On Feb. 21, Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao, former ambassador of the AU to the United States, returned to Harlem to voice her support for the campaign to lift the illegal U.S. sanctions on Zimbabwe.
A capacity crowd of Black folks from the tri-state area converged on Harlem’s famed National Black Theater to join the December 12th Movement on the 55th anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X. They came to get an update on the latest moves in the anti-sanctions campaign.
Citing the D12’s slogan that “culture is a weapon” Omowale Clay opened the evening by introducing master drummer Jerome Jennings. Jerome’s drum solo tour de force left the audience applauding and set the stage for the keynote presentation by Ambassador Chihombori-Quao. The ambassador, a native Zimbabwean, graphically walked the rapt audience through the history of how Europeans had stolen Zimbabwe’s most arable land from its indigenous inhabitants and brought us up to the current situation of the two decade punishment which the U.S. has exacted on Zimbabwe’s people for exercising their right to self-determination and taking their land back. She emphasized the critical importance of the African diaspora in ensuring an independent Africa and the reciprocal role Africa must play in supporting our struggles. [See Nayaba Arinde interview].
Following the Ambassador’s address, D12 Chairperson Viola Plummer ended the evening by reminding the audience of the need for each of them to join the campaign to lift U.S. sanctions–– that the sanctions have indeed tightened under Pres. Trump; and that we must demand that the Congressional Black Caucus begin to represent Black people again and withdraw their support for Trump in his quest to impose “regime change” on Zimbabwe.
After posing for photos with the ambassador, the energized and informed crowd of Black people stepped out onto Malcolm X’s 125th Street to the sounds of Bob Marley singing “Zimbabwe…”
Anyone interested in getting a copy of the ambassador’s presentation or listening to it online should call Sistas’ Place 718-398-1766.