Good Books on African and Cuban Anarchism

I'm getting back into the flow of things after having the flu for a week and dealing with college finals, and in the past few days I've read a couple of good books, both put out by See Sharp Press. The first was African Anarchism by Sam Mbah and I.E. Igariwey, and the other was Cuban Anarchism by Frank Fernandez. The two were obviously very similar, given the titles and the fact that they were both put out by See Sharp (with Chaz Bufe editing and providing introductions to both). I enjoyed them, as they each dealt with rather obscure topics of interest to me, especially African Anarchism.

African Anarchism is less a history of the African anarchist movement (as the subtitle claims) than it is an analysis of Africa's colonial past, the failure of its nationalistic state socialism, and an assessment of the prospects for a future African anarchism (which is deemed a necessity). It begins with the obligatory introduction to anarchist ideas and thinkers so as to be more useful to common readers. This just makes it repetitious for radicals who are already well versed in the simple tenets of anarchism. The book then gets into briefly describing anarchistic precedents in communal african societies. The communalism that existed in many tribes was very anarchistic in that formal authority was lacking and everyone had access to the essentials of life. Of course, these societies often were highly religious and oppressed women as well, so they are not to be idealized. Some tribes that are dealt with in some depth are the Igbo, Tellensi, and Ijaws, but many specifics are lacking. It is disappointing, but the book deals briefly with traditional communal societies in Africa; there is only a short chapter on this issue.

The authors then move on to present an analysis of capitalist imperialism and colonialism in Africa, and critique the failures of state socialism, which was the most prominent reaction to the exploitation of global capital. These two chapters are interesting, yet also unoriginal. The critique of the failures of African socialism (especially Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana and Julius Nyerere in Tanzania) is good when it focuses on specifics, but it tends to rely alot on a general critique of state structures and is not necessarily specific to Africa. But the point comes across: both state socialism and capitalism have pillaged Africa, and "given these problems, a return to the 'anarchic elements' in African communalism is virtually inevitable" (107). The authors conclude that the

process of anarchist transformation in Africa might prove comparatively easy, given that Africa lacks a strong capitalist foundation, well-developed class formations and relations of production, and a stable, entrenched state system. What is required for now is a long-term program of class consciousness building, relevant education, and increased individual particpation in social struggles. (108)

Cuban Anarchism is a bit different in that it is an actual history of an anarchist movement. It spans over a century of anarchist organization in Cuba, from the late 19th century debate over supporting the nationalistic independence (from Spain) movement, to the current resistance to the Castro regime. It mentions how the anarcho-syndicalists at the turn of the century were the most successful Cuban labor organizers (with around 100,000 union members) but their activity was often countered and/or subordinated to the PCC (Communist Party of Cuba). The anarchists are portrayed as the only consistent opponents of authoritarianism: be it the Machado, Batista, or Castro regime.

One story I found most fascinating was the abandonment of the Cuban anarchists in the 60s by an international anarchist scene that mostly supported the Castro regime and its sly, revolutionary rhetoric. As anarchists were deported, tortured, censored, murdered, and slandered by the government, many anarchists initially fell for the Cuban propaganda and left their comrades to suffer the consequences. The Movimiento Libertario Cubano en el Exilio in particular was slandered by anarchist publications as just another reactionary anti-communist group. These misconceptions abounded until 1976, when Sam Dolgoff published his widely distributed book The Cuban Revolution: A Critical Perspective.

The point is: good books.

In unrelated news, the Quest for Camatte has ended. In a bizarre twist, just when I had given up on the endeavor, Powell's happened to have a copy of the obscure autonomedia book This World We Must Leave waiting on its shelves for me, just in time for my spring break trip home to Portland. Excellent stroke of luck.