David, Son of Jackie Robinson, at the University of Minnesota

On Thursday, September 22, I went to the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, to hear David Robinson, a coffee farmer in Tanzania. He is the last of the children of Jackie Robinson, the legendary African-American baseball player and indomitable civil rights activist of the forties and fifties, who passed away in 1972.

Visiting Ethiopia as a teenager, David fell in love with Africa and, in the early eighties, decided to settle in a village called Bara, tucked away in the Mbozi district of southwestern Tanzania. He introduced himself to the curious village elders, telling them that he was an African from somewhere in Africa--even though he didn't know where--and that he had been taken from the continent and was lost for several centuries in slavery in far away America. Now he had decided to come back home, and he wanted land to establish a farm.

The villagers showed him a large area and he set about establishing a coffee farm, creating, together with fellow villagers, a cooperative society called Sweet Unity Farms. David talked about the activities of the cooperative farm, the challenges, and the lessons gained along the way.

He talked about not only the work on the farms, but also the business side of things--which is rife with challenges. This includes marketing and selling Sweet Unity Farms coffee around the world. Though located in a rural place, Sweet Unity Farms seeks ways to establish itself in a global market dominated by big multinational corporations.

The photo on the left features David, Limi Simbakalia, a Tanzanian student at St. Olaf College,  where I teach, and me.

There is much information online about David Robinson and Sweet Unity Farms, such as this wonderful article. I have been reading about David Robinson for some years and, in the process, a little about Jackie Robinson. After meeting David, however, I have been learning more about his father and gaining a good sense of the stature and significance of this legendary sportsman and civil rights activist.

Afrocentric Dialogues for a Peaceful World

Today I went to Minneapolis for a small meeting of several people convened by Mohamed Dini, founder and director of the Center for African Peace Research (CAPR). Four of us met, at the Somali Mall in South Minneapolis: Mohamed Dini, Ajar Quevi, Mohamed Salad Muhamad, and Joseph Mbele.

We introduced ourselves and affirmed our commitment to the goals of CAPR. We agreed to retain those goals and focus on their implementation. We affirmed the idea that came out of the last meeting: to start where we are, here in the Twin Cities.

We should work with communities, organizations, agencies, schools,and other institutions interested in, or in need of, creating cultures of peace. This will build both real life experience and more credibility for CAPR. We briefly discussed funding opportunities and agreed to consider these as the need arises.

After the meeting in the Somali Mall, three of us went to Columbia Heights to meet with colleagues from the Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) of the University of Minnesota whom Mohamed Dini had contacted--Vanessa Abanu and Yuichiro Onishi. In less than an hour, we covered much ground, exploring areas of mutual interest between the AAAS program and CAPR.

The AAAS program is planning to revamp its curriculum and foster more engagement with the community. We can work together in the areas of coalition building, fostering unity among disparate African and African Diaspora organizations, including student associations to help promote pan Africanism. The resources and methods we can use include performances, workshops and outreach programs.

One of our most memorable conversations concerned the opportunities our collaboration is bound to create for students, especially internships. Through participating in our programs, students will gain first-hand experience of real life issues affecting our communities--such as conflicts--and ways of addressing them. In many ways, such as demographic and cultural, the Twin Cities and adjacent areas are a microcosm of the world.

(The photo above, taken at the Big Marina Grill & Deli in Columbia Heights, features, left to right, Mohamed Salad Muhamad, Mohamed Dini, Joseph L. Mbele, Vanessa Abanu, Yuichiro Onishi).

The "Narratives of Identity" Conference, Leech Lake Tribal College, April 3

On April 3, 2015, I participated in a conference at Leech Lake Tribal College, Minnesota. The theme of the conference was "Narratives of Identity: Challenges and Issues" and was a collaboration between Leech Lake Tribal College and the African Studies Initiative at the University of Minnesota.

From the very beginning, the idea of a conference embracing two different worlds--the African and the Indigenous American--intrigued me. I have a good grounding in African studies, particularly literature, folklore, and political economy. I am fluent in Matengo and Swahili.

Regarding Indigenous American studies, my understanding is rather limited, not extending far beyond trickster tales. I knew, however, that there were striking similarities between the traditional beliefs of the Native Americans and those of the Africans.

I was therefore keen to participate in the "Narratives of Identity" conference, confident that I would learn much. I was particularly excited about the opportunity to visit an Indigenous American institution. All the years I have been in the USA, I have never had the chance to visit such an institution or community.

The conference started with an Indigenous American invocation, which was translated, reminding us of our not being alone in the world, but in the company of all of creation. That theme was emphasized during the conference, offering us an appreciation of the Indigenous American view of the world, our place in it, and our obligations to sustain it as it sustains us.

We heard about colonial European suppression of African and Indigenous American traditions, values, concepts of justice, and identity. Accordingly, we explored the issue of decolonization in its various dimensions--such as the educational, the cultural, and the psychological--including the decolonization of pedagogical methods and practices to ensure the engagement of learners in their education.

We discussed the issue of engagement alongside the issue of the right of people to speak for and about themselves, as opposed to being objects or victims of other peoples' narratives and viewpoints. The project of decolonization goes hand in hand with narratives of self-affirmation and empowerment of marginalized and oppressed people.

As I have noted, this was an unforgettable day for me, and I said as much to the audience. As an expression of my gratitude, I presented a copy of my Africans and Americans: Embracing Cultural Differences and of Matengo Folktales to the library of the Leech Lake Tribal College.

I wish to pay tribute to Deborah Jane of the African Studies Institute and Elaine Fleming and her colleagues at Leech Lake Tribal College for organizing the conference, a memorable event in itself and a secure foundation for future collaboration.

(The top photo is by Leech Lake Tribal College)