Gaza:Should Africans Care? Pro Palestine Cornell Student who fled US talks to Africa Here and Now

Описание: Pro-Palestine Cornell Student Who Fled US Talks to Africa Here & Now

We explore Africa's historical support for the Palestinian cause with MOMODOU TAAL, the 31-year-old British Gambian graduate student who fled the US before he was deported for his pro-Gaza activism. We recall Nelson Mandela’s 1997 statement that South African freedom would be incomplete without that of the Palestinians and how the near universal solidarity on the continent for their cause has ebbed somewhat.

Why should a bright, young African jeopardise a first-class education at an elite university because of the suffering of Gazans? MOMODOU is clear: everybody should care about the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent civilians, including thousands of children.

MOMODOU tells us about the protests on campus calling for the university to divest from companies that are involved in the destruction of Palestine and the lives of its people. His name is noted by the authorities, and he realises that he will become a target for deportation by the incoming Trump administration.

He is, however, helped and supported by his lecturers and members of the faculty including many Jewish students. It is important MOMODOU says, not to conflate Zionism with the Jewish people against whom he has no grudge.

When his name appears on a list for deportation, MOMODOU challenges the legality of executive orders – the tool of choice used by the White House. His legal action fails and MOMODOU decides to ‘self-deport’, to flee the United States before he is chucked out.

“I’ve not been accused of any violence, I’ve not been arrested. The government doesn’t say anything about me, my activity. It says that you created an uncomfortable environment for Jewish students….I find that quite strange because I never go to university thinking I have to be comfortable” he says.

We ask MOMODOU the fundamental question: why does he think black liberation is inextricably linked to the Palestinian cause? He refers back to Malcolm X and others and their opposition to colonialism. He says: "I believe in a world that’s free for everybody. And given what we’ve seen in Palestine and Israel, I don’t think we can ignore what has taken place. I want to create a better world, a world built on justice and I can’t ignore what’s happening in Palestine given what I know has happened to my own ancestors and history.’

Momodou Taal hosts a podcast, The Malcolm Effect.