Background

Statement from the Global Afrikan People’s Parliament

On 7th February 2015 the Global Afrikan People’s Parliament (GAPP) was formed in order to sharpen the focus of our much needed endeavours to work towards nation-building and provide substance to notions of unity often espoused in the Afrikan community for decades if not centuries.

On this date, the Executive Leadership Team of the then interim National Afrikan Peoples Parliament (iNAPP) set out a compelling case, at a duly called membership meeting of the iNAPP which took place in London, for recognising that their involvement in the iNAPP building process could not continue due to what had become an untenable state of affairs. It was commonly agreed that at the end of a three year interim period, there would be organisational development into a more appropriate structure that would have grown out of the lessons learned from the experiences of the three year interim period. That is why even the name of the institution was kept open for more appropriate choices to be made not only about the name, but also the substance of the formation, were it to become necessary for better qualitative transformation.

Accordingly, an independent conclusion that those members of the then Executive Leadership Team came to, was that they could not continue with the flawed processes that had developed within iNAPP. These flaws being: Firstly, approaches to the ‘Sign Up To iNAPP’ (SUTI) campaign whereby all and sundry could be signed up, without any clear rights and responsibilities of membership, except to just sign up and also that the signed up membership documentations ascertaining precisely who were members of iNAPP could not be verified. It was explained that this raises vital intelligence and security questions, with possible lethal consequences which the history of our Afrikan organising all over the world has ample proof of.  Secondly, the Executive Leadership Team as at that point, and not through lack of trying, could not collectively enforce the necessary procedures of accountability and oversight over financial processes. It is important to note, however, that there was no suggestion or evidence, at that juncture, of any financial malpractice. Thirdly, was the issue of how resignations from positions of responsibility had paralysed accountable leadership for the whole institution. Fourthly, the inability of the iNAPP Council of Elders to help provide timely solutions to the leadership crisis that had paralysed the institution.  Fifthly, the culminating effect of all these factors, resulting in the inability of iNAPP to effectively deliver on its aims and objectives and carry out promises made to the wider Afrikan community during the three year interim period.

In the circumstances, the then iNAPP Executive Leadership Team expressed the impossibility of carrying on with the status quo and explained the rationale justifying the emergence of GAPP, which required a different socio-political and legal approach. Firstly to be implemented through an education for mobilisation programme; and secondly, once implemented, it is intended that the educational training will lead to a more conscientised grassroots community who are empowered to act glocally as part of a Global Afrikan Heritage Community seeking Nationhood, through asserting our collective (group) rights to Self-Determination. The meeting was then provided with two options; the first being to step out of the untenable iNAPP building process, for the reasons previously stated, and for those that chose, to join an entirely new community-building process under the auspices of GAPP. The second option was that those who so desired, could continue with the iNAPP building-process, and take full responsibility for doing so.

After this explanation, the GAPP forward plan was met with strong opposition from within a particular bloc in iNAPP, a member of this bloc even asked the 4 remaining members of the iNAPP Executive Leadership Team to step down declaring that iNAPP would continue; demonstrating a determination on the bloc’s part to take the second option outlined above.

The 4 members of the then iNAPP Executive Leadership Team, subsequently reaffirmed their decision to also continue with the first option presented, that being to start the new process of GAPP community regeneration and institution-building centred upon the Afrikan Heritage Community For National Self-Determination (AHC-NSD).

As it says in the ‘GAPP: A Way Forward Declaration’ (see About tab),  GAPP is building on several experiences and mass mobilising models that have existed in the UK and beyond, including iNAPP. We do not see this development as a GAPP v iNAPP or an either/or situation. The substance of our stated direction of travel towards securing outcomes for people of Afrikan heritage is paramount and the cry is that Afrikan people must be active in something rather than nothing. GAPP provides the Afrikan Heritage Community with a more clearly recognised path of work towards Self-Determination.

The GAPP Leadership Facilitation Team, which was originally made up of 4 members, has been strengthened with 3 additional foot soldiers/servant leaders. As a team of 7 we bring knowledge and experience of:

– Education and miseducation counteraction, including conscientisation, curriculum development and teaching

– Scholar-activism through writings, discourses and groundings on national and international platforms

– Pan-Afrikan community law and knowledge co-production

– National and International Jurisprudence

– Local and ‘glocal’ activism and community organising

– Mass mobilising, locally, internationally and ‘glocally’

– Operational infrastructure building for large bodies and organisations

– Research and intersectional policy development

– Campaigning nationally and internationally with successful outcomes

– Advocacy, lobbying and agitation before various bodies of State and civil society, including those of faith/religion

– Psychosocial support services

– Membership services development

– Defence & security development & implementation.

– Youth engagement expertise

– Social media marketing expertise

The Team: Sis Esther Stanford-Xosei, Bro Leo Muhammad, Sis Dr Asher Sefanit-Wudasee, Bro Kofi Mawuli Klu, Sis Jendayi Serwah, Bro Simeon Stanford and Bro Kojo Asare Bonsu.

We are mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters who are committed to creating a lasting legacy for our children! We are a team of spiritually, culturally, ideologically and politically diverse Afrikans from the Continent and Diaspora of Afrika.

GAPP’s Education for mobilisation will address areas such as:

– Why Global? Why Parliament?

– What do we mean by international legal personality (identity) and why is this important?

– What are the successful precedents for establishing a legal group identity?

– On what grounds and how can autonomy be exercised in a country that we do not originate from?

– How will this benefit us, individually and collectively?

– Why does cultural nationalism and civil rights fall short of achieving our rights as a distinct people with the right to nationhood?

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How can you be of service?

Contact us if you wish to have an Expression of Interest Form emailed to you which when returned will form the basis of a wider discussion about how we can work together on mutual interests or how we can benefit from your skills set and those of others.

Why you can’t just sign up as a GAPP member

Nation – Building is a critical mission for the global Afrikan family – it is about our survival.  This being the case we have to build solid foundations and build strategic alliances  that will assist us. This requires us to pay great attention to security issues and ensure the foundation builders have an appropriate set of skills, knowledge, experience, resources and a proven track record of community service.  We cannot build a Nation with a list of passive members on a mailing list but firstly seek to engage people through our Education for Mobilisation programme where the complexities of securing internationally recognised status as a Nation (currently referred to as an Afrikan Heritage Community for National Self-Determination -AHC-NSD) are clarified and a mutual overstanding of the GAPP mission and strategic plans are reached.

Membership on a mass scale will be considered once the foundations are sufficiently solid.