At The People’s Forum, we consider ourselves to be students of revolution in a profound quest for a socialist horizon and the emancipation of humanity. Following in this tradition, we dedicate our daily work in the year 2024 as the Year of Lenin and Cabral. This year marks a significant milestone in honoring the memories of two pivotal figures in revolutionary history: Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924) and Amilcar Cabral (1924–1973). We will honor the enduring impact of these unparalleled revolutionaries during the centennial of Lenin’s death and of Cabral’s birth.
Despite the temporal and geographical divide between them, Lenin and Cabral are united in their profound influence on the adaptation of Marxist principles within their own contexts. Lenin’s leadership in the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution represented a momentous victory for the oppressed and the working class, fundamentally disrupting the imperialist world order and igniting a wave of revolutionary fervor and struggles for national liberation. Following in those footsteps, Amilcar Cabral spearheaded the Guinean and Cape Verdean Revolution from 1963 to 1974, continuing the socialist and anti-imperialist campaign on African soil. Both leaders were instrumental in the fight against capitalism, colonialism, and imperialism, striving to establish societies governed by and for the common people.
Lenin and Cabral both emphasized the importance of forming alliances between workers and peasants, engaging in class-based revolutionary action, intertwining socialist and anti-imperialist efforts, and, most critically, creating a disciplined revolutionary party to lead the charge against the forces of empire and capital. The strategies, theories, and experiences—but also the triumphs, challenges and setbacks—of Lenin and Cabral are of utmost significance for contemporary study, a study that is essential if we intend to achieve our aim of ultimately replacing the current world order with one free of capitalist exploitation of both people and the environment.
This past year was one of heightened struggle, bringing with it many lessons, new experiences, and new friends and comrades in battle. As the calendar turns to 2024, we steel ourselves for the new challenges and battles that await us. We enter the new year armed with the lessons from past and current struggles, driven by an unquenchable thirst for organization and political education, and we extend an open invitation to you, comrades and fellow travelers, to stand shoulder to shoulder with us in a salute to the monumental legacies of Lenin and Cabral. Let their teachings and their unwavering commitment to the cause of liberation guide our march. Their collective contributions to Marxism, as vibrant and essential now as they were a century ago, continue to illuminate the path of resistance.
Categories: Statements + Announcements
