The Libyan Socialist Jamihiriya - the society that emerged in Libya in 1969 under the leadership of Muammar Gaddafi, was unquestionably a source of inspiration in Africa during its existence. People all over Africa sought to make it to the Jamihiriya for health care, education, and other necessary resources. The country had extensive wealth as a result of the oil refining industry that the Jamihiriya nationalized from Chevron and other multi-nationals who controlled oil production in Libya prior to 1969. As a result of how the Jamihiriya collectively used those resources to improve the conditions for Libyans and all Africans, the Jamihiriya was immensely popular, not just in Libya, but all over Africa.
Much of what was highlighted above about the Jamihiriya has become common information in the previous weeks, but what hasn't been talked about at all is the actual threat that the Libyan Jamihiriya posed to imperialism. Clearly, one of the most important contributions of the Jamihiriya was the creation of the International Mathaba and the Anti-Imperialist Center (AIC) IN 1982. The Mathaba, which means "Center" was formed to model the University of Sankore (Timbuktu) from thousands of years ago in Mali. People traveled from all over Africa and the world to come to Sankore and discuss the issues of the day. It was one of the world's first centers for academic and intellectual analysis. The Mathaba was formed in this image to provide a center for this work to take place in Africa. This was an essential institution because up to that point, the only international center for anti-imperialist activities was the Communist International (Comintern) formation which was controlled by the Soviet Union. For many African and other brown revolutionaries, the Comintern was always a non option. The Soviet Union strictly required that all Comintern participants, which usually met the local communist parties like the Communist Party of the USA - which received funding from the Comintern - followed lock step loyalty to the Soviet line. This meant the Stalinist version of Marxist/Leninism. George Padmore, the Trinadadian born Pan-Africanist who served as Stalin's political secretary before breaking with the Soviet leader over the Soviet Union's alliance with the U.S. during World War II, wrote the classic book "Pan-Africanism or Communism" which illustrates the decision by Pan-Africanists to abandon the Comintern in the 1940s to develop independent Pan-Africanism ideological foundations for socialist development. Forty years later, the Mathaba would come to serve as a viable vehicle to help facilitate this vision. The Mathaba's mission statement made its intentions to achieve this objective clear; "To Resist imperialism, racism, fascism, zionism, colonialism, and neo-colonialism." From 1982 forward, the Mathaba had international meetings where liberation movements from all over the world participated. Revolutionaries participated in governing committees within the Mathaba. The awards committee had participants like Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael) who along with his committee colleagues, voted to award the (then) Palestine Liberation Organization with a large cash donation in 1989, followed by the American Indian Movement receiving the same vote the following year. The Mathaba continued to serve as an international station of support for liberation movements throughout the 80s and 90s, but the legacy of the Mathaba was probably reflected in the historic 3rd al-Mathaba Congress held in September 2000. This congress featured Gaddafi giving a full length speech that clarified the objectives of the Mathaba. To give you a snapshot of the wide spread level of interest that the Mathaba attracted at that time, the list of people present at that third congress is a virtual whos who in national liberation politics. Minister Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam introduced Gaddafi for this historic speech. Present was Robert Mugabe, then president of Zimbabwe. The Partido de Communista e.g. the Communist Part of Cuba, was represented. As was the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau (PAIGC). Daniel Ortega of the Nicaraguan Sandinista movement was present. Hugo Chavez was there. Sam Nujoma of the Namibian independence movement. Gaddafi used his speech to make a call for the creation of one African currency through the development of an African bank that would be facilitated by the Mathaba. Gaddafi expressed that this project would help offset the impact of the international imperialist sanctions that had been in effect against Libya (allegedly because of Libya's possible involvement in the Lockerbie plane crash in 1988).
Of course, the U.S. led imperialist destruction of Libya and murder of Muammar Gaddafi completely derailed all of the progress and work of the Jamihiriya and the Mathaba anti-imperialist center in 2011. Some of the failures of the Mathaba to serve as that consolidated center for anti-imperialist activity must be discussed. The Jamihiriya's focus on viewing the Mathaba as a vehicle to advance the Jamihiriya's adherence to "The Green Book's Third Universal Theory" concepts can be debated. This theory was designed by Gaddafi to serve as a guide for implementing democracy without utilizing a political party to do so. Also, the question of the Jamihiriya's decision making around who to work with is certainly up for debate. Their unfortunate relationship and role in helping Charles Taylor in Liberia is an example of some of their questionable decision making. And, the fact several questionable characters in African politics, such as Blase Compraore (the president of Bourkina Faso and the person who played a significant role in the overthrow and assassination of Thomas Sankara in 1987) were invited to that 3rd Congress. Also Yahya Jammeh, the embattled president of Gambia who refused to leave office before the people forced change was an invited speaker at the congress. In fact, 10 African heads of state, most of whom are simple puppets for imperialism, served as speakers at the congress. Possibly this was a strategy by Gaddafi, but the fact none of these so-called leaders responded in a positive way when Gaddafi and the Jamihiriya were assaulted by imperialism in 2011 speaks volumes.
Even casual observers, or subject matter experts (including those whose qualifications are spending at least an hour of social media research on any subject) agree that Gaddafi and the Jamihiriya were disposed, at least in large part, because of their efforts to advance the concept of one African currency. It was through the Mathaba that this concept first developed its legs. And, since the Mathaba was the vehicle where the vision of African liberation was nurtured and developed, its safe to suggest that the Mathaba was the entity where the insemination process for these revolutionary ideas occurred. Imperialism knew this and so it stands to reason that they had eliminating the Mathaba as a central objective in eliminating Gaddafi and the Jamihiriya.
Since so much of the popular commentary around this slavery issue is controlled by individual "experts" and other forms of anti-organization forces, most people are not recognizing that the strength of the Mathaba was the revolutionary organizations that made up its participants. The important lesson learned from that is those mass organizations provided the brain thrust that produced the revolutionary idea of creating an African currency. There are many other great ideas that came from that formation nd it is our responsibility to continue to develop those ideas, despite what they did to Libya. The development of independent African unity under one socialist continental government is the only way we can protect ourselves against trauma like slavery in Libya, as well as all the other problems impacting Africa and Africans everywhere. The key is setting up formations that can replace the Mathaba and improve upon its shortcomings. This can only happen with the infusion of revolutionary organizations. That can only happen with people joining and participating in those revolutionary organizations. The decision is ours. We can be satisfied to just be immediate experts on the trauma our people experience, or we can make the decision to get involved so we can do something about it.