Today, a page turns in history as a new year, 2008, is born, while another, 2007 expires. 2007 has been a year of interesting developments in the Afrikan world, of highs and lows and of trials and triumph. Africa has roared in her defiant refusal to submit to the neocolonial connotations of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) as laid out once again be the hungry European wolves. She has seen unprecendented economic growth rates at roughly 5% per annum. She, more and more, owns her own. There is increasingly reason to be hopeful about a glorious future that is of our making.

Despite this, Afrika and her diasporic offspring in the Americas, Europe, CAribbean and elsewhere continue to face enormous challenges that are historic in nature and difficult to crack. In 2007, this was particularly apparent in the violence that consumed electoral processes in several countries, the most recet of which is the violent riots in Kenya this past few days. There are other instances of violence in elections this year: Zimbabwe, Jamaica, Nigeria to name a few. Indeed, regional instability as initiated and sustained by a Western plot to nurture its waning civilisation is a recurring theme in world politics.

At the same time, Haiti has sustained peace following a smooth transition to the leadership of President Rene Preval in 2006 and the Bahamas has maintained a largely non-violent democratic process in its elections of summer 2007. Therefore, there is little doubt that although we are still mired in the wicked and one-sided system that has been constructed for the extraction of our God-given claims to justice and equality, we continue to move upward and out of a construct that is nary to our benefit.

2007 has also been a year of individual achievement for Afrikans the world over. 2007 saw the glorious rise of many young and dynamic athletic talents as highlighted for example by the IAAF world indoor championships. The show was taken by the Kenyan long-dsitance runners and by the Caribbean sprinters. 2007 is a particularly interesting year for Black individual achievement because of the contention of Barack Obama, an Africn-American, for the Presidency of the USA. That he has done so while still largely maintaining the overall respect of African Americans while remaining a attractive candidate to middle America is even more impressive.

We, the Dread Team have witnessed the unedifying spread of many common tropical diseases which have unleashed ill-health and poverty due to catastropchic changes in family relations due to the death of a young able working adult in the family. Of course, we are still in 2007 referring to the devastation of HIV/AIDS for the world, and for the Afrikan world in particular. We have made progress in 2007 but are we winning enough medical research battles to rescue the number of those who now face sure death?

Africa alone cannot answer these questions which trouble the minds of presidents and prime ministers, ministers and other elected officials, or at least of those who really have the progress of their countries and of the Black world in general. 2007 was the trumpeting event for the abolition of slavery in the British empire, one where the theme sanctioned by all (media, politicians, civil servants, everyone) in reference to the lesser position of Black in British society is through the prism of slavery and inferiority celebrated for finally disproving what the white masters in Whitehall deamed the natural superiority of the paler races. This 2007 was the year for rememberence of how our masters gave of themselves and of their good hearts to 'liberate' us from a system we could not free ourselves of alone (in their minds). Hence, Wilberforce, Jackson and cie.

The manipulation of the media in continuing to represent Africa and the Black world as impoverished jungles of tribal violence continue to hurt the economic prospect of Africa for attracting investments. Perception, still in 2007 was and is everything.

Part of that perception has to continue to be the flagrant exhibition of natural pride, despite what the media infiltrators may intend. The African Union has made significant strides in its development, having met for a conference on Science and Technology in January of 2007. Africa is looking to the future, and she is moving in the direction of her vision. These are indeed historic times.

Thus, we continue to be face with the dichotomous twins entities of political unrest, inequality, social deprivation and poverty on the one hand, and of the hopeful future as forecast by academics on the other. There is little doubt that we can only continue in the direction of development of our collective ideals only as long as we remain fixed on addressing each of these entities. Because equality is embedded in our natural birthright and thus we at the close of 2007 find ourselves in history in the making, asking the question of ourselves as to how we can avert the oppressive will of Western hegemony while maintaining a peaceful course of self development. A crowning moment in 2007, a Year in Black, has been the African continent's refusal to sign the EPA agreements. This demonstrates the capacity for Africa to demand her own destiny. We at the Dread Team dream of a day when Africa's children can rest again and rise to their rightful place in world order.

The future is Black

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