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On 07/26/2014 05:47 PM, Louis Proyect via Marxism wrote: > In our email exchanges, Horace emphasized that he was no fan of > Gaddafi, an impression that might have been gleaned from his > condemnation of NATO. This is what he wrote in 2010: > > Muammar al-Gaddafi has established himself as an enemy of the > unification of the peoples of Africa for over 40 years. Last week, > Gaddafi exceeded his conservative instincts when he stated before a > group of young students that Nigeria should be split in two. Instead > of motivating the students to work for the transformation and > unification of the peoples of Nigeria as one prerequisite for the > unification of Africa, Gaddafi called for the country to be divided on > religious grounds. It should also be added that Qaddafi put Libya's considerable money where his mouth was and Nigeria and many other places in Africa are feeling the effects today. I surveyed <http://claysbeach.blogspot.com/2011/08/helter-skelter-qaddafi-african-adventure_504.html> Qaddafi's racist history of dealings in Africa, a history many on the "Left" were willing to overlook, but when it came to the revolutionary forces, they were quick to use charges of racism to attack the revolution. For example, here's some Lenin Tomb quotes I couldn't use earlier: > > the unfounded rumours that "African" mercenaries acted as Qadhafi's > fifth column. > Do tell the people of Mali, Chad and Niger that Qaddafi had no African mercenaries, and they are just wrong to think those mercenaries returned home with Qaddafi's weapons after he was defeated. Of course it was said that the revolutionaries were making this "false" claim for racist reasons. > > A painted slogan of the rebels in Misrata read, "the brigade for > purging slaves, black skin". > And this was the universal "anti-imperialist" proof of the racism of the revolution. But if Qaddafi agents painted it and photographed it what does it prove? > > If racism was never the dominant motive in the rebellion, it was > nonetheless a motive of those dominant in the rebellion. The prisons > of Benghazi and elsewhere would not have filled with black and > immigrant workers without the approval of the rebel leadership. The > coming days will tell whether this barbarism is to last. > Black and immigrant workers weren't the only ones in rebel prisons. nor was it mentioned that blacks participated in the revolution at every stage and every level. This was just an attempt to hang the "racist" label on the Libyan revolution by those that opposed it. They used racism to oppose the revolution and they never addressed the question of how to oppose racism within the revolution, as I did <http://claysbeach.blogspot.com/2011/09/racism-in-libya_2003.html>. This is the central task of Marxists on the question of racism and revolution, and it is a task in all revolutions in countries were racism has played a historic role. Clay ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
