Kenya’s struggle for independence was one that inspired other countries struggle for independence from colonial rule. Pinto was instrumental in Kenya’s liberation struggle as he was in many different fronts at the same time. My first visit to his grave site was heart breaking because for a cadre who played an instrumental role in the liberation struggle his memory and grave have been neglected.
Pinto was a selfless fighter, evidenced by his deeds. The book documents that when he left prison, he gave out his shoes to fellow inmates who did not have shoes. He also used a huge part of his salary as member of parliament, to take care of the families of fellow freedom fighters. His involvement in the liberation struggles of Kenya and India and his international link with Malcom X, shows that he was an internationalist and was not defined by race. He saw colonialism and imperialism as human and world problems and not race.
Pinto’s contribution to Kenya’s liberation struggles is unmatched to date. He was dedicated and with a desire to see Kenya free from exploitation and poverty. He was also committed to ideological studies and this led him to establish the Lumumba Institute that was meant to ground cadres of KANU political party. His intentions were pure but the majority of those who surrounded him were driven by private accumulation of wealth. Drawing from his example we must therefore strengthen the current Thomas Sankara Political School, to ideological cadres of emerging movements and to unite the left wing in Kenya.
The Kenyan left wing today has not lived up to the foundations that were set by Pinto and his generation on the liberation of our people. We are divided and are constantly on battles of superiority and whose struggle is better than the other. There is no link between older generations of leftist and the new generations that are coming up as they have been left alone to find their own path. It is full of academic braggadocio on who has read Karl Marx more than the other instead of mentoring the upcoming young generations of leftists.
Rather than to wage struggles on too many fronts, it is time to form a united front with a clear political program gear towards the economic liberation of our people, to honour the memory of Pio Gamma Pinto. Today’s generation of political activists, community organizers and left-wing cadres can learn a lot from Pio Gamma Pinto as the first Social Justice Martyr.
Today the biggest challenge that lies ahead is to form a unifying socialist party that will spearhead the third liberation struggle for the economic liberation of our country. In doing so we should put in mind the following excerpt from the book Pio Gamma Pinto: Kenya’s Unsung Martyr by Shiraz Durrani.
In life, as in death, Pinto exposed the class nature of the Kenyan society. He exposed colonialism, imperialism and capitalism as the evils that the working people of Kenya needed to defeat. When it was time to write political and legal cases for people’s rights, Pinto was there. When it was time to form strong political parties, Pinto was there. When it was time to develop working class and anti-imperialist ideologies, Pinto was there. When it was time to face the enemy with guns, Pinto was there. When it was time to support victims of colonial and neo-colonialism terrorism, Pinto was there. When it was time to take a political stand after independence, Pinto was there. When people in other countries in Africa and elsewhere needed support to fight colonial and capitalist exploitation and oppression, Pinto was there. When it was time to make personal and family sacrifices for a greater cause, Pinto was there. And when the end came, when it was time to stand for his principles and to die for his country, Pinto was there. It is rare to find all these qualities in one person.
Once I read the book, to date I am always confronted with the qualities of Pinto documented in the above excerpt most especially when conducting self-criticism. The realities that I live in demand that I commit class suicide on a daily basis confronted with family demands and expectations. The task ahead of us also demands commitment and dedication. Driven by the desire to see my daughter Nina Illiana living in a world free from exploitation and oppression, I dedicate my life to the socialist struggle and revolution. Seeing the daily smiles of daughter, reminds me that the liberation and empowerment of women must be deliberate, consistent with socialist ideals and sustained because as Thomas Sankara said, ‘there can be no true revolution without the true liberation of women.
Long live Socialism!
