Decade of Return to Guinea Bissau November 22-29, 2022

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Single $2,500 +1 in double: $750

$500 non-refundable down-payment to reserve your spot due May 1, 2022 - only 15 spots!!!!

Payment 1: $1,000 due August 1, 2022

Payment 2: $1,000 due October 1, 2022

+1 Double: $750 due October 15

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Decade of Return Group 2, June 2021

This picture and the three pictures below taken by Ken Hawkins during the Decade of Return Group 1 in May 2021.

Decade of Return Group 2, June 2021 in front of the Door of No Return in Cacheu

The above six pictures take by Ken Hawkins during the Decade of Return Group 1, May 2021

Decade of Return Group 2 in Bijagos Islands, June 2021

Balanta History & Genealogy Society in America Launches T-Shirt Collection Featuring The Teachings of Amilcar Cabral

Amilcar Cabral is one of the world’s greatest leaders. He organized and led a successful revolutionary armed struggle against Portuguese colonizers, ending a 521-year war and resulting in the Independence of the Republic of Guinea Bissau.

In 2020, BBC World Histories Magazine asked historians to nominate the ‘greatest leader’ –someone who exercised power and had a positive impact on humanity – and to explore their achievements and legacy. More than 5,000 readers voted, and in second place, with 25 per cent of the vote is Amilcar Cabral, who as head of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), led his country to independence.

Results of the the BBC World Histories Magazine greatest leaders poll:

  1. Maharaja Ranjit Singh, ruler of the Sikh empire 1801–39

  2. Amílcar Cabral, 20th-century African independence fighter

  3. Winston Churchill, British prime minister 1940–45 and 1951–55

  4. Abraham Lincoln, US president 1861–65

  5. Elizabeth I, Queen of England 1558–1603

“Amilcar Cabral is largely unkown to African Descendants in the United States,” said Siphiwe Baleka, President of the Balanta B’urassa History & Genealogy Society in America (BBHAGSIA). “This is unfortunate because it is to Amilcar Cabral that we can look to for a revolutionary ideology that has proven to be succesful and leads to self-determination and independence.”

What made Cabral great?

Cabral focused on Ideology and Revolutionary Consciousness

…The ideological deficiency, not to say the total lack of ideology, within the national liberation movements–which is basically due to ignorance of the historical reality which these movements claim to transform–constitutes one of the greatest weaknesses of our struggle against imperialism, if not the greatest weakness of all. We believe, however, that a sufficient number of different experiences have already been accumulated to enable us to define a general line of thought and action with the aim of eliminating this deficiency…

Amilcar Cabral, The Weapon of Theory

According to Baleka, “While Amilcar Cabral is known to the people of Guinea Bissau, they haven’t really internalized his teachings and implemented them, at least among the ruling class in Guinea Bissau which has failed to commit the class suicide that Cabral said was necessary to complete and not betray the revolution. “

To help people on both sides of the Atlantic to gain a deeper understanding of Amilcar Cabral’s teachings, BBHAGSIA launched its Amilcar Cabral t-shirt collection containing seldom quoted exceprts in English and Kriol from the book, Unity and Struggle: Speeches and Writings of Amilcar Cabral.

The first three t-shirts (which have an option to include the Guinea Bissau flag on both sleeves) quote the following from Amilcar Cabral on the reverse side:

“THE STRUGGLE SHOWS WHO IS TO BE VALUED AND WHO IS WORTHLESS.”

Kriol: Luta tá mostra kilis k bali ku kilis k ka bali.

“Leadership must go to those who have the clearest concept of our reality.”

Kriol: Liderança tem k bai pá kilis k tene vizon mas claro di nô realidadi

“THE WORST AND THE WORTHLESS MUST BE LEFT BEHIND.”

O pior e o kabalidu tem k dixado trás.

The quotes were taken from this excerpt:

“THE STRUGGLE UNITES, BUT IT ALSO SORTS OUT PERSONS, the struggle shows who is to be valued and who is worthless. Every comrade must be vigilant about himself, for the struggle is a SELECTIVE PROCESS; the struggle shows us to everyone, and show who we are. . . . .We are making an effort for the unworthy to improve, but we know who is worthy and who is not worthy; we even know who may tell a lie. . . . There are others of whom some are afraid, because they know that their only merit is the power they wield. . . . Whether we like it or not, the struggle operates a selection. Little by little, some pass through the sieve, others remain. . . . Only those will go forward who really want to struggle, those who in fact understand that the struggle constantly makes more demands and gives more responsibilities and who are therefore ready to give everything and demand nothing, except respect, dignity, and the opportunity to serve our people correctly. . . But for a struggle really to go forward, it must be organized and it can only really be organized by a vanguard leadership. . . . Leadership must go to the most aware men and women, whatever their origin, and wherever they come from: that is, to those who have the clearest concept of our reality and of the reality that our Party wants to create. We are not going to look to see where they come from, who they are and who their parents are. We are looking only at the following: do they know who we are, do they know what our land is, do they know what our Party wants to do in our land? Do they really want to do this, under the banner of our Party? So they should come to the fore and lead. Whoever is most aware of this should lead. We might be deceived today, or deceived tomorrow, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating, it is practical experience which shows who is worthy and who is not. . . . Our struggle demands enlightened leadership and we have said that the best sons and daughters of our land must lead. . . .So far as we are able to think of our common problem, the problems of our people, of our own folk, putting in their right place our personal problems, and, if necessary, sacrificing our personal interests, we can achieve miracles. . . . It is not enough to say ‘I am African’ for us to say that person is our ally: these are mere phrases. We must ask him frankly: ‘Do you in fact want the independence of your people? Do you want to work for them? Do you really want our independence? Are you really opposed to Portuguese (American) colonialism? Do you help us? If the answers are yes, then you are our ally. . . . We can only genuinely achieve what we want in our land if we form a group of men and women who are strong, able not to cheat their comrades and not to lie, able to look their comrades straight in the eye . . . . If someone is unworthy, we must show him that he is unworthy. There is no friendship, there is no consideration for him. He must be cast aside. The time has come for us to be friends with those who are worthy, but those who are unworthy, but those who are worthless, cannot be our comrades, our friends. Anyone who betrays the Party, who tries to divide us, who makes plans to sabotage the Party, who serves the enemy, who consorts with the enemies of our Party can no longer sit with us, cannot eat with us from the same bowl, cannot drink from the same glass or mug, cannot sleep in the same bed. Either we are able to distinguish the worthy from the unworthy or it is not woth our while going on with our struggle as we are doing, because sooner or later we shall drown in a sea of great confusion of our own making. . . . In the framework of revolutionary democracy, as I have already said, we must bring to the fore the best sons and daughters of our land. The worst and the worthless must be left behind. . . . .”

ORDER YOUR T-SHIRTS

RIGHT TO RETURN ALLIANCE SKILLS SURVEY

The Right To Return Alliance (RTRA), a coalition of African Descendants’ from global communities, CSOs, NGOs and businesses in Africa and the Diaspora, is inviting you to complete this Skills Survey to be databased and used in policy formation and planning during

2022: The Year Of Promoting The African Descendants’ Right To Return'.

HISTORY

The African Union convened the First AU-Western Hemisphere Diaspora Forum in Washington, DC December 17-19, 2002. The Forum which established the Western Hemisphere African Diaspora Network (WHADN) to interface with the African Union Commission. The WHADN put forward proposals for effective collaboration between the African Diaspora and the African Union. It recommended that the AU should

- Include in its agenda the 'crime against humanity' concept and work with Diaspora organizations to suggest a process for reparations.

- Review, educate and sponsor open discussion to get insight into slavery In turn, the African Diaspora should:

- Establish a Western Hemisphere Diaspora Trade and Economic Development Committee to coordinate and facilitate the follow-up process to these recommendations with the AU ..... Ensure establishment of an industry specific Western Hemisphere Diaspora data base endorsed by the appropriate Diaspora representatives."

In May, 2003, the Executive Council of the African Union met at the Third Extraordinary Session in Sun City, South Africa and issued the "Decision on the Development of the Diaspora Initiative in the African Union" This decision stated in point 4 that it

"Supports the initiative of the Commission to convene a technical workshop.... for the establishment of a Diaspora database to promote and facilitate networking and collaboration between experts in their respective countries of origin and those in the Diaspora."

The African Union Technical Workshop On the Relationship With the Diaspora General Report (Port of Spain, Trinidad, June 2-5 2004) stated:

"55. For the Diaspora to meaningfully contribute to the attainment of the goals of human development in Africa the following policy recommendations were suggested:

a) Resources/Skills Bank:

56. The Resources Bank should serve as the integrating platform upon which all other aspects of the Diaspora development and mobilization of its resources, both organic and virtual knowledge, could be shared and expanded.”

FIRST 50-METER OLYMPIC SWIM TRAINING FACILITY BUILT IN GUINEA BISSAU

Unche, Guinea Bissau - Federação de Natação da Guiné-Bissau Interim President Siphiwe Baleka constructed a 50 meter long course for swim training in the middle of a tributary of the Rio Unche. Olympic swimming pools are 50 meters long and there are none in the country of 2 million people. So Baleka decided to use what was available to complete a makeshift pool with lane ropes.

Baleka conceived of the idea during his first visit to Unche, the village of his great, great, great, great, great grandfather who was captured as a boy and enslaved in Charleston, SC.

“I was told in Cacheu that Balantas are the best swimmers, that they could turn into crocodiles,” said Baleka. “So I always imagined my 5g grandfather was a great swimmer as a young boy. Today I know it is true because all the boys in Unche are good swimmers with a lot of natural ability. Now they just need to be coached.”

Coaching the boys and girls of Unche, the village of his 5G grandfaather, is exactly what Baleka intends to do. Baleka’s short term plan is to fix the lane ropes (which happen to be the red, gold, and green colors of the Guine Bissau flag) with some sort of flotation device. According to Baleka,“We will try plastic bottles and styrofoam first.”

HELP SIPHIWE BALEKA WITH THIS INCREDIBLE MISSION

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New Uniforms for Girls Team Provided by Interim President of the Guinea Bissau Swimming Federation Siphiwe Baleka

January 27, 2022 - Enterremento, Bissau, Guinea Bissau

The Sociedade Desportiva da Guiné-Bissau (S.D.G.B) received the Interim President of the Federação de Natação da Guiné-Bissau, Siphiwe Baleka to display their new uniforms. Mr. Baleka visited the girls futbol team on January 16 to give them a motivational speech. The team then went on to win their latest match 4 - 1.

“Maybe what I said helped them,” ’joked Mr. Baleka.

During his previous visit, Mr. Baleka learned that the team was not receiving much support from its federation. He then donated the money to purchase the new uniforms.

“I really want to help these girls. They lost the championship last year and I know they can win it this year,” Mr. Baleka said with confidence. “I will do what I can to help them do their best.”

Mr. Baleka told the girls that their life in Guinea Bissau presented them with both advantages and disadvantages. 

“In America, life is much easier. The girls are not as tough as you are,” he told them. “You are strong and very good athletes because life in Guinea Bissau is much more physical. That is your advantage. Of course access to resources, equipment, and opportunities to travel are your disadvantages,” said Mr. Baleka.. “Do your best on the field and I will do my best off the field to help find resources for you.”

Coach Sanha Nharo explained that one of the challenges for the team is a cultural challenge. Girls are discouraged from playing sports because going to school and taking care of the home are the priorities. “You have to have a very close relationship with the parents to convince them to let their daughters travel and spend the night somewhere,” Coach Sanha said.

Coach Sanha also explained that the team struggles because of the poor organization of the league. Every year we have to figure out who and where we can play and what color uniforms each team has. According to Coach Sanha, if you travel to play a team and you have the wrong color jersey, you must forfeit the match because you can’t have two teams wearing the same colors. That’s a tall order for teams that don’t have sponsors and multiple uniforms.

There are other challenges, too. The team wants to buy tents because they don’t have the money to pay for hotels when they travel in the country to play teams in other regions.

To help the team this year, Mr. Baleka set up a GoFundMe campaign. All money goes to the team.

SUPPORT GIRLS SPORTS IN GUINEA BISSAU. DONATE NOW!

BBHAGSIA President Discusses the COVID Agenda on Discussions of Truth Podcast

“The Balanta Society has, by far, compiled the most extensive and comprehensive chronological research on the origin of the Covid19 virus - that I have found to date.”

- Ian Trottier

Due to technical issues, you will find the introduction at the 13:45 mark and the main content of the episode begins about the 30min mark.

Read

THE COVID 19 CHRONOLOGY THEY AREN'T SHOWING YOU: PROPAGANDA AND DENIAL ABOUT THE SOURCE OF THE PANDEMIC

About Ian Trottier and Discussions of Truth Podcast:

Ian Trottier is a genealogist, historian, and free thinker. His Discussions of Truth podcast has hosted a who’s who of great free thinkers and whistleblowers, including such people as Anton Chaitkin, Daivd Icke, Judy Mikovitz, Cynthia McKinney and Brandy X. Lee. See his full guest list here.

Nbuntul a Kraase: Balanta Stories Now Available for First Time Translated into English

Book Synopsis

The Balanta B'urassa Language Preservation Society in America is proud to present this reprint of Nbuntul a Kraase: Balanta Stories. Finding original books printed in the Balanta language is rare. As it is our mission to preserve the Balanta language, it is our joy to make this available to a wider audience.

ORDER YOUR COPY NOW!!!! $9.99

Monkey and  Rabbit

By Unico Só Mané

Grasshopper and Tortoise

By Domingos Quadé

Banditism is not good

By Rúcana Danfa

TRANSLATED TO ENGLISH

BY QUINTINO MEDI

BanFaaba and BBHAGSIA Presidents Attend African Union Workshop on Transformational Leadership Across Africa

BanFaaba President Mario Cisse and Balanta B’urassa History and Genealogy Society in America President Siphiwe Baleka attend the African Union’s Fridays of the Commission Workshop: Key Requirements for Generating Developmental and Transformational Leadership Across Africa.

Convened by the African Union Commission Department of Economic Development, Trade, Industry and Mining, the conference brought together participants from the AU Member States, Regional Economic Communities, AU Organs and Specialized Agencies, development partners, the private sector, civil societies, academia and the media.

The Conference aimed to provide a platform for a public debate on how to develop passionate and visionary leaders within the continent, who understand global dynamics and environment and can drive developmental changes for the attainment of people centered and sustainable economic development and, overall, the realization of the aspirations of Agenda 2063, the “Africa We Want”.

According to Mr. Cisse,

“Leadership in Africa is very challenging because the African continent and its leaders didn’t focus on using its own resources. We didn’t build a strong force to move Africa forward. This is the only way we can overcome the challenge that Africa is facing right now. We must give the young people the opportunity to use the resources of Africa for their own development. This requires transformational leadership. We need leaders that can negotiate better deals for African people.”

Earlier this month, Mr. Cisse and Mr. Baleka met with Her Excellency, Ambassador Erieka Bennett of the Diaspora Africa Forum, to discuss African Diaspora issues, and in particular, Guinea Bissau’s Decade of Return initiative.

Mr. Baleka, for his part, recently led the team that drafted a MOTION TO THE AFRICAN UNION EXECUTIVE COUNCIL 39th EXTRAORDINARY SESSION that was presented by the Zambian Minister of Foreign Affairs. The motion requested that all African Union member states

“Establish an African Diaspora Desk mandated to ensure that the African Diaspora sub-group - consisting of the specific group of people of African origin, born outside the African Continent, who have never had access to an automatic birthright to claim a specific African citizenship or nationality due to the horrific legacy of the transatlantic slave trade, but recognise their Right To Return (RTR) to their ancestral homeland - have their specific needs met to achieve successful repatriation with a recommendation that the African Diaspora Desk works in partnership with the Diaspora Advisory Board instituted by the Declaration Of The Global African Summit 2012 for each member state.”

“We have informed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Her Excellency Suzi Barbosa of the leading role that she can play in this movement,” said Mr. Baleka.

“With the Decade of Return Initiative, we have positioned Guinea Bissau to take a leading role in the African Union 6th Region Diaspora movement and we hope that Guinea Bissau will be the first country to implement the recommendation and establish the second Diaspora Desk with diplomatic status on the continent of Africa. In this way, we are contributing to the transformational and visionary leadership right here in Guinea Bissau.”

Last year, Mr. Baleka was asked to Chair the Panel, “Sixth region – Critical thinking and Action Plan towards re-integration at the African Union” at the 2nd Annual Centre for Global Africa (CGA) – APRM Pan African Development Conference on 12-14 November 2020 hosted by the African Peer Review Mechanism of the African Union and the Centre for Global Africa. On November 23, 2020, Mr. Baleka addressed the United Nations 26TH SESSION OF THE WORKING GROUP OF EXPERTS ON PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT. And a month later he gave a keynote address entitled The Lineage Restoration Movement and the Future of Africa to the Plenary Session on Economic Emancipation and the Black Lives Matter Movement at the 1st African Diaspora Summit in Nairobi, Kenya organized by The Africa Diaspora Alliance and the Kenya Diaspora Alliance.

Mr. Cisse and Mr. Baleka are themselves fast becoming some of the most visionary and transformational leaders in Guinea Bissau.

Mario Cisse (left) and Siphiwe Baleka (right) speaking to the media in Guinea Bissau, January, 2020

Federação de Natação da Guiné-Bissau e Ban-Faaba comemoram o Dia Mundial da Natação

Sobre o Dia Mundial da Natação


Realizado no quarto sábado de outubro de cada ano, o Dia Mundial da Natação é um feriado internacional que visa aumentar a participação na natação e promover a segurança da água, incluindo geografia, idioma e habilidades.

Os nadadores são incentivados a se exercitar na água no Dia Mundial da Natação, seja o que for que isso signifique para eles. Piscina ou águas abertas, natação curta ou longa, solo ou com amigos!

MySwimPro fundou o Dia Mundial da Natação em 2018 para aumentar a conscientização e fundos para organizações que aprendem a nadar e para reunir nadadores de todo o mundo para celebrar seu amor pela água! Desde o seu início, mais de milhares de nadadores nos ajudaram a arrecadar mais de $ 5.000 dólares!

Hoje, às 10h30, o nadador da Seleção Nacional da Guiné-Bissau Siphiwe Baleka e o Presidente do Conselho Fiscal da Federação de Natação da Guiné-Bissau, Mario Ceesay (que também atua como Presidente da Ban-Faaba na Guiné-Bissau), organizaram uma festa na piscina #WorldSwimDay pelo Grupo Juvenil Hermos Unidos para Sempre do Bairo Militar, Bissau no Hotel Ledger Plaza. Em setembro, Ban-Faaba acolheu uma viagem de campo educacional ao Museu dos Escravos em Cacheu, Guiné-Bissau, onde o grupo de jovens pôde nadar no Rio Cacheu.

“Como presidente da Ban-Faaba, estamos empenhados em fazer tudo o que estiver ao nosso alcance para oferecer oportunidades aos jovens. Como membro da Federação de Natação da Guiné-Bissau, a minha preocupação é promover a natação e a segurança aquática ao mesmo tempo que desenvolvo uma geração de nadadores de competição na Guiné-Bissau. #WorldSwimDay é uma oportunidade perfeita para fazermos os dois ”, disse Mario Ceesay.

Siphiwe Baleka é um Embaixador MySwimPro que recentemente representou a Guiné-Bissauews / 14-campeonatos africanos de natação no 14º Campeonato Africano de Natação, estabelecendo cinco recordes nacionais da Guiné-Bissau.

Guinea Bissau Swim Federation and Ban-Faaba Celebrate World Swim Day

About World Swim Day


Held on the fourth Saturday of October each year, World Swim Day is an international holiday that aims to increase participation in swimming and promote water safety inclusive of geography, language, and skills.

Swimmers are encouraged to get active in the water on World Swim Day, whatever that looks like for them. Pool or open water, short swim or long, solo or with friends!

MySwimPro founded World Swim Day in 2018 to raise awareness and funds for learn-to-swim organizations and to bring swimmers from around the world together to celebrate their love for the water! Since its inception, more than thousands of swimmers have helped us raise over $5,000 USD!

Today, at 10:30 am, Guinea Bissau National Team Swimmer Siphiwe Baleka and The Guinea Bissau Swim Federation President of the Fiscal Council, Mario Ceesay (who also serves as President of Ban-Faaba in Guinea Bissau), hosted a #WorldSwimDay pool party for the Hermos Unidos para Sempre (Family United Forever) Youth Group of Bairo Militar, Bissau at the Ledger Plaza Hotel. Back in September, Ban-Faaba hosted an educational field trip to the Slave Museum in Cacheu, Guinea Bissau where the youth group were able to go swimming in the Cacheu River.

“As President of Ban-Faaba, we are involved in doing whatever we can to provide opportunities for the youth. As a member of the Guinea Bissau Swim Federation, my concern is to promote swimming and water safety while developing a generation of competitive swimmers in Guinea Bissau. #WorldSwimDay is a perfect opportunity for us to do both” said Mario Ceesay.

Siphiwe Baleka is a MySwimPro Ambassador who recently represented Guinea Bissauews/14-african-swimming-championships at the 14th African Swimming Championships, setting five Guinea Bissau National Records.