PHILADELPHIA–The African People’s Education and Defense Fund initiated a powerful new institution on Saturday, October 17, 2015, by sponsoring the first annual Uhuru Book Fair & Flea Market in West Philly’s beautiful Clark Park.
The all-day program featured African book readings by authors, poetry, live music, children’s reading activities, over 100 vendors of crafts, art and housewares, book sellers and more.
Uhuru Book Fair drew hundreds of Africans and others from all walks of life.
They shopped, browsed books and helped build African self-determination through this APEDF education and economic development program.
The featured speaker was African Socialist International (ASI) Chairman Omali Yeshitela.
He spoke twice and was present all day, meeting people and discussing his latest book, “An Uneasy Equilibrium: The African Revolution vs. Parasitic Capitalism.”
The Chairman inspired the crowd by stating “We can change the world! We have a responsibility to change the world, it means we have to understand the nature of the social system that we are contending with.
“It’s not a struggle against racism, our struggle is for power so that we have the power to create the world, and the life we have to have for ourselves and our children.”
This Book Fair belonged to African workers!
The Uhuru Book Fair’s reception of Chairman Omali stands in contrast to his reception at the Harlem Book Fair in August.
There was tremendous welcome and support for the Chairman’s analysis and leadership at the Uhuru Book Fair. Many community participants and longtime market vendors expressed unity and appreciation.
The organizers of the Harlem Book Fair, on the other hand, pushed Chairman Omali off the stage during his scheduled presentation when he exposed the role that Barack Obama plays as the black face of white power imperialism.
APEDF leadership: real solutions
Philadelphia is a majority African and Puerto Rican city which has closed 30 majority African public schools since 2012, where over 40 percent of residents do not have a high school diploma and which has the highest rate of deep poverty—people forced to live on 50 percent or less of the poverty level—of the ten largest cities in the U.S.
APEDF brings the real solution by growing our education mission in Philly.
The Uhuru Book Fair featured a children’s area with storytelling, reading, free books and book bags.
Tree House Books, Black and Nobel, Books & Stuff and many other local African book stores partnered with APEDF.
African authors representing a vast array of genres were present
They included West Philadelphia entrepreneur Nehemiah Davis, African Sci-Fi author Soyinka Ogunbusola, authors of black comic books and African-centered novels.
Authors read from the stage and staffed tables to meet the community.
In classic APEDF style, the day started with a Zumba warm up led by Michelle Mercer from our health partner Philly Fit Gym.
There was live music from The Chillettes featuring longtime friend of Uhuru Cocosol. Tina Mouzone co-MC’d and sang.
Karen Smith brought her band Weez the Peeples. Poets included Tyree Evans, the youth performers from the MOVE organization, and several young artists from The Collective Mic.
The city tried to contend with the event by holding the African Caribbean Multicultural Festival, in the same park, on the same day, featuring local neocolonial elected officials.
The community, however, was not interested in that program and flocked to the Uhuru Book Fair!
APEDF Representative Tiffany Murphy led the campaign organization that included volunteers, vendors and authors who started planning this program in June.
They distributed thousands of postcards and color posters and reached many new partners to build the first APEDF education program in Philly.
Burning Spear Media was the official media sponsor
The Uhuru Book Fair will be held annually. We encourage everyone to get involved in the April Uhuru Health Festival and the October Uhuru Book Fair! 267-875-3532 uhurufleamarket.blogspot.com.
