.He said if Africa’s youth was lost, African adults and parents were to blame.”We need to educate the youth on African history and how to behave properly.Think about what you did for Africanism every day,” he said.* Buntu, who was invited to Windhoek by the Pan-Afrikan Centre of Namibia (Pacon), was born in Anguilla, in the Eastern Caribbean.He has a diploma in social work and has worked with young people and communities for 20 years.He founded the Afrikan Youth Organisation – an empowerment organisation for young people and families – in Norway in 1995.In 1997 he established the first Pan-Afrikan shop in Scandinavia called Afrikan Excellence.In 2000, he came to South Africa where he now works as a consultant for Afrikan Centred Education and Leadership Training.He is a lecturer in Afrikan History and Culture and he is also a co-founder of the Karaites Institute of Afrikology and the Afrikan Network and runs his own consultancy, Ebukhosini Solutions.Buntu was involved in the planning of the UN World Conference Against Racism in 2001 and was also part of the co-ordinating committee for the Afrikan and Afrikan Descendant Conferences in Austria in 2001 and in Barbados in 2002.He is currently working on a book on African youth, identity and culture.Africans should not be afraid to say that Europeans did wrong by colonising them, Buntu said. “I do not agree with people who say we should not talk about the past. It is reality”, said Buntu. He said he could even say that a European was the “greatest liar, greatest murderer, greatest thief”, while an African was the “greatest [sic.] enslaved, greatest victim, greatest self-hater”. Buntu charged that Europeans even portrayed God as a white person. As a result every white person felt that they looked like God and looked down on Africans. “We all know that God is not white,” he said. Buntu said he could not understand why Africans had been patient for such a long time – being victimised by Europeans – and were still not doing anything about it. “Being angry is not necessarily bad. Being emotional is not necessarily bad but it must be directed. We have been colonised for too long and we are still quiet,” he added. He accused Europeans of deliberately making Africans believe that everything Eurocentric was best, while Africans had a rich history of which every African could feel proud. The Pan-Afrikanist said there were many Africans who had invented a lot of things many, many years ago, but Europeans had taken their inventions and claimed them to be theirs. Buntu said Pan-Afrikanism needed to be promoted – both on the continent itself and in the Diaspora. This would unite Africans and lead to them being treated on the same level with people of other races. He quoted Marcus Garvey who once said:”The greatest enemy of an African is disorganisation”. Buntu said the fear that stopped Africans from speaking out against injustices inflicted on them by Europeans was holding them back. “Freedom is not given, it is claimed,” he pointed out. He then lashed out at adult Africans who said that the youth of Africa was lost, and that they just wanted to follow the American way. He said if Africa’s youth was lost, African adults and parents were to blame. “We need to educate the youth on African history and how to behave properly. Think about what you did for Africanism every day,” he said. * Buntu, who was invited to Windhoek by the Pan-Afrikan Centre of Namibia (Pacon), was born in Anguilla, in the Eastern Caribbean. He has a diploma in social work and has worked with young people and communities for 20 years. He founded the Afrikan Youth Organisation – an empowerment organisation for young people and families – in Norway in 1995. In 1997 he established the first Pan-Afrikan shop in Scandinavia called Afrikan Excellence. In 2000, he came to South Africa where he now works as a consultant for Afrikan Centred Education and Leadership Training. He is a lecturer in Afrikan History and Culture and he is also a co-founder of the Karaites Institute of Afrikology and the Afrikan Network and runs his own consultancy, Ebukhosini Solutions. Buntu was involved in the planning of the UN World Conference Against Racism in 2001 and was also part of the co-ordinating committee for the Afrikan and Afrikan Descendant Conferences in Austria in 2001 and in Barbados in 2002. He is currently working on a book on African youth, identity and culture.