PAN-AFRICANISM IN SOUTH ASIA By HOREN TUDU

* Posted by RUNOKO RASHIDI

Pan-Africanism: A new beginning for South Asia

The early stages of human civilization in South Asiamarked a glorious era in which African peoplepracticed sustainable development, lived in peaceful,close-knit kinship societies virtually withoutconflict. As the barbaric Indo-European rose from thedepths of his shallow burrows, he knew only thoseactions that were innate to his cold environment inthe Caucasus, namely murder, war, rape, torture,genocide, conflict and destruction, the proceedingshaving been documented in the celebrated Hindu text,the Rig Veda.

However, history has taught us that thisis not a unique circumstance of South Asia, whereverthe Aryan has encountered African human beings; theend result has been tragedy beyond the comprehensionof the human mind. India has maintained the stability of its social orderthrough race-based fascism. Literally meaning skincolor, the "Varna" system of racial apartheid wasimposed upon the native Africoid inhabitants with theutmost brutality centuries ago in Northwestern India.Most characteristic of Modern Hinduism is the sheerhatred and contempt for black African people. As clearly stated in widely read Hindu scriptures such asthe Rig-Veda section II.12.4, "Black Skin is Impiousand Lowly". Citing section I.130.8, "Indra protectedin battle the Aryan worshipper, he subdued the lawlessfor Manu, and he conquered the black skin." In sectionIX.73.5 " The black skin, the hated of Indra, wereswept out of heaven." Moreover, along with the disdainfor blacks Indo-Aryan white supremacy is endorsed, assection I.100.18 states, " The thunderer bestowed on his white friends the fields, bestowed the sun, andbestowed the waters."

The invading Aryans enforced the caste system on theBlack population with a merciless and bigotedspiritual philosophy, having whites occupy the topechelons of society, mixed races in the middle and themass of the conquered Blacks at the bottom, todayknown as Dalits and Dravidians. The physical differences between the black-skinned Dravidian racesof southern and eastern India, Bangladesh, and SriLanka and the Caucasoid Aryan races mainly comprisingof upper caste Hindus and Sikhs is not the mere designof European colonialist historians, but a fact ofhuman existence in the apartheid state of India. The indigenous people of the Indian Sub-Continent are the descendents of the Dravidian tribes that founded thecelebrated Indus Valley civilization.

Recent genetic evidence has confirmed what anthropologists have know all along, that the Dravidians, tribals, and lower caste Hindus belong to the greater African Diaspora. As affirmed in the pioneering mitochondria DNA studiespublished in Human Biology vol. 68 (1996) p.1, "Thecaste populations of Andhra Pradesh cluster more oftenwith Africans than with Asians and Europeans".Additionally, another study performed by theDepartment of Medical Genetics in Umea University,Sweden discovered that "significant ethnic differencesin single polymorphisms were found between all groupsexcept for African Blacks-Dravidian Indians, whodiffered only in their MspI7-16-bp duplicationhaplotype distribution".

The early stages of Pan-Africanism in the westernhemisphere focused on the principles and rhetoric ofthe great Jamaican born leader, Marcus Garvey. Inrecent times, global Negroland movements have sprouted all over the Indian Sub-Continent and are undergoing exponential growth in support. These movements comprise of all constituents of the Asiatic blackrace (Sudroids), from the Santhal insurgents of Bangladesh, to the tribal Gond militants of MadhyaPradesh and the Dalit Panthers of Bombay, Chennai, andKerala. Furthermore, it must be made abundantly clearthat these populations are by no means marginal, ittotals over 350 million people, exceeding the combined populations of several western European countries.

Apparently, the foundation and direct inspiration forthese political and social movements come from theliterature of great African-American intellectualssuch as Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, FrederickDouglass and many others. In search for their trueidentity and history, the Dalits and Dravidians aremaking great efforts to expand on their Africanancestry, making connections with their black brothersand sisters around the globe. As stated by the great historian and lecturer Runoko Rashidi,

"They (Dalits)seem particularly enamored with african-Americans.African-Americans, in general, seem almost idolized bythe Dalit, and the Black Panther Party, in particular,is virtually revered."

In 1972, taking inspirationfrom the Black Panther Party, the Dalit Panther partywas fashioned with circulating myths of actual BlackPanthers being transplanted to India to fight Aryanfascist regimes such as the RSS(Rashtriya SwayamsevakSangh) and the Ranvir Sena. Particularly in SouthIndia, several universities and politicale stablishments have made African-American literaturerequired reading and continue to promote a "black isbeautiful" type philosophy that empowers the nextgeneration of Dravidians. In the spirit of Marcus Garvey and John Henrik Clarke,Pan Africanism has become the need of the hour inSouth Asia. Based on genetic, cultural, and historicalrelatedness it was only natural for Dravidians andAfricans to tie up struggles. History is in themaking, and many prominent Dravidian intellectuals aswe speak are exploring the call for an independentblack "Dravidistan" nation. That day is heavilyanticipated.

*Horen Tudu is a Bangladeshi-Santhal born and raisedin the United States. He is a staunch Pan-Africanistand research specialist. His work emphasizes on theDalit and tribal historical/political situation ofBangladesh and India. He may be contacted athorentudu@yahoo.com

For a repetitive someone out there, two steps short of calling her an ignorant albino but there you go, if you want to reference anything proving otherwise please do.

I figured you would say something in reference to me. Why are you calling me an albino? I'm not albino and I'm not ignorant either. I refuse to say anything because anything I say will not believed.

I have long thought, rightly or wrongly, that racism is derived from polytheism. Thus, we see a cast system in Hinduism that oppresses Africans. At the same time, some of the most decent human beings that I have ever known have been Hindus. The main point of my thinking is that the same polytheism that we see in India also exists in western European in the form of trinitarianism. In fact, I am convinced that polytheistic European paganism is what corrput Christianity. This is why Christianity has long been a raist religion, not much better than the caste system in Hinduism. This is why Dr. MLK was able to observe that 11 o'clock Sunday was the most segregeted time in the world. African Christians were not allowed to worhsip alongside European Christians. This is why it is always so hard for Chruistians to visualize that so such foolishness and non-sense exists among Muslims.

In fact, all Muslims are sisters and brothers and stand equal before GOD regardless to skin color or even wealth. So, when they oppress Iragis or Palestinians or Afghanis, all Muslims everywhere get angry. This is why Bush can never win a war in Muslim countries. Everytime they murder an Iragi another Muslim gets ready to take his place on the battle field. Christians do not seem to understand that level of farternity.

Can see where you are coming from but all religions are essentially polytheistic, you are using european terminology to define something they've never really understood. Certain religions may have many gods but you'll find that they are various aspects of a single entity. Where the Christians, you muslims and the Jewish have ''angels'' other religions have deities and make specific reference to them as in pray to them directly but as aspects of a singular entity... many muslims, jews and christians do the same but still purpose that those other cultures are ''evil''.

In my opinion the church realized that the european tribes needed central focus in order to pull themselves from the quagmire as they were divided and warring amongst themselves and needed to be on the same track with a common goal to take on the Muslim invaders. You can see this in China where communism has been used to this effect, they've nullified their various ethnicities religions with it to keep them all working toward the same goal... they've also enslaved their own population in order to rebuild and fortify their country but there you go.

There are no ''polytheistic'' pagan religions at least not in the way you are reffering to it. They all have multiple agencies, chrisianity suppressed/oppressed paganism on a worldwide basis in the same way your Muslim religion has ans is. Us Africans need a dominant religion/unified front to rally around, some would say the religion of North Africa should be that but there are already many schools to that effect and they seem to be just as divisive as any ethnicity. It would work in the same way you described in regards to Islam but stronger as it wouldn't involve the issues of a foreign peoples who have no interest in anyone but themselves.

@ Alabamagirl... they're African and you're an albino, its obvious you can't stand the thought of the melaininated Indian peoples being respected amongst us as brothas and sistas as you would feel left out so you slur them to ''keep them in their place'' away from the collective and a global Black Pan African ideal that would threaten your very exsistance.

The word is melanated, not melaininated. And of course I can't stand it. They're not one of us. Anyway, the melanated dark skinned people of India do not have anything genetically in common with blacks of African descent. They cluster with East Asian peoples. I don't understand how I slur them. They do not have the haplotypes that we have. That's just the truth. And for the last time I'm not an albino. I'm all for black Pan-Africanism, so it can't threaten my existence. Dravidians are not genetically black Africans as I've already said.

the Dravidians may be from India, but they are still our brothers and we should help them

Thank you for the spelling correction Alabamagirl, please post information on genetics you are talking about the caucasians are unlikely to be honest in that arena would be good to see a source.

Reffering to, ''us'' as Africans is a talking about a large and very diverse gene pool, for the last time, everyone comes from Africa including the peoples of India and Asia. There are black people everywhere from Asia to the Americas.

Talking to me about it is contradictory in itself as I'm half west african (I think), half asian... central asian not Indian asian but I could show you my genology results and the migratory route my ancestors took into Asia, part of which shows the route that would otherwise have gone into India.

Post the information you have and I'll show you the map which shows where my ancestors are from and the line that goes into India... bit personal I have to admit but if it doesn't convince you then you're being stubborn... where do you think they come from if not Africa?

I have absolutely nothing against any of the Pak-Indians, regardless to skin color. I get along well with Hindus and count some Hindus among my dearest friends. But, the Pak-Indian Muslims are even more close to me as we pray sise by side several times a day. These include Muslims Muslims of every hue and skin color known to us from the blackest black to the whitest white. And, my vision of African Unity includes having the Pak-Indians of Africa as integral parts of our community, the African Nation.

Thank you.