SIPHIWE BALEKA:
AFRODESCENDANT PROPHET
THE PAVE IN THE TIDE OF LOMร
by Sambou Sissoko
The 9th Pan-African Congress needed a celebration. He must have known his breakup.
No one expected what would happen on the second day. When Siphiwe Ka Baleka Bey El, Bissau-Guinean activist known in radical pan-Africanist circles, spoke, the atmosphere turned upside down. Within minutes, the carefully applied nail polish on the event cracked.
His first question hit like a punch: how to celebrate the African renaissance in a country that imprisons its opponents? Togo, HOST of the congress, was suddenly on the bench of the accused.
The speaker didn't mince his words. He denounced a congress built on silence, that of Togolese exiles, that of political prisoners, that of victims of repression. The contradiction was laid, frontal and unavoidable: can we talk about African dignity while turning a blind eye to those we gag on?
Siphiwe Ka Baleka Bey El went on to rewind history. On January 13, 1963, Sylvanus Olympio was shot, the first African president assassinated since independence. Roadmate of Nkrumah and Lumumba, Olympio was the embodiment of a brutally broken promise. For the activist, this murder is the original fracture that Togo has never recovered. By weaving this link between 1963 and today, he refused to disconnect the past from the present. The current political lockdown, he suggested, prolongs an inherent trajectory in the blood.
Looking straight into the eyes Robert Dussey, Togolese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Speaker, the speaker has made a demand: that Togo takes advantage of this congress to decree a general amnesty for political prisoners. A gesture, he pleaded, that would honour both the country and the continent. Then he dropped this sentence, heavy with implications: "I wonder if I won't be targeted after this intervention." Is this our revival? Pan-Africanism where fear still dictates what can be said? "The academic tribune had just moulded into the political arena.
Franklin Nyamsi, Kemi Seba, Nathalie Yamb, Claudy Siar, media figures of contemporary Pan-Africanism were present or associated with the event. No one has ever made this speech. The coherence they claim elsewhere has stopped at the gates of Lomรฉ. Siphiwe Ka Baleka Bey El, he assumed what many are thinking without ever saying it: the obscenity of holding a congress on African Emancipation under the shadow of prisons and martyrs. His intervention worked as an outburst of a collective consciousness that has been contained for too long.
What distinguishes this speech from a simple provocation is its intellectual framework. The speaker wasn't planning a splash. He articulated a historical reading, summoned founding figures, and made a specific political request. The form was mastered, the bottom was relentless. In the room, the discomfort of the consensus supporters was visible. Those who were hoping for a liturgy of slogans and applause saw their scenery fly in flames. This is, however, exactly what a living pan-Africanism should produce: shaking the facades, naming the silences, refusing that celebration serves as an alibi to injustice.
If this speech "ruined" congress, then salute this mess. There are times when disturbing the party becomes a duty, that of preserving the honor of what we claim to defend.
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"๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ก๐ข๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ค๐ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ ๐๐ง ๐จ๐๐๐ข๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก, ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ค ๐จ๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ฒ.
๐๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ง-๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ฒ, ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐. ๐๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐๐ก๐จ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ. ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ: ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ก๐ข๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ค๐ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ค ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ."
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โSiphiwe, Amos, a journalist friend would like to interview you and share your experience with Togolese people. The Togolese diaspora greatly appreciated your speech. They admire your courage, integrity, and commitment to truth. To them, you represent the genuine spirit and values of Pan-Africanism. Please let me know your availability. The interview will be in English and share on radio and social media Thank you Alphonseโ
Dear Mr. Balake, My name is [โฆ..]. I am a Togolese activist and humanist, and also a member of the M66 movement of conscious Togolese citizens, committed to defending popular sovereignty and the respect of the fundamental rights of the Togolese people. First of all, I would like to express my deepest respect and admiration for your speech, as well as for your inspiring journey from the United States to Africa. Your commitment and courage are a source of motivation for many of us. You are certainly aware of the M66 movement in Togo. In June, our revolution began, and it was violently repressed. During this congress, you were the only Pan-African voice who dared to speak the truth. We sincerely thank you for your bravery and courage, which represent the Pan-Africanism we grew up learning about, rather than what some Pan-Africanists have unfortunately become today. Your speech contained many powerful and striking elements, including your demand for the release of political prisoners and the injustices you denounced. However, what touched me the most was when you pointed out that the people who were supposed to be present were absent. I had previously raised this issue in my videos, calling for a boycott of this Pan-African congress. For this reason, I would like to respectfully invite you to participate in a live broadcast, if possible. The goal would be to educate the people about the issues you denounced, and especially to address how to overcome fear, how to rise up and stand firmly for our own liberation. Many people say that the Togolese crisis is far deeper than most imagine. I know that you understand this reality well, given your research, your personal experiences, and your deep knowledge of the subject. You have rightly stated that the greatest problem in our country is education, as many people are overwhelmed and unaware of their fundamental rights. Some did not even know that they were supposed to be invited to this Pan-African congress. The regime deliberately maintains the population in a state of ignorance and misinformation, using lies to enforce silence. The M66 primary audience is the people. We speak directly to them. Unfortunately, many of our social media accounts have been banned, including those of prominent activists within the movement. We have been prevented from broadcasting freely and have been forced to create multiple accounts so that the Togolese people can still access our messages. I strongly believe that a second intervention from you on social media would give even greater reach and impact to your message. You may not be aware of it, but this is a war of communication. Your speech was so powerful that efforts were made to suppress it online, to prevent it from spreading and from having the impact it truly deserved. One thing is certain: from this congress, one authentic voice emerged for the Togolese people, and that voice was yours. We need to hear you again. The Togolese people need to hear you. I will conclude by wishing you great courage and, above all, divine protection. When confronting the Togolese regime, only God can truly protect us, wherever we may be. With deep respect and gratitude, [โฆ..] Member of the M66 Mouvement Togo
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