BBHAGSIA Dafana Institute Quebo Project Update

BBHAGSIA Raises $4,000 for the Dafana Institutue/Quebo School Project

Exactly one year ago, BBHAGSIA introduced Daniel Nabicamba, the NGO-QUITACARE and the Dafana Institute. At that time BBHAGSIA successfully fundraised over $5,000 to launch the Dafana Institute which has been up and running and teaching students Monday through Friday. Last year at this time, we were planning our first visit to Quebo and published pictures from the construction achieved by February 16, 2023.

In January of 2024, BBHAGSIA and NGO-Quitacare submitted the Quebo School Development Project upon reuqest of the US Embassy office in Guinea-Bissau. As the proposal states,

“In response to the community need in Quebo, Tombali Region, South of Guinea-Bissau, NGO QuitaCare started building a school using its own funds and that of the community and friends, including the “American Brothers”of the Balanta B’urassa History and Genealogy Society in America (BBHAGSIA). . . .To support the Quebo School Development Project, NGO-Quitacare through its promoter Daniel F. Nabicamba recruited the help from BBHAGSIA to establish the Dafana Institute, an English-learning school in the busiest section of Bissau, as part of BBHAGSIA´s Decade of Return Program. Under the program, DNA-tested descendants of the various ethnic groups of Guineans living in America as a result of the Trans-Atlantic trafficking and enslavement of their ancestors are returning to their ancestral homeland. Due to the language barrier, it was determined that a major priority for those African Americans of Guinea-Bissau ancestry needed “guides” who could speak English and Guinean Kriol and the various ethnic languages in order to facilitate their acceptance and reintegration into Guinean Society. These guides would serve as translators and as ambassadors during visits to villages throughout the country. The income generated from Dafana Institute would be used to help finance the construction and operation of the school in Quebo. In return Quebo would become a host of Decade of Return visitors, providing opportunities for them to leave Bissau and travel to the off-neglected Tombali region for people-to-people micro-development. In this way, a strong relationship would be nurtured between African American citizens of Guinea-Bissau dissent and communities in the south and  particularly in the community in Quebo.”

In February 2024, the Decade of Return hosted BBHAGSIA Member Felicia B on her first visit to her ancestral homeland. Felicia was escorted by BBHAGSIA President Siphiwe Baleka and NGO-Quitacare President Danial Nabicamba to the Balanta Village of Tchokmon that has “adopted” BBHAGSIA members. There, Felicia took part in the BBHAGSIA tradition and she received her Balanta name, Abebenan.

Abebenan escorted by BBHAGSIA President Siphiwe Baleka to pay homage to BBHAGSIA Spiritual Founder, Ngadesa Tchokmon).

Upon return, Abebenan sent the following message,

“I wanted to receive your blessing and support in leading this specific project to free up some of your time to raise funds for all other projects you have allowing me to work in conjunction with BBHAGSIA by leading this initiative.”

When she launched the GoFundMe campaign, she wrote,

“NGO-QUITACARE continues to work with the Balanta B'urassa History and Genealogy Society in America (BBHAGSIA) to fund various projects for Dafana Institute in Bissau; specifically teaching english to locals to guide DNA-tested descendants of the various ethnic groups in Guinea-Bissau living in America as a result of the transatlantic slave trade. This is how I came to meet Daniel and work with NGO-QUITACARE.”

We are happy to announce that with Abebenan’s help, BBAGSIA has been able to raise and transfer $4,000 for the Quebo School Project. It is an example of the Lineage Restoration Movement’s model of development. As I explained it in a Whats app forum for government officials and activists who attended the Accra Reparations Conference,

“I'm a champion of economic liberation for Africa and the role the diaspora can play. But economic investment follows NATURALLY after the stong ancestral re-connection is made. Africa needs rural development, not high-end luxury resorts and coffee shops. My experience as a leader in the lineage restoration movement is that when people take the African Ancestry DNA test and find out WHO they come from, then they eventually come to visit. When they come to visit, they LEAVE THE CITY to go reconnect with one of their ancestral villages and when they go to the village, the SEE AND FEEL the need, and then they return and start doing fundraising to meet the needs of the village. This is exactly what happened just a few weeks ago with our last client. So we need to use the framework of LINEAGE RESTORATION that I have been promoting and demonstrating.”

DEFENDING THE INTERIM PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF NEW AFRIKA DURING THE SPECIAL ELECTION

The Provisional Government of the Republic of New Afrika was founded on March 31, 1968. Both the current Interim President Krystal Muhamad and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Siphiwe Baleka (who is the President of the Balanta B’urassa History and Genealogy Society in America), are both descendants of the Balanta who were captured from their ancestral homeland (modern day Republic of Guinea Bissau) and trafficked to the Americas where they suffered chattel enslavement and U.S. state sanctioned ethnocide. The Balanta are known as “those who resist” and it is no coincidence that the two have risen to the leadership of the New Afrikan Independence Movement which is aiming to conduct a plebiscite for self determination.

On Wednesday, March 13 59 ADM (after the death of Malcolm X), Siphiwe Baleka, sent an email to the RNA email list entitled REFLECTIONS Re: PGRNA SPECIAL ELECTION VOTING LOCATIONS. (see below). The message was described by one person as his “usual competent and compassionate description of what has happened and where we stand as a ‘dueling PG-RNA’". Indeed, his intention was reconciliatory and he invited open comments.  In response, Asinia Lukata Chikuyu sent the following message entitled BURNING BRIDGES within the Revolutionary Movement that stated in part, 

“Can we afford to burn bridges among our small conscious/revolutionary community? Creating a rogue/second government, the interim republic of new afrika, is burning bridges and fits right into the Willie Lynch Syndrome. . . . .”

Then, on Thursday, March 14, Shujaa Alkebulan sent the following message “PCC Response to the "Interim Government”

“a few disgruntled citizens of the Republic of New Afrika (RNA) began patching together an "Interim government.” They are doing so by copying the name, symbols, and general formats of the very  Government they claim they are breaking away from. Stated more bluntly, these citizens are forging a  counterfeit Government in an attempt to pass it off as the historically authentic, and duly-elected,  Government founded on March 31, 1968 — the Provisional Government of the Republic of New  Afrika (PG-RNA). It seems they seek to legitimize their efforts through illegitimate means. From the beginning, these disgruntled citizens chose to work outside of New Afrikan Law, and have  deceptively projected the false impression that what they are doing is legal. The truth is, what they're  doing is not only illegal under New Afrikan Law but also unethical and without substance. . . . The duly-elected People's Center Council calls on all RNA citizens to not only beware of this group  and their deceptions, but to join us in denouncing their counterfeit "Interim Government"; its preceding  "People's Convention"; and its toxic leadership which has set out to fool as many people as they can.”

BBHAGSIA President Siphiwe Baleka’s name was then listed as one of “those publicly associated with this ‘Interim Government’”. It is because narratives matter that he wrote  the document below for all to read, but also for posterity’s sake, since there is a concerted effort from the above to distort the truth with false and negative propaganda.

For the record, the “Interim Government” was not an attempt to “break away” from the PGRNA or create a “rogue/second government”. Neither was it “illegal, unethical and without substance” as will be seen from my personal testimony below. 

The Interim Government was the product of an electoral and constitutional crisis created by a failed PG-RNA and a sham election. 

New Afrikan citizens stepped in with the Code of Umoja to ensure continuity of the legitimate PGRNA. There was never an attempt to set up an alternative or second government but only an attempt to save the one government black people in America have. It is not very much different than what is occurring in Haiti right now where the people demand the removal of the unelected Acting Prime Minister who is running the country by decree. The people got fed up and are now in the process of setting up an Interim Transitional Government for Haiti. That is not a rogue/second government - it is the proper re-establishment of Haitian self determination and the Haitian government. As long as it is led by a social contract accepted by all stakeholders among the Haitian people, it is a legitimate government. Likewise the New Afrikan People’s Convention and the establishment of the Interim Government.  

People may disagree and have different opinions, but the level of animosity, pompousness, vitriol, slander, hypocrisy, negative pathology and self-righteousness from some individuals claiming to be patriotic New Afrikan citizens is alarming and should be exposed and corrected. Siphiwe Baleka believes that a fair reading of his testimony will show this and, in particular, his participation in the Interim Government as Minister of Foreign Affairs and serving as the Chief Justice of the People’s Court, is neither unethical nor without substance.

REFLECTIONS Re: PGRNA SPECIAL ELECTION VOTING LOCATIONS

FREE THE LAND!

I write to you all as a conscious New Afrikan Citizen. The fundamental problem of New Afrikans is POWERLESSNESS. The agreed solution is A SOVEREIGN NATION. The function of national and local government units is TO WIN SOVEREIGNTY FOR THE NATION! i.e. FREE THE LAND!

We all know that a regular PG-RNA election was held last November that suffered from charges of voter suppression and other irregularities that resulted in just 4 certified districts out of 30+ voting. It was seriously contested that the election was NOT free and fair and no adequate explanation or resolution of the various charges were given. As a result, New Afrikan people held a Convention and was given a mandate to establish an Interim government whose primary concern would be to hold a proper free and fair election, much like the mandate given yesterday in Haiti to establish a transitional government. Currently, the PG-RNA is faced with the problem of "dueling PG-RNA's" that has divided the active New Afrikan population and discouraged many others from getting involved. 

The intent of the upcoming Special Election was to correct the defects of the regular election from last November in hopes of having broad participation that could end the "dueling PG-RNA" crisis. YOUR participation in the election will determine if this can happen. I understand that there are many fundamental issues and grudges (for lack of a better word) and perhaps even vendettas..... How will we move past this to WIN SOVEREIGNTY FOR THE NATION? As long as there is a write-in option on the ballot, all New Afrikans can feel that their voice will be counted and their voice heard. We expect a substantial turnout of voters at the voting locations and the voice and will of New Afrikan people will be given. But what will be the result after the vote? Apathy won't help us. Dueling PG-RNA's, as a dialectical process, can only help us if the result is synthesis or a more developed, more advanced understanding of the PG-RNA. The special election could be a means to synthesis. Or not. Ultimately, however, it is not the Hegelian/Marxist European concept that governs this - rather, it is the African principle of Ubuntu. The sad fact is that, outside of the PG-RNA, there is no entity focused on WINNING SOVEREIGNTY FOR THE NATION. There is no organized nationalist entity or voice in the current reparations movement and discussion. This can change if the PG-RNA becomes stronger, and that can only happen within a few weeks with a large and broad voter turnout for the special elections. 

Just like the world is talking about how to solve the problem in Haiti and form a transitional government that will lead to a strong, popularly supported government in Haiti, I'd like to hear from PGRNA veterans on this thread their thoughts about the upcoming Special Election and/or the prospect of reconciling the dueling PG-RNAs...

Siphiwe Baleka, writing as a New Afrikan citizen.....

The United Nations Permanent Forum of People of African Descent (PFPAD) 3rd Forum Denies Sponsorship for AfroDescendant Activist Requesting Advisory Opinion from the ICJ

SEND BBHAGSIA PRESIDENT SIPHIWE BALEKA TO THE UN PERMANENT FORUM ON PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT THIRD SESSION!

March 11, 2024 - The Secretariat of the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (PFPAD) informed Mr. Siphiwe Baleka, who serves as the President of the Balanta B’urassa History and Genalogy Society in America (BBHAGSIA) and was recently appointed as the Interim Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Provisional Government of the Republic of New Afrika, that his request for financial assistance to attend PFPAD’s 3rd Session was denied. The announcement stated,

“we regret to inform you that your application for financial assistance was not successful. The selection process was extremely competitive, owing to a very high volume of applications and few seats available for financial support, while also taking into account geographic and gender considerations in the selection process.”

The decision is both puzzling and disappointing. On October 27, 2022, the PFPAD Secretariat announced,

“We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected to be supported to participate in the first session of the UN Permanent Forum of People of African Descent, scheduled to take place in Geneva, Switzerland from 5-8 December 2022.”

At that first PFPAD session Mr. Baleka, made a satement from the floor on behalf of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (NCOBRA). He made a second statement representing BBHAGSIA on behalf of Afro Descendant people in which he stated,

“we call on this Forum to vigorously request an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on our status as prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention as well as our right to conduct plebiscites for self determination including the right to secede from the jurisdictions of colonial successor states in the Western hemisphere and form our own independent governments.”

After invoking the PFPAD mandate to request the “preparation and dissemination” of information from UN organs, which would include the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Mr. Baleka sustained a campaign to hold PFPAD accountable to the people of African Descent and this necessary legal action for global African reparatory justice. The campaign included a A MANDATE FROM THE AFRO DESCENDANT PEOPLE ISSUED TO THE PERMANENT FORUM ON PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT TO REQUEST AN ADVISORY OPINION FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE ON THEIR STATUS AS PRISONERS OF WAR UNDER THE GENEVA CONVENTION signed by 256 supporters from around the world, many of them delegates to the PFPAD 1st session including a letter of support from H.E. Ambassador Arikana Chihombori Quao.

Mr. Baleka made a second STATEMENT TO THE 2ND SESSION OF PFPAD: MANDATE TO REQUEST AN ADVISORY OPINION FROM THE ICJ that was followed by AN OPEN LETTER TO EPSY CAMPBELL BARR IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE CLOSE OF THE 2ND SESSION OF THE PERMANENT FORUM ON PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT. This resulted in PFPAD President Epsy Campbell Bar Agreeing to sign a Request for an Advisory Opinion from the International Court of Justice on the Status of Afro Descendants Enslaved in the Americas and PFPAD President Epsy Campbell Barr’s Official Response to the Mandate Requesting an ICJ Advisory Opinion in which the PFPAD President stated, ““I have requested the incorporation of this item in the agenda of the next meeting, to proceed to analyze it jointly. I also inform the High Commissioner of the United Nations of this, . . .” To assist in the joint analysis, on November 20, 2023 Mr. Baleka launched an Input Form for lawyers and jurists in order to gather their opinions on the legal questions that have been submitted.

In addition, A Letter Urging PFPAD President Epsy Campbell Bar to Immediately Fulfill the Mandate Given by Civil Society to Request an Advisory Opinion from the International Court of Justice was sent to PFPAD that stated,

“We, therefore, takE this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to this ICJ initiative and to make absolutely clear that our Brother Siphiwe Baleka of the Balanta B’urassa Society must represent us at the highest level of engagement with the ICJ.”

“It is therefuore puzzling,” said Mr. Baleka, “that the PFPAD would discontinue its sponsorship of BBHAGSIA and refuset to respect the wishes of Afro Descendant people who want me to represent them at the PFPAD third session in this most important matter. Given the incredible amount of work I have done to push this issue which is now being considered independently by both the AU and CARICOM, on the one hand, and given the fact that I am pursuing this as a citizen of Guinea Bissau, one of the poorest countries in Africa with NO participation from any other NGO at PFPAD, I fail to see how I am not among the most competitive, most qualified and most deserving of such sponsorship. I can only suspect the decision is political.”

SEND BBHAGSIA PRESIDENT SIPHIWE BALEKA TO THE UN PERMANENT FORUM ON PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT THIRD SESSION!