The imperialist institution better known as the ‘British museum’ is today displaying thousands of stolen artefacts from around the world. The British have a criminal history in most if not all of these countries and have disguised their exhibitions as “collections” or “acquisitions”. It is not difficult to come to the truth if one does a little research on how these priceless artefacts got where they are now. I have traced some of the Mexican “aztec” artefacts in this museum to the people who donated or who sold them to the museum and found that all of the objects have been directly or indirectly stolen from Mexico. This is true for almost all objects displayed at the museum today.

Walking through the museum gates you are confronted with a humongous building that has an oversized Union Jack on its roof, proudly waving its beastly white supremacy for all to see. Europeans from Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Portugal etc. flood the courtyard of the Museum taking pictures of themselves at this magnificent centre of accumulated stolen artefacts of colonized people around the world.

Security is tight and one of the first things you may notice is the donation boxes. These donations presumably go to the Museum itself and help sustain the establishment’s imperialist ventures. Walk a little further and you will find a map of the museum, very clearly divided into different sections: Africa, Americas*, Ancient Egypt, Asia, Middle East and Europe. I quickly notice that there are hardly any British artefacts or culture inside the British Museum. So I go and let one of the staff members know that I feel cheated that it’s called the British museum when all I can see is objects from all over the world and hardly any from here, apart from some condoms. She smiles and turns to walk away assuming I was joking. I carry on walking down the massive hallways decorated with ancient civilizations, with statues, ceramics, art work, sculptures, precious stones, jewellery, clothing, ancient scrolls, tools, weapons and even whole parts of ancient ruins. I feel sick watching the white descendants of the criminal European colonizers enjoying the, as they would perceive, “exotic” culture of my ancestors.

I finally make it to room 27, Mexico. First object I see is an ancient Mexica** sculpture of Xochipilli, the “flower prince” god of music and dance. He sits there facing the door, with a face that looks so pissed off that you wonder whether the ancestors who made him knew his unfortunate final destination in the land of the devils. William Bullock is responsible for this important sculpture ending up in Great Britain. He is described as a “collector” but I like to refer to him as nothing but a rich thief. He travelled to Mexico in the 1800′s where he was a high-ranking operative of a mine (silver mine); he ended up stealing hundreds of artefacts from the Mexican people.

I was standing there in disgust staring at the crime scene when I saw two fellow brown people walk in the room, I spotted them easily because all the other people around were European tourists. I walked up to them and asked them where they came from, to my surprise they were Mexican tourists. I told them I was investigating Mexican artefacts and wanted to know what they as Mexicans thought of their heritage being so far away from home. They replied that it was very unfortunate that they are so far away but are happy that at least they are not in a private collection and are being well looked after by the museum. I suggested to them that we are more than capable of looking after them ourselves, and that the Europeans have created this racist argument that we are too irresponsible to keep any important ancient artefacts because they might get stolen or broken by our backwardness. They looked at me as if I were mad, politely said bye and walked away.

Us Latin Americans, or more appropriately Nican Tlacans, are so white-washed by the Europeans that we do not notice that we have been robbed. We walk around room 27 of the British Museum thinking we are looking at some artefacts made by aliens in a distant land or another planet. No, these precious objects belong to the Mexica people and should not be in the hands of imperialist Britain. White supremacy teases us by arrogantly displaying our people’s belongings in their imperial rooms, with this they tell us that they are our masters and there is nothing you can do about it. If Britain is so respecting to other cultures then why have they not even considered returning the artefacts to the rightful owners?

As a people we must rise up and take back what our ancestors left for us, we the Nican Tlacan people have the right to demand that all stolen property be given back immediately. We must not rest until our continent is free and our belongings given back to us as well as reparations for all the suffering they have caused since 1492.

*the name America comes from Amerigo Vespucci a criminal colonizer of Italian descent. Latin America was known to the original people of that land as Abya Yala, Tahuantinsuyo or Nican Tlaca depending on what part you came from.

**White settlers have imposed names on the original people of the land now known as Latin America, the correct term for Mexico is Mexica pronounced Me-shee-ca.

Amaru X

Portobello Pop-up screening and Q&A Event

‘Riot from Wrong’ is an hour-long film made by Fully Focused production’s youth steering group. The project has been a four-month long project which included 45 hours of footage, 60 interviews with a variety of people across the country and more than 200 hours of editing.

The aforementioned film project was designed to allow for the younger voices in the community, which were directly affected by the London uprisings last year, to give their perspective.  The BBC has recently released another youth-perspective documentary about the riots. The level of sympathy and empathy emanating from the BBC however is likely to be minimal. So it is humbling to have a smaller non-profit group that is directly involved with listening to the disenfranchised youth and are not condescending in any way.

First and foremost I do sincerely believe that the film was made to understand the criminalised youth, or at least their perspective on the London riots (or uprising depending on perspective). I do like the fact that family members and close friends of Mark Duggan were interviewed and it only further solidified my view that Mark Duggan was an innocent man killed in cold blood by an outright vulgar display of power by the London Metropolitan Police force. The killing in my eyes was totally unprovoked and Mark was yet another victim of racial profiling and institutional racism in the London Met. Other highlights were the viewpoints given from another perspective that is not usually elaborated upon i.e. young people and individuals that were sympathetic towards the youth.

However I have to agree with Rapper Akala (who was an invited guest) during the Q&A session when he said that it’s not the youth generally that are being undermined and disrespected; but rather a certain minority (or perhaps now a majority) of young people that are from working class backgrounds and further within that; young people with a certain skin colour. I do not feel that was emphasised enough in the film. In fact it almost appeared that youngsters from all ethnicities suffer the same amount of discrimination.

I also believe that the film, although perhaps trying to be impartial, should have taken a side. Because there is a struggle here and that is the law enforcers against the criminalised. The agents of the system versus the potential agents of change. And even though that side came out during the Q&A session it did not, I feel, during the film. The latter of course is an issue and the real problems do need to be highlighted and over-emphasised to really drive it home. For example there was a ludicrous study in America where white people genuinely thought they were discriminated more than any other group of ethnicities, this is quite frankly absurd and there is a desperate need for a reality check in our media. And we know the elite media will not do that for us so we have to do it ourselves, and “Riot or wrong” had the potential to drive this home; it did not.

Also the politics of the film did not seem very anti-establishment, on the contrary there seemed to be a willingness to forgive and forget. I myself am part of a younger generation that is not so forgiving and do not have such high hopes. I speak for myself, but many at LALF admire social rebels and leaders like Gandhi and Martin Luther King; however just as many appreciate Malcolm X even more, for he was a true organizer; not just a deliverer of fanciful speeches and bravado. If someone transgresses upon you, you have every lawful right to retaliate; that is the kind of justice that Malcolm X implored. Of course a lot of people and youth are not ready for this kind of rhetoric, but I believe when peaceful options are exhausted and do not work, violent uprising is inevitable. And I believe this is what sparked the London uprisings last summer.

Overall the film was fantastic and focused on young people; but lacking in depth. The real politics such as the hypocrisy and brutality of the bourgeois government and its agents needs to be exposed and this is just another opportunity that was ultimately wasted. But this is the foundation that needs to be laid and it gives hope for the future.

Respect and Peace,

Haseeb.

“In this respect a “revolutionary” literature written for the convinced is just as much an abandonment as is a conservative literature devoted to the contemplation of one’s own navel”

One writes out of a need to communicate and to commune with others, to denounce that which gives pain and to share that which gives happiness. One writes against one’s solitude and against the solitude of others. One assumes that literature transmits knowledge and affects the behavior and language of those who read… One writes, in reality, for the people whose luck or misfortune one identifies with— the hungry, the sleepless, the rebels, and the wretched of this earth— and the majority of them are illiterate.

… How can those of us who want to work for a literature that helps to make audible the voice of the voiceless function in the context of this reality? Can we make ourselves heard in the midst of a deaf-mute culture? The small freedom conceded to writers, is it not at times a proof of our failure? How far can we go? Whom can we reach?

… To awaken consciousness, to reveal identity— can literature claim a better function in these times?… in these lands?. . Our own fate as Latin American writers is linked to the need for profound social transformations. To narrate is to give oneself: it seems obvious that literature, as an effort to communicate fully, will continue to be blocked …so long as misery and illiteracy exist, and so long as the possessors of power continue to carry on with impunity their policy of collective imbecilization … through the mass media.

. .. Great changes, deep structural changes, will be necessary in our countries if we writers are to go beyond… the elites, if we are to express ourselves. … In an incarcerated society, free literature can exist only as denunciation and hope.
… ..We are what we do, especially what we do to change what we are….In this respect a “revolutionary” literature written for the convinced is just as much an abandonment as is a conservative literature devoted to the . . . contemplation of one’s own navel. …Our effectiveness depends on our capacity to be audacious and astute, clear and appealing. I would hope that we can create a language more fearless and
beautiful than that used by conformist writers to greet the twilight…. In Latin America a literature is taking shape and acquiring strength, a literature… that does not propose to bury our dead, but to immortalize them; that refuses to stir the ashes but rather attempts to light the fire .. perhaps it may help to preserve for the generations to come . . . “the true name of all things”

Eduardo Galeano 1978

This past month (August) LALF have been involved in various affirmative actions to promote physical activism and show solidarity with other causes. Our brother in the struggle Gobi Sivanthan a young Tamil activist went on a 22 day hunger strike outside the Olympic park in Stratford. We took turns in visiting him and helped further awareness by giving out leaflets and speaking to people about the Tamil struggle. On the last night of the hunger strike a group of us set up a tent next to brother Gobi and showed him support for his struggle and the struggle of his people. The following day which coincided with the last day of the Olympics we made our way to Stratford Station and handed out Killer Coke leaflets to the thousands of people making their way in and out of the park. Our anti-Coca-Cola campaign came about because we are aware of the atrocities that the Coca-Cola Company has made around the world and especially in Colombia where they have killed workers for forming unions against inhumane working conditions and low wages. For more info visit http://www.killercoke.org

We also attended a protest outside the Guyanese embassy in Notting Hill where the Guyanese people and other solidarity groups came together to denounce the murders of more than a dozen people late last July. As Latin Americans we showed our support and our solidarity with the struggle of the Guyanese people who are fighting an 800% rise in electricity fee that the common people cannot afford. We are well aware of the impacts large corporations have on the livelihood of the working class and peasants, we will continue to support our brothers and sisters in Guyana who are still fighting against the injustices they face because of corrupt politicians and elitist governments.

Following the threats that the British government made to the Ecuadorian embassy last week, we felt the need to mobilize and show the British authorities that the people are on high alert and are watching their every move. A group of us joined other Latin American groups and individuals outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Our chants were reminiscent of Ecuador’s very own foreign minister Ricardo Patiño “We are not a British colony”. We also led a march down the road voicing our support for Ecuadorian president Correa and our discontent at British police guarding the doors to the embassy.

Also this week 12 South African miners were killed by police at a protest for better working conditions and pay. The African and Caribbean community in London mobilized and called for a demo outside South Africa House in Trafalgar Square. A group of us attended the demo and again voiced our support for the struggle of our brothers and sisters in the African continent. It is clear that British colonialism has not completely receded; the mine owned by Lunmin is a British company and should be held responsible for the deaths of the miners. Although it is a complicated situation we also denounce the actions of the South African government in the shooting of the mine workers.

4 years ago in 2008 Sean Riggs was murdered while in police custody. Yesterday 20th of August L.A.L.F attended the memorial service held in Brixton town hall. Who Polices the Police a documentary on the murder was shown followed by a march from the town hall to Brixton police station where we had a minute of silence to honour those killed in police custody. Riggs family gave speeches denouncing the crimes of police custody deaths and brutality that no officer yet has been made accountable for yet.
We cannot stress the importance in supporting all oppressed people of all continents.

The struggle continues, No justice, no peace.

If you have ever wondered what is wrong with the Coca-Cola Company, here is an article to cast aside doubts on its record as a criminal and terrorist corporation along with its harmful effects on health.

The Coca-Cola Company has a gruesome past; in the 1930s the company collaborated with the Nazi regime and sponsored its events, including the exploitation of kidnapped civilians in occupied soft drink factories in order to produce and sell their products. Furthermore, the company supported the apartheid system in South Africa, amongst other dictatorships, and paid close attention to the Latin American continent to plague these markets with their products. In other words, the corporation did not only favour these fascist regimes but also profited from the repression and killings of thousands of people within these countries and with war.
The company has not left aside these practices as the reports made by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch in the past few years clearly indicates. Their abusive human rights record show that the company has been profiting from child labour in El Salvador to extract the sugar needed to give the black liquid its addictive flavour. Furthermore, in Colombia the company collaborated with paramilitary security forces to murder and repress trade unionists, whom held protests to raise wages and improve labour conditions in Coca-Cola factories. Since 2002 the paramilitary security forces in collaboration with killer coke have assassinated more than 460 SINALTRAINAL unionists in Colombia. In other countries such as India, the company has caused pollution and environmental problems affecting local communities, as well as using up its scarce water resources to fabricate its solution.

Referring to the harmful effects on health, Coca-Cola co. has not approved numerous reports formed by respected healthcare authorities, instead they have funded certain agencies to promote a healthy and energetic image of its product. The corporation used advertising techniques of dubious morality, including funding the American Academy of Paediatric Dentistry and suppressing a World Health Organisation Report on healthy eating. Don’t be deceived by coca-cola adverts and their misleading website (http://www.beverageinstitute.org/en_US/pages/ahl-beverages-bone-health.html) on the “real facts” of the killer liquid. Numerous independent reports investigated by the WHO and American nutrition journals clearly indicate that sparkling drinks, amongst the most harmful is Coca-Cola, causing obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.
These abuses amongst other accusations have denigrated the company’s bubbly image and have sparked movements to terminate the profits of killer coke. It would be irresponsible and complicit on our side as citizens to stand back and not protest against these atrocities. As citizens and consumers one of the few actions we can take to stop coke is to boycott it on a personal level, within institutions and why not, nationwide. It should be clear to everyone that when we buy a bottle of coke we are aiding killer coke in its exploitation, torture and murder of workers in factories and further the damaging of local communities in developing countries.

Don’t collaborate with killer coke. Boycott it.

Gabo

Education means liberation

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever”  ~ Mahatma Ghandi

 In order to liberate ourselves, we must first educate ourselves. Education is essential not only because it will provide us with the necessary tools to combat the current way of thinking and inspire change in our communities and worldwide, but through it we will discover what it means to liberate our minds, our spirit, striving for freedom of thought and spiritual enlightenment.

The institutionalised academic teaching is incredibly selective and with it we can only hope to achieve but a little of the potential of our minds. The selective, discriminative and idealised information we are receiving is simply part of a larger discourse designed to maintain us essentially uneducated so that we may not see the world and it’s workings in its entirety, good and bad.

Learning about ours and other’s cultures is key to developing tolerance amongst each other and consequently uniting in solidarity against the oppressor. Educating ourselves will arm us with the knowledge needed to challenge preconceived ideas and consequently better our way of life and those of our communities.

Through education we will learn about ourselves. When we discover new realities through reading, when we decipher new ways of life through experience we will begin the process of creating a personal identity conscious of the need for growth in both mind and spirit. This identity will constitute an inherent knowledge of the balance needed between your individual experience in this world and your surroundings.

By educating ourselves we will be able to pass judgement on what we believe to be the truth, we will no longer be told what the truth is and how the truth should influence us. Our reality will be one of careful deliberation and our actions will be in direct accordance with the real truth.

All these things will free our mind. Education will free our minds and will provide an open platform to learn about the world and its workings with no preconceptions. Our ideals will be strong, untouchable and our experience will lead us into a future full of progress and harmony. Educate ourselves, educate the world, better humanity.

Salavarrieta

Latin American Liberation Front UK

“When you know better, you do better” ~ Maya Angelou 

Military Bases/military “assistance” (US SOUTHERN COMMAND)