The Communist Party of Kenya (CPK) held its second national congress on 16-17 November in the capital of Nairobi.
Amidst the world’s mounting dissatisfaction with capitalism and imperialism, including conflicts on the African continent, the congress marked a pivotal moment in Africa’s journey toward liberation.
The party convened the congress with 126 delegates from 47 Kenyan counties and 54 foreign delegates representing communist and workers’ organisations.
The goals for the weekend included affirming the struggle for independence and socialism, rebuilding the party’s ideological foundations, strengthening party structures and mass organisations, cultural and historic renewal, and defeating counter-revolutionary forces.
Citizen Digital reported that during a press conference a few days beforehand, CPK Secretary-General Booker Omole said the congress was a tactical step in solidifying the party’s position as the ‘vanguard of Kenya’s working class.’
‘Vanguard’ is a term used in Marxist-Leninist organisations to describe a small group of people who lead the masses to revolution, unlike a mass organisation that the people lead.
African Stream was on the ground at the festive and informative congress, and we asked delegates why they think capitalism has failed and what might be the best alternative. This representative sample (@EugenePuryear of @pslnational; @Githuku_Kiama of @CommunistsKE; Jonis Ghedi Alasow (@Jonis_G_A) of Pan-Africanism Today Secretariat; Sobukwe Shakur, @aaprp organiser; and Samuel Maina of @CommunistsKE) reveals a historic opportunity is now available to Africans for the emancipation of our rich continent from the clutches of neocolonialism.
What are your thoughts on Africans’ awakening, and what might be the way forward?
SOURCES:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/16/occupy-protests-europe-london-assange