Siphiwe Baleka, President of the Guinea Bissau Swimming Federation meets with the new Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Mr. Albino Gomes

The new Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Albino Gomes. Albino Gomes was born on October 20, 1967, in Cacheu. Graduated in Law from the Faculty of Law of Bissau, he specialized in Civil Law and Civil Procedure at the National Institute of Judicial Studies in Luanda (INEJ) in 2005. In 2000 he joined the Judiciary, as Chief Judge of the Third Court. He was appointed Chief Judge of the Sectorial Court of Bissau – Sintra (III – Judgment) in 2000 and later promoted to the category of Judge of Law, being placed on the Crime Rod of the Regional Court of Bissau. He was Legal Adviser to several State institutions and consultant for several laws and statutes. Leader of the PAIGC, he served as Secretary General of the Ministry of Economy, as well as reaching the position of Director General of Customs and now appointed to exercise the position of Minister of Justice and Human Rights.

September 1, 2023, Bissau - The President of the Guinea Bissau Swimming Federation, Siphiwe Baleka, met with the new Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Albino Gomes, to discuss the pending frivolous litigation that is preventing the Federation from functioning, entering swimmers in competition including the 2024 Olympics in Paris, and ultimately depriving young people in the country great opportunities to train under one of the greatest black swimmers in history.

Although President Baleka successfully legalized the swimming federation on April 12, 2022, the President of the Guina Bissau National Olympic Committee, Mr. Sergio Mane, has led an effort to block the country’s best swimmer from competing and helped initiate litigation against the legal federation in July of 2022. Although a hearing was later set last year, neither the judge nor the party initiating the litigation showed up. Since then, nothing has been done to adjudicate the case.

“We hoped the new Minister of Justice would be able to do something to see that the case concludes within thirty days so that the Federation can be eligible to compete in the 2024 Olympics in Paris ,” said President Baleka. “This would bring a lot of positive publicity to the country as well as resources to be used to help Guinea Bissau athletes and develop the sports infrastructure. Unfortunately, Minister Albino Gomes stated that there was nothing he could do and suggested we go to the Ministry of Sport.”

Though Ms. Indira Cabral Embaló is the new Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport as a result of the July elections, President Baleka stated that he was not too optimistic. The previous Minister of Sport, Augusto Gomes, was complicit in helping Mr. Mane block Mr. Baleka from competing at last year’s CANA Zone 2 West African Swimming Championships in which Mr. Baleka would have won the country’s first ever medals in the sport.

Outgoing Minister of Sport, Augusto Gomes, with Guinea Bissau Swimming Federation President Siphiwe Baleka, meeting in May 2022. With this handshake, Minister Gomes agreed to provide President Baleka with a Certificate of Recognition and instructed him to return the next day to receive it. After weighting for six hours in his office, Minister Gomes refused the certificate which prevented President Baleka, who is also the country’s best swimmer, from competing in several competitions in 2022, including the World Championships, which has cost Mr. Baleka several sponsorships, contracts and endorsements.

“This is the fourth Minister of Sport in the last two years. If that office could resolve the matter, we wouldn’t be in this situation today.” Indeed, after a year, the outgoing Minister of Sport, Mr. Augusto Gomes, finally issued a generic Certificate of Recognition on June 27, 2023 - a full year after he initially promised it. However, when asked to contact World Aquatics on behalf of Federation President Siphiwe Baleka to secure the recognition from the international governing body of the sport, the Minister of Sport refused.

“Nothing on the generic certificate that former Minister of Sport Augusto Gomes issued indicates who is the President of the legally registered swimming federation in Guinea Bissau. So it does nothing to resolve the case, “ said President Baleka. “If I drop the certificate and John Smith picks it up and presents it, does that mean John Smith is the swim federation President? So we need the new Minister of Sport, Ms. Indira Cabral Embaló, to contact World Aquatics on our behald and tell them clearly that the National Olympic Committee does not decide who is the legal federation, it is the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Sport, and both of them recognize the legally registered Swimming Federation, of which I am its duly elected President.”

The new Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Ms. Indira Cabral Embaló

Meanwhile, all the evidence from both parties were submitted to the court a year ago. The court could resolve the case once and for all. But the Minister of Justice says he is powerless to do anything. Thus imputy allows Mr. Mane to continue interfering in the swim federation’s business and justice for Mr. Baleka, who estimates his financial losses at almost 200 million CFA (US $300,000) remains elusive. The questions must be asked of the President of the National Olympic Committee: why is he trying to prevent the development of the swimming federation which could add two more swimmers to the roster for the next Olympics? Isn’t this a betrayal of his duty?

Acoording to Mr. Baleka, “There’s a Balanta proverb, 𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐚𝐥𝐞. "The sorcerer (or witch) never denounces himself" meaning 𝑾𝒉𝒐𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒂 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 (𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒓 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒔).”

AU-ADS Sixth Region High Council Africa Facilitator Calls for Country Facilitators to Assist with The Right To Return Repatriation Process

August 10, Dar Es Salam, Tanzania - The Coordinator of the 6th Region African Diaspora Alliance In Tanzania (6RADAT), Mrs. Grace Abena James who serves as the Facilitator for the AU-ADS Sixth Region High Council - Africa region, is inviting African Diasporans who have rematriated to become country facilitators. If you are interested in assisting with the Right to Return Repatriation Process, please complete the form below.

* African Diasporans Living on the African Continent only *

As a Facilitator for AUADS & SRDC, I would like to officially engage you to participate in the organizing process for the 6th Region African Diaspora currently domiciled on the Continent. Information is needed for a report that will form a part of the implementation recommendations for the member states across the continent, in order for our Repatriation to go smoother. As you have noticed, many countries are now putting Diaspora policies in place, so we need this info to get our plan of action included. Please answer the following questions to the best of your ability and help us to advocate for the changes we need.

Pan African 6th Region Facilitators Monitoring, Strategic & Policy Working Group

Endorse the N’COBRA Health Commission Millions for Mutulu: The Dr. Mutulu Shakur Public Health Peoples Campaign

Whereas Dr. Mutulu Shakur, a pioneer, revolutionary public health social innovator, has lived an
exemplary life for this people born August 8 1950 and took spiritual ascension on July 7, 2023;

Whereas he was acknowledged, in universal recognition by the N’COBRA HEALTH COMMISSION (NHC) Mutulu Declaration on his 72nd birthday, his spirit will forever live in the hearts, souls and work of the people;

Whereas each August 8th shall be celebrated annually as DR. MUTULU SHAKUR COMMUNTY HEALTH DAY;

Whereas NHC has embarked upon a campaign to enroll millions to continue his work;

Whereas this Dr. Mutulu Shakur Community Public Health Peoples Campaign is an organized strategy to teach and practice the Mutulu 5 point ear acupressure to optimize the health of the Black community and assert Black Health Self-Determination;

Whereas this campaign started in 2022 with the reading of the declaration in New York City, set as year 1;

Whereas on year two, 2023 the goal is to register 100 organizations to read the Dr. Mutulu Shakur Declaration in round robin, each person taking a turn reading a paragraph, during the month of Black August 2023;

Whereas each organization commits to watch Dope is Death, organize community events in celebration of Ancestor Dr. Mutulu Shakur;

Whereas each year efforts will be waged to recruit and train acupressure community healers;

Whereas each year and hereafter shall increase participation by 10 fold to reach 1 Million by 2027;

Whereas in year 2024 1000 organization shall participate, in year 2025 10,000, in year 2026 100,000, finally in year 2027 1 million shall participate;

Whereas your organization is committed to this campaign by your registration;

Whereas this campaign will revolutionize our community’s commitment and practice of positive health protocols, including the dedicated Balanta 4 minute fitness workout;

Whereas we move forward to acquire, wellbeing and reparations,

We declare victory and Health self-determination.

Register Your Organization

Tanya, Susana & the Djola (aka Felupe) Essangai: A Story for the Lineage Restoration Council of Guinea Bissau

Tanya is a young woman. Susana is a town in the northwest corner of Guinea Bissau, West Africa. The Djola/Felupe are a people and Essangai is a ceremony. This is a story about all of them.

Daiana and I realised that neither of us had the traditional cleaning and cooking skills, nor had the time or desire to develop them. So we decided to hire some “house help” to do shopping and take care of the house. The first girl we interviewed didn’t “fit the bill” as we say. The second girl we interviewed was perfect.

Tanya is a young girl with a vibrant personality. She started working in our home and immediately made our house better. Daiana gives her a shopping list and list of chores and like magic, everything gets done.

Tanya told us that she needed some time off to take her son to the town of Susana for a special ceremony called Essangai. It is held to prepare for the 30-year “Fanado” initiation. To show Tanya that we were interested in her life, we decided to go with her. It was also an opportunity to make connections with the Djola people, also called Felupe, for the Decade of Return initiative we have developed here in Guinea Bissau. So, on Sunday July 23, at 7:30 am, we joined Tanya and her family to head out on the four hour journey…

After we arrived, we settled in, met Isabel, Tanya’s mother-in-law, and greeted everyone on the compound as is the custom. Village life in Susana is pretty much like village life everywhere else in Guinea Bissau

Later, I had the opportunity to see Tanya in her village life. It was both mundane and fascinating!

Enter the Iran Spirit of Susana

The men draped in black - they are those who were caught by the “Iran” (pronounced ee-RAH-n ) - some kind of spirit that controls the region. The Iran catches women, too, but at this time it is concerned with the men.

On Monday morning, I saw a group of men walking. They were holding someone and it appeared strange to me, as if they had caught a thief. Then I heard what sounded like shouts of joy. Sure enough, Mama was smiling and cheering and dancing.

Daiana explained to me that Mama Isabela was happy the Iran had caught someone and that it wasn’t her .son, Tanya’s baby daddy. The household was relieved. And thus started my strange education into Felupe culture and the town of Susana.

“How did the Iran choose who to enter? How do the people know that someone has been chosen by the Iran?” I asked. Auntie put her finger to one eye, pulled down the skin under it, and said, “Only those with the ‘third eye’ can see.”

No one could quite tell me what or who this Iran was. I wanted to know the story, but the more questions I asked the more it seemed people were becoming irritated.

Was the Iran a good or evil spirit? How did it come to Susana? Why?

We were told that when the village disregards tradition and obligations, the Iran becomes angry. The Iran periodically chooses or “catches” someone who then becomes responsible for keeping the traditions and serving as a spiritual advisor for the rest of their life. And it is for this reason that family secretly hope that the Iran doesn’t take one of their members. Indeed, it was for this reason that Tanya’s baby daddy mysteriously disappeared as soon as we started our journey to Susana. Apparently he was trying to escape being “caught” by the Iran in Susana. The Iran chooses capable men and thus more and more guys, educated in the city and modern ways, fear returning to Susana and getting caught. They can try to escape or refuse, but this would certainly result in death. But then, what of Tanya and her young son? If his father is caught by the Iran, the father would have to go away and live secluded in the village, no longer able to work and provide for his family. If he tries to escape or refuse, it could be much worse. . . .

Those who were caught this season by the Iran don’t look happy and while everyone else is celebrating, these families are grieving….

It was now time for us to get ready to attend the ceremony on the first night of Essangai. It was definitely an exciting time for everyone!

In between the 30-year Fanado initiation, the Djola (Felupe) hold three ceremonies to do a kind of census of all the boys and men in the village who must prepare for Fanado. Each of the nearby villages does this at different times.

And just as soon as night 1 of Essangai got started, so, too, did a torrential downpour. Only the diehard faithfull stayed with the dancers. The rest of us fled for shelter!

The next morning, we were invited to “bim kumi” - come eat - from the community pot under the big tree.

With nothing to do during the day, I introduced the game “Connect Four” to the house. It was a big hit and for the rest of the visit, there was non-stop Connect Four games boys and girls, all ages.

Finally, it was time to go to night 2 of Essangai ceremony.

This time, we returned before the rains! Of course, more pots of pig were cooking to feed everyone again through the night.

Night 3 of Essangai was epic.

On the fourth day, I wanted to talk to the elders and deliver a message on behalf of the Lineage Restoration Council of Guinea Bissau and the Decade of Return Initiative. This, however, was proving to be a little bit difficult due to all the activity going on in Susana as well as the fact that since we were not initiated into the Felupe society, we couldn’t talk to the elders directly. Thus, we had to meet with initiated young men who could carry our message to the elders. We also went about the town to find Adriano who is Felupe but speaks English and can help us with a Djola (Felupe) - English dictionary and language lessons.

Night 4 of Essangai was also epic

The final night we returned to the house to, you guessed it, eat more pig, sit and talk. At 4:30 am, it was time to walk into the village center and catch the bus to go to San Domingo where we were to catch a second bus to return to Bissau. We were sore and tired but thankful to have witnessed Essangai 2023 and become part of Tanya’s family in Susana.

Tanya and her son.

PFPAD President Epsy Campbell Barr’s Official Response to the Mandate Requesting an ICJ Advisory Opinion.

UPDATE: Siphiwe Baleka to Address U.S. State Department on Balanta in America Self Determination and Right to Return to Guinea Bissau

__________________________________________________________________________________________

June 21, 2023 - Siphiwe Baleka, Founder and President of the Balanta B’urassa History & Genealogy Society in America (BBHAGSIA) , has been invited by the U.S. State Department to address the ICCPR July 12 Civil Society Consultation regarding the United States’ upcoming presentation to the Committee on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Optional Protocols.

The President of BBHAGSIA has submitted a 10-page statement ahead of the meeting outlining BBHAGSIA’s three -year campaign calling for the United States to recognize the U.S. state-sanctioned ethnocide committed against Balanta people in America, and to provide reparations in the form of recognition to Balanta people in America as a federally recognized ethnic group similar to the 566 federally recognized American Indian and Alaskan Native Tribes; land concessions and autonomous self government similar to that of the 326 Indian land areas in the U.S. administered as federal Indian reservations; and negotiated voluntary repatriation with compensation back to their ancestral homelands in Guinea Bissau. Now, for the first time, Siphiwe Baleka will be able to speak directly to officials of the United States government.

As requested, Siphiwe Baleka submitted the following questions to the U.S. State Department:

Q1. What remedies are available to the Balanta people in America for redress for ethnocide?

Q2. Will the government of the United States of America engage in negotiations with the Balanta people, the government of the Republic of Guinea Bissau, the Vatican, and the Government of Portugal, under the Geneva Convention, for the final “release and repatriation” of the descendants of the Balanta, Fulani, Mandinga, Papel, Manjaco, Beafada, Brame (Mancanha), Bijago, Djola (Felupe), Mansoaca prisoners of war who were trafficked to and enslaved in America?

Q3. How can the Balanta B’urassa History and Genealogy Society in America engage in the process of receiving reparations for the crimes of slavery and ethnocide?

Additionally, Mr. Baleka asks the government of the United States to answer the same questions posed in the MANDATE FROM THE AFRO DESCENDANT PEOPLE ISSUED TO THE PERMANENT FORUM ON PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT TO REQUEST AN ADVISORY OPINION FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE ON THEIR STATUS AS PRISONERS OF WAR UNDER THE GENEVA CONVENTION that invokes Article 96 of the United Nations Charter, Article 65 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice, and UN Resolution 75/314:

(a) Is the Dum Diversas apostolic decree issued by Pope Nicholas V on June 18, 1452 a declaration of “total war” - warfare that includes any and all civilian-associated resources and infrastructure as legitimate military targets, mobilizes all of the resources of society to fight the war, and gives priority to warfare over non-combatant needs - and therefore a war crime and a crime against humanity? Is there a statute of limitation regarding reparations for this war crime and crime against humanity?

(b) Were the people captured as a result of the Dum Diversas apostolic decree “prisoners of war” and do their descendants retain that status until their final “release and repatriation” under the Geneva Convention?

(c) Have the Afro Descendants - black folks - now within the United States ever been converted, in accordance with settled principles of universally established law, into United States citizens, and divested altogether of their original foreign African nationality?

(d) What rights do the Afro Descendants throughout the Americas and Caribbean have to exercise self-determination and conduct plebiscites to discern who wants to repatriate to their ancestral homeland, who wants to establish independent nation states of their own, and who wants to integrate into the states they currently reside?

(e) What are the legal consequences that arise for all States and the United Nations from the above?

The intervention with the U.S. State Department comes on the heals of the State of Illinois House of Representatives 103rd General Assembly Resolution 292 that calls upon the State to become the first to conduct a repatriation census in preparation for honoring President Abraham Lincoln's desire for voluntary repatriation with compensation and to make conducting the repatriation census its immediate priority. The resolution states,

“Additionally of note is the fact that Robin Rue Simmons (former 5th Ward Alderman for the City of Evanston, IL, where she led, in collaboration with others, the passage of the nation’s first municipally-funded reparations legislation for Black residents, which began disbursements in January 2022) , Kamm Howard (former National Co-Chair of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America), and BBHAGSIA President Siphiwe Baleka have all taken African Ancestry DNA tests and discovered they are each descendants of the Balanta people of Guinea Bissau; the subsequently traveled together to their ancestral homeland to launch the country’s Decade of Retrun Initiative in 2021;”

According to Siphiwe Baleka, “Our aim is to help the entire Lineage Restoration Movement and New Afrikan Independence Movement to exercise their self determination and establish a pathway for members of the African Diaspora to exercise their right to return to their ancestral homelands and receive citizenship which, with the implementation of AU policies by each AU member state, will allow for the freedom of movement and trade thorughout the continent.”

To further advance the Decade of Return and Citizenshship Initiative the BBHAGSIA launched in 2021, Baleka led the effort to establish the Lineage Restoration Council of Guinea Bissau that includes the Djola History and Genealogy Society in America and the Fula History and Genealogy Society in America. The new Council has drafted legislation and has been invited to meet with the newly elected National Peoples Assembly through the transition team of the winning coalition party, Plataforma Aliança Inclusiva (PAI) -- Terra Ranka, to make diaspora citizenship a priority issue of the new government.

“We hope to set an example for the other 800,000 people that have taken the African Ancestry DNA test, on how to constitute themselves into History and Genealogys Societies, form National Lineage Restoration Councils, and then proceed with the work of self determination through legislation,” said Baleka.

READ THE PETITION CHARGING THE UNITED STATES WITH ETHNOCIDE THAT WAS DISMISSED BY THE INTER AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS

On July 19, Kaitlyn Kennedy of tag24.com published the article SIPHIWE BALEKA'S LANDMARK PETITION SEEKING REPARATIONS FOR US ETHNOCIDE DISMISSED stating,

“Celebrated athlete and activist Siphiwe Baleka's historic reparations case has been dismissed by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) without explanation.

In January, Baleka filed a groundbreaking case before the IACHR seeking redress for human rights violations perpetrated against him by the US. Baleka's petition, which combined genealogical findings with the latest in epigenetic research, accused the US government of state-sanctioned ethnocide, referring to the deliberate and systematic destruction of cultures.

A dual citizen of the US and Guinea-Bissau, Baleka traced a direct line between the trafficking and enslavement of his Balanta ancestor, Brassa Nchabra, prior to the American Revolution and the 2020 police shooting of his cousin, Jacob Blake, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Hoping to set a precedent for other African Americans to follow, the Balanta B’urassa History and Genealogy Society in America founder was seeking not only financial compensation for the damage done to his family, but also the transfer of at least 80 acres of land due to his ancestors Jack and Yancey Blake following Emancipation. He further called on the US to facilitate his family's repatriation efforts by redirecting resources to Guinea-Bissau for the damages wrought through colonialism. . . .

"What happens when I have exhausted every single jurisdiction?" Baleka asked. "There is no interplanetary, galactic court that I can go to and say, 'Hey look, the international justice system of planet Earth isn't providing justice, so now I need to appeal to universal alien forces.'"

"The only forum open to me was this Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and now I see they don't respect me. I can't get justice there, so what am I supposed to do as a human being educated about my rights and how they've been violated for eight generations of my family?". . .

But Baleka also insists that international law and treaties guarantee the right to armed struggle if all other efforts to secure freedom from colonial oppression fail. Continued rejections, he warned, may leave him with little choice other than to take justice into his own hands.

"I want my day in court, and if you don't give it to me, you are literally forcing and pushing me to become a freedom fighter, which we understand from your definition, you're going to call me a 'terrorist,'" he said of the US government and other Western institutions.”

The day after his petition was dismissed, Baleka attended a meeting of the U.S. State Department for its ICCPR July 12 Civil Society Consultation. As requested, Siphiwe Baleka submitted the following questions to the U.S. State Department prior to the meeting:

Q1. What remedies are available to the Balanta people in America for redress for ethnocide?

Q2. Will the government of the United States of America engage in negotiations with the Balanta people, the government of the Republic of Guinea Bissau, the Vatican, and the Government of Portugal, under the Geneva Convention, for the final “release and repatriation” of the descendants of the Balanta, Fulani, Mandinga, Papel, Manjaco, Beafada, Brame (Mancanha), Bijago, Djola (Felupe), Mansoaca prisoners of war who were trafficked to and enslaved in America?

Q3. How can the Balanta B’urassa History and Genealogy Society in America engage in the process of receiving reparations for the crimes of slavery and ethnocide?

Although he was invited to the meeting and his questions were pre-approved, the U.S. State Department did not allow Mr. Baleka to speak and did not answer any of the questions.

READ THE PETITION TO THE IACHR

“Petty Theft” or “Special Op”? Office of Reparations Activist Burglarised, Laptops Stolen

July 16, 2023 Bissau - In the very early morning of Friday, July 14 around 3:00 am, thieves entered through a bedroom window and stole two laptops and a computer backpack which contained an ID, bank cards and credit cards from the Decade of Return Office run by Siphiwe Baleka, President of the Balanta B’urassa History and Genealogy Society in America (BBHAGSIA) and Coordinator of the Lineage Restoration Council of Guinea Bissau (LRC-GB) and Daiana Taborda Gomes, Founder and CEO of Repat Bissau which serves as a Coordinator for the Decade of Return in the capital city of Bissau.

Decade of Return office in Bissau

According to Baleka, “there was a big storm that night. While we were sleeping, the thieves entered through our bedroom window which is only three feet above our mattress. Both the front and back gates are locked so this is the only way into the house. Nothing was disturbed. It was bizarre. At first I thought it was petty thieves. But then some people suggested it might have been connected to my political activism.”

Indeed, Baleka has been at the forefront of many reparations efforts, including

  • a three-year campaign to formally charge the Vatican with issuing a declaration of total war against people from Africa in an Apostolic Edict known as the Dum Diversas (1452);

  • charging the United States with state-sanctioned ethnocide at the Inter American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR);

  • raising the claim of transgenerational epigenetic effects at the United Nations;

  • requesting a advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the status of AfroDescendant people under the Geneva Convention;

  • planning and mobilising for an plebiscite for African American self determination; and

  • formally establishing the African diaspora as the 6th Region of the African Union and immediate citizenship for the 6th Region.

Cecile Johnson, a Certified UN Human Rights Defender, Co-Facilitator of the African lol Descendant Nation, Co-Author of the National Black Agenda, CEO / Founder African Development Plan and Co- Founder Big Mama Movement Chicago remarked,

“It might be connected to [Baleka’s] political activism. Who could be so stealth [he] did not even hear? Navy seal …. Yes the poor people didn’t do this because someone would notice and tell. Yeah this was a special op. [Baleka] is bringing attention to them.”

On January 23, 2023 Baleka filed a landmark case charging the United States government with state sanctioned ethnocide. Kaitlyn Kennedy reported in Tag24,

Baleka's quest for justice has led him to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), where he has filed a first-of-its-kind petition seeking redress for the continued harms he and his family experience stemming from the era of enslavement. . . . Baleka's petition builds on the insights from epigenetic research to characterize slavery as an artificial operation designed to transform human beings into chattel. . . . Baleka is seeking not only financial compensation for the damage done to his family, but also the transfer of at least 80 acres of land that are due to his ancestors Jack Blake and Yancey Blake following Emancipation. He is further calling on the US to facilitate his family's repatriation efforts by redirecting resources to Guinea-Bissau, as the damages done by colonialism have left the country at rank 175 out of 189 in the 2020 UN Human Development Index. . . . After failing to secure a hearing in the US legal system, Baleka has turned to the IACHR with his petition. He hopes the case will set a precedent for other African Americans seeking justice for the crimes of ethnocide and enslavement and show them that they, too, can have their day in court.”

However, on Tuesday, July 11, the IAHCR dismissed Baleka’s ethnocide case. They offered no explanation, only notifying Baleka of their "DECISION TO NOT OPEN FOR PROCESSING". This followed France’s recent decision to dismiss a reparations case filed by Martinique and Oklahoma’s decision to dismiss a reparations case filed by survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre.

The following day, Baleka attended a meeting of the U.S. State Department ICCPR July 12 Civil Society Consultation regarding the United States’ upcoming presentation to the Committee on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Optional Protocols. The President of BBHAGSIA submitted a 10-page statement ahead of the meeting outlining BBHAGSIA’s three -year campaign calling for the United States to recognize the U.S. state-sanctioned ethnocide committed against Balanta people in America, and to provide reparations in the form of recognition to Balanta people in America as a federally recognized ethnic group similar to the 566 federally recognized American Indian and Alaskan Native Tribes; land concessions and autonomous self government similar to that of the 326 Indian land areas in the U.S. administered as federal Indian reservations; and negotiated voluntary repatriation with compensation back to their ancestral homelands in Guinea Bissau.

As requested, Siphiwe Baleka submitted the following questions to the U.S. State Department:

Q1. What remedies are available to the Balanta people in America for redress for ethnocide?

Q2. Will the government of the United States of America engage in negotiations with the Balanta people, the government of the Republic of Guinea Bissau, the Vatican, and the Government of Portugal, under the Geneva Convention, for the final “release and repatriation” of the descendants of the Balanta, Fulani, Mandinga, Papel, Manjaco, Beafada, Brame (Mancanha), Bijago, Djola (Felupe), Mansoaca prisoners of war who were trafficked to and enslaved in America?

Q3. How can the Balanta B’urassa History and Genealogy Society in America engage in the process of receiving reparations for the crimes of slavery and ethnocide?

Additionally, Mr. Baleka asked the government of the United States to answer the same questions posed in the MANDATE FROM THE AFRO DESCENDANT PEOPLE ISSUED TO THE PERMANENT FORUM ON PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT TO REQUEST AN ADVISORY OPINION FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE ON THEIR STATUS AS PRISONERS OF WAR UNDER THE GENEVA CONVENTION that invokes Article 96 of the United Nations Charter, Article 65 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice, and UN Resolution 75/314:

(a) Is the Dum Diversas apostolic decree issued by Pope Nicholas V on June 18, 1452 a declaration of “total war” - warfare that includes any and all civilian-associated resources and infrastructure as legitimate military targets, mobilizes all of the resources of society to fight the war, and gives priority to warfare over non-combatant needs - and therefore a war crime and a crime against humanity? Is there a statute of limitation regarding reparations for this war crime and crime against humanity?

(b) Were the people captured as a result of the Dum Diversas apostolic decree “prisoners of war” and do their descendants retain that status until their final “release and repatriation” under the Geneva Convention?

(c) Have the Afro Descendants - black folks - now within the United States ever been converted, in accordance with settled principles of universally established law, into United States citizens, and divested altogether of their original foreign African nationality?

(d) What rights do the Afro Descendants throughout the Americas and Caribbean have to exercise self-determination and conduct plebiscites to discern who wants to repatriate to their ancestral homeland, who wants to establish independent nation states of their own, and who wants to integrate into the states they currently reside?

(e) What are the legal consequences that arise for all States and the United Nations from the above?

The intervention with the U.S. State Department comes on the heals of the State of Illinois House of Representatives 103rd General Assembly Resolution 292 that calls upon the State to become the first to conduct a repatriation census in preparation for honoring President Abraham Lincoln's desire for voluntary repatriation with compensation and to make conducting the repatriation census its immediate priority. The resolution states,

“Additionally of note is the fact that Robin Rue Simmons (former 5th Ward Alderman for the City of Evanston, IL, where she led, in collaboration with others, the passage of the nation’s first municipally-funded reparations legislation for Black residents, which began disbursements in January 2022) , Kamm Howard (former National Co-Chair of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America), and BBHAGSIA President Siphiwe Baleka have all taken African Ancestry DNA tests and discovered they are each descendants of the Balanta people of Guinea Bissau; the subsequently traveled together to their ancestral homeland to launch the country’s Decade of Retrun Initiative in 2021;”

According to Siphiwe Baleka, “Our aim is to help the entire Lineage Restoration Movement and New Afrikan Independence Movement to exercise their self determination and establish a pathway for members of the African Diaspora to exercise their right to return to their ancestral homelands and receive citizenship which, with the implementation of AU policies by each AU member state, will allow for the freedom of movement and trade thorughout the continent.”

To further advance the Decade of Return and Citizenshship Initiative the BBHAGSIA launched in 2021, Baleka led the effort to establish the Lineage Restoration Council of Guinea Bissau that includes the Djola History and Genealogy Society in America and the Fula History and Genealogy Society in America. The new Council has drafted legislation and has been invited to meet with the newly elected National Peoples Assembly through the transition team of the winning coalition party, Plataforma Aliança Inclusiva (PAI) -- Terra Ranka, to make diaspora citizenship a priority issue of the new government.

“We hope to set an example for the other 800,000 people that have taken the African Ancestry DNA test, on how to constitute themselves into History and Genealogys Societies, form National Lineage Restoration Councils, and then proceed with the work of self determination through legislation,” said Baleka.

Additionally, On July 12 and 13, Baleka attended the PAN AFRICAN ROOTS-SYNERGY MAPUTO ROUNDTABLE (PARSMR) and made the following recommendations:

On July 13 Baleka did a second interview with Ms. Kennedy discussing the IAHCR dismissal of his Ethnocide reparations petition. It was right after that interview that the burglary happened.

“More and more people are reaching out to me saying that this was either the work of the ‘lumpen’ element or the work of people who want to stop me and my work and thus rules out the average people of Guinea Bissau,” said Baleka. “Our mattress was less than three feet directly below the window which suggests special skills needed to enter and exit without waking us, the gates at the front and back of the house being locked and requiring a key. The timing of the theft, given all my political activity and especially the past 72 hours and my interview with Kaitlyn, is suspicious. I am well aware of the fact that the last attempt to bring the United States before the world court and unite the Africans at home and abroad resulted in the assassination of Malcolm X, Burundi Prime Minister Pierre Ngendandumwe and Kenyan government official Pia Gama Pinto as well as the infamous U.S. National Security Council Memorandum 46. I don’t know what to think. Many people have come forward and said this has happened to them and suggested that organised criminals have a spray that they use to put their victims into deep sleep and then rob them. But some wise friends and elders have reached out to me and encouraged me not to lose faith in the people.”

PFPAD President Epsy Campbell Bar Agrees to sign a Request for an Advisory Opinion from the International Court of Justice on the Status of Afro Descendants Enslaved in the Americas.

DaQuan Lawrence of The Global Black Forum recently interviewed Her Excellency Dr. Epsy Campbell Barr former Vice President of Costa Rica and current President of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (PFPAD) and asked her about the MANDATE FROM THE AFRO DESCENDANT PEOPLE ISSUED TO THE PERMANENT FORUM ON PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT TO REQUEST AN ADVISORY OPINION FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE ON THEIR STATUS AS PRISONERS OF WAR UNDER THE GENEVA CONVENTION.

Here is an excerpt from that interview:

DaQuan Lawrence (39:57): I wanted to know about the proposed idea from (International Civil Society Working Group Member) Siphiwe Baleka about petitioning the International Court of Justice to get them involved as far as into an advisory opinion to be able to hold the UN accountable to be able to move forward our social movement.

PFPAD President Epsy Campbell Barr (40:12): I totally agree. I’m going to sign the petition first because I know that this is the kind of things that we have to do. . . . The role of civil society is enormous. We as the Permanent Forum, without civil society, we are nothing. Almost nothing. Because we have an isolated voice inside the UN. Because they gave us a little money. They gave us a big mandate without all the tools that we need to achieve all the goals that they gave us but that’s I understand that the petition of Siphiwe Baleka is one of those things that we need because we need the International Court of Justice take our own reality as a reality to deny rights of generations….”

According to Siphiwe Baleka, “On June 26, PFPAD President Ms. Epsy Campbell Barr confirmed in a text message that it would be her honor to sign the Request to the International Court of Justice. “ Siphiwe Baleka has been involved in a four-year campaign to complete the unfinished business of Malcolm X and Imari Obadele, both of whom wanted to bring the case of Afro Descendants before the World Court. In addition to going to the ICJ, Siphiwe Baleka will be raising the same issues to the U.S. State Department July 12.

____________________________

The Global Black Forum Episode #2 w/Her Excellency Dr. Epsy Campbell, The 1st President of the #UnitedNations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent. Dr. Campbell is the first Black woman elected to office of Vice President in the Americas and served as Vice President of the Republic of Costa Rica and Minister of Foreign Affairs between 2018-2022. ✊🏿❤️🖤💚 An economist, human rights activist and co-founder of Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC), the Citizens’ Action Party, Dr. Campbell ran for President of Costa Rica in 2010 and 2014. She has written books and articles on topics such as democracy, inclusion, political and economic participation of women, people of African descent, sexism and racism, among others. She is an expert on issues of social development, equity, political participation of women and African descent. A dedicated women's rights activist, Dr. Campbell has led several organizations including the Center for Women of African Descent, the Alliance of Leaders of African Descent in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Black Parliament of the Americas. In addition to her work in Costa Rica and with the United Nations, Dr. Campbell is also involved in Washington D.C.-based think-tank, the Inter-American Dialogue.

ENDORSE THE 8TH PAN AFRICAN CONGRESS PART 1 TO BE HELD LATER THIS YEAR IN HARARE, ZIMBABWE

“Since the amendment of the AU constitution, it has been brought to our attention the onus has been left to the African Diaspora to organize and collectively, in a united manner present demands to the African Heads of State as to how we wish to organize and formalize the 6th Region in the same way as the other 5 regions on the continent of Africa. . . . The 8th Pan African Congress Part 1 will primarily focus on the formalization of the 6th Region.”

- H.E. Ambassador Arikana Chihombori-Quao, Call for the 8PAC1 - September 2022

____________________________________________________________________________

We the undersigned, members of all regions of the African Diaspora, endorse the 8th Pan African Congress Part 1 in order to show evidence that the outcome is truly representative of the African Diaspora 6th Region.

8th PAC Part 1 Agenda

PATHWAY TO DUAL-CITIZENSHIP FOR CONTINENTAL DIASPORA AND DESCENDANTS OF THE FORMERLY ENSLAVED

Pathway 1: Investment 

Citizenship granted anywhere in Africa to African Diasporans who have bought a home, started a business, or invested $100,000 to $200,000 in one way or another in the country of their choice.

Pathway 2: Work

Citizenship granted anywhere in Africa to African Diasporans who have worked for three years in the country of their choice.

Pathway 3: Residency

Citizenship granted anywhere in Africa to African Diasporans that have lived in the country of their choice for three years.  For example, students, researchers, NGO workers, etc.

Pathway 4: DNA/ Right to Return 

Citizenship granted to a specific country to African Diasporans that have taken an African Ancestry DNA test and have either a maternal or paternal African lineage.

Pathway 5: Retirement

Citizenship granted anywhere in Africa to retirees upon submission of qualifying information

DIASPORA PAN AFRICAN CAPITAL FUND, DIASPORA PAN AFRICAN BANK AND DIASPORA PREFERENTIAL INVESTMENT PATHWAY FOR INTERNATIONAL CONTRACTS 

Diaspora Pan African Capital Fund 

$100 a month from 1 million African Diasporans (0.4% of the African Diaspora population) is $100 million a month. That’s $1.2 billion a year and $6 billion in five years. Investment through the fund qualifies for citizenship through Pathway 1. At maturity, money is deposited in a bank in the country of choice.

Diaspora Pan African Bank 

We need a bank that can monetize gold. Currently only 2 foreign owned banks in Africa can do this. Remittances to go through this bank.

Diaspora Preferential Investment Pathway for International Contracts

Diaspora to receive 3 to 6 month exclusive right to bid on all International Contracts. Waived or reduced fees for registering a company or for acquiring permanent residency.

INTRODUCTION TO THE AFRICAN UNION 6TH REGION

Explanation of the African Union Five Regions

The Five Regions participation in the AU organs. 

Definition of the Diaspora 

The African Union defines the African Diaspora as "Consisting of people of African origin living outside the continent, irrespective of their citizenship and nationality and who are willing to contribute to the development of the continent and the building of the African Union."

AU 6th Region Ambassadors to the PRC 

The need to make the AU 6th Region equal in function to the other 5 regions through inclusion in all AU organs starting with the Permanent Representatives Council. 

Establishment of AU 6th Region and 9th REC Headquarters 

Just as the 5 regions of the AU each have a headquarters within their region, so, too, must the AU 6th Region have a headquarters somewhere within its region such as the Caribbean. Headquarters to be financed by the Diaspora Pan African Fund with construction contributions from EU, OAS, CARICOM, AU and the host country.

Establishment of a Pan African TV and Radio Station/Network 

Nearly all organized efforts have a system of propaganda to convert people to their principles and get them to support them. Western Media, especially CNN, BBC, etc. has been and continues to be the highest form of systemic propaganda. That is why it is able in a major sense, to control the mind of the people of the world.Therefore, we must organize our propaganda to undo the propaganda of other people through a Pan African TV and Radio network that can rival CNN, BBC, etc.

Call to Action: 8PAC1

Letter to Pan Africanists Concerning the Upcoming Pan African Congress in Harare, Zimbabwe April 2023

TOWARDS THE 8TH PAN AFRICAN CONGRESS PART 1: LESSONS FROM THE 6TH PAC AND 7TH PAC

From the 8th Pan African Congress in 2014 to the 8th Pan African Congress in 2023

Outcome of the FIRST PREPARATORY MEETING FOR THE 8TH PAN AFRICAN CONGRESS PART 1 IN HARARE, ZIMBABWE

OUTCOME OF SECOND PREPARATORY MEETING FOR THE 8TH PAN AFRICAN CONGRESS PART 1 IN HARARE, ZIMBABWE

OUTCOME OF THE 3RD PREPARATORY MEETING FOR THE 8TH PAN AFRICAN CONGRESS PART 1: DIASPORA PAN AFRICAN CAPITAL FUND

OUTCOME OF THE 4TH PREPARATORY MEETING FOR THE 8TH PAN AFRICAN CONGRESS PART 1: PAN AFRICAN TV AND RADIO

5TH PREPARATORY MEETING FOR THE 8TH PAN AFRICAN CONGRESS PART 1: DEFINITION OF THE DIASPORA

COUNCIL OF PAN AFRICAN DIASPORA ELDERS FORMS TO SUPPORT THE 8TH PAN AFRICAN CONGRESS PART 1 TO BE HELD IN HARARE, ZIMBABWE

Council of Pan African Diaspora Elders Letter of Support to President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa of The Republic of Zimbabwe for the 8PAC1

DEFINING THE AFRO DESCENDANTS' RIGHT TO RETURN (RTR) TO THEIR ANCESTRAL HOMELANDS ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT FOR THE 8PAC PART 1

The African Union and the African Diaspora - Tracking the AU 6th Region Initiative and the Right to Return Citizenship: A Resource for the 8th Pan African Congress Part 1 in Harare, Zimbabwe