Ujamma Youth Farming Project in Zimbabwe

[cdemafa]

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE UJAMMA YOUTH FARMING PROJECT TO PAN-AFRICANISM, THE REVOLUTIONARY ROLE OF TODAY’S YOUTH IN THE AFRICAN LIBERATION STRUGGLE, AND HOW THE GLOBAL PAN-AFRICAN FAMILY CAN DIRECTLY ASSIT THE UYFP.

Background

The BLACK race has struggled for existence and self-determination for centuries since era of slavery, colonialism and neo-colonialism. On a global scale continents have been scarred by the cruel things that humankind has done to each other, and Africa has largely been at the receiving end of global relations. Nowhere else are these scars more visible than on the African continent.

The world will forever be baffled by the fact that despite inhabiting lands that are rich in minerals and oil, and soils that are naturally fertile, Africans have known poverty and under-development while wealth has remained a preserve of a minority. 

Zimbabwe

Nowhere is pan-africanism being severely tested in Africa than in Zimbabwe. The current tidal wave of global pessimism and sanctions against the people of Zimbabwe has made life excruciatingly challenging for the common folk. Unemployment is reported to be over 70%. The government of Zimbabwe sought to unlock the value of its people by freeing land to most of the people in an exercised dubbed “The Third Chimurenga – Our Land Is Our Economy” which was a code for the Land Redistribution Exercise. 

Resistance to this exercise has been fierce as both the former colonial settlers (who happen to be whites) and their symphathizers sought to discredit it as illegal and not consistent with human rights. Undaunted by this criticism and isolation, the Zimbabwe government successfully resettled many people and preached the gospel of self-sustenance and nation building. 

Youth

The land redistribution exercise benefited formerly marginalised groups like women and the youth. However, resources were thinly stretched as the government had to battle with drought relief, an economy under siege from sanctions, lack of support from global lending institutions and a declining perception in the eyes of the world.

Funds became scarce and stopped trickling to the people. Most farming ventures suffocated from a lack of funding. It was as if the new farming initiative had died prematurely.

Ujamma

In the city of Gweru in the Midlands province of Zimbabwe, a farming cooperative was formed which drew its leadership from former student leaders. Most of its leaders were leaders of student representative councils at institutions of higher learning. It is from their days in student unionism where we can trace their roots in pan-africanism. 

The core of UYFP is a very conscious unit that despises poverty and desires greatness at family, national and continental levels. What they lack in material resources, they do not lack in vision and will.

Ujamma (a Swahili word meaning ‘familyhood’) conveys the concept of African socialism, as distinct from European socialism. Unlike the latter, African socialism involves no theory of inevitable conflict between the ‘landless’ and the ‘landed’.

As explained by Tanzania’s former President Julius Nyerere, Ujamma derives from tribal socialism, the foundation of which is extended family goes beyond tribal limits to embrace all the peoples of African continent and it should be the basis of Pan Africanism. He expresses some hope that some day it will extend all mankind.


The future

Ujamma Youth Farming Project envisions an evolution into Ujamma Youth Project, which will tackle other areas of human endeavor. Farming has been identified as Project Number One because of the current State support that the land usage revolution is enjoying.

Other projects are lined up that will position the youth out of the dungeon of poverty and into self-sustenance, wealth creation and nation building. These projects cover public transport, carpentry, brick molding, fence making, walling, advertising, marketing and filmmaking. All these projects will include training on Small Medium Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Supervision, Motivation and HIV/Aids Awareness. 

Diaspora solidarity

With your support comrades and friends, we swear to defend our Land Revolution as the bulwark and the heritage of all the revolutionaries who will fight for the full sovereignty and freedom of the people of the world as the African fathers did in this continent. The colonial forces have the money to buy loyalty of these reactionary forces and let us be united to fight their evil intentions.

Any aggression against Zimbabwe Land Revolution should be considered as an aggression against Global Africa. Individually, we are too weak to withstand, let alone defeat the forces of imperialism that desire to peg us eternally on the lesser podium of global race relations. It is only when we stand together, and glavanise our individual strengths into a colossal army can we move Africa forward. Africa must reclaim her strength and her destiny. The work is massive and your input materially and logistically is forever welcome. It is with this in mind that we salute SALSA for their portfolio that is designed for capacity building for organisations such as ours. We take our hats off to you.

This support and solidarity between Ujamma Youths and brothers and sisters in the diaspora must remain unbroken because your fight is our fight as we fight to free ourselves from the shackles of imperialism, colonialism and neo-colonialism. One way of defeating the imperialists was by working the land that had been reclaimed by the Government of Zimbabwe. 

Remember, a united people striving to achieve the common good for all members of the society, will always emerge victorious. Together we can.

We are kindly appealling to you brothers and sisters to help us in cash and kind for the development of our pan african youth cooperative in Zimbabwe.Additional information can be obtained upon request.
You can contact the Chairman of UYFP at cdemafa@yahoo.com

[siger]

My heart bleeds for the Zimbabwean. My heart bleeds even more for the African. The time is ripe for revolution, the chance to emulate the great fathers of Africa has fallen into the lap of the new generation. And yet we squander it; our knees crumble at the applied pressure of the Adversay.

Am Siger, 19, and from East Africa. It is on our soil that Ujaama was born. I join University this year, hoping to major in Economics. Solely because i believe the next battle in the struggle, yes, struggle for independence is to be fought there.
My brother has highlighted the policy and its definition. I beg, however, that you allow me to elaborate on a few issues.


The Ujaama Policy was the brain child of Mwalimu (teacher ) Julius Nyerere. It entails the 'coming together of the African', to build An Africa for ALL Africans.
The Policy was as thus; to build community cells or 'ujaama villages' where production, storage marketing and consumption was to be done on a community level. A basic cell comprised of a residential area, an effecient cordinated transport network <the great teacher insisted on well graded murram roads, which are what the humble african economy can aford>, Production units, that the villagers worked, a storage facility, 3 or more health units, a recreational centre, schools  and policy cordination offices <through which supervision and government support was done>. The community lived, ate, schooled, worked and marketed its produce together.

The arguments were simple:
1. Africa could not <and cannot> follow the west. We should overstand that the western economies were built on different foundations. Those people are culturally individualistic. The nations that today's African leaders bow to without shame were built on the oppressive functions of the bloody barons; on slavery, prejudicial murder and colonialism. Slavery provided the free labour, the slaughter of the native indians provided free land, and colonialism provided puppets, soldiers, and markets. Africans are not given to such paths, and Jah be praised for that!
2. Socialism explained the African. Unlike the west, africans have always been taken to brotherhood. The winner-take-all society of the capitalists was foreign to the African genes. Granted, Nyerere as most revolutionaries are was taken by the greatness of the Soviet and Maoist state, the brashness of Cuba, and all other emerging socialist nations. He sought to join the fold.
3. It was cheap. In truth, you do not need a lot of money to mobilise poor africans int groups that can work the soil, teach the kids and share the benefits.
All you need is 'commonness'.
To my Zimbabwean Brother: the trick in any revolution is to have it as a people's revolution. Other than poor management, sabotage from the west and lack of funding, the main destruction force of Nyerere's policy was that it was seen as Nyerere's and not the people's policy.


I have great respect for Mugabe. He fought the battles that my heroes fought. He is counted among  the greats; the Kimathi's, Obote's, Lumumba's, Nkurumah's, the Nyerere's. Doubtless, he has faltered in many aspects, and power has clouded his mind. But he has not lost love for Africa.

For first among today's leader's, it is the old dog Mugabe to hand the youth the arms that they will need for the next phase of liberation.

It will be a test. A measure of the courage of the young African. A measure of the valiance of the young Zimbabwean. A wind that tests the mortar that binds us. A journey that shakes the brotherhood that holds us.

I am but young, and ill at means, with no money or physical support to offer to my brothers. But you have  my voice, and my voice is my hand.

You have sounded the battle-cry, I shall sound the drums!!

Patrick Siger.
<siger@ganja.com>

[vsm]

Not through fight but through PRAYING !

" Love your enemies", said our Lord Jesus Christ, we must pray for LIFE, REAL LIFE for all human beings ! We don't live as we had to; our leves are false, we don't know how real life is ...we heard about it but...

[gman]

Greetings vsm... Akwaaba... Bienvenidos... Croeso...
You seem like a very genuine person who is sincerely concerned about some of the issues that are raised on this forum, and you have your own perspective to bring to it, which you have now made known.
I humbly suggest that you now take a step back, take another read through the threads, and see what you have to say OTHER than spreading the gospel of "Jesus Christ" as you see it.
I personally agree that the sayings that are attributed to Yeshua as recorded (by people who never physically met Yeshua) in the book called the Bible (the Book), are some great sayings that give I and I nuff food for thought and guidance for action.
However, such great sayings can also be found in other sources, many of which pre-date the Bible. There are those who do not use the written word (or not until recently) who know the same sayings, and similar sayings, from long long long long loooooooong time ago in Mama Africa.
You would find that generally the perspectives on this board don't tend to coincide with what is known as "christianity" and some may resent it if they feel something is being pushed on them. Especially when so many of our ancient African knowledge and spiritual science has been suppressed for so long, and so bloodily and brutally, by people calling themselves "Christians."
Remember what Yeshua is quoted as saying to his disciples in John Chapter 14 ('anything you see me do, you could do it too, memba dat cos I goin to meet my father now'... Haile Selassie was also quoted as saying something similar in a interview one time). With that in mind, I suggest you now think about what you can really do for African liberation besides praying. Nothing wrong with praying. But if is Yeshua teaching you following, remember Yeshua didn't only pray and preach, he fed people too, and healed the sick, and dem tings deh. And in John Chapter 14 he tells his disciples straight up that they could do any of those things deh, and more.
So now, how do you feed people? Well, you got to plant food, right? Well, that is what this thread is discussing... how African people could co-operate to plant up some food and full up some hungry bellies and become self-sufficient.
So, now, I suggest (I can't tell you to do nothin), that you rewind and come forward with some other creative ideas to add to the discussions besides talking about prayer and Christ. (The section on this board called "Mainstream Religions" is a good place to post about your Christian perspectives, I'm sure you could have some interesting discussions there on that subject.) But when you're posting the same thing on all the threads on the board it could get a little tiresome, I'm just trying to gently point that out to you.
What do you think of the Ujaama farming co-operative being discussed on this thread? Sound like a good idea to you? What more do you want to know about it? What would you think of doing to help feed hungry people where you at (if there are hungry people where you at)? You know, just approach the topics from a different angle other than Jesus Jesus all the time, and you and everyone would gain more out of the whole board, seen? Peace Brudda or Sista, whichever you be. (PS... you ain't white are you? I get the impression you're not, but I'm not sure... on the off-chance that you are white, and this is not being so-called "racist" in the least, but it really is inappropriate for white people to be posting all over the board about Jesus Jesus Jesus all the time.)
Please, if you want to respond to me about the subject of Yeshua/"Jesus Christ"/Bible etc, don't respond on this thread, go to the section called "mainstream religions" and post there and perhaps we could discuss it more some time. But leave this thread for the subject of the Ujaama co-operative farming project please. Blessed Love! RASTAFARI

[cdemafa]

Thank you szo much brother and sisters who have replied to the thread a\nd give your view points regarding this pan africanist project.We would likes to hear your comments brothers and sisters ,so that we can grow and develop.We will be happy if you tell us suggestions of fundraising.The pan african youth farming cooperative in Zimbabwe is now online please visit its website http://www.ujammafarming.org  and also support the its broader effort of fundraising at http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/portal.php .This is the time now to show your solidarity to the third chimurenga in Zimbabwe by helping brothers and sisters for self sustainance and self determination.You can donate online and other material donations can be sent at UYFP P.O BOx 123 Gweru Zimbabwe,we are looking for office equipment ,agricultural equipment,literature on pan africanism and agricultural books for the youth.

[afrikanrebel06]

greetings of peace and serenity!

it is good to see that,i printed off and passed around afrikans here in toronto kanada,emailed it as well,

A LUTA CONTINUA!

[mwanaafrika]

Not through fight but through PRAYING !

" Love your enemies", said our Lord Jesus Christ, we must pray for LIFE, REAL LIFE for all human beings ! We don't live as we had to; our leves are false, we don't know how real life is ...we heard about it but...

what a waste of time, coming to preach on this forum. If you think you here to get some lost sheep from the flock of slavery, tough lack. We refuse to turn the other chick, to sweat for unseen wealth and focus on the pie up in the sky.
Its such attitude that has stabbed our race in the back and keeps us behind everytime we try to do somethin positive and develop, for 500 years now. "Never leave ya enemies behind for they will rise against you", Afrika's greatest general and war genius (Shaka Zulu) has taught us.
You either with them or with us, you cant be on the edge, you only save one master at a time. So save ya self and the forum by staying out.
 
What which side are you on, and what are u doing on this forum anyway?   

[afrikanrebel06]

Not through fight but through PRAYING !

" Love your enemies", said our Lord Jesus Christ, we must pray for LIFE, REAL LIFE for all human beings ! We don't live as we had to; our leves are false, we don't know how real life is ...we heard about it but...

whats ur purpose in this forum,to indocrinate people,brainwashed christian slave,afro saxon,you cant be in the middle of the fence,btw! king james wasa dissident of the church of england that found his secular religion up on arrival in amerikkka,ooooh bo another whitemanswhore aka evangelized slave,like public enemy says" i think you are lost at birth" if you dont your past,you dont know your future!