Black History Month: We need to block any tendency for a war – Fagunwa speaks as CBCIU celebrates Walter Rodney(photos)

...We need an educational system that can assuredly build a black Africa

...Our responsibility is to address ourselves to our own people

By Bright Olorungbotemi

"There is a need to block any tendency for a war in Africa and see ourselves as brothers" as we celebrate Black history month Series which held at the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding, Osogbo on Friday, February 28, VAM News reports.

Walter Rodney and participants at the Black history Month as CBCIU celebrates Rodney (VAM News gallery)

The seminar, tagged “Walter Rodney; the Study in Revolution and Resistance” was held to unravel the great history of the late African Revolutionist.

In his speech, the guest speaker, Mr Temitope Fagunwa, a lecturer of Osun State University, Osogbo, of Department of History and International Studies, said the life of Walter Rodney was a great recommendation to all generations as he dedicated his lifetime to advancement of service to humanity and people.

In 1966 at age 24, Rodney received his Ph.D at the University of London(SOAS).

Fagunwa, who berated the academicians for isolating themselves from the community, which he described as the source of knowledge, called on the African youths to be ready for sacrifice as done by Walter Rodney, in order to have future they desire.

On June 13th 1980, Rodney was assassinated in Guyana by the dictatorial regime and died at the age of 38.

Walter Rodney

According to Walter Rodney, "The colonial school system educated for too many fools and clowns, fascinated by the ideals and way of life of the European capitalist class.

"Our first responsibility is to address ourselves to our own people, this is how we analyze where we're at..(This is) how we define our own situation (and then how we) help others in a different section of the black world to reflect upon their own specific experience, he said.

In his address, the Executive Director, Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding, Professor Siyan Oyeweso said the black month series is designed to celebrate the indelible contributions of black men to the development of the world.

He said, “the month is very significant in the history. As we are holding this event here, it’s going on concurrent across the globe.

“We have decided to celebrate Walter Rodney today. He was a great man who lived for thirty-eight years but made indelible marks. He sacrificed all luxuries towards the advancement of common people. This is why we’re still celebrating him forty years after his assassination,” the professor of history, he said.

Other photos below:

Participants at the event, Hon. Sola Oladepo, Commissioner for Environment and Sanitation, Comrade Wole Folaranmi, Movement of PAN Africanist students- Osun state University, Adeniji Ibrahim(The poet), and others from different strata of life also made contributions and lauded the initiative of Walter Rodney and the center.