Ujamma Youth Farm Article

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Ujamma Youth Farm Article

Beginning in the late 1990’s Zimbabwe took three major steps, which gained them the indignation of European powers led by Britain and the United States. Those steps were to abandon the Economic Structural Adjustment Programs of the IMF and World Bank, lend military assistance to the Congo to help secure it's borders against CIA inspired incursions, and the better known step of land redistribution to correct the century long inequalities of racist distorted land ownership.

This latter condition cannot be fully understood unless it is put into historical context. Between 1890 and 1920 British settlers, who constituted less than 2% of the population were assisted by the British Expeditionary Force to violently seize more than 75% of the best arable land from the indigenous population, herding them onto less than 24% of the least productive regions of the Europeans called Rhodesia. The varied injustices perpetrated from this apartheid state led to the long and brutal armed liberation struggle known as the Second Chimurenga, which ended with the 1979 Lancaster House Accords and land as the most pivotal contention. However, while winning political independence for the indigenous majority the disparities of land ownership were prolonged by the reneging of promises made by the US and British governments to fund Zimbabwe’s land reform program.

Growing frustration and restlessness among landless peasants over the slow pace of land reform motivated, in 1997-98 the Svosve community, led by their traditional chiefs and spiritual leaders to move onto unutilized and excess portions of farmland occupied by whites. Because both dialogue with the British government and efforts to develop donors to fund the land reform program had failed, Zimbabwe amended its Constitution in 2000 to enable compulsory acquisition of land for resettlement. This was to stem an emerging tide of spontaneous land reclaiming, which in some cases led to fatal violence.

This Fast Track Resettlement Program put Zimbabwe on a collision course with European imperialist interest. Britain, the US and the EU responded immediately by initiating an international campaign to demonize President Mugabe and the ruling party ZANU PF, coupled with the use of economic sanctions and other forms of sabotage. In spite of this the land reform program has now empowered over 230,000 families with farmland.

Among these new farmers also emerged an unprecedented Pan-Africanist project. The Ujamma Youth Farming Project was established in June 2005 and is an African youth-led farming cooperative that has secured a 100-acre plot in the city of Gweru under the Zimbabwe government's A1 resettlement program and is registered under the Ministry of Youth, Gender and Employment Creation. Led by the project’s chairman and cofounder, Kwanisai Mafa (age 32), the leadership core of UYFP is a very socially conscious unit that stands against poverty and for the development of the African family, nation and continent toward their fullest potential. Our mission is to empower African youth through gainful farming initiatives so that they are able to demonstrate the essential skills necessary to function as lifelong productive citizens in Africa's development. While one of our immediate goals is to offer produce to wholesalers and retail outlets in and around midland provinces in Zimbabwe, a longer term goal is to establish a training program such that youth of African descent from outside of Zimbabwe and even outside Africa will also visit, meet, train/work, and bond with their youth counterparts on our farm. Because the enemies of Africa are bent on maintaining power and privilege in Zimbabwe our task has been extremely difficult.

Since the formation of UYFP we’ve learned that our biggest challenge has been in mobilizing resources to develop the project. While we have every intention of becoming self-sufficient, we don’t qualify for loans from local banks and the land can’t be used as collateral because it was acquired under the A1 village development scheme for non-commercial farmland. But support from action-minded African people can help us achieve self-sufficiency. We call on all Pan-Africanists, all Black people's organizations and African/Black churches, anyone who supports the liberation and self-determination of Africa and the African world; support the Ujamma Youth Farming Project! Learn how here by visiting us at www.ujammafarming.org.

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Introduction

The summit was held at Midlands State University in Gweru, Zimbabwe on
the 25th of February 2007. It coincided with massive celebrations of
Honourable President R.G. Mugabe birthday in the city on the 24th of
February 2007. The aim of the meeting was to ensure that the Pan
Africanist organisations in Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Azania has same
ideological framework, identification organisational strengths,
identification of organisational needs and exploring possibilities of
collaboration.
Ideological Framework

It was established that our organisations believes in Pan Africanism
with its pillars being African Nationalism, Socialism and Continental
Unity. The summit acknowledged the there are two contesting ideologies
on the continent which are Pan Africanism and Neo-Liberalism. It is
further acknowledge that the imperialist have actively supported Neo-
liberals with financial, technical and propaganda to ensure permanent
state of neo-colonialism in Africa.

State Report

PAYCO reported that Azania is works for the interest of Western
Countries and their multinational corporations instead of Africans.
PAC was forced into a CODESA agreement that were aim at assure
European Diaspora economic control. The status of African people has
not improved and still treated as second class citizens in real sense
when viewed in terms of economic control, educational opportunities,
health care, crime and judicial decisions.

NNLCYL reported the plight of Africans in Swaziland who are subjects
and not citizens. The report elaborated on negative effects of
absolute monarchy that is self-centred, with non-existence of checks
and balances, politically unaccountable, financially uncountable and
general lacks vision. Historically Swaziland has been "protected" by
Britain for benefit of Britain and extravagant Royal family. Political
parties have been banned, there is no political freedom.

ZIPAYA reported that Zimbabwe was under extreme pressure from Europe
and European Diaspora. The manipulation of financial systems
particularly current has created serious problem for import and
Zimbabwe international trade. The sanction are not targeted to
leadership as propagated in Western media, there are targeted to all
Zimbabweans. There are economic sabotage like destructive seeds &
fertilisers and buying food from farms for burning it. In spite of
that imperialist terror Zimbabwe is resolve on economic recovery
through Look to the East Policy and Zimbabwe will never be a colony
again.

Youth Development

There is no political will to implement youth development in Azania
and Swaziland due to short sightedness of current governance.
Swaziland has a weak institution in Youth Commission that aimed at
disable civil society initiative than real youth development.

There are great resources that have put into youth development in
Azania but due to lack of vision, institution structure that in
focussed on advocacy rather than implementation (Youth Commission
instead if Youth Ministry) and corrupt tendencies in ruling party.

Zimbabwe gave a different picture that of vibrant in youth development
including clear leadership development, increased access to
educational facilities, integrated skills development, youth benefited
80% of land from the redistribution programme and youth ministry with
strong leadership.

Land Programme

ZIPAYA took an opportunity explain factors that delayed the
implementation land programme for twenty years including Lancaster
Agreement, British dishonesty and Apartheid War demands. The
government farmer support systems were explained including
comprehensive network of agricultural colleges, agriculturists
(Research Extension Officers) are on the ground, seeds and equipments.
The Ministry of State invests in mechanisations and agricultural
production. It mentioned that policy in one person one farm therefore
everyone who had farm still has farm that is why only 400 of 4500
European descendents left the country. The land utilisation by new
farmers is high.








Resolution
1. It was resolved to establish a Working Committee constituted by
Presidents and Secretary Generals of Southern African Structure of Pan
Africanist Organisations namely the Zimbabwe Pan African Youth Agenda
(ZIPAYA), Swaziland's Ngwane National Liberatory Congress Youth League
(NNLCYL) and Pan Africanist Youth Congress of Azania (PAYCO)]. The
Working Committee shall within two weeks announce the date on the next
meeting.
2. It was resolve that the Working Committee must embark on recruiting
Pan Africanists Organisations across the Region further recommend on
matters of organisational framework including constitution and
location of domicile (headquarters).
3. It was resolved that the Pan Africanist institution being built
shall take active interest in political elections in Region with the
intension of ensures ideological victory in Southern Africa. It was
noted that revolutionaries must start preparing for continental
democratic elections.
4. It was resolved that the African youth through their enterprise
should aggressively create alternative trade institutions and channels
with understanding the imperialist world (Western Powers) are working
to ensure that Zimbabwe as rest of Africa becomes a colony again
through sanction, currency manipulation and malicious propaganda.
5. It was resolved that Zimbabwe should extension of Ideological
(Patriotic Studies) Training to whole of Southern Africa Pan
Africanist Organisations and intensification of Pan African Youth
Empowerment work in areas of Ideologically, Political, Social,
Technical, Economical and Financial.
6. It was resolved to take active participation on international
reparations movement and provide leadership to reparation work to done
in Southern Africa.
7. It was resolved that a media outlets should be established
including website, newspapers, newsletters and others for effective
propagation and alternative news communication channel.
8. It was resolved that leadership of African people in Zimbabwe
should be applauded for successful land redistribution programme.
9. It was resolve that Pan Africanists in Southern Africa collaborate
in resources mobilisation projects.
Conclusion
The summit was a great success due to logistic arrangement of ZIPAYA
under leadership President Kwanisai Mafa and summit chairing of Thamie
Hlatshwayo, President of NNLCYL and all parties showed determination
of ensuring that the resolutions are implemented. Pan Africanists are
notorious for perpetual conferencing and little or no implementation
in coordinate fashion in true sense of undermining colonial borders.
It must be mentioned that one of major reason of the first meeting
being in Zimbabwe was to indicate that its importance as only Pan
Africanist governed country in Southern Africa to further insist that
it has to take its role seriously in terms of expanding ideological
supremacy in Region thus same role that Cuba has played in Latin
America and Iran is playing in Western Asia. Financial support from
revolutionary structure is critical for the success of this project.
The immediate milestones are institutional development, increase the
number of countries involved, participating in African peoples'
international business and deepen buy-in from our constituencies. Pan
Africanism is a solution to Africa or Africans are condemned to
permanent domination.

Prepared on behalf of Working Committee by:
Sbusiso Xaba, President, Pan Africanist Youth Congress (PAYCO) of
Azania
Sbusiso.xaba@gmail.com