Nkrumah's "socialism": Is it the way forward?

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I recently went to a public meeting in Oakland, to hear and renew my acquaintance with Kwame Toure's home is in Guinea. Since 1972 he has frequently toured the United States addressing predominantly Black college and university audiences in attempts to recruit to his All-African People's Revolutionary Party (A-APRP), a party based on the Pan-Africanist teachings of Kwame Nkrumah, the first I first met Stokely Carmichael—as he was then known—in 1966, when he met with me and about 20 other Black activists in Harlem to discuss the feasibility of setting up a chapter of the Student Non Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), of which he was In the early 1960s, Carmichael was in the forefront of the desegregation, voting, and civil-rights struggles as a leader of SNCC. During the famous march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., in 1966, he publicized the concept Soon after, he began traveling internationally. During a visit to Guinea, he became acquainted with Kwame Nkrumah, who was living there since being overthrown in a February 1966 CIA-supported coup by Ghanian army officers. Under Nkrumah's tutelage, Carmichael I am in full agreement with the A-APRP's goals of African socialist unity and world socialism. However, as a Marxist, I have differences on how to accomplish these In his speech, Toure did not address the concerns of the Nkrumah was undoubtedly the main spokesperson of Black community here in the United States beyond the revolutionary nationalists in Africa who wanted to warning against support for the Democratic Party. His unify the continent. He stood up strongly against most group is not really involved in organizing the Black of the imperialist political schemes and plots to prevent genuine African liberation. The ruling classes of the Toure's main objective is to orient his audiences toward Africa—which he views as the mainspring of the Nkrumah's supporters claimed that a "socialist" Black struggle everywhere-and toward the teachings of government had been overthrown. But socialism did not exist in Ghana, nor was it being constructed. Nkrumah The A-APRP's program states that "Nkrumahism is did not have a scientific program for socialist revolution. the only correct and scientific ideology for the Pan- Nkrumah's primary concern was to unify Africa. But African Revolution." This African-based party claims he proposed to achieve this by cementing together the SOCIALIST ACTION JANUARY 1987 15 By KWAME M.A. SOMBURU formerly known as Stokely Carmichael. president of Ghana.

chairman.

of "Black Power."

was converted to Nkrumahism.

The ideology of Nkrumahism community around its own demands.

Nkrumah. Calif., Toure, worthy goals.

Kwame Nkrumah that it is "an integral part of socialist revolution." world rejoiced at his overthrow. British-trained army. forward on a socialist course. the Ghanian capitalists.

overthrew him with the help of the CIA. liberation.

peasants. with clearly anti-capitalist demands.

revolution in Africa. Lessons of Ghana