Declaration of June 16, 2025

Each year, the commemoration of the Soweto Massacre on June 16, 1976, is an opportunity to celebrate the commitment, courage, struggles, and sacrifices of African children and youth to liberate and rebuild Africa and the Black Diaspora.

Paying tribute to them and ensuring that their memory is never forgotten is a duty for all true Black revolutionaries. This is especially important for those who were also school, student and youth activists and have been at the forefront of trade union, political, social, and environmental movements, as well as struggles against imperialism, neocolonialism, racism, and capitalism on the Continent or/and in the Diaspora since 1976.

The S/Heroes and martyrs of Soweto continued the struggle inherited from our Ancestresses and Ancestors. We followed in their footsteps and continued their fight. Other generations of school and student activists then took up the torch and carried the struggle forward. This historical continuity bears witness to the millenary courage and unwavering determination of Black Children and Youth throughout time and across the globe to liberate and rebuild their countries and Communities. For this, they deserve the eternal gratitude, thanks, and respect of Africa and her Diaspora.

But for those of us who are not panafri-amnesiac, Soweto is also – and tragically so – the most striking symbol of African revolutions that have been betrayed, hijacked, usurped, and stolen.

Indeed, instead of the promised liberation, the long due reparations, compensations, and restitutions, the hoped-for recovery of Ancestral lands, and of the regaining of control over our wealth and labor, the struggle in South Africa led instead to the rise and seizure of power by an opportunistic and pushy African bourgeoisie and petty bourgeoisie. Eager to seat at the table of the European master, these Black comprador elites hastened to forgive the white oppressors, enslavers, colonialists, thieves, rapists, and genocidaires and to reconcile with them in order to share the country’s resources and wealth at the expenses of the African masses. The most tragic consequences and expressions of this betrayal were the self-flogging distraction misnamed the ‚Truth and Reconciliation Commission‘ and the Marikana Massacre. Indeed, these two events showed that, instead of being used against the white invaders, enslavers, and genocidaires – those who instigated and profited from the abuses, atrocities, horrors, and crimes of colonization and apartheid (i.e. the perpetrators) –, the South African state’s tools of propaganda and repression were turned against the African masses (the very victims of these crimes).

Elsewhere on the Continent, the hijacking and theft of our revolutions has been carried out by defectors from the ranks of criminal, incompetent, and corrupt dignitaries, servants, profiteers, and henchmen (both civilian and military) of the regimes that oppress us. These are former ministers, senior officials, officers, and sub-officers who realized that they no longer had any chance of satisfying their thirst for power and safeguarding their privileges by remaining in the regimes and under the tutelage of leaders who are just as criminal, corrupt, and incompetent as themselves. It is therefore in order to survive politically, rehabilitate themselves socially, and prosper professionally and economically that these sellouts have turned themselves into last-minute opponents or messianic coupists, not out of a sudden love for their country, nor a sudden anti-imperialist conviction, nor even a sense of guilt and a genuine repentance – that they have never felt.

But no sooner had they found themselves in the opposition or at the head of their countries, these lawless, faithless hypocrites and opportunists hijacked the narrative, blurred the lines, and usurped the leadership of our struggles against their former local employers and foreign imperialist masters. Unfortunately, they enjoy the support and help of renegade former comrades who, because they are too fearful, cowardly, incompetent, and undisciplined to make revolution themselves, have turned into their zealous errand boys, obsequious courtiers, fanatical panafri-sycophants, and panafri-cynical bootlickers!

We firmly say “No!” to these panafri-opportunists, panafri-renegades, and panafri-scoundrels!

On this historic day of June 16, we call on the Real African Revolutionaries (RAREs) of the Continent and the Diaspora to:

1. Make a firm resolution never again to let opportunists, social climbers, and impostors hijack, steal, usurp, and betray our revolutions.

2. Realize that we do not need former ministers, military, police officers, militiamen, or any other defectors from African regimes to overthrow them and seize power. The truth is that if these defectors stage coups or leave the regimes in place, it is only because they have understood that we are close to victory. Changing sides or staging coups are therefore nothing more than opportunistic strategies to survive politically and preserve their class interests, advantages, and privileges, all acquired by oppressing, exploiting, raping, and slaughtering the masses, activists, progressives, and revolutionaries of their countries.

3. Stop being tolerant, patient, and complacent with panafri-opportunists, panafri-cynics, panafri-renegades, panafri-scoundrels, panafri-traitors, panafri-confused, pan-Obamaists, (neo)panafri-fools, and panafri-militarists. We must break with them ideologically and politically, while being critical and uncompromising with our own weaknesses, shortcomings, and contradictions.

4. Prepare ourselves for battle to reclaim the African Revolution (rare) by any means necessary.

To this end, we invite all True Black Revolutionaries of the World to join us in launching a common platform, so that the betrayal of Soweto, the betrayal of Khartoum, the betrayal of Bamako, the betrayal of Ouagadougou, the betrayal of Niamey, the betrayal of Conakry, the betrayal of Libreville, the betrayal of Douala, the betrayal of Ndjamena, the betrayal of Port-au-Prince, in short, that no hijacking of popular struggles and no betrayal of our revolutions by opportunistic civilian or military elites ever happen again in the Black world!

Eternal life and glory to the S/Heroes and Martyrs of Soweto!

May the Ancestresses and Ancestors continue to guide, protect, and empower the Real African Revolutionaries (RAREs).

May they give them

a) the wisdom to recognize and identify opportunists, renegades, impostors, usurpers, traitors, sellouts, collaborators, the fearful, and cowards, as well as

b) the courage to systematically unmask and denounce them,

c) the determination to dismiss them without mercy, and

d) the necessary means to steer the ship of the Real African Revolution (rare) to a safe harbor, for which the Children and Youth of Soweto gave their lives 49 years ago.

Done at Soweto, BoisKayman, Adwa, Yaoundé, Harare, San Basilio, Caracas, Havana, June 16, 2025

MAAT REVOLUTION

“Unapologetically Ancestral, Uncompromizingly Revolutionary, Radically Maatic”

Maroons-NannyTown@reclaimingtheafricanrevolution.com