WINTER 2013/2014
st
A NEWS ORGAN OF THE COUNCIL OF INDEPENDENT BLACK INSTITUTIONSFloor East
CIBI Honors Three of Our Finest
Nana Safiya Folami
Patricia Ann Stallings
Life Journey and Celebrations
Special to Fundisha! Teach!
In New York City, on December 21, 1949, William and
Irene Stallings welcomed Patricia, their second of six
children. Even as a young child, Pat was precocious,
perceptive, and perhaps a prodigy. She received her
elementary and secondary education in New York
City. In 1975, Pat migrated to Chicago, attended
Malcolm X College and received her Associate of Arts
degree in Journalism. In December 1976, she received
the name Folami, meaning Respect and Honor Me.
Mama Folamis life was consistent and singular in
focus: to uplift and educate Black children. Her
vocation and avocation were African-centered. Mama
Folami was a teacher even when she was not being paid.
In Chicago, she worked for 10 years as kindergarten
and head teacher at Shule ya Watoto. For more than
a decade, during the summer months, she was a
teacher and dorm mother for Roosevelt Universitys
Upward Bound program. Mama Folami taught at
New Concept Development Center Preschool where
she was promoted to associate director, then director.
She taught at Triumphant Charter School, the Mary
McCleod Bethune Teacher Training program, Olive-
Harvey Middle School, and most recently at the Betty
Shabazz Nsoromma Afteschool Program.
A natural writer, Mama Folami published Black
N Heavy and the Black News in New York. Back in
Chicago, at Malcolm X College, she was editor-in-
chief of the New Liberator and published Your Childs
First Teacher for the Bethune Institute. She was a
prolific poet, composing award-winning poetry.
Mama Folami, a committed Pan-Africanist, aligned
herself with people and organizations that fostered a
love of Black people. She was a member of the Youth
Leadership Foundation and the National Organization
(Nana Safiya Folami Patricia Ann Stallings
- Continued on page 12)
Inside This Issue . . .
We take a look at some of our recent and not-so-recent past.
CIBI Honors 3 of Our Finest... 1 Black Conscious Parents Educational Priorities Challenged... 2 CIBIs Work... 3
Member Briefs... 4-11 The Nyansa Nananom Process... 5 Passages... 16-17
Personal Reflections on Nana Jitu Weusi & Nana Sekou Owusu... 18
New Releases... 20
Next Issue: NationHouses 40th Anniversary, Roots and more!
Cultural Center 1
June 30, 2012 | 3:00 p.m.
Nana Ausar
Hannibal Tirus Afrik
Life Journey and Celebrations
by Mzee Abena Makini Niliwaambieni Owusu
Nana Ausar Hannibal Tirus Afrik, known to most as
Baba Hannibal, crossed the waters to join the forest
of the ancestors on June 27, 2011. Baba Hannibal
received Ausar as an age-set designation from the
Ankobea Society of Washington, DC. It is the
designation for men who have secondarily reached the
age of 68 but most importantly and primarily, lived a
life that exemplifies Afrikan manhood, the attainment
and use of learned wisdom for Afrikan people, and a
respect for and from Afrikan people.
These qualities and more were apparent at each service
held in Ausar Hannibals memory the memorial
services in Jackson, Mississippi and Chicago, Illinois;
his homegoing service in Chicago; the 40-day rites
memorial celebration service held in Washington, DC
and the one-year Remembrance Celebration recently
held in Chicago. His willingness to work with
any organization that he believed was righteously
committed to fighting for African people was critically
evident at each event as an array of community people
spoke about his life and the influence Ausar Hannibal
had on them organizationally and personally.
On Friday, July 6, 2011, Nana Hannibal was
memorialized in The Glory Journal, a local newspaper
in Fayette, Mississippi. The article, written by its
publisher Alice Thomas-Tisdale Jackson, commented
on Baba Hannibals embrace of her as sincere,
stating he will forever be a hero in my eyes for loving
black people with such passion and mission. The
paper mentioned a July 1 memorial service held in
the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center in
Jackson, Mississippi.
Sis. Jackson interviewed Baba Hannibals daughter,
(Nana Ausur Hannibal Tirus Afrik
- Continued on page 13)
2010 Science EXPO... 19 2010 Conference... 19
Nana Kay Helene
Ellerbe Stancil
Baba Hannib
Remembrance Celeb
"The Life, Love and
Legacy of a Warrior"
Exhibit
Life Journey and Celebrations
Special to Fundisha! Teach!
On Tuesday October 16, 2012, Baltimore City
lost one of its great educators. Mama Kay Helene
Ellerbe Stancil passed away at the age of 64. She was
the founder and director of the first independent
African-centered school in the State of Maryland. Her
life was solely focused on developing independent,
strong, intelligent children who loved themselves,
their history, and their ancestors. Mama Kay Helene
Ellerbe Stancil lived the life shared by her ancestors
including her maternal great-grandparents Joseph
and Elizabeth Bradford of Guyana; maternal
grandparents Hattie Bradford Jones and Harvey Jones
of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; paternal grandparents
Alex McMillan Ellerbe and Mallie Ellerbe; and parents
Russell Ellerbe and Martha Jones Ellerbe. Mama Kay
was born July 17, 1948 and raised in New York City
where she attended P.S. 121, Junior High J.H. 135, and
Evander Childs High School. She attended Morgan
State University and graduated in 1970 with a B.A.
degree in Sociology and Education. With excellence
(according to transcripts), she acquired additional
credits in early childhood education at Coppin State
University and Towson University. She is the youngest
child of three siblings including her sister Carole
Elizabeth Wiggs and Russell Ellerbe Jr. In addition to
sociology and education, Mama Kay enjoyed playing
the violin and dance.
Kay Helene Ellerbe met and married the late
McCauley Stancil Jr. (a physics graduate of Morgan
State University) in 1970 and they enjoyed and were
blessed with two children, Kimani Atiim Stancil and
Atiya Njeri Stancil. Mama Kay Stancil gained much
experience teaching pre-K children, including for a
few years at the Martin de Porres Community School
(Nana Kay Helene Ellerbe Stancil
- Continued on page 15)
 WINTER 2013-2014 FUNDISHA! TEACH! page 2

A Look Back . . .
Black Conscious
Parents Educational Priorities Are Challenged
The most potent weapon
(This article by Mzee Mwalimu Shujaa/Kweku Agyeman is reprinted from Fundisha! Teach!,
Vol. 7, No. 2, Spring 1983. Are the concerns raised here still with us?)
in the hands of the oppressor
Hannibal Afrik, Director of Planning and Development for Shule Ya Watoto in
Chicago, charged in a recent paper that the independent Black school movement
is the minds of the oppressed.
suffers tremendously due to a crisis of legitimacy in the eyes of the Black middle- - Mtukufu Steve Biko
class professional. The paper was written as part of a private research undertaking
and was underwritten by a Pan-Afrikanist organization in the Chicago area.
Brother Afrik contends that support for independent Black schools in Chicago
and elsewhere is not proportionate to the number of persons who profess to be
nationalist or Pan-Afrikanist in their outlook. His research identified over 30
such organizations in Chicago alone. The members of those organizations, he says
in criticism, support their Black organizations but prefer to send their children to
a white-controlled public, parochial or private school. Their reasons, he feels, may
be categorized as:
a. intrinsic disrespect for Black-controlled schools;
b. intrinsic preference for European value systems;
or
c. a combination/variation of both.
Regardless of the reason, Brother Afrik concludes the result is non-enrollment in
an independent Black school.
In his analysis, Brother Afrik points to a problem of accountability. He argues

42
there are no mechanisms for monitoring or evaluating social theory versus social 1979 United Black Community Fund & Douglass Institute, St. Louis.

action and to adjudicate complaints, criticisms, accusations, etc.

In proposing action to address the dilemma, Brother Afrik calls for an immediate
commitment from Nationalist/Pan-Afrikanist organizations to support by concrete
thoughts, words and deeds independent Black schools. Secondly, he cites the need KUZALIWA FURAHA!
for an appraisal of what priorities are needed in our schools. Thirdly, he proposes
that a joint strategy be developed with a timetable for implementation. CIBI will be celebrating its 42nd year of operation in 2014.
We feel that Brother Afrik has begun to place the weight for the survival of
independent Black schools where it has always belonged squarely on our own Pongezi (congratulations) and meda ase pii/asante sana/
shoulders. It also appears that he is proposing that we begin to set some standards
ngiyabonga/osheo (many thanks) to the Mamas and Babas,
for Nationalist/Pan-Afrikanist behavior that extend beyond garb, no pork, and a
love of incense. It will be interesting to learn of the impact this paper has in Chicago Brothers and Sisters whose work has made this ourstorical milestone possible.
once it is circulated. In the meantime, it is ample food for thought for the rest of us.

Another Look Back

During a break in the February 1998 meeting, CIBI Ndundu members stand near Omowale Ujamaa Shule (Pasadena, CA) to watch the citys annual Black History
Parade. (l-r) Baba Kweku Agyeman/Mwalimu Shujaa (Brooklyn, NY), Baba Onaje Muid (Englewood, NJ), Mama Nobantu Ankoanda (Shule Mandela Academy,
East Palo Alto, CA), Mama Kay Stancil (Maarifa Shule, Baltimore, MD), Mzee Hannibal Afrik (Shule ya Watoto/School Tech Services, Chicago, IL), Baba Sanyika
Anwisye (Hofi ni Kwenu Academy/Douglass Institute/New African Village, St. Louis, MO), Baba Kofi Lomotey (Brooklyn, NY). An Omowale security escort stands
far right. Present but not in photo: Mama Naima Olugbala (Omowale, and Parade Grand Marshal); Mama Imani Humphrey (Aisha Shule/DuBois Prep, Detroit,
MI); Baba Kaleb Whitby (Philadelphia, PA), Baba Malik Yakini (Nsoroma Institute, Detroit, MI), Mama Nah Dove (London, UK), Mama Nia Nah Tumpe (Hofi ni
Kwenu, and taking photo).

FUNDISHA! TEACH! Editors Notes: Gye Nyame

A News Organ Of The Council Of Independent Black Institutions Kwk, an abbreviation for the Kiswahili,
katha wa katha, means and so on.
Fundisha! Teach! is published annually by the Council of Independent Black
Institutions (CIBI). Some words, hyphenated or separated
elsewhere, capitalized or not capitalized
We welcome your articles, announcements, ideas and comments. Photos submitted elsewhere, are, at times used without
for publication should be emailed, or in the case of hard copy prints, postal mailed. hyphens, or with or without capitalization
Ads should be camera-ready and emailed as PDFs or postal mailed. All other items in Fundisha! (e.g. nationbuilding, Family,
submitted for publication should be sent as Word documents attached to email. nonAfrican, i, kwk).
Situational consideration will be given to typed articles sent as hard copies. CIBI
reserves the right to make all publication decisions, including acceptance of items for CIBI members speak and teach a variety
publication. For CIBI-members only, contact the Publications Office for submission of African languages including Kiswahili,
instructions for The Ngoma. isiZulu, Twi, MdwNtr, Yoruba and others. Symbol of the omnipresence and
The use of >, for example, or the immortality of the Creator.
Please send questions, comments and items for submission to: absence of vowels as they are used in some
nonAfrican languages, or capitalizations in
Except God we fear none.
CIBI Publications
P.O. Box 21400 the middle of words (e.g. UNhlaba) are not
St. Louis, MO 63115 misprints but an attempt to more accurately FUNDISHA QUIZ
(314)382-0720 depict the phonemes and characters of our
languages. Who are the two CIBI veterans whose names
cibiwebinfo@gmail.com
are now part of the CIBI EXPO?
Copyright 2013 CIBI (Answer appears elsewhere in this edition.)
 WINTER 2013-2014 FUNDISHA! TEACH! page 3

CIBIS WORK
by Mzee Sanyika Anwisye

Warriors are produced by education. If it produces accountable to and evaluated by their progress and with even African teachers whom they, the institutional
anything less, its not education its miseducation. performance in African worker-warriorhood, including organizers themselves, describe as not African-

From: Education for Liberation/CIBI at 30

S. Anwisye
their academic achievement and strides toward marriage
and family development.
centered. We note the number forced to fly non-African
flags outside their buildings, and - in compliance with
implied or explicit conditions for funding - close for or

I n all societies, education is a womb-to-the-tomb

process which prepares the members of a society to
become and then remain and grow as the workers
Our success is that we are, and that we continue.
Our program, our activity if you will - is the hours
upon hours, days after more days, and years after many
observe non-African holidays. It does not take much
reasoning to realize that if these institutions cannot
control the choice of the flag they fly outside their
and warriors necessary to retain, or attain and then years of teaching and conditioning Africans (including buildings, then surely they cant control the curriculum
retain, the societys freedom, its sovereignty. ourselves) to be the workers and warriors needed to inside their buildings. More directly, the truth is, if the
work and build and fight effectively and collectively to staff is not African [centered], then the curriculum-
For African Education founded and grounded regain then maintain our freedom. and-instruction cannot be African [centered]. If the
in righteousness anything less, no matter how curriculum-and-instruction is not African [centered],
academically successful, culturally resonant, or Though it can and should be punctuated by celebratory then the institution is not African [centered].)
financially remunerative is miseducation. events and recorded in picture and sound, our main
event, our main work, is not particularly photogenic, Our children must know, and we must remind ourselves
At the minimum, our education is a socialization glamorous or unendingly exciting. In fact, our event of the difference between African education and that
process a socialization and conditioning process is not an event at all. It is a life commitment, a lifestyle. which simply purports to be African education
which is conducted simultaneously, inter-connectedly particularly that offered by charter schools or other
and interdependently by the five major societal elements As a community, we are tasked with reassessing and such operations funded or conducted, and thereby
which influence worldview, behavior and character. reminding ourselves and our future generations (a) why controlled, by non-African organizations, corporations
Specifically: we created and continue to create and maintain African or governments.
(a) the home and family, institutions, and (b) why these institutions must be
(b) the spiritual assemblage or institution, independent. Though some brothers and sisters in these programs
(c) the adesuabea (those formations known are well-intentioned, and some of these programs may
in the West as schools), display African symbolism, use our vocabulary, and
(d) the storytellers (a function in todays justifiably boast of academic achievement, character
European dynamic unfortunately filled education, and the like even pride in our heritage - a
primarily by media miseducation), and fundamental, incontrovertible difference exists between
(e) the part-time and supplementary these sometimes African-themed institutions and
programs (those programs operating as Saturday or African [centered] institutions, such as in CIBI. That
evening adesuabea, rites-of-passage, kwk) as well as the fundamental difference lies in our purpose.
cumulative random and unplanned social interactions
and discussions on the street corners and in the barber As we move forward, we must advance that purpose
shops, hair salons, bus stops, restaurants, job sites and and stop comparing ourselves to other schools. We are
across the back fence, along the roadside, in the fields or not other schools. We are teaching something we have
been taught against learning. We are not just teaching

F
under the tree.
irst, we build and maintain African institutions our students about Africa we are teaching them to be
Ideally, and ultimately, these elements are contained in, becausewe are African people. Why do palm African.
and work as, one village. trees produce palm leaves? Not because the sycamore
tree doesnt produce, or cant produce, palm leaves. More specifically, we are preparing workers and warriors
A proper African education equips us with the spiritual- Palm trees produce palm leaves because palm leaves to re-establish Righteous Living and full African
moral direction, academic-intellectual fervor, psycho- and only palm leaves, and associated palm tree Sovereignty. We are not teaching our watoto to become
emotional-physical wholeness, African personality and components can ensure and are necessary for patriotic citizens of America or any other non-African,
commitment needed to work effectively and collectively the surthrival (survival and thrive-all) of the palm anti-African polity or assemblage. In fact, we are teaching
to facilitate our peoples return to Righteous Living and population. them just the opposite. Charter schools cannot say that,
Sovereignty. nor can they do that. It is unlikely (read: not possible)
Similarly, we must reorder some of the thinking that an American government (or its subsidiary state or
Our business is to build and maintain village- that suggests we build African institutions because local governments or corporate affiliates) would fund
institutions. Our business is very different from those the non-African wont or cant educate our children an operation teaching children to be the opposite of
whose business is to conduct programs, campaigns and properly or build institutions geared to our surthrival. itself. Simply put, if it doesnt meet the strictures of the
conferences. (Though, in proper context and attached (Only miseducation would lead us to believe they could plantation, the non-African will not fund it. If it does
to and supportive of the work of village-institution or would, or lead us to be disappointed, frustrated or meet the strictures of the plantation, its not African
building in the cause of nationbuilding these are angry because they dont.) education anyway.
needed and useful.) Our business, our work is very
different from those with no bricks in the ground and no No. We build African village-institutions simply because
day-to-day activity and responsibility for a large part of we are African people. African people fulfilling our
young Africans moral, cultural, character, and cognitive Creators and Ancestral call to surthrival. Even if there
development. Our success is measured and must be had been no Maafa, our job as a people would still have
measured very differently from that of brothers, sisters been, and is, to build and maintain independent African
and organizations not connected to the Independent institutions.
C IBI was founded and we are members of CIBI
not for what CIBI can offer us, or for what we can
get out of CIBI from a consumerist perspective. CIBI

S
Black Institutions Movement, and who may measure is not a faux-membership organization like AARP or
success only or primarily by the number and size of econd, it is certainly true that our work has not AAA. (The American Association for Retired Persons,
conferences held, speeches made, books written, trips been made easier and all of our village-institutions and the American Automobile Association respectively.
taken and media interviews given. It is measured and have been adversely affected, and many of us even lost Both do some advocacy work but people generally join
must be measured very differently. the struggle for surthrival as the non-African has to get discounts on travel, hotels, restaurants, roadside
rediscovered and concluded that allowing limited assistance for their disabled vehicles, and other goods and
Yes, our work is very different. Not better, just different. community control of schools where, as always, they, services.) Rather, CIBI is more akin to other facets and
In short, we are saying to families, dont go to the non- the non-African antagonists, maintain actual control phases of our Movement to Return: e.g. the Civil Rights
African for schooling Come here, to us. Thats a of such schools (this time under a new name, charter Movement, abolition, the anti-apartheid and other anti-
heavy responsibility with essentially life-or-death, do- schools) is better than we Africans expanding the extant colonialist Liberation effortswhere everyone involved
or-die consequences. Further, unlike a conference or a independent shule system represented by CIBI. (Lest we had to work, and everyone involved had to participate
bookstore (again, in context, both are needed) where forget the price of dependence, we note the number of and all were expected to pay dues of some kind just for
one may be hard put to determine what a person actually these non-African-funded or non-African-sponsored the privilege of working and participating!
does after buying a book or attending a conference, institutions that have teacher corps comprised of one or
the members and students of village-institutions are more non-Africans. We note the number that struggle Yes, we are members of CIBI because we are part of a
continued on page 20

Our children must know the difference between African Education and that which simply purports to be
African Education . . . between African-themed institutions and African-centered institutions. . . .We
are not just teaching our children about Africa - we are teaching them to be African. . .
 WINTER 2013-2014 FUNDISHA! TEACH! page 4

UJIMA YA UJAMAA SHULE

Based in Washington, DC

Ujima Ya Ujamaa Shule was founded May 4, 1968, to provide COMMUNITY ACCOMPLISHMENTS
an institutional base that would ensure Afrikan children the
development of a strong, positive self-image, a valid value Annual Health Fair free to the community.
system, and the achievement of academic excellence. The Friday Night Family Program - cultural and revolutionary films, noted speakers,
overall program is geared to develop the total being, to help food and entertainment.
each child reach his or her ultimate goal and to develop to Food Donations - annual outreach program for seniors and persons with low income.
their highest potential. Ujamaa practices the basic value Umoja Karamu Ancestral celebration and community feast.
system of Afrikan people as outlined by Mzee Maulana Pre-Kwanzaa Program
Karenga in the Nguzo Saba. Over the last 46 years Ujamaa Community Host for the Annual Kwanzaa Program on Ujamaa Night, December 29.
has been a pillar in the community, providing wholesome Adult Education Program
programs for children and adults - building knowledge,
strength, character, and health with self-determination and
excellence. September 23, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia, Mzee El Senzengakulu Zulu, Founder and Executive Director
of Ujamaa School, was inducted into the Black Hall of Fame in the area of Civil Rights. He is one of the
SHULE ACCOMPLISHMENTS Freedom Riders who helped to break down the Jim Crow laws and segregation throughout the South.
Baba Zulu has worked continuously for the liberation of Afrikan people over the last 50 years and has
Growth from Elementary to High School received numerous awards. During the Civil Rights Movement he was arrested over 69 times. One
Comprehensive annual Science Fair Program. way he shares his experiences with the students is through teaching an ourstory class at Ujamaa titled
Ujamaa Afrikan Dancers and Drummers help to Pan Africanism, Afrikan Culture and Critical Thinking. Baba Zulu is living ourstory. He shares his
maintain the culture throughout the community by experiences and provides direct information about the struggle of Afrikan people in America.
performing at local high schools, community programs
and special events in the Washington DC area and
beyond.
Ujamaa students are receiving high marks on their SAT
exams and have a solid foundation upon which to
continue their learning.
The normal age of an Ujamaa school graduate is 15 to 16
- based on their ability. Our youngest graduate was 14
and went on to receive a BS degree at age 18.
Students graduating from Ujamaa maintain at least a 3.0
average while attending college.
Graduating students have received four-year
scholarships from various universities.
Graduated students have received degrees in many fields
such as Law, Social Work, Education, Engineering, Art,
International Affairs and Psychology.
Most of the students who have college degrees are now
professionals in their fields; one has made full
partnership in a law firm.
Former students are now sending their children to Mzee El Senzengakulu Zulu looking over Washington, DC after a meeting to determine how
Ujamaa School. to put a stop to the European conspiracy to remove Afrikan people from the community.
Ujamaa students return to build strong communities for
African people.

Mama Akima, daughter of Baba Zulu and head of Ujamaas Ujamaa Afrikan Dancers & Drummers saluting our ances- Pambana and Jitihada wanafunzi, Mama Nans class.
English and art department, surrounded by her wanafunzi tors during Kwanzaa

SHULE NEEDS
As the District of Columbia is going through a transformation, many of its neighborhoods are targeted for redevelopment. Ujamaa is located just 3 blocks from the
recently-completed D.C. Convention Center. It is therefore imperative that it repair and upgrade its building. Ujamaa seeks to raise $500,000. The estimated cost of
immediately-needed repairs and upgrades is $139,020 and includes: metal front and side doors and frames; roof, gutters and vents; repairs for ceilings, walls, doors,
windows and painting for 7 classrooms; science laboratory and equipment; computer laboratory and equipment; classroom desks, chairs and blackboards; floors,
ceilings, commodes, sinks, wall tile and paint for lavatories; repair of walls, ceilings, doors, floors, windows and painting for 8 basement rooms; upgrade and repair
of electrical and plumbing systems; kitchen repairs; stairway and banister repair; building exterior painting; intercom/surveillance/security system. Asante sana
(thank you very much) for your generosity. For more information, please contact Ujamaa School at: (202)232-2997, (202)234-3866 (fax); ujamaaschool1@veri-
zon.net; 1554 8th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011.

Mama Nia with her Kamau class Drummers at Ujamaas 45th Anniversary Celebration at Baba Karisa teaching Kiswahili.
Howard Universitys Blackburn Center
 WINTER 2013-2014
Who called you?
The Nyansa Nananom Process
By Mama Yaa-Asantewa Akoto
Each generation must, out of relative obscurity,
discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it.
- Nana Franz Fanon
As a people actively engaged in a revitalizing
liberating effort, we must ensure that the youth are
prepared to assume leadership roles that would
assure the consistent ideological development of the
nation. - Mzee Agyei Akoto
Providing successive generations with the
opportunities and circumstances to identify their
mission, obtain the necessary training to fulfill their
mission and provide the support needed through these
steps are vital in ensuring that successive generations
can identify and actualize their missions. The elders
of Ankobea in inspired collaboration with other
esteemed elders developed a process that provides
young people with skills and tools needed to discover
and fulfill their mission. This process is based in the
Onyame Nhyehye paradigm and is called the Nyansa
Nananom process, which means ancestral wisdom.
Leadership is learned under the tutelage of ones elders
and through meaningful experiences.
The long-term goal of the Nyansa Nananom process
is the development of a community of capable people
and families who share the worldview and ideology
that define the Onyame Nhyehye paradigm and
ideology and who have developed sincere, meaningful
relationships with each other.
This group of people would include the future
members, managers and leaders of Afrikan businesses,
and progressive Afrikan community organizations.
This Nyansa Nananom process was also designed
to facilitate the inevitable transition in the leadership
and management of organizations in the Afrikan
community from the parent generation to the next
generation. The first foray into developing this
leadership training process began with the initiation
of the Ankobea Leadership Training Retreat (ALTR)
in the summer of 1993. The first group of eight
students, ranging in age from about eighteen to thirty-
years-old, agreed to be the test subjects in what has
become a tool for intergenerational transmission of
information and culture. Eighteen years and hundreds
of participants later, the Nyansa Nananom process, of
which ALTR is a major component, continues.
FUNDISHA! TEACH! page 5
LEADERSHIP IS LEARNED UNDER THE TUTELAGE OF ONES
ELDERS AND THROUGH MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES.
The process was envisioned as a twelve-year process. developed the Nyansa Nananom process to ensure
The mission of the first six years of the process, the that current and future generations have what is
first level, is to assist all Afrikan organizations with needed to hear the call, answer it and move forward
a leadership development process for their younger toward fulfillment of their mission.
members. The young people of Ankobea also have Here are a few words from graduates of the Nyansa
an opportunity to meet their counterparts in other Nananom process:
organizations in a substantive and meaningful manner. It has connected me with people of like mind, and given
The mission of the second six years, the second level, me confidence to be Afrikan in the larger environment.
is to further train and prepare the next generation for It has given me resources and a structured way to
management and leadership responsibilities within develop my business, and work and lead collectively and
the Ankobea society. productively with others effectively. 2008 graduate
During ALTR, students participate in both rigorous
cultural and ideological workshops and engage in The process goes beyond rhetoric. When you are there
physical projects. The retreat is held at Nyansakrom, and away from the confusion of the world and doing
away from the daily rigors of society, allowing work, and participating in theoretical discussions, you
participants to focus on the hard work of ideological get to see the paradigm in action, as opposed to pure
and personal development within the Onyame lecture. It goes beyond intellect and into action, free of
Nhyehye paradigm. The combination of these two distractions. - Graduate
major components brings the ideological study to life
and provides purpose for the practical application
ALTR is a powerful process; you feel power in the raw
of skilled physical work within our paradigm.
form; you feel a high energy as you are going through
Spiritual development is another component of the
this process. ALTR provided me with a vehicle to
Nyansa Nananom process. The centrality of spirit
meet like-minded people who had attained or were
is represented in the Afrikan concept of a well-
seeking to achieve a high level of education, and who
developed person. As such, the goal is for students
were committed to the struggle for the total liberation
to identify and incorporate an Afrikan spiritual and
of our people. Often those who have attained higher
cultural system into their lives.
education are more acculturated with the mainstream
society. ALTR provided me with the impetus to develop
my personal spirituality and strong belief that it must
be incorporated in any development of our people. It
showed me the amount of work that you have to do to
even consider nationbuilding - the amount of practical
skills that are needed, like working with materials, was
new to me. It provided me with the motivation to learn
these things because of the examples that I saw.
2010 Graduate
*****************************************
Has the process worked in the last eighteen years? This essay appeared in the 2011 Sankofa Journal and
Simply, yes. As the Nyansa Nananom process has is printed here by permission. For more information
developed, it has become a model of leadership visit: www.ankobea.org.
transition. When the process began with the first
ALTR in 1993, the elders facilitated the entire week-
long retreat. Eighteen years later, the process has
graduated fifteen classes from the six-year program
and five classes from the twelve-year program. Today,
graduates manage and operate the entire Nyansa
Nananom process.
For the first thirteen years of the Nyansa Nananom
process, the elders of Ankobea handled the majority of
the program management. The first Nyansa Nananom
class to complete the full twelve-year process
graduated in 2005. The elders had succeeded in their
goal of training a cadre of committed individuals
steeped in the Onyame Nhyehye paradigm who were
ready to assume the mantle of leadership. The students
were ready and the elders were ready. The transition Mama Yaa Asantewa Akoto is the oldest child of Mzee
began. The Society elders began turning over the Agyei and Mzee Akua Akoto. She is a graduate of the
management tasks of the Nyansa Nananom process Washington, DC-based NationHouse Watoto Shule
to the graduates. Since that time, successive groups of where she currently teaches and serves as Assistant
graduates from both the six-year and the twelve-year Director. She is an attorney, a member of the Ankobea
process have demonstrated their readiness to assume Society and Co-Coordinator of the Ankobea Leadership
the mantle of leadership with the Nyansa Nananom Training Retreat (ALTR). She served as CIBI Co-
process, Ankobea, and other new and existing Afrikan Executive Officer from 2001-2006. She is shown here
community organizations. at the Obubuo-November 2006 CIBI meeting at the
As Fanon stated, Each generation must, out of Community Youth Achievers office (Port Gibson, MS)
relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or with fellow Ndundu members, Baba Karume Jumal,
betray it. We are each called to our mission, we each left, Science EXPO Coordinator, and Baba Kwasi
must decide if we will answer that call. Ankobea has Konadu, Co-Executive Officer, 2001-2006.
 Mzee K. Agyei Akoto, Executive Director with NationHouse watoto.
WINTER 2013-2014 FUNDISHA! TEACH! page 6

NationHouse Turns 40!

This is a special time for CIBI as NationHouse, one of our earliest and most productive members, is about to celebrate its 40th anniversary! While operating since
1974 as a full-time adesebua (learning space/school), NationHouse has produced and/or been the organizing energy and guiding force behind such seminal works as
Nationbuilding:Theory & Practice in Afrikan Centered Education; The Sankofa Movement: ReAfrikanization and the Reality of War; and, Positive Images for Afrikan Children:
The CIBI Social Studies Curriculum. NationHouses uncompromising and unambiguous clarity, commitment and sense of mission has informed and inspired many in
the African-centered movement, and is the germinal seed and sustaining heartbeat of the Ankobea Society, ALTR, and the Sankofa Conference. Look to the next issue of
Fundisha!Teach! for full coverage of NationHouse and this ourstoric occasion. For more information: (202)291-5600, 6101 Dix St., NE, Washington, DC 20019, www.
nationhouse.org, info@nationhouse.org.

Mzee Kwame Agyei Akoto, Executive Director with NationHouse watoto offer the answers. Vintage photo of the founders.
NationHouse watoto.

NationHouse watoto offer the answers.

New African Village/Hofi ni Kwenu Academy/Douglass Institute
Based in St. Louis, MO
Organized in 1977, New African Village/Hofi ni Kwenu Academy/Douglass Institute is a village-institution committed to working with other Africans in the
preparation of worker-warriors to facilitate the return of our people to Righteous Living and Sovereignty. It operates an elementary and high school, and since 1994, New
African Village, a developing land-based scale model promoting Creator-centered living and social relationships, Family building and communal self-reliance.
The womb-to-the-tomb curriculum also includes classes and experiences open to the community through its Wazazi na Walimu (Parents and Teachers)
Development Institute. The curriculum on all levels emphasizes the spiritual, cultural and political nature of education, and the need for reAfricanization and sovereign
nationhood preparation for, and strengthening of, marriages, childrearing and grandparenting awareness of and countering the effects of the anti-African popular culture
and other ourstorically deleterious influences maximizing and merging skills referred to as academic, manual, artistic or technical whole-person health and respect for
the environment constant development and strengthening of moral character, including conflict management skills, self-discipline, cooperation and collectivity. For more
information, contact (314) 382-0720; cibiwebinfo@gmail.com; P.O. Box 21400, St. Louis, MO 63115.

Vegetables and herbs harvested by Okuofuo Pa (The good and diligent farmer), NAV/HNKAs farming effort, were served at the NAV/HNKA 2013 Family Days/Fall Harvest
Celebration and included kale, cabbage, collard and turnip greens, carrots, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, eggplant; zucchini, butternut and yellow crooked-neck
squash; black-eyed and field peas; garlic, and jalapeno, cayenne and banana peppers.

We must feed ourselves It takes kazi. Families enjoying Asase Yaas bounty.

Progress in New African Village continues despite setbacks, and teaches wanafunzi perseverance and that nation building includes construction skills.

Drywalling: We must house ourselves Mama Reggae Anwisye (ctr.) conducts lesson on 2010 CIBI Science EXPO delegation.
sweating copper pipes.

NAV/HNKA launched its publications associate, Blessings Not Curses, UMandulo-September 9, 2010
with a reception featuring vegan food and a lecture and discussion on conflict management for African people.

Mama Salaama Heshima encourages future author Brothers enjoy listening to conflict management strategies. African men across organizational lines join hands before its too late.

Wazee Makini and Sanyika Anwisye (ctr. and 2nd left) delivered HNKA graduate and CIBI EXPO veteran, Mama Imani An-
a workshop and exchanged views on African Education with staff wisye Mashele, conducts guest biology lesson at IsiKhalisezwe Mama Imani makes it plain in address to guests, faculty and
at Bethamoya High School in Madadeni, KwaZulu Natal, Azania.
Secondary School in Masondale, KwaZulu Natal, Azania. fellow graduates at Harvard Medical School commencement.
Pictured are Principal S. Ncgobo (3rd left); senior faculty (2nd, 3rd
right); Mama Imani Anwisye Mashele and former teacher, Baba Photo courtesy www.basketballphoto.com
Bongani Mashele (far left, far right).
 WINTER 2013-2014 FUNDISHA! TEACH! page 7

ORGANIZATION FOR BLACK UNITY (OBU) / NEW WORLD LEARNING CENTER (NWLC)
Based in San Antonio, TX

HITIMU (MOVING UP) CEREMONY New World Learning Student

Becomes New World Learning Center Teacher
The New World Learning Center, an educational program sponsored by the Or-
ganization for Black Unity, held its Hitimu (Moving Up) Ceremony for 2011 in the
Garvey House on June 5, 2011 at 5 p.m. It was an ourstorical event in more than one The Organization for Black Unity, Inc.s (OBU) New World
way. For the first time, the program had multiple graduatesKhari Brooks-Maye, Learning Center (NWLC) staff recently sponsored a Welcome
Tiffany Mills and LeAnna Shannon, all of whom received academic scholarships. Home Celebration for 2009 graduate Kamara Woodyard. Kamara,
Khari Brooks-Maye was awarded a full four-year academic freshman scholarship who attended the NWLC from preschool through high school, was
from Howard University; Tiffany Mills was awarded an academic scholarship from the 2008-2009 Nat Turner Scholarship Fund for Freedom and Ex-
Prairie View A&M; and LeAnna Shannon will also be attending Prairie View A&M cellence recipient. She graduated from Huston-Tillotson University
on a scholarship awarded by the Southside Lions Club. in May 2013 and has returned to instruct in the classroom where
The Organization for Black Unity, Inc.s Nat Turner Scholarship Fund for Freedom she began her education. The OBU Inc. and NWLC salute and wel-
and Excellence was established to provide resources for deserving and qualified New
come Mama Kamara Woodyard on her return!
World Learning Center students to attend a historically Black university, college or
trade school. Khari Brooks-Maye was awarded $5,000 to be paid out in installments
each semester while he attends Howard University. Mama Traci Brooks, chairperson
of the Nat Turner Scholarship Fund, and Babu James P. Johnson, Program Director
for the Organization for Black Unity, Inc., presented the award during the ceremony.
Guest speaker for the occasion was Mama Phavia Kujichagulia, djialli (oral historian),
musician, writer, poet, professor, and dancer who utilizes music, poetry, and dance to
heal and teach. Her topic for the Hitimu was Cultivating Genius.

Mama Kamara Woodyard, NWLC graduate and mwalimu.

Graduates (l-r front row) Khari Brooks-Maye, Tiffany Mills and LeAnna Shannon with OBU
Program Director, Babu James P. Johnson. Back row (l-r) Mama Phavia Kujichagulia, Hitimu
speaker, and OBU staff, Mama Sheila Woodyard, Baba David Woodyard, Mama Judy Freeman
and Mama Traci Brooks. NWLCs Nile Valley wanafunzi at work.

Organization for Black Unity, Inc.

646 Holmgreen Road * San Antonio, Texas 78220
Phone: (210) 333-0118 * E-mail: obu@satx.rr.com

Serving the needs of the Black community

with Afrikan-centered educational programs, services and events
since 1976.

New World Learning Center Malcolm X Museum

(preschool to high school) (bringing Black history
alive)

From OBUs 2013 Hitimu. Front row (l-r): Mama Traci Brooks, Babu Phil Johnson, Jamaal
Montemayor and Mama Judy Freeman. Back row: Baba David Woodyard, Mama Kemba
Stokes, Mama Sheila Woodyard and Baba Kundu Johnson.

1976 2010
4

OpEpOn-January. The vegetables in the Sankofa Garden continue to grow. Onyx Investment Club
(investing for the future)
Small crowns of broccoli are visible, the Chinese cabbages leaves are spread-
ing and expanding, and the spinach is blossoming. Students and parents are
looking forward to the first harvest of the organic vegetables from the gar-
den. These chemical-free crops nurtured by Afrikan hands and spirits will be
wholesome when consumed. If you are interested in being contacted once the
crops have been harvested, please contact OBU. Black Voices Bookstore Lions Den Karate Club
(Your Afrikan-centered Book Source) (self-defense and self-discipline)

It is our vision to build from preschool to the university levelestablishing

Fine Words Do Not Produce Food an institution that will offer valuable educational opportunities for our
community.

-Afrikan Proverb

Fundisha!Teach! recommends to its readers a subscription to OBUs newspaper, The Arrow, and the purchase of a copy of its 35th Anniversary
Yearbook. Contact OBU at (210)333-0118 or obu@satx.rr.com.
WINTER 2013-2014 FUNDISHA! TEACH!
page 8

THE NSOROMMA
SCHOOL
Based in Atlanta, GA


Nsoromma School, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that provides enrichment programs

on Saturdays and during the summer. Here are some scenes from Nsoromma.



For more information: (404) 755-4994 nsoromma@mindspring.com


S.A.T. Prep PLUS! How to Help Our Children Excel In Science, Your Sneakers Cost What?!

Summer Camp for Teens Technology, Engineering & Math (Fall Math Enrichment)

Youth Entrepreneurship & Math / Science/ Culture
Financial Literacy Workshop Film Fun Day
Childrens
Summer Camp
















Triple Threat


S.A.T. Prep Course
Summer Yard Sale



Culture
Math / Science/

Summer Camp

More students from Nsorommas
Working with solar cells, Fall 2009
summer SAT program
Learning about Ghana, Summer 2012














Displaying harvest from an
organic garden they helped with.
Enjoying a raw food meal at Nana Kwekus

Learning about holistic health and acupuncture

from physician, Nana Kweku Opare

 WINTER 2013-2014 FUNDISHA! TEACH! page 9

More from CIBI in Atlanta

Scenes from the Annual Collard Greens Festival, associated with the Shule Mandela Academy (Decatur, GA, originally based in East
Palo Alto, CA), promotes our culture and healthy eating, and raises money for scholarships for students attending independent African
schools. Contact Shule Mandela at 206 Fayette Rd., Decatur GA 30030-4910, (650) 766-5663 or nankoanda77@gmail.com

A healthful sampling of greens and cornbread welcomes visitors to the Festival.

Watoto enjoying the Festival Enjoying the Festival

The Festival in full swing has Bro. Kamau King posing in the foreground with his vintage CIBI t-shirt.

The 1st Annual Black Homeschool and Education Expo was sponsored by Roots to Fruits, Inc. and held in Atlanta, Kitawonsa - July 2012. The Liberated Minds Black
Homeschool & Education Association made its debut there. The event featured presentations by CIBI members pictured below. The 2nd Annual Expo, Kitawonsa-July
2013, featured speakers Mama Esi Willis (Nsoromma, Atlanta) and Wazee Makini and Sanyika Anwisye (Hofi ni Kwenu Academy, St. Louis).

Mama Esi Madge Willis, director of Nsoromma School Mzee Nobantu Ankoanda, director of Shule Mama Virgie Sanyang (left), director of Pearl Academy
(Atlanta) conducted an SAT/ACT prep workshop which Mandela Academy (Decatur, GA, originally Math & Science Institute (Atlanta), shows what her
also included tips on teaching math and science. based in East Palo Alto, CA) responds to a students learn of agriculture and African studies.
question regarding the schools founding.

Mzee Sanyika Anwisye (New African Village/Hofi Ni Kwenu Academy/Douglass Institute, St. Louis, MO) conducted day-long workshops in Atlanta on African Education
and Institution Building for Nsoromma School elders, board and staff (left, Obubuo-November 2011) and the African Centered Education Think Tank (center, ACETT,
Ahinime-October 2011). Right, Baba Sanyika introduces ACETT participants to Hofi ni Kwenu-created unity-producing game, Mali Ball.
 WINTER 2013-2014 FUNDISHA! TEACH! page 10

The Garvey School/Egun Omode Shule (TGS/EOS)

Based in Trenton, NJ
Founded by Baba Baye and Iya Makeda Kemit, The Garvey School (TGS) which opened in 2003 with students enrolled in grades 9-12 expanded in
2007-2008, by opening the Egun Omode Shule (EOS, Children of the Ancestors School) which enrolls students from preschool through 8th grade.
The mission of TGS/EOS is to foster reAfrakanization, family development and nationbuilding to produce students who are practitioners of Afrakan
culture. TGS/EOS stresses high academic achievement, cultural and character development, mandatory family support, industrial arts (carpentry,
sewing, woodcarving, kwk), Afrakan dance and drum, Afrakan languages, art & crafts, agricultural science, and wellness & nutrition.
For more information: (609)792-9038, www.thegarveyschool.org, info@thegarveyschool.org.

Scenes from the TGS/EOS Shule Science Fair

Science teacher, Mama Nwasha Edu (standing), A project reminds Afrakans of the need for sover- Iya Makeda Kemit, Co-Founder & Mwalimu (cen-
checks watoto projects. eignty and ecological sustainability. ter with papers) checks projects.

Scenes from TGS/EOS 2nd Annual Oratorical Presentation (Osu Ebibi 2011-May 2011).
The activity also included watoto from CIBI-member Ijoba Shule (Philadelphia, PA). Themed Afrakan Sovereignty: Do For Self, students presented poems, many
of them original, and speeches from the great ourstory of our people. Ijoba students made their presentations in sign language as their teachers read them aloud.

Scenes from the day-long childrens conference at

Low Country-Capoeira Angola Society attended by watoto of TGS/EOS and Ijoba Shule.

Getting started Taking turns on the swings on the slide

A break for chakula Practicing capoeira More practice

Watoto at the ready Baba Baye Kemit (center in white), TGS/EOS Married Afrakans present, including (far left)
Principal, giving instructions at assembly. Oba Sekou & Iya Olade Olayinka (Ijoba) and
(far right) Baba Baye & Iya Makeda Kemit
(TGS/EOS)
 WINTER 2013-2014 FUNDISHA! TEACH! page 11

Kwanzaa in Bermuda
As in other places in the African World, our people in Bermuda celebrate
Kwanzaa, OpEnimma (December) 26 OpEpOn (January) 1. CIBI-member,
Sis. As-Utchamet - of Southampton, Bermuda is a central organizer and
spokesperson for Kwanzaa activities there. Sis. As-Utchamet explains how she
came to start celebrating Kwanzaa about seven years ago --
Having witnessed the community celebrations while living in Toronto, she
said: Kwanzaa resonated with me on a very personal levelits about the
empowerment of Black people around the world. I returned to Bermuda from
Toronto and I wanted to collaborate with a small group of people exposed
to Kwanzaa in Bermuda, or with people who had already been celebrating it
unbeknown to me.
For the past few years she has joined forces with a small group of like-minded CIBI-member Sistah As-Utchamet (left) and Sistah Deidre Lee celebrate and promote
the principles of Kwanzaa in Bermuda.
people. Each gathering is usually attended by about 15 people. We go from
house to house, sometimes out to the larger community, said Sis. As-Utchamet.
The vision of the Kwanzaa train in Bermuda is to attract a wide cross-section of Bermudas Black community. Each year sees the celebration of the
positive elements of our global culture, past and present. People are encouraged to be as creative as possible with Kwanzaa by adding their own flair to
the celebration.
The 2013-2014 celebration included a covered dish meal and games day on the Day of Umoja (Unity) OpEnimma (December) 26; a neighborhood
cleanup on the Day of Ujima (Collective Work & Responsibility) OpEnimma 28; Our Story Revisited A Back in Time Walk on the Day of
Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) OpEnimma 29; a day of fasting and meditation, sunrise to sunset, on the Day of Nia (Purpose) OpEnimma 30;
and, on the Day of Imani (Faith) OpEpOn 1 - a covered dish dinner featuring two elders of the community sharing stories about their childhoods.
Contact Sis. As-Utchamet at inloveconsulting@gmail.com.
- SA, with contributions from Tim Smith

CIBI-Member Abibitumi Kasa Afrikan Institution-Building

Language Institute (Accra, Ghana)
Offers Tips on Learning Our
Languages
When learning Afrikan languages, repetition is key.
Most important is the students devising their own
system of repetition outside of the class environment.
The homework is a big part of that which is built in, as
well as their own study.
It is recommended that students meet in the class-
room outside of class time in study groups. What a
student does outside of class is equally as important
as (if not more important than) what they do in class.
Students should use everything they know with any-
one they can. It can involve going out of ones comfort
zone and meeting people at the local Afrikan grocery
store, Afrikan students organization, kwk. If one is
doing this right, theyll start making substantive con-
nections with other students in class, as well as with
other Afrikans outside of class.
Motivation, as expressed through action, is key.
Make flashcards. Think in the language. DO NOT
TRANSLATE EVERYTHING THAT IS HEARD
INTO english. DO NOT TRANSLATE FROM en-
glish INTO THE LANGUAGE BEFORE SAYING IT.
Initially, this may be done, but the sooner the student
can get away from the practice, the better. Keep in
mind the Twi proverb: Mistakes teach people wisdom,
so one who says he/she has never made a mistake has
lost a thing (an opportunity to learn).
As independent institutions that rely on funding
from the Black community for our growth and devel-
opment, we must begin to foster the commitment to
share what we have with one another at an early age.
Within our institutions, we can promote philanthro-
py by encouraging the students to bring in donations
daily. This simple act can have a lifelong impact in
the giving spirit of those who practice it during their
youth. Over time, the youth will see the benefits of
their giving via the expansion of the institution and
continue to be philanthropists into adulthood.
-Reprinted from CIBIs The Ngoma
The Si-Asar Family
The Si-Asar family of Imhotep Science Academy (Minne-
apolis, MN) continues to exemplify CIBIs emphasis on
Aya family development.
The fern
The success of the Movement is going to depend very
heavily on the number of people willing to sacrifice in
giving some unpaid or not fully paid service.
- Mtukufu Chancellor Williams
From: The Destruction of Black Civilization

Submitted by: Baba Obadele Kambon, Founder

Abibitumi Kasa Afrikan Language
Institute Symbol of endurance, defiance
akyeame_kwame@yahoo.com against difficulties, hardiness, per-
info@abibitumikasa.com severance and resourcefulness.

The task of national(ist) building is an intentional and continual process, and those persons and institutions that have
committed themselves to this task must be assessed not necessarily in terms of success or failure, but in terms of their
contributions to this movement.
As participants engaged in and active supporters of African-centerednessour mode of communication and conduct is not
defined by wants and what we expect CIBI or the movement to give once we join as members. Our relationship is, therefore,
the expression of shared mission and vision, and our operational bases can be found in each home, institution, and corresponding
community linked unapologetically through CIBI and the movement.

- Baba Kwasi Konadu

 WINTER 2013-2014
Nana Safiya Folami Patricia Ann Stallings-
continued from page 1
for the Liberation of the Black Community in New
York. She was a member of the Ndundu of the
Council of Independent Black Institutions (CIBI).
She believed in the principles of sisterhood and was
a support member of the Spirit of Sisterhood in New
York. In Chicago, she became a member of the Shule
ya Watoto Sisterhood, the Kusoma Sisterhood, the
Kusoma Study Group, and the Council of Sisterhoods.
In December 2011, Mama Folami was elevated and
enstooled in Bolozi Wazee, the Shule ya Watoto elders
council, and given the name Safiya, meaning Clear-
minded.
In 2001, Mama Folami was beset with health
problems. Nana Safiya Folami Patricia Ann Stallings
went to sleep with the ancestors Osanaa 16 - August
16, 2012. Celebrating this illustrative journey are Nana
Safiya Folamis beloved sister, Betty Stallings-Murray
and beloved brother Errol Vincent Stallings, her
adored nieces and nephews, caring relatives, sisters
in sisterhood, and comrades in the advancement of
African people.
Celebration of Life Services
In Chicago, Nana Safiya Folamis Celebration of
Life Service was held EbO 22 - September 22, 2012
at Gatlings Chapel with Priest Yvonne Jones as the
officiant.
The drum call and processional of family and elders
were followed by libations offered by Mzee Kombon
Johnson of the Shule ya Watoto Bolozi Wazee and
recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance to the African
Flag (This Flag of Mine authored by Nana Amy
Jacques Garvey).
Remarks and tributes were given by Elder T.M. Myers
of the Roosevelt University Upward Bound program;
Nana Safiya Folamis sista friends Almaz Oko, Diane
Obioma Middleton, Tinuke Angola, Tinah Judah-
Peterson and Themba Love; and, Mzee Kombon and
Baba Gimbu Kali of the Shule ya Watoto Brotherhood,
Mama Soyini Walton of New Concept Development
Center, and Mama Kadi Sisay-Boone of the Council
of Sisterhoods.
More heartfelt tributes and expressions were offered
by Nana Sayifa Folamis family, CIBIs Mzee Kofi
Lomotey and Mzee Mwalimu Shujaa and members of
the community-at-large. Mama Zakiya A. Williams
coordinated acknowledgements, resolutions and
the silent reading of Nana Safiya Folamis obituary.
Storyteller Edie Armstrong and songs by Rosetta Cash
and Theopolis Reed added to the artistic dimension of
the service.
Priest Jones offered the Kemetic prayer, Hotep di
Nswt, and the service concluded with the recessional
and the song We Have Done Black Things Today She was my daughters Godmother and teacher at the Shule Ya Watoto. Most of all, she was a good friend. I had to
and the traditional Seven Strong Harambees.
FUNDISHA! TEACH! page 12
Remarks on Behalf of CIBI
In spirit, we have travelled to Chicago to join with you in the celebration of the life of Mama Folami Stallings.
Our relationship with Mama Folami goes back more than 30 years. We first met her while she was working here
in Chicago with Baba Hannibal Tirus Afrik in Shule ya Watoto. Shule ya Watoto was a member of the Council of
Independent Black Institutions or CIBI.
Founded in 1972, CIBI is the national and global membership and accrediting organization for individuals, families
and institutions that advocate and implement African-centered education in Africa, Europe and the United States.
Mama Folami was deeply committed to the work of CIBI.
Mama Folami was like a sister to us all. She was witty, bright, and thoughtful and had a warm sense of humor.
Moreover, she was always willing to take on and complete tasks that needed to be carried out within the organization.
To Mama Folamis family, we express the deepest condolences and undying love and commitment to each of you in
these trying times and beyond.
Mama Folami Stallings was not simply an older person or a senior citizen; she was a true elder. She was a
warrior, a teacher, a wise person, a guide, a role model and a decision maker. As Martin Luther King said, Older
people are not always wiser, but wisdom comes with experience and older people have more experiences. Mama
Folami Stallings shined as a true elder and, no doubt, she is now shining as an ancestor.
Well done my good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, now I make you ruler over many.
- Submitted by Mzee Kofi Lomotey & Mzee Mwalimu Shujaa,
Former Executive Officers of CIBI
Kusoma Sisterhood
(l-r) Mamas Angela Jackson, Dinah Judah, Folami (l-r) Mamas Molake Larry, Dinah Judah, Themba Love
Stallings, Imani and Themba Love. and Folami Stallings.
Remarks from A Brother Comrade
Hotep to all. I just wanted to share some of my thoughts on our dear sister Folami. Folami was the big sister I never
had. I first met her in 1974 when I started at Malcolm X College, right after high school. She chose to see the good
in me and develop it, rather than see the bad in me and curse it. My introduction to Folami represented a pivotal
turning point in my life. She was my introduction to Black nationalism in Chicago. She introduced me to Kwanzaa
and the principles of the Nguzo Saba, which I had never heard of before meeting her. She reintroduced me to Brother
Hannibal whom I knew as a child. She introduced me to the Communiversity/Center for Inner City Studies for
which I ended up working for 35 years and retiring from in December 2011. My introduction to Hannibal lead to
my involvement with the Shule Ya Watoto Brotherhood and the Survival Training Committee (OLSP). She made me
aware of people like Andy Thompson, Bobby Wright, Rufus Mitchell, Jake Carruthers, John Henrik Clarke, Yosef Ben-
Jochanan, Chancellor Williams, Naim Akbar, ASA Hillard, Len Jefferies, Maulana Karenga, etc., for the first time.
explain my relationship to Folami to every girlfriend Ive had for the past 38 years, because that was one friendship
that had to remain, no matter what. I was saddened by her deteriorating health condition. Someone with her talents,
experience and personality deserved to live a better life than she did. I last saw her in the hospital about a week
before she passed. I can honestly say that I am who I am, as a direct result of meeting Folami. I have absolutely no
idea what my life would have been like if I had not met her. I was terribly saddened at the news of her transition. I
will love her and miss her forever.
Hotep Sister Folami, may your spirit rest in peace, may you live a better, higher quality of life in the afterlife
than you were ever able to experience here on earth. It is now time to take your rightful place among our
esteemed ancestors who dedicated their lives to the upliftment, improvement, and ultimate liberation of Afrikan
people. May your exalted spirit live on as long as the sun shines, and the waters flow. Hotep.
- Submitted by Baba Gimbu Kali, Coordinator:
Outdoor Leadership Skills Program
More Expressions from the African World
I am saddened to learn of Mama Folamis transition. In 95, prior to working on my dissertation, she graciously
allowed me to tour [Institute of Positive Education/New Concept Development Center] and meet her students &
teachers. She will be sorely missed.
Baba Uhuru Hotep, Co-director: Kwame Ture Youth Leadership Institute, Pittsburgh, PA
.Im sure she will be missed by those who knew her.
Sis. As-Utchamet, CIBI Member and Coordinator: In Love Consulting, Bermuda
Keep the faith / keep working / never give up.
Mzee Wovoka Sobukwe, Co-director: Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom School & Culture Center, Etta, MS
Editors Note: Indeed. Keep the faith, keep working, never give up. Meda ase pii, asante sana, ngiyabonga,
esheo to you for your work, Nana Safiya Folami Patricia Ann Stallings.
 WINTER 2013-2014 FUNDISHA! TEACH! page 13
Nana Ausar Hannibal Tirus Afrik - continued from page 1

Dada Noni Charles, Executive Director/Founder of & Provost, Southern University and A&M College, Among the Tallest Trees, excerpted below:
Sankofa Spirit, who said, My father fought to the Baton Rouge, LA; Attorney Jack Childs, Central State
very end, which is a reflection of his everlasting spirit. University Alumni; Sister Rosetta Cash, Kemetic The ANCESTRAL VINEYARD OF BLACK
We will honor him and his legacy over the next two Institute; Baba Gimbu Kali, Outdoor Leadership Skills LIBERATION
weekends. We hope those he knew can attend, but if Project; Sis. Mary Bota, Division 429, United Negro Is adorned with monumental trees
not, my father knows the sincerity in your hearts and Improvement Association African Communities That are epic in stature
appreciates your prayers. League; Baba Kamau & Mama Mashariki Jywanza And represent epochs of struggle
and Bro. Joe Epps, NCOBRA, Indianapolis, IN; as As sterling examples of self-determination, resistance
Nana Ausar Hannibals funeral service in Chicago,
well as drumming and musical selections by Sun and perseverance
Illinois was preceded by a rousing evening memorial
Drummer Babu Atiba Walker, The Spiritual Journey For generations to learn
service on Friday, July 8, 2011 at Malcolm X College
Ensemble, Najway Dance Corps, Sister Maggie Brown For generations to follow
Auditorium, impeccably officiated by Mzee Conrad
and Mama Chavunduka. Priest Yvonne Jones, Temple For generations yet born
Worrill, representing the National Black United Front
of the African Community of Chicago, opened the
and a long-time friend of Ausar Hannibal. Mzee
memorial service on Saturday with libation and along Baba Hannibal now stands with these legendary trees
Worrill was assigned (by Baba Hannibal as alluded
with Mzee Worrill, closed out the program. And is among the tallest
to by Baba Worrill) to develop and conduct the
service, which he did to the letter. The Bolozi Wazee - The Final Call article also highlighted commanding Nana Ausar Hannibal will be missed, but there is
the council of elders of Shule Ya Watoto, the Chicago praise statements from Mzee Kofi Lomotey and Mzee much work to do and his expectation would be that
school co-founded by Baba Hannibal - processed into Mwalimu Shujaa, both former National Executive we continue the struggle of liberation of our people
the auditorium to the rhythm of the drums. Officers of the Council of Independent Black in your respective areas. He is among the tallest trees,
Mzee Kweku Agyeman spoke in his salute, In some Institutions and close compatriots of Ausar Hannibal. but he stoops to sharpen his sword, whisper in our
cases the only thing these organizations may have had Brother Kofi Lomotey shared Nana Hannibals ears, and continues the fight for Afrikan sovereignty
in common was Hannibal. But, Hannibal was there. penchant for marriage, crediting him with saving Kofis from the other side.
He did not turn his face from those he knew. He now thirty-six years of marriage. Brother Mwalimu
understood what it means to act for those who act for shared tidbits of the friendship Babathat Hannibals Role Models
the three (Nana
you/us. And so it was that the common denominator Hannibal, Kofi, and he) shared by relating stories of It is time to lay additional bricks on the foundation
brought all of us together. The memorial service Nana Hannibals ability to have fun and relax. of our Afrikan Legacy, our Inheritance, for our
was that place where those who Father
are about the work children. The New Afrikan Identity we promised
On August 7, 2011, with the permission of Nana
of Afrikan people, some whoCaptain,
knew each Harold E. Charles
other and them is the
Hannibals family, the Leadership Council for Pan
others who met each other for the first time, gathered African Nationalists in Washington, DC, held a 40- Birthright we must leave our children, who will add
to pay tribute to Baba Hannibal. Captain, US Army Chaplain Corps to it and leave it to their children, who will add to it
day rites memorial celebration at NationHouses 770
and leave it to their children....
Saturdays funeral service at Woodlawn African Park Road location. Begining with libation by Nana
Methodist Episcopal ChurchMother was a soul-stirring, Kwabena Brown, the program featured a variety of - Nana Ausar Hannibal Tirus Afrik
standing-room-only service that included only a frac- organizational leaders. Remembrances and praises June 13, 2010
Oreitha K. Charles from Mzee Agyei and Mzee Akua Akoto, Mzee El
tion of the speakers from the previous evenings me-
morial service, but one, a Senzengakulu Zulu, Baba Kalonji Olusegun, Brother
surprise to many, was Min- Senghor Jawara Baye, Baba Lumumba, Mama Nia
WifeMama Bernida Thompson, and Mama Yaa
Kuumba,
ister Louis Farrakhan who Mzee Ausar Hannibal Tirus Afrik: May We Be
credited Nana Ausar Han- Mama
Asantewa Marini
Akoto were Afrik
offered to a sizeable group of
Guided by Your Example
nibal with helping him Afrikans impacted in some way by Ausar Hannibal.
Beloved Queen of 37 year of marriage for her unswerving affirmation of her wedding vow to
Songs were brought by Blacknotes, and Farafina Kans
to find his purpose as re- Contributed by Mzee Mwalimu J. Shujaa (Kweku
ported in the Finalcall.com Youthme:Ensemble performed a drum call and dance.
Agyeman) on behalf of CIBI
on August 10, 2011. The Out ofItown
takeguests
thisincluded
man to Baba be my Baye Kemit, current
husband, to honor, love and cherish from this day forward.
article continued, When co-facilitator of CIBI, and Mzee Sekou Owusu.
some wanted to take my In riches
Interspersed or poor the program were words ...Baba Hannibal was one
throughout Statements from
of the very few elders Baba
- men - H
in our national community that I have personally come
of inspiration fromandNana Hannibal gleaned from
life, it was Baba Hannibal
his
In sickness
annual participation
in health
in the Sankofa Conference.
in contact with who with all his theoretical knowledge, July 2003
and others who stood with education and wisdom - knew how to relate to the
me, the Minister said, re- Till death
Noteworthy do us
was the clappart December
of thunder 16, 1955
that resounded
people. In my time in his presence he spoke to and
calling the late 1970s and during one of the recordings of Nana Hannibal.
December 16, 1955 Revolutionary Love through the people in very plain language that we could
early 1980s as he sought to
Nana Ausar Hannibals organization, Community all understand. He often offered personal anecdotes or
rebuild the Nation of Islam. The Minister noted that It is very easy for us to fall out with
Youth Achievers, held a one-year celebration in his lessons from his life as assistance to us young men.
the man and woman who findMarcus Mosiah
their purpose and Garvey
ful-
fill it are indeed blessed individuals, noting that Nana
memory in Chicago at Malcolm X College on June the value of each other despite our diff
Diallo Sumbry
Pan Afrikan Hero 30, 2012. The program included reflections from
Hannibal fit that description.
the community, the Bolozi Wazee, the Outdoor Be not arrogant because of your knowledge. Take
counsel with the ignorant as well as with the wise. For
No eye was dry as a tall, handsome reminder of Leadership Skills Project, Shule Ya Watoto, and family The manifestation of revolutionary lov
Baba Hannibal took the podium Malcolm X the crowd members. Attendees were asked to bring pictures to the limits of knowledge in any field have never been set
to speak to
of his father. Ndugu Sekou Charles
El Hajj spoke lovingly
Malik El of share in the Gallery Walk fittingly entitled The Life, and no on
Shabazz
one the quality
has ever reachedofthem.
ones character
Wisdom is rarer and t
than emeralds and yet it is found among the women
his father, his fathers work, and the example of love Love and Legacy of a Warrior. The commemorative defines what position one takes when
and struggle his parents left forStrong example
him. Baba of Black
Hannibals Nationalist
program, included a beautifully written who gather at the grindstones.
Leadership
in full color,
companion, Mama Anana Nyaumu-Wi, spoke biography of Nana Ausar Hannibal Afrik from his character is consistence,Ptah-Hotep it predicts you
lovingly of the warrior-teacher-friend she came to momentous birth through the accomplishments of The twoabout epigraphseachaboveother,
set thethere is this
tone for notbrief
much do
Martin
know and love over the past several Luther
years. King Jr.
Dada Noni his life including his marriage of thirty-seven and essay dedicated to the memory of our elder and
spoke of continuing her fathers Alegacy
moralandcompass whoone-half
work with said: years to Mama Marini, their children, his everlasting situation.
friend, Mzee AsAusarnationalist
Hannibal Tirus weAfrik.
dont talk
Community Youth Achievers in Mississippi and his research, and teaching at Farragut High School on In the first, Diallo Sumbry,have a young man in his 30s,of you
He who has nothing the to die
Westfor, has
Side of nothing
Chicago with to live
the for
When others expectations
hopes of being a speaks from his heart about Baba Hannibals ability to
love for his people.
scientific missionary to continuously,
black youth, to theitfounding
is easiershare
forwisdom
your inword to could
ways we be your bond." The
all understand.
In addition, tributes were offered on Friday and/ of Shule Ya Watoto.
second, from the teachings of Ptah-Hotep, reminds us
or Saturday from Sister ZerrieOsagyefo
D. Campbell,Kwame
Former Nkrumah
that wisdom is rare, but people with wisdom to share
President of Malcolm X College; Thought AndersonactionIncluded
Mzeewithout is empty,alsoaction
were statements
without from Nana Hannibal
thought is blind
On Balance
Thompson, Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner and a listing of his role models and specific statements
can be found anywhere, if one is willing to receive it.
City Studies, Northeastern Illinois University; or aspects of their Im still not able to adequately balance on
Mzee Kofi Lomotey, Council of Independent Black lives which inspired Gentleness in conduct of every kind causes the
Institutions; Sister Mary James, Farragut High School, him. It included are relaxing,wise wetoare not working. I use to b
be praised
teacher and colleague; Sister Sarudzayi Sevanhu, All- his parents, his Yes, Baba Hannibal would talk to anyone and
African Peoples Revolutionary Party; Mzee Demetri wife, Nana Marcus everyone. He was also willing to listen to and learn
Marshall, physician and KUSH District New Afrikan Mosiah Garvey, In
frommy marriage,
anyone I had
and everyone. Babaseparated my physica
Hannibal accepted
Nationalists, Port Gibson, MS; Attorney Mawuli Davis, Nana Malcolm X, wisdom on its own terms and, in doing so, he grew
of
evenmy absences.
wiser. Id come home late, eat and
Davis Bozeman Law Firm, Atlanta, GA; Mzee Agyei Nana Martin L. King,
and Mzee Akua Akoto, Ankobea Society, Washington, and Nana Osagyefo communication.
It is likely that noMy wife
person and I with
associated werethetalkin
DC; Mzee Sekou Owusu, President, Republic of New Kwame Nkrumah. Council of Independent Black Institutions is as widely
Afrika; Mzee Marimba Ani, MAAT, Inc., Atlanta, His essence was
what
remembered struggleby the was
studentsabout,
who and then
represented she wou
their
GA; Baba Osei David Andrews-Hutchinson, African eloquently captured schoolssomething
that at the CIBI Science
wasEXPO goingas Mzee
to goHannibal.
wrong (at t
Brotherhood Council; Mzee Safisha & Mzee Haki by Mzee Useni The first of these annual events was held in 1977. That
Madhubuti, Founders, Institute of Positive Education; Perkins in his poetic wife
year, and wrote me thereafter
every year letter about that theeight pages. She
CIBI Science
Mzee Mwalimu Shujaa, Executive Vice-Chancellor tribute, He is Now EXPO was held, Mzee Hannibal judged students
the letter, but something told me to read it.
continued on page 14
listen. I could feel her pain. She felt isolated, detached. She felt lik
 Once the Shule started in 1972, Hannibal worked at the high school in
the day time and the Shule in the evening. For twenty-years Hannibal
worked from 14-17 hours a day. Baba Hannibal was undeniably devoted
to the development of an African centered curriculum that would inspire black children. For that, we are
eternally grateful.
WINTER 2013-2014
Nana Ausar Hannibal Tirus Afrik - continued from page 13
Baba Hannibal at Shule ya Watoto in the 1970s. Mama Folami Stallings is at rear left.
projects. And, every year he asked students to explain their projects and tell him
the ways in which those projects would benefit African people.
A shield is not made on the battlefield
This proverb was one that Baba Hannibal used often. He believed in
being prepared for the expected as well as the unexpected. He was not always an
elder, he became one. The choices he made across the seasons of his life are what
prepared him to be the elder he became. The Akan people believe, in fact, that one
cannot become an ancestor without first becoming an elder. In fact, in the cycle
of life it is the very old and the very young who are closest to the ancestors. As he
aged, Hannibal committed himself to learning about and exemplifying the roles,
functions, and responsibilities of being an elder.
Mzee Hannibal prepared himself to be the example that was needed.
He studied the traditions of the Akan and others and set about the business of
establishing himself as a National Training Elder and took on the responsibility
of teaching others what he had learned about being an elder. To my knowledge, the
designation of National Training Elder did not exist before Hannibal created it.
Baba Hannibal did not just get old and declare himself an elder. No, his shield was
ready. If, indeed, living a moral and generative life is the condition for becoming
an elder, and becoming an elder is requisite to becoming an ancestor, we can be
certain that the ancestors welcomed him.
Gain respect and trust through speaking openly and truthfully
In ancient KMT, a wise and humble man whose name was Khun-Anup
said, in part, Do not turn your face from one whom you know. Be not blind to
one whom you have seen and do not reject one who petitions you... . Act for one
who acts for you. Do not listen to everyone, but call those who have a just cause.
Apply Khun-Anups words to Baba Hannibals willingness to work with any
organization that he believed was righteously committed to fighting for African
people.
He stood for and fought for organizations demanding civil rights
for African people, human rights for African people, Black power for African
people, self-determination for African people, nationhood for African people,
reparations for African people, African-centered education for African people,
inter-generational rites of passage for African people, and for Africa for Africans
at home and abroad. In some cases the only thing these organizations may have
had in common was Hannibal. But, Hannibal was there. He did not turn his face
from those he knew. He understood what it means to act for those who act for
you/us. He understood the importance of supporting those who were committed
to a just cause the uplift of African people.
Make the memory of you last through love of you
The stories we pass on across the generations about the times in which
we live are ours to share across the generations. The Africans of the Nile Valley
civilizations preserved words of wise instruction that they knew would be needed
thousands of generations later. Therefore, let us be certain that we hold up the life
of Hannibal Tirus Afrik as a wise and great warrior-teacher who rose up from
among the people who lived during the third and fourth generations following
the 400 years of physical bondage of Africans in the Americas.
The record of this mans life will tell Africans generations hence of his
lifelong commitment to his family; of his unparalleled personal discipline; of
his ability to work through excruciating physical pain; of his ability to remain
mentally and intellectually clear in the face of relentless efforts to distract and
misdirect his commitment to African sovereignty.
Baba Hannibals example of African excellence is his legacy to us. This
gift of experience is sorely needed in this period within the Historical Spirocycle
of African peoples movement through time and space. Baba Hannibal becomes
the transcendent example of what is possible for an African to be. His faith will
guide those among us who are pulling ourselves out of the Maafa (season of
destruction). His ability to endure will strengthen those among us ascending
from the depths of Isfet (maximal disorder and chaos). His eternal optimism will
give substance to Khephera (season of convergence and rebirth) that will focus
our resolve. His name will be called in the season of Kuroka (reconstruction)
as we give full expression to a sovereign African world that is unambiguously
grounded in and protective of its traditions. His spirit will rejoice in the triumph
of Maat over Isfet.
Our responsibility to posterity is to inform those who need to know and
those who desire to know that, there was no truer friend than Hannibal Tirus
Afrik. He criticized us when we were wrong and praised us when we did well.
The criticism was private, the praise public. Whats more, he would be the first to
acknowledge and correct his own errors. He was our big brother. We are better
men and women because of him.
FUNDISHA! TEACH! page 14
Life Journey: Nana Hannibal Afrik
Special to Fundisha!Teach!
Harold Emanuel Charles, III was born June 5, 1935 to the union of Rev. Harold E.
and Oreitha K. Charles, Jr. in Greenville, SC. He was their only son.
He attended elementary school in Lynn, MA and Newport, RI. He
graduated from Rogers High School in Newport. After graduating from Rogers
High he enrolled in Central State University in Wilberforce, OH. In 1955 he
received a B.S. degree in
biology, an M. Ed in the
teaching of science from
Chicago Teachers College
and an Advanced Certificate
in Administration and
Curriculum from the
University of Chicago.
Additionally, he received
certificates of achievement
from Howard University in
African Affairs and did post-
graduate work in Inner City
Education at Northwestern . . .with his Family
Illinois University, Chicago.
Following graduation from Central State University, he served in the U.S.
Army as a 1st Lt. He was united in Holy Matrimony to Mary Ann Mason in
December 1955 in Lexington, Kentucky.
In 1958, he and his family moved to Chicago where he joined and became
an active member of Woodlawn African Methodist Episcopal Church. He began
a career in research biochemistry, becoming an acclaimed scientist, but changed
to become a teacher after attending the 1963 March on Washington. He taught
for over 30 years at Farragut High School, and 8 years at Northeastern Illinois
University. He taught all levels from pre-school to GED to graduate school. He
became an acclaimed educator with over 50 awards, including 3 national awards,
and, in 1975, the coveted STAR Award from the National Science Teachers
Association.
In 1968, he left the Illinois National Guard at the rank of Captain to
become a committed community activist leading the Black Teachers Association
in a community control movement, using the Farragut Black Manifesto as
a model. Later, in February 1972, he co-founded the Shule Ya Watoto (School
for Children), an independent community institution on Chicagos Westside,
and took the name Baba Hannibal Afrik. The institution succeeded for 31 years
through self-reliance, including 15 years as a full-time school.
Among the many organizations over 50 years in which he held leadership
positions are: Council of Independent Black Institutions (CIBI); Afrikan National
Rites of Passage United Kollective (ANROPUK); National Coalition of Blacks
for Reparations in America (NCOBRA); Republic of New Afrika (RNA); and,
beginning in1995, Malcolm X Colleges Annual Kwanzaa Celebration.
After moving to Mississippi in 1999, he joined St. Peters African Methodist
Episcopal Church in Port Gibson, MS. He served as a driver transporting
children to various church activities. In 2004, he organized the Community
Youth Achievers, Inc. (CYA) in Hermanville, Mississippi. There, he established
the Environmental Village Campus as a prototype sustainable community. On
this 5-acre homestead, CYA provided urban and rural survival training through
the Outdoor Leadership Skills Project, Southern Region.
On Monday, June 27, 2011, God called Nana Hannibal Tirus Afrik
home to rest from the labors of this life. He leaves to cherish his memory: four
children, Debra Davenport, Harold IV, Theresa Noni Charles, and Sekou; four
grandchildren, Richard, Jr., Danielle, Darius, and Allana; two great-grandchildren,
Riyana and Richard III; one sister, Marye Phillips (Arties); special friend Mama
Anana Nyaumu-wi; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
Baba Hannibal Afrik was preceded in death by his parents, his wife of 37
and one-half years, Nana Marini Afrik, and his sisters, Faith and Hope.
------------------------------------------------------
Editors Note: Nana Hannibals daughter, Dada Noni Charles, is now the
administrator of Community Youth Achievers (CYA). Readers are encouraged to
contact her at (678) 699-3357 or theresac@sankofaspirit.com for information
about supporting Nana Hannibals work.
Shule ya Watoto Brotherhood, circa 1976. Rear l-r: Mwanza Buford, Asante Nalls, Hanni-
bal Afrik, Bob Johnson, Kwesi Hopkins Namda, Louis Wright. Front: Kambon Johnson,
Mpindazi Chini, Kabaili Gray, Bro. Winston, Shaka Afrik. Photo by Sis. Kofi.
 WINTER 2013-2014
Nana Kay Helene Ellerbe Stancil - Continued from page 1
Mama Kay, far right with seated granddaughter (daugh-
ter of son, Baba Kimani Stancil) and (l-r) Mama Yanira;
daughter Mama Atiya Stancil; and Maarifa lead teacher,
Mama Odell Wilson
(now closed) in East Baltimore. The Stancil Family
has committed their lives to educating African
people, beginning with their own children. They
founded Maarifa Childrens Center, first in their
home in Bolton Hill, and then at 1532 McCullough
Street in Upton. Mama Kay was teacher and director
with many other talented teachers in the African
community. As their first decade was completed, they
transitioned to 3800 Gwynn Oak Avenue to establish
the Maarifa Shule Ya Msingi/Upili - the Maarifa
Elementary and Middle School. The school was
located in the beautiful residential area of Howard
Park in West Baltimore with land for gardens, play,
and environmental sciences. The school focused on
promoting confidence, intelligence, and ancestral
connections through history, science, reading,
writing, and math fundamentals. Within a safe and
secure environment, the Maarifa School completed
annual science fairs for pre-K to 8th grade, and gave
expert and master teaching in music, Wolof, French,
Spanish, and African dance and drum. Over 30 years
of service, many African children were educated
holistically with parent involvement as required by
the school and community.
The Stancil Family gives praise and heartfelt thanks
to the hundreds of families and community members
who have encouraged, supported and critiqued the
institution through its 30-plus-year history. Mama
Kay has received grassroots community awards and
national awards for her consistent work with Maarifa
Shule Ya Msingi/Upili. She was an honored Ndundu
member of the Council of Independent Black Institu-
tions (CIBI).
Mama Kay Helene Ellerbe Stancils commitment to
African people is confirmed by her belief that African
people are the truth-bringers and the supreme com-
passionate warriors and mothers of the entire uni-
verse. To be clear, Mama Kay took pride in her peo-
ple with full acknowledgement of her peoples origin,
beauty and accomplishments. Both she and her sister,
Carole, dedicated themselves to developing the lives
and personhood of all children.
Nana Kay and the late Nana McCauley Stancil Jr. com-
mitted fully to developing opportunities for children
to grow. Both of their children earned doctorates.
Nana Kays woman-child, Mama Atiya Njeri Stancil,
graduated in psychology from Lincoln University in
Pennsylvania and achieved her doctorate in bio-psy-
chology at Howard University. She plays tenor saxo-
phone, clarinet, and piano, and is also a strong tennis
player. Nana Kays man-child, Baba Kimani A. Stancil,
graduated in physics and mathematics from the Uni-
versity of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC), and
achieved his doctorate in physics at the Massachu-
setts Institute of Technology (MIT). Presently, Baba
Kimani is a professor of physics at Howard Univer-
sity. He is a champion and master-level chess player
and was also a member of the first class of Meyerhoff
Scholars at UMBC. And just days before Nana Kays
transition, he received an Outstanding Alumni Award
from UMBC for the mathematics and natural scienc-
es. Nana Kay Helene Ellerbe Stancil and her husband,
Nana McCauley Stancil Jr. led by example, and shared
openly from the heart to impact the lives of their chil-
dren and beyond!
FUNDISHA! TEACH! page 15
Her sense of planning, logistics and preparation
waswell, mathematical. We always felt secure and
comfortable in the African space she carved out for
our gatherings.
In 2009, I found myself at the BWI airports AMTRAK
station waiting to be transported to Virginia. I was
wearing a t-shirt which referred to African-centered
education. A brother wearing a Nana Marcus Garvey
t-shirt and I caught each others eyes. We struck up a
conversation. His first question was, Do you know of
Mama Kay Stancil and Maarifa Shule? He went on
to speak about how important Mama Kay and Maarifa
had been to his daughters educational development.
We find it significant that a person we had never met
Nana McCauley Stancil, co-founder of from the Baltimore community would on the topic of
Maarifa Shule/ya Msingi/Upili African education immediately bring up the person
Nana Kay Helene Ellerbe Stancil was preceded in we had first met from the Baltimore community and the
death by her sister Carole Elizabeth Ellerbe Wiggs, institution we most associate with African education
and by her husband Nana McCauley Stancil, Jr.; by there: Mama Kay and Maarifa Shule.
her brother Russell Ellerbe, Jr., and by her parents Mama Kay was indeed a great, gifted and brilliant
Russell and Martha Ellerbe. She is survived by two educator as evidenced by her students, and maybe
(2) children her man-child Kimani Atiim Stancil most importantly by her own children, Kimani and
and woman-child Atiya Njeri Stancil and two (2) Atiya.
grandchildren Kali Amari Love-Stancil and Aren
Nassor Vilsama; (her sister Caroles children) one Not only was she brilliant and gifted, she was among
niece Terrie Ames, and three (3) nephews Isaiah the most committed of Africans as evidenced by her
Wiggs III, Michael E. Wiggs, Anthony Michel; responding to and staying with one of, if not the most
eight (8) grandnieces and nephews, three (3) great- challenging task in African nationbuildingone many
grandnieces and nephews; (husband McCauleys give up on: The task of building and maintaining an
family) two (2) great aunts - Vivian Brown and Rachel independent African educational institution, and
Jenkins, one (1) nephew Malik Lively and one (1) keeping it independent and African for over 30 years!
grandnephew and one (1) grandniece; many cousins Such dedication to re-creating an African mind in
(from Maryland, Connecticut and North Carolina); African people generally doesnt result in one becoming
her daughter-in-law Nicole Sharlene Love and the rich and famous. And despite the love shown and years
Love Family, extended family and dear friends invested, it will sometimes result in receiving more than
including the children, parents, and teachers of the ones fair share of hardship and criticism.
Maarifa Shules 30-plus years.
To do more than write books about it, give speeches and
conduct workshops about it, but to institutionalize it
and keep that institution running for 30 years and to
have your children as shining examples of it is indeed
a most major, major accomplishment!
We salute Mama Kay today and ask her Family to
accept our condolences on her passing, her transition.
We share your pride in her having been welcomed Home
with open arms by the Creator and our ancestors.
Our collective strength stands with you as you adjust to
Life without her physical presence. Like the drummer,
her beat, her rhythm lives on.
Our strength is each others, and in the Spirit of Umoja
(Unity) and Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)
we continue to share each others joys, each others
sorrows, each others burdens, and each others blessings.
We will continue to remember and honor the work and
Mama Kay giving traditional one-with-one instruction memory of both of your parents and Family leaders:
Nana Kay Helene Ellerbe Stancil and Nana McCauley
Celebration of Life Services Stancil, Jr.
The memorial service for Mama Kay was held May the Creator continue to bless you and give you
Saturday, Ahinime 27-October 27, 2012 at the Peace.
Northwood Appold Community Center in Baltimore. - Respectfully submitted by Mzee Sanyika Anwisye
In addition to the traditional elements of drum call on behalf of your sister village-institution:
and libations, Words of Joy were given by Nana Iya Hofi ni Kwenu Academy/Douglass
Mari and Nana Kwabena Brown, who helped guide Institute/New African Village, St. Louis, MO
the spiritual dimension of the celebration. Nana Kays
Editors Note: As most of us who are involved in this
son, Baba Kimani, shared, Everyone said that the Movement know, the work of independent Black
ceremony was absolutely beautiful, and I do agree,
institution operation requires enormous commitment,
but also add that it was powerful for all who attended focus and sacrifice, and generates great financial need
which included family, friends, former students
many times personal financial need. More for some
and parents of Maarifa, and my Howard University and less for others, but financial need nonetheless. As
research group and students/faculty .
the Stancils have made that need known, we would
encourage readers to respond with tokens of appreciation
Remarks From a Sister Village-Institution and support. Baba Kimani says that money received will
In November 1994, Mama Kay and I were inducted help pay for funeral and Family expenses. Any overage
and initiated on behalf of our respective institutions to will be directed to a scholarship fund and a literary
the first Ndundu of the Council of Independent Black project honoring Nana Kay and Nana McCauley. For
Institutions (CIBI). more information, please contact Baba Kimani at
She was known to be a hard, creative and consistent gmkimanis@gmail.com.
worker with a pleasant demeanor but with a take-
care-of-business manner. She was the coordinating and
driving force behind many of CIBIs most successful
conferences and conventions, including those at St.
Helena Island, South Carolina in the mid- to late-1990s
and in the year 2000.
 WINTER 2013-2014 FUNDISHA! TEACH! page 16

Passages The Rebuilding of a Nation Begins in the Homes of its Families

Akoma Ntoaso
Symbol of united hearts Marriage Beginnings. . .

Baba Sekou Kofi Owusu

Hearts joined by the Creator can never
be broken apart by man.
Baba Kweku Agyeman-
Mwalimu Shujaa of the
Ankobea Society, based
in Washington, DC and
Mama Bobbie Muhammad
of the Nation of Islam, both
of the CIBI community of
Baton Rouge, LA, entered
the path of marriage as
they and their families
were joined May 25, 2013.
May the Creator continue
to bless and the ancestors
continue to support
their union. The CIBI
community celebrates with
the Agyeman-Shujaa and
Muhammad families.
Ndugu Kofi Atsu Kamassah
of the Accra community
of Ghana and Dada
Afua Serwaa Owens of
the Ankobea Society/
NationHouse and NSAA
community based in
Washington, DC entered
the path of marriage as
they and their families were
joined September 22, 2012.
May the Creator continue
to bless and the ancestors
continue to support
this union. The CIBI
community celebrates with
the Kamassah and Owens
families.
of the Provisional
Government-Republic of
Ndugu Bongani Jabulani Ndugu TShango New Afrika, Brooklyn,
Mashele of the Madadeni Mbilishaka of the NY community and
community of Azania/ Ankobea Society/Nation Mama Abena Makini
South Africa and Dada House community of Niliwaambieni of
Imani Rafiki Msafiri Washingon, DC and the Ankobea Society/
Anwisye of the New Dada Afiya Mangum of NationHouse community
African Village/Hofi ni the Association of Black and Leadership Council of
Kwenu Academy-Douglass Psychologists, Washington, Pan-African Nationalists,
Institute community of St. DC community entered both based in Washington,
Louis, MO entered the path the path of marriage as DC, entered the path
of marriage as they and they and their families of marriage as they and
their families were joined were joined August 4, their families were joined
May 1, 2011. May the 2012. May the Creator August 11, 2012. May the
Creator continue to bless continue to bless and the Creator continue to bless
and the ancestors continue ancestors continue to and the ancestors continue
to support this union. The support this union. The to support this union. The
CIBI community celebrates CIBI community celebrates CIBI community celebrates
with the Mashele and with the Mbilishaka and with the Owusu and
Anwisye families. Mangum families. Niliwaambieni families.

Anniversaries. . .
Baba Kwame Agyei Akoto and Mama Akua of their marriage July 3, 2014. May the Creator union. The CIBI community celebrates with the
Nson Akoto the Ankobea Society/NationHouse continue to bless and the ancestors continue Anwisye family.
community of Washington, DC entered the 44th to support this union. The CIBI community
year of their marriage September 3, 2013. May celebrates with the Frempong family. Baba Asukile and Mama Akua Allrich of the
the Creator continue to bless and the ancestors Ankobea Society/NationHouse community of
continue to support this union. The CIBI Baba Anura and Mama Rekhet Si-Asar of the Washington, DC entered the 11th year of their
community celebrates with the Akoto family. Imhotep Academy community of Minneapolis, marriage August 10, 2013. May the Creator
MN will enter the 20th year of their marriage continue to bless and the ancestors continue
Baba Kwabena Dan Willis and Mama Esi Madge July 22, 2014. May the Creator continue to bless to support this union. The CIBI community
Willis of the Nsoromma School community and the ancestors continue to support this union. celebrates with the Allrich family.
of Atlanta, GA will enter the 42nd year of their The CIBI community celebrates with the Si-Asar
marriage June 16, 2014. May the Creator continue family. Baba Baye and Iya Makeda Kemit of the The
to bless and the ancestors continue to support Garvey School/Egun Omode Shule community
this union. The CIBI community celebrates with Baba Kweku and Mama Yaa Akoto of the of Trenton, NJ will enter the 9th year of their
the Willis family. Ankobea Society/NationHouse community of marriage July 1, 2014. May the Creator continue
Washington, DC will begin the 19th year of their to bless and the ancestors continue to support
Baba Sanyika and Mama Makini Anwisye of the marriage April 10, 2014. May the Creator continue this union. The CIBI community celebrates with
New African Village/Hofi ni Kwenu Academy- to bless and the ancestors continue to support the Kemit family.
Douglass Institute community of St. Louis, MO this union. The CIBI community celebrates with
entered the 39th year of their marriage January the Akoto family.
28, 2014. May the Creator continue to bless and
the ancestors continue to support this union. The Baba Sekou and Iya Olade Olayinka of the Egbe
CIBI community celebrates with the Anwisye Ijoba and Ijoba Shule community of Philadelphia, Odo Nyera Fie Kwan
family. PA entered the 18th year of their marriage Love does not get lost on its way home
December 19, 2013. May the Creator continue to
Baba Kofi and Mama Nahuja Lomotey of the bless and the ancestors continue to support this
CIBI community of Atlanta, GA will enter the union. The CIBI community celebrates with the
38th year of their marriage April 30, 2014. May Olayinka family.
the Creator continue to bless and the ancestors
continue to support this union. The CIBI Baba Agyei Osei Akoto and Mama Mahvu Farai
community celebrates with the Lomotey family. Akoto of the Ankobea Society/NationHouse
community of Washington, DC began the 13th
Baba Kwao and Mama Lifoma Agyeman of the year of their marriage August 18, 2013. May
Ankobea Society/NationHouse community of the Creator continue to bless and the ancestors
Washington, DC entered the 24th year of their continue to support this union. The CIBI
marriage August 15, 2013. May the Creator community celebrates with the Akoto family.
continue to bless and the ancestors continue
to support this union. The CIBI community Baba Moyenda and Mama Reggae Anwisye
celebrates with the Agyeman family. of the New African Village/Hofi ni Kwenu
Acedemy-Douglass Institute community of St.
Baba Kwabena and Mama Yaa Frempong of Louis, MO began the 13th year of their marriage
the Ankobea Society/NationHouse community December 15, 2013. May the Creator continue to
based in Washington, DC will enter the 21st year bless and the ancestors continue to support this Symbol of Love, devotion and faithfulness
 WINTER 2013-2014 FUNDISHA! TEACH! page 17

Passages Life is war, Family is our army.

My greatest desire for Afrikan children is that they become strong Afrikan women

Births. . .
and men committed to the Afrikan Way, they marry strong Afrikan complements
committed to the Afrikan Way, and they be blessed with healthy children whom
they raise in the Afrikan Way.
-Ena Yaa Mawusi Baruti

Symbol of parental protection and discipline

tempered with love.

Agyei Akinyele Abdul-Rasheed Chinyere Afia Tandiwe Ayoluwa Anwisye

was born December 6, 2009 to Baba Hakeem and
Mama Jocelyn Abdul-Rasheed, guest members of
the New African Village/Hofi ni Kwenu Academy-
Douglass Institute community of St. Louis, MO.
May the Creator continue to bless and the ancestors
continue to support the rearing of this boy child. The
CIBI community rejoices with the Abdul-Rasheed
family.
was born October 23, 2009 to Baba Moyenda and Mama
Reggae Anwisye of the New African Village/Hofi ni
Kwenu Academy-Douglass Institute community of St.
Louis, MO. May the Creator continue to bless and the
ancestors continue to support the rearing of this girl
child. The CIBI community rejoices with the Anwisye
family. If the feet of the hen tread on its chicks, they
are not meant to kill them but protect them.

Transitions. . .
Mzee Hannibal Tirus Afrik, born June 5, 1934, passed June 27, 2011 at the
age of 77. Nana Hannibal, former CIBI Public Relations Officer and Ndundu
Member, is founder of Shule ya Watoto (Chicago, IL) and Community Youth
Achievers (Hermanville, MS). Community Youth Achievers is now directed
by his daughter, Dada Noni Charles and based in Atlanta, GA. May the
Creator continue to bless and the ancestors continue to support this family.
The CIBI community is with the Afrik-Charles family at this difficult time.
Mzee Frances Jarnegan, born August 30, 1928, passed September 17, 2011
at the age of 83. Nana Frances, an elder with the Sudan Illustrators (St.
Louis, MO) and the former Afrikan National Rites of Passage Kollective,
and founder of the Uhuru Freedom School, is a member of the New African
Village/Hofi ni Kwenu Academy-Douglass Institute community of St. Louis,
MO. May the Creator continue to bless and the ancestors continue to support
this family. The CIBI community is with the Jarnegan family at this difficult
time.
Mzee Abena D. Zulu, born May 4, 1941, passed in March 2012 at the age of
70. She is the sister of Mzee El Senzengakulu Zulu, director of the Ujamaa
School of Washington, DC. May the Creator continue to bless and the
ancestors continue to support this family. The CIBI community is with the
Zulu family at this difficult time.
Mzee Safiya Folami Patricia Ann Stallings, born December 21, 1949, passed
August 16, 2012 at the age of 62. A CIBI Ndundu member, Nana Folami
taught at Shule ya Watoto and New Concept Development Center (both of
Chicago, IL). May the Creator continue to bless and the ancestors continue to
support this family. The CIBI community is with the Stallings family at this
difficult time.
Mzee Kay Helene Ellerbe Stancil, born July 17, 1948, passed October 16,
2012 at the age of 64. A CIBI Ndundu member, Nana Kay is the director
and co-founder of Maarifa Shule Ya Msingi/Upili (Baltimore, MD). May the
Creator continue to bless and the ancestors continue to support this family.
The CIBI community is with the Stancil family at this difficult time.
Ndugu Donald Arnaytheo Robinson, Jr., born December 27, 1991,
transitioned March 22, 2013 at the age of 21. He is the son of Baba Hakeem
Abdul-Rasheed, a guest member of the New African Village/Hofi ni Kwenu
Academy-Douglass Institute community of St. Louis, MO. May the Creator
continue to bless and the ancestors continue to support this family. The CIBI
community is with the Abdul-Rasheed family at this difficult time.
Mzee Jitu Weusi, born October 25, 1939, passed May 22, 2013 at the age of
73. Nana Jitu, a founding member of CIBI and its first Chair, is a founder
of Uhuru Sasa Shule and The East Organization (Brooklyn, NY). May the
Creator continue to bless and the ancestors continue to support this family.
The CIBI community is with the Weusi family at this difficult time.
Mzee Sekou Owusu, born September 9, 1948, passed July 12, 2013 at the
age of 64. Nana Sekou, a former president of the Provisional Government
Republic of New Afrika, is the husband of CIBI-member Mzee Abena Makini
Niliwaambieni Owusu of Brooklyn, NY. May the Creator continue to bless
and the ancestors continue to support this family. The CIBI community is
with the Owusu family at this difficult time.
Baba Kaniyah ben Israel, born August 11, 1958, passed July 13, 3013 at the
age of 54. He is a member of the African Hebrew Israelite community and
a member of the New African Village/Hofi ni Kwenu Academy-Douglass
Institute community of St. Louis, MO. May the Creator continue to bless and
the ancestors continue to support this family. The CIBI community is with the
Kaniyah-Bynum family at this difficult time.
Mzee Francine Yvonne Singleton, born August 23, 1953, passed January 8,
2014 at the age of 61. She is the mother of Mama Reggae Anwisye of the New
African Village/Hofi ni Kwenu Academy-Douglass Institute of St. Louis, MO.
May the Creator continue to bless and the ancestors continue to support this
family. The CIBI community is with the Anwisye family at this difficult time.
If an African man and an African woman cant come together to build an
African Family, an African Household, then its useless to think of many African
men and many African women coming together to (re)build an African nation.
- African Proverb
Nana John Henrik Clark said, If it aint about nationbuilding, it aint about
nothing. We added: If it aint about village-institution building, it aint about
nationbuilding. And if it aint about Family building, it aint about village-in-
stitution building, therefore it aint about nationbuilding, and therefore it aint
about nothing.
- SA
Working for the sovereignty and nationhood of our people is crucial, but it
means nothing unless it includes working for and building unity in ones own
Family.
-Baba Sanyika & Mama Makini Anwisye
Your mission as a parent in the Movement is to make sure your children be-
come parents in the Movement.
-Baba Sanyika Anwisye
Family is the first institution Europeans sought to destroy in their attempt to
conquer the Afrikan continent and Afrikan people. Then, as now, they knew
that in order to break the Afrikan mind they must first break the Afrikan spirit.
Then, as now, they knew that, of all institutions, spirit is most deeply and protec-
tively embedded in family.
-Baba Mwalimu Baruti
Our children are our first responsibility not professional advancement, not
self-entertainment; not personal convenience, not income, not clothing fashions
or adult companionship. Our children are the reason for our being and the
vehicle of our continuation.
- Baba Agyei & Mama Akua Akoto
The reward of parenting is measured in the strength of our childrens characters.
No task should be too challenging, no sacrifice too great in working toward the
well-being of our children and the subsequent well-being of the race.
- Baba Agyei Akoto
 WINTER 2013-2014 FUNDISHA! TEACH! page 18

A Personal Reflection on Nana Jitu Weusi Remembering Nana Sekou Owusu:

Nana Jitu Weusi
Kasisi Jitu Weusi was one of 14 individuals who
traveled to Frogmore, South Carolina in 1972 and
formed CIBI. He was the headmaster at the time at
Uhuru Sasa Shule, a part of The East organization in
Brooklyn, New York. Jitu served as the Chairman of
CIBI from 1972 until 1976.
Uhuru Sasa, in the minds of many, was a model
independent African-centered school at that time.
Whenever anyone talked about starting a school, they
were invariably encouraged to visit Uhuru Sasa to see
how its done.
On a personal note, while I was an undergraduate
student at Oberlin, my interest in the education of black
children began. When I decided in 1972 that I wanted
to start an African-centered school, I dialogued with
Omowale Babalawo, another founding member of CIBI.
He listened and said in a matter-of-fact way, Then go
ahead and do it. Soon thereafter, as I pushed him for
more guidance, he said that if I wanted to start an IBI, I
HAD TO spend some time with Kasisi Jitu Weusi.
I called Baba Jitu and he agreed to allow me to
shadow him for a few days at Uhuru Sasa Shule. (I dont
remember exactly how long it was.) I watched him
administer the Shule . . . purchase fish wholesale at 4
am in the morning and do much more on a daily basis.
I recall more than one day when he worked literally
AROUND THE CLOCK. I went back to Ohio more
determined than ever and THINKING that I knew what
starting a shule entailed.
Before becoming involved with African-centered
schools, Jitu taught in the New York City Public Schools
and was instrumental in the Oceanhill-Brownsville
conflict, advocating for community control of schools.
After leaving CIBI, he went back to work in the
New York City Public Schools. He was a co-founder of
the New York chapter of the National Black United Front
and the Central Brooklyn Jazz Coalition.
Baba Kasisi Jitu Weusi will be missed.
Asante. Kofi
Mzee Kofi Lomotey, CIBI Secretary/Treasurer, served
as CIBI Executive Officer from 1977-1987. For more
information about Nana Jitu Weusi, see future issues of
Fundisha!Teach!; CIBI: An Historical Perspective at
www.cibi.org/ourwords; and, A View From the East at
www.dafricapress.com.
An Excerpt of a Statement to Mzee Abena Makini Owusu and Family
The New Afrikan Independence Movement has lost a
very important, dedicated, and tireless freedom fighter.
He happened to be one of my oldest friends in the
struggle. Very few individuals do you go to junior high
and high school with in the same neighborhood, become
friends, and join the same movement and become
comrades, then pursue a career and become allies. My
best friend, the one i got into all this trouble, and who
i recruited into the Republic of New Afrika (RNA) in
South Jamaica, Queens - and he never looked back. I
never had to be with him to keep him motivated. He
embraced the ideology, and at that time the practicality,
that We as a people must determine our own destiny
like all other people on the planet, and struggle against
oppression and for self-respect. He believed We had
to have a nation that contained land, so from 1967 he
was our nation builder. This message can encompass
the many joys, pains and campaigns that Sekou Owusu, Nana Sekou Owusu
myself, and many others shared in the battlefield. The
visuals are comical in themselves he was an upright, Alajo called in reinforcements from around the country.
bespectacled, bureaucratic looking kosi, and more fit for Sekou, who was the RNA counselor, and i as the Minister
a university or better yet an accountants office. of Defense, organized a 5-man cadre to go and reinforce,
Deep in the back woods of Mount Bayou Mississippi, except that Sekou left me in charge of New York and he
his glasses broke while he was driving the van, molotov took the cadre south. He tried to pull rank political
cocktails lining the floor in preparation for defense over military. In the 5-man unit there were a couple
against the Mississippi klan trying to run us out of town. of nerdy college dudes from Queens, not familiar with
With their promises of 6 feet under for us, We forged cointelpro. As you can imagine, Jackson, Mississippi was
ahead to secure El-Malik, the first piece of land we had an armed camp full of fbi, local police, and klan militias,
dedicated to the Republic of New Afrika as members of all encasing our center. The stress was so intense that one
the New African Security Force. A true, true, freedom of our cadres from Queens had a nervous breakdown
fighter committed to sacrificing it all, while at the same and possible stroke trying to get in the middle of a road
time complaining that We had it all wrong. He was block. Sekou took responsibility of the cadre. He took
not one to let criticism get in the way of his action (he him to the hospital and took care of him. He refused to
could have left the criticism at home). We were a rag tag let the fbi, Jackson pd or anyone else talk to or question
bunch, but We built a foundation where some doubted him, and in those New Afrikan security force uniforms,
the practicality of the nation, but they could not doubt We stood out like an invading army. He held his post for
the dedication and love he had for our people. i could 2 days until Alajo sent in reinforcement and then he
imagine what he thought of Chokwe becoming mayor fainted on the spot from exhaustion. That is our Sekou.
of Jackson. i just want a lot of people to know he is a part of our
All during the 70s he was responsible for establishing foundation that built the RNA. After years of stress he
a political education class for all the victims of the drug seemed to be the last one standing, holding out for all
plague that We treated at Lincoln Detox in the South his comrades of the past, and for that We love him and
Bronx. He integrated the principles of the Nguzo Saba. honor him. It is said that the reward is more rewarding
He provided the political foundation to augment the than the test, surely he has been tested. I pray to Allah
treatment for the victims of the drug plague with his that He sees fit to grant him such reward when our
nerdy self. For 10 years he formed a special relationship government has realized. We must honor him and his
with the bottom of despair. He was a kind of brother frugal nature.
when you needed some small change he would do this I feel your loss Sister Ayisha and Brother Takarhara.
unique Zorro slash to his left back pocket, and pull out Long live his example, praise his effort, and recognize
thatwallet of his, the only one of our cadres that had his success.
one, and of course a long lecture!!! In the mid-70s i
received a phone call. Sekou needed some people to help Stiff Resistance,
him move. My first question was from where to where? Mzee Mutulu Shakur
i said give me the address and me and the brothers We Must Pick Up the Work to Free ALL Our Political
will come and help you. He gave me an address in the Prisoners & Prisoners of War!
middle of the South Bronx drug market, on Hoe Ave.
The building was abandoned, and on the floor where he
was moving, 8 apartments were burned out. The whole Kwatakye Atiko
community looked like Germany after the bombing. We
had to post security on our cars. Sekou was helping a
sister in trouble move into the apartment and he was
going to move in there with her to provide protection,
and she wasnt even a girlfriend or a wife. But he loved
his people, and boy did he try hard for over 5 decades to
build a Black family. He called that nation building.
Last story. After the fbi military shoot-out on the
Republic of New Afrika government center, Brother Symbol of bravery and fearlessness

Solidarity... Sovereign Nationhood Family and

It is very easy for us to fall out with each
The Program
other and become hostile, but when we
can see the value of each other despite
our differences, that is the true example
of nationhood.
Nana Hannibal Afrik
the main obstacles which confronted
us in the past and are still with us today
will still be with us in the year 2000 and
after, but also that for the rest of this
century it is very likely that the Blacks
will still be meeting, listening to and
applauding fiery, soul-stirring speeches,
protesting and denouncing injustices
or happily relying upon politics as the
ultimate solution of our problems... .
They will accept [the challenge] if
they have come to understand at last
that equal rights and equal justice will
never come from appeals to the mighty,
and granted as an Act of Grace, but
only from their own position of power
and influence which develop from a
united people engaged in great and vast
undertakings of their own.
-Nana Chancellor Williams
From: The Destruction of Black Civilization
The successful outcome of any Among the component tasks of
nationalist movement is sovereignty
for the people. Being sovereign means
having absolute control over the life of
the nation. Right now, as always, for
Afrikan people, sovereignty is measured
by how intelligently, independently and
powerfully we control our resources,
story, culture, time, space and destiny.
It is to have the power within the nation
to control our lives and to control
them in our best interests, regardless of
opposition from outside.
-Mzee Mwalimu K. Bomani Baruti
From: Message to the Warriors
Institution Building
the mission of this generation is to
secure the advances that have been
made, particularly the institutional
infrastructure. That specifically involves
identification, acquisition, delivery and
development of material and human
resources that will insure both the
survival and continued development of
the existing institutions. In so doing the
institutions can provide the maximal
benefit to the next generation.
-Mzee K. Agyei Akoto & Mzee Akua
Nson Akoto
From: Challenges & Issues in
Intergenerational Transmission
Dont wait for a great leader. The time of
great leaders moving the masses is gone.
The great leaders are each of you in your
Families.
-National Shrine of Afrikans In America
 WINTER 2013-2014 FUNDISHA! TEACH! page 19

30th Annual Nana Hannibal Afrik-Nana Kaleb Whitby

CIBI Science EXPO 23-24 Oforisuo-April 2010
Theme: Sustainability for Sovereignty
Co-Hosted by: New African Village/Hofi ni Kwenu Academy/Douglass Institute (St. Louis, MO)
& Community Youth Achievers (Port Gibson, MS)

CIBIs 30th annual EXPO was held at Wayman African Methodist Episcopal Church, also the site of the 2003 EXPO. It marked the premiere of the inclusion of the
names of CIBI veterans Nana Hannibal Afrik and Nana Kaleb Whitby in the name of the EXPO. Among others, projects included demonstrations and experiments
comparing the nutritional value of juiced produce to whole produce; hydroponic plant growth to growth in soil; treatments for eczema and diabetes; lead abatement;
a business model for African hair and skin care products; and the effects of global warming. Activities included workshops on Yoruba, Kiswahili, arts and crafts, and
student networking. Launched in 1977, the EXPO is billed as The only global exhibition in which projects are judged by how well they apply science to the needs of
our people and, The event CIBI watoto and adults alike most look forward to.

Awardees on stage Nubian Village Academy (Richmond, VA) students report results Watoto during post-EXPO visit to St. Louis Science Center.
of their lead abatement experiment. NVA Director, Nin-Aseeya Nin-Aseeya Ra-El is at right.
Ra-El is at right.

Baba Baye Kemit (left, Garvey School/Egun Omode Shule, Mzee Renee Whitby (center, Philadelphia, PA) wife of transitioned The wanafunzi-made quilt for Nana Hannibal Afrik.
Trenton, NJ) and Iya Olade Olayinka (seated, Ijoba Shule, EXPO Coordinator, Nana Kaleb Whitby, congratulates student.
Philadelphia, PA) conduct Yoruba workshop.

2010 CIBI Conference

19-20 Obubuo 19-20 November 2010
Theme: Best Practices Walimu (Teachers) Experiences
Hosted by: The Garvey School/Egun Omode Shule (Trenton, NJ)

CIBIs 2010 Conference was held in Trenton, NJ at the Mercer Community College, also the site of the 2008 Conference. With an emphasis on building and strength-
ening pedagogical, relational and experiential competencies, the weekend included plenaries and workshops on African-Centered Pedagogy (Mzee Mwalimu Shujaa/
Kweku Agyeman, Baton Rouge, LA); Teaching Special Needs Students (Mzee Abena Makini Niliwaambieni Owusu, Brooklyn, NY); Teaching of Science (Mama Pat
Smith, The Garvey School/Egun Omode Shule, TGS/EOS, Trenton); and, Support for the African-Centered Walimu (Baba Baye Kemit, TGS/EOS); as well as curricu-
lum focus groups, an Habari gani? village circle, and an Umoja Circle discussion among independent institution administrators, homeschoolers, parents and walimu.

Opening plenary speaker, Mzee Abena Makini Niliwaambieni Womens Panel: l-r, Mama Rekhet Si-Asar (Imhotep Science Trenton connection: l-r, Mzee Pat Smith, principal of the former
Owusu, presents on the education of watoto with special needs. Academy, Minneapolis, MN), Mzee Abena Makini Niliwaambieni Afrikan Peoples Action School (APAS); Baba Baye Kemit, TGS/
Owusu (Brooklyn, NY); Iya Makeda Kemit (TGS/EOS, Trenton, EOS co-founder and principal; Mzee Mwalimu Shujaa/Kweku
NJ); Mzee Esi Madge Willis (Nsoromma School, Atlanta, GA) Agyeman, APAS co-founder and director.

Still a warrior-scholar: Mzee Osagyefo Damani Amin, right, Im getting ready to work for my people! Iya Olade Olayinka (Ijoba Shule, Philadephia, PA) with a
director of the former APAS. future conference participant and facilitator.
 WINTER 2013-2014 FUNDISHA! TEACH! page 20

CIBIS WORK
Continued from page 3
great Movement and we wish to march side-by-side and village is an island unto itself. None can successfully walk time, intergenerationally escort the critical mass of our
synergistically with some of the most competent and alone (for very long). There is strength in community. children Home to our own village-institutions, our own
committed, and the most experienced, African men and adesuabea. This authors CIBI at 30 (Fundisha!Teach!,
women this Movement has to offer. Conferences and workshops are good and we have held Fall/Winter 2002; Sankofa Journal, Spring 2003) speaks
some outstanding ones. But, without the aforementioned briefly to the expansion of our system.
CIBIs major task at this point as we see it is to draw connection to village-institutions to usher their rhetoric
strength from each other, encouragement from each into reality, conferences are largely talk and largely
other, advice and wisdom from each other. Our major ineffectual. Our people have had enough talk. Our proof
function is to facilitate the surthrival of each member is in our pudding. Our validation, our successour
village-institution. contribution to our people, is in the village-institutions Baba Sanyika and Mama Makini Anwisye entered their
we maintain and in the quality of the worker-warriors thirty-ninth year of marriage in January 2014 and are
the parents of four children, one daughter-in-law, one
Our major taskis to draw strength from each we produce. The best way to sell the concept of African son-in-law, and five grandchildren. They are among
otherencouragement from each otherto Education, or CIBI as an organization, is to have strong, the co-founders and directors of the 37-year-old Hofi ni
ensure the surthrival of each member village- vibrant, clear, uncompromised, productive, persevering
village-institutions. Kwenu Academy/Douglass Institute and the 20-year-old
institution. New African Village in St. Louis, MO. They represent the
Village and institutions on the Ndundu of the 42-year-old
Council of Independent Black Institutions (CIBI).
These are neither popular nor (yet) populist concepts A version of this essay appeared previously in the Spring
among our people, though they are growing - thanks to 2011 Sankofa PanAfrikan Journal of Nationbuilding and
the Creator, the example of our Ancestors, and, in no ReAfrikanization.
small way, our work over these past four decades, and
now, a vitalized next generation barely born at the time Though independent Black institutions (IBIs) need more
of CIBIs inception but who are answering the call to parents, families and teachers in order to effect a measured
arms from Azania to Accra to Amsterdam to Bermuda increase in enrollment and expansion of operations,
to Montreal to Atlanta, and points in between and part of a related discussion we have not addressed here
beyond. As we have stated elsewhere, We must hold on is the type of work accessible to brothers and sisters in
until it catches on. We have been described by some as protecting our youth in non-African-controlled public,
maroons or quilombos. (Oh, that we might be worthy of private and parochial environments. Though these venues
such titles and distinction!) Whether maroon, quilombo cannot be considered African [centered], work there
or not, we are not isolationists. Neither are we per se on can be made educationally meaningful if it is designed
a recruiting jag. Yet, when talking with others, we have and purposed to connect to a larger coordinated effort
found it helpful to be able to point to village-institutions to provide a rear guard covering our families phased
from other places that are traveling along the same path. and systematic withdrawal from these institutions while
Maroon, quilombo or not, no person, no family, no the community of committed Africans works to over

New Releases
The Life, Love and Legacy of a Warrior The Mine Mind Family Stepping Into Womanhood

by Mzee James P. Johnson by Mama Traci Brooks


Cultural Center 1st Floor East
June 30, 2012 | 3:00 p.m.

Baba Hannibal Afrik

Remembrance Celebration

"The Life, Love and

Legacy of a Warrior"
Exhibit

1900 West Van Buren

Chicago, IL 60612
(312) 850-7000

This spiritually and culturally rooted story reminds chil-

dren and adults alike of the Afrikan values of reciprocity,

oneness and righteousness.
This brochure from the 1-year memorial service for Nana Take a trip with the Mine Mind Family as they search, find
Hannibal Afrik offers a poignant account of his Life, and declare all mine!
Love and Legacy. Archival photos from the Afrik Family Hear and experience the truth that comes to them as they
and Shule ya Watoto add to the ourstorical quality of this transform to be never greedy and selfish again. We will
document. always share everything.
Hear and experience the truth that came to them as they
Contact: Community Youth Achievers/Sankofa Spirit huddled and hoped.
570 Piedmont Ave., N.E. 54894, Atlanta, GA 30308
(678)699-3357 theresac@sankofaspirit.com ISBN: 0-9668023-1-4
Contact: Sankofa Business Group
646 Holmgreen Rd., San Antonio, TX 78220
(210)333-0118 obu@satx.rr.com.
A poetic journey along the path of todays Black woman, its
writing speaks to the varying realities of her experiences
and will serve as yet another reflection of her growth and
discovery of self-identified Black womanhood.
ISBN: 0-9668023-0-6
Contact: Sankofa Business Group
646 Holmgreen Rd., San Antonio, TX 78220
(210) 333-0118 obu@satx.rr.com

Encyclopedia of African American Edcucation TVs Talking But We Dont Have to Listen: An The African Personality:
Mzee Kofi Lomotey, editor Analysis & Alternatives for Africans Lubrication for Liberation Can African People Get Along?
A Primer on Conflict Management
by Mzee Sanyika & Mzee Makini Anwisye
by Mzee Sanyika Anwisye
TVs Talking, But We Dont Have to Listen
An Analysis and Alternatives for Africans

This 2-volume, 1200-page encyclopedia offers to set the Sanyika and Makini Anwisye

record straight regarding the ourstory of the education of

Africans in America from the time we arrived on American
shores pre-enslavement up to the present day.
No less than 212 contributors discuss legal cases such
as Brown v. Board of Education and Calhoun v. Latimer;
the role of spiritual denominations, such as the African
Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church; and, the insights of
educational stalwarts such as Carter G. Woodson, Nana
Baffour Amankwatia III (Asa Hillard) and W.E.B. Dubois.
ISBN: 978-1-412-94050-4
Contact: Sage Publications
2455 Teller Rd. Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
(800)818-7243 www.sagepub.com
First published in 1983, this 2008, 25th Anniversary Edition
is a timeless warning against non-African media and
entertainment. We are reminded that White Supremacy,
violence and hedonism anti-Creator and therefore anti-
African are the chief deviancies promoted by that media.
An analysis and strategies are offered for countering the
Euro-medias effects on our people, starting with our
families.
ISBN: 978-0-615-23420-5
Contact: BNC Publications
P.O. Box 21400, St. Louis, MO, 63115
(888)BLESS75 (888)253-7775
www.blessingsnotcurses.org
an excellent blueprint for resolving conflict from an
Africentric perspectiveit challenges all of us to go beyond
a superficial understanding of Africentricity and the Nguzo
Saba. Baba Jawanza Kunjufu
a necessary tool for individual and organized
nationbuilding Afrikans who recognize the distractive
nature of chaos to our progress as complements, families,
communities and a nation. - Baba Mwalimu K. Bomani Baruti
ISBN: 978-0-615-28902-1
Contact: BNC Publications
P.O. Box 21400, St. Louis, MO, 63115
(888)BLESS75 (888)253-7775
www.blessingsnotcurses.org