Mobutu was as militant as they come

Dear Editor, A few days ago I learnt with shock from a friend that long time WPA activist Mobutu Kamara (also known as Drummer), farmer, poet and political activist, passed away last December. The length of time it took for Mobutu’s death and subsequent burial to be known to his colleagues and friends is itself a subject of concern for which it is hard to venture an explanation.

My first instinct on hearing of Mobutu’s passing was to reach for his booklet of poems titled Is Time. Beautifully illustrated by artist Abbysinnian and edited by Andaiye, the booklet contains very short but powerful poems reflecting the times, that is, the 1980s. Mobutu’s poems echo his passion for social justice in Guyana. Rupert Roopnaraine in an afterword in Mobutu’s booklet describes the poems as “slender as bullets” and springing “from the militant imagination.” Undeniably, Mobutu was as militant as they come. A member of Ascria, he also became a member of the WPA when Ascria merged with others to form the political party. Like many in the WPA Mobutu was arrested on a number of occasions for his political activity against the People’s National Congress government. The former Centre Coordinator of the WPA headquarters in Tiger Bay was arrested several times, including on one occasion for selling Dayclean in January 1980 when his home was also searched. The Recognition Handbook published in 1979 by the intelligence services to identify key WPA activists identified Mobutu as a “firm believer in African traditions and dresses accordingly.”

One way to salute Mobutu Kamara’s life and work is through one of his poems. Its self-refection says it all: I learn my history from my class experience I learn it from the simplest of my people

Yours faithfully, Nigel Westmaas