“History teaches us clearly that the battle against colonialism does not run straight away along the lines of nationalism. For a very long time the native devotes his energies to ending certain definite abuses: forced labour, corporal punishment, inequality of salaries, limitation of political rights, etc. This fight for democracy against the oppression of mankind will slowly leave the confusion of neo-liberal universalism to emerge, sometimes laboriously, as a claim to nationhood. It so happens that the unpreparedness of the educated classes, the lack of practical links between them and the mass of the people, their laziness, and, let it be said, their cowardice at the decisive moment of the struggle will give rise to tragic mishaps. National consciousness, instead of being the all-embracing crystallization of the innermost hopes of the whole people, instead of being the immediate and most obvious result of the mobilization of the people, will be in any case only an empty shell, a crude and fragile travesty of what it might have been.” [Frantz Fanon’s, The Pitfalls of National Consciousness in The Wretched of Earth.] The pitfalls of national consciousness is one of the many important theoretical contributions from Frantz Fanon. Fanon argues that nationalism often fails at achieving liberation across class boundaries because its aspirations are primarily those of the colonized bourgeoisie, a privileged middle class who perhaps seeks to defeat the prevailing colonial rule only to usurp its place of dominance and surveillance over the working-class, the lumpenproletariat. With the current discourse around limited notions of nationalism and the so-called rise of an global ultra-nationalist right…Today’s program is an intentional disruption in this milieu. It is designed to offer streams of thought that invoke critique and inform paths of study toward solutions. Today’s conversation attempts to offer perspective by focusing specifically on the sociopolitical and cultural conditions in Brazil, Venezuela and Cuba. What you will hear next is a recent conversation with James Early. James Early is former Director of Cultural Studies and Communication at the Center for Folklife Programs and Cultural Studies at the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, DC. Mr. Early has served in various positions at the Smithsonian Institution, including Assistant Provost for Educational and Cultural Programs, Assistant Secretary for Education and Public Service, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Service, and Executive Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Public Service. Prior to his work with the Smithsonian, Mr. Early was a humanist administrator at the National Endowment for the Humanities, Washington, D.C., a producer, writer, and host of "Ten Minutes Left," a weekly radio segment of cultural, educational and political interviews and commentary at WHURFM radio at Howard University, and a research associate for programs and documentation. He currently serves on the Board of the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) and is a consultant on various issues related to human rights, labor, land, state craft. Today’s program was produced in solidarity with the Native/Indigenous, African, and Afro Descendant communities at Standing Rock, Venezuela, the Avalon Village in Detroit; Brazil, Colombia, Kenya, Cooperation Jackson in Jackson Mississippi; Palestine, South Africa, and Ghana and other places who are fighting for the protection of our land for the benefit of all peoples! Enjoy the program! Inquires/Comments/Ideas: [email protected] Photo Credit: https://qz.com/africa/694858/the-influence-of-revolutionary-frantz-fanon-endures-with-africas-intellectuals/