Guerrilla History

Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, Professor Emeritus at UNC Chapel Hill and former DRC's UN representative, shares his insights on the complex history and current situation in Congo. He discusses the turbulent transition from Mobutu's regime and the rise of the M23 rebels, intricately tied to Rwanda's geopolitical interests. Nzongola-Ntalaja highlights the exploitation of Congo's rich resources, its devastating impacts on local communities, and the international community's role in these unfolding dramas. His profound understanding of Congolese history invites listeners to reflect on ongoing challenges.

Sardana Nikolaeva, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto and expert in indigenous anthropology, dives deep into the complex relationship between the Sakha people and diamond mining in Russia. She explores the historical and political landscape of the Sakha Republic, examining how extractivism impacts indigenous identities. The conversation highlights the ramifications of economic sanctions, the illusion of autonomy amid resource wealth, and the socio-cultural dilemmas faced by indigenous communities as they navigate the diamond industry.

With this episode of Guerrilla History, were continuing our series on African Revolutions and Decolonization with an outstanding case study on the Congo, looking at the process of colonization, how decolonization unfolded, Lumumba's short time as Prime Minister, and the transition to the Mobutu regime.  We really could not ask for a much better guest than Prof. Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, who not only is one of the foremost experts in not only this history, but also served as a diplomat for the DRC.  We're also fortunate that the professor will be rejoining us for the next installment of the series, a dispatch on what is going on in the Eastern Congo and the roots of the ongoing conflict there.  Be sure to share this series with comrades, we are still in the very early phases of the planned ~40 parts, so it is a great time for them to start listening in as well!   Also subscribe to our Substack (free!) to keep up to date with what we are doing.  With so many episodes coming in this series (and beyond), you won't want to miss anything, so get the updates straight to your inbox.  guerrillahistory.substack.com   Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja is Professor Emeritus of African and Afro-American Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and previously served as the DRC's Permanent Representative to the United Nations.  Additionally, he is the author of numerous brilliant books, including Patrice Lumumba and The Congo from Leopold to Kabila: A People's History Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

In this episode of Guerrilla History, we discuss a wonderful resource for revolutionary scholars and activists - Revolutionary Papers.  Revolutionary Papers is a transnational research collaboration exploring 20th century periodicals of Left, anti-imperial and anti-colonial critical production, and in this discussion, we talk about the goals of the project, the intended audience, and forms that this project has taken.  You'll want to be sure to check out their fantastic work! Some additional resources for you are the South Asian Research & Resource Center, as well as https://www.jamhoor.org which is a Left media platform focusing on South Asia and its diasporas.   Koni Benson is a historian at the University of the Western Cape. Her research focuses on collective interventions in histories of contested development and the mobilization, demobilization, and remobilization of struggle history in southern Africa’s past and present.  You can find her Revolutionary Papers page here.   Sara Kazmi is a scholar, translator, and protest singer, a professor of Literature and Culture of the Global South whose research looks at poetry and drama from 1970s Punjab, in particular focusing on the re-working of oral, folk genres as a literary mode for subverting the bordering logics of the Indian and Pakistani state, and for critiquing the boundaries drawn by caste, patriarchy and institutional religion in the region.  Follow her on instagram and find her Revolutionary Papers page here.   Mahvish Ahmad is an educator, scholar and organiser. She is an Assistant Professor of Human Rights and Politics at the Department of Sociology, London School of Economics, where she studies state violence and the intellectual and political labour of movements targeted in repression. Follow her on twitter @mahvishahmad and find her Revolutionary Papers page here. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

With this episode of Guerrilla History, we continue our series on African Revolutions and Decolonization with a brilliant supplement reflecting on the Mau Mau Uprising.  Here, Shiraz Durrani goes through the history and its implications of the uprising, in a really fascinating and useful conversation!  This is a brilliant companion to our previous episode in the series, The Mau Mau Uprising w/ Nicholas Mwangi, which you should also check out if you have not done so.  Be sure to share this series with comrades, we are still in the very early phases of the planned ~40 parts, so it is a great time for them to start listening in as well!   Also subscribe to our Substack (free!) to keep up to date with what we are doing.  With so many episodes coming in this series (and beyond), you won't want to miss anything, so get the updates straight to your inbox.  guerrillahistory.substack.com   Shiraz Durrani is a Kenyan writer who has written expensively on Mau Mau, as well as other aspects of Kenyan history.  You can follow him on twitter @sinahabari, and check out many of his articles here, as well as his numerous books here. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

Ju-Hyun Park, a writer and activist with Nodutdol for Korean Community Development, joins the conversation about the provocative U.S.-led military exercises in the Korean Peninsula. They delve into Trump's complicated rhetoric regarding North Korea and its implications. Discussion also touches on the psychological and environmental toll of militarization on local communities. Finally, Park highlights the importance of grassroots activism and the ongoing U.S. Out of Korea campaign in challenging imperialism and fostering social change.

Nicholas Mwangi, a writer and member of the Ukombozi Library in Kenya, delves into the Mau Mau Uprising, a significant chapter in Kenya's struggle against British colonialism. He discusses the oppressive policies that sparked the uprising, including land dispossession and taxation. Mwangi highlights the coalition of workers and veterans who united for justice, details key battles, and addresses the brutal colonial responses. He emphasizes the legacy of the uprising and its relevance to contemporary struggles for land and freedom in Kenya.

In this engaging discussion, Professors Peter Beattie and Karim Bettache delve into the shifting geopolitical landscape, highlighting China’s emerging role and the complexities of BRICS in global politics. They tackle the intertwined issues of race and class, particularly in the context of U.S. foreign policy and Islamophobia. The conversation also critiques far-right narratives and their impact on societal perceptions of Muslims. With insightful analyses, they advocate for a more integrated approach to understanding these pressing global challenges.

With this episode of Guerrilla History, we launch into Pan-Africanism as a great additional starting point to our series on African Revolutions and Decolonization.  We bring on two marvelous guests, Prof. Layla Brown and Jacquie Luqman, to discuss the history, theoretical currents, and modern expressions of Pan-Africanism.  This is a 2+ hour masterclass, you certainly won't want to miss a moment of it!  Be sure to share this episode with comrades as well, we KNOW they will benefit from listening!   Also subscribe to our Substack (free!) to keep up to date with what we are doing.  With so many episodes coming in this series (and beyond), you won't want to miss anything, so get the updates straight to your inbox.  guerrillahistory.substack.com   Layla Brown is an Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology & Africana Studies and affiliate faculty in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Brown’s research focuses on Pan-African, Socialist, and Feminist social movements in Venezuela, the US, and the broader African Diaspora.  She is a member of the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (GC), and can be found on twitter @PanAfrikFem_PhD.  She also cohosts the Life. Study. Revolution podcast alongside Charisse Burden-Stelly.   Jacquie Luqman is a radical activist, journalist, and is a coordinator with Black Alliance for Peace.  You can follow some (but not all!) of her writings at Black Agenda Report, and watch her show Luqman Nation on Black Liberation Media. She is on twitter @luqmannation1. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory 

In this episode of Guerrilla History, we have a fascinating discussion on South Africa's role in BRICS, the view of BRICS in South Africa, South Africa's case against Israel at the ICJ, a new National Health Insurance law in SA, and more.  For this, we bring on someone ideally placed to discussed all of this and more - Prof. Narnia Bohler-Muller, a South African law professor and policy specialist who has been intimately involved in each of these topics.  This is really a great conversation, and hopefully helps you in thinking more about South Africa's role in BRICS when you have discussions about that grouping.   Don't forget to subscribe to our Substack (free!) to keep up to date with what we are doing.  We have a LOT of interesting things coming your way (not least of which, our African Revolutions and Decolonization series which began last week and continues with episode 2 next week), and you won't want to miss anything, so get the updates straight to your inbox.  guerrillahistory.substack.com   Narnia Bohler-Muller is a divisional executive in the Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa's Developmental, Capable and Ethical State research division and acting Group Executive: Shared Services.  She is a lawyer and former Professor at Nelson Mandela University, and was one of the individuals involved in South Africa's admission to BRICS and many of the discussions since then surrounding SA's place in the grouping.  You can find more of her work on her HSRC page. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory