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MARCUS GARVEY PHILOSOPHY,
BLACK STAR LINE AND UNIA*
ROLE IN AFRICA

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11/25/2013

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MUTII ELVIS KIVOTO

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MARCUS GARVEY PHILOSOPHY, BLACK STAR LINE AND UNIA* ROLE IN

AFRICA

Marcus Garvey has played a key role on how Africans should view Africa and the role of
Africa to Africans. His philosophies has shaped the thought of many Pan Africanists who
view his radical philosophies as the best alternative to Africa redemption and one which
offers solutions to Africas problems. I support Garveys work and his practical
implementation of his philosophies and I will explain why I support him and go further and
explain critical aspects he faced from different Pan Africanists. According to Green (1983)
Marcus Garvey was born in August 1887 in Jamaica. In his neighbourhood, racial tensions
between the Europeans and Africans who lived close together were minimal but when he
became a teenager he faced racial discrimination. At that time his close European friends in
Jamaica went to Europe and when he inquired about it he was told that there was a big
difference between blacks and whites. His travels to Central America and Britain made him
understand well the racial discrimination between blacks and whites and how Africans were
mistreated as slaves throughout the world. It was from these experiences that influenced his
philosophies and made him advocate for the rights of the Africans and how Africans would
sustain themselves economically, politically and culturally from any form of intimidation
from Europeans.

*UNIA (UNIVERSAL NEGRO IMPROVEMENTASSOCIATION)

Garveys philosophy
The reason as to why I support Garveys philosophy was that he had a desire to help Africans
and help Africans know their own identity. Green (1983) argues that after his travels from
Jamaica to Britain in 1914 made him realise the mistreatment that Africans faced were
inhumane. His desire for Africa to have its own flag and government just like powerful
countries in Europe had motivated him to call for an African renaissance that will enable
Africans realise how powerful they are if they are united and embrace their African culture
and history. He called for African unity. His call for Africans to be proud of their African
culture and heritage made the Africans gain confidence in themselves and this became part of
the Garveys philosophy.
Second, according to Christian (2004) he argues that when Marcus Garvey formed the
Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in 1914 he wanted to create a platform
where black people would be able to cooperate and help themselves politically and
economically. UNIA was the practical implementation of Garveys philosophies. It is
important to note that at this time Africans whether in Africa or the Diaspora were working in
inhumane conditions, were colonised and tortured and lacked proper institutions that would
advocate for their rights. UNIA was important to Pan Africanism and Black Nationalism as it
gave Africans hope that they would get out of poverty and get their rights back and as
(Bezerra) argues that in Brazil - the last country in the Americas in 1888 to abolish slavery
after many afro Brazilians received little or no attention from the Brazilian government thus
this seclusion from the public life made afro Brazilians agitate for freedom. UNIA being an
African institution would restore Africa to their glorious past where they had political and
economic autonomy and were free to celebrate their culture. Yet in Brazil many Africans
were forbidden to practice Candomble a Yoruba religion and Capoeira an Angolan war dance.

Hence this made Garvey want Africans to shape their own history and culture from any form
of repression from imperialists. Politically, UNIA played a key role in calling for Africas
independence. M'baye (2006) argues that UNIA brought forward an appeal to the League of
Nations that colonial countries in Africa be given to UNIA. This brought black pride and a
sense of belonging among Africans in their quest for liberation. His quest for Africa liberty
was what he was advocating for and became a core aspect of his philosophies.

Dagnini (2008) argues that the Black Star Line Shipping Company that Garvey initiated was a
big step for the Africans in the Diasporas to come back to Africa. This was also a practical
aspect of his philosophies as he was championing for Africa for Africans. He implemented
what he had already started that Africans should go back to Africa and develops their own
continent. The Black Star Line shipped many Africans to Liberia and they were able to trace
their own roots and it became a big achievement for Africans. Black Nationalism grew after
the Black Star Line as many Africans in Jamaica, Panama and Liberia were proud of Garveys
work.

Marcus Garvey important work was to set up a newspaper that called for Black Nationalism.
The newspaper was important because it outlined Garveys philosophy. The Negro World as
it was called was able to advocate for the rights of Africans and this became a strong pillar
where Garvey expressed his philosophies to the masses and the masses implemented Garveys
thought. Furthermore through the UNIA the Pan Africanists came up with the International
Convention of the Negroes of the World in 1920 which stated the rights of Africans. Hahn
(2006) argues that through the Negro World, Africans were able to read and know their rights
fully and demand justice. The importance of the newspaper was that it united Africans for a
common cause that was liberation and they were going to use it in international fora to
advocate for political and economic rights.

According to the (Biographical reading: Marcus Garvey) His radical approach to Black
Nationalism and Pan Africanism gave him a large support base. His call for Africans should
go back to Africa made many Africans in the Diaspora to support him since in the Americas
many Africans were subjected to racial discrimination. That is why many Africans in the
Diaspora opted not to stay in America but board the Black Star Line and go back to Africa.
Black Nationalism was high in the mind of Africans.

After his death in 1940, the philosophies of Garvey had shaped African thinking and more so
its international relations. M'baye (2006) argues that Black Nationalism in Kenya by the
MAU MAU was influenced by Marcus Garvey when they resorted to armed struggle in 1952.
Garvey advocated for violence and self rule for Africans and he once stated that if Africans in
America are being killed by whites then when we go back to Africa we should kill the whites
for enslaving us. This, although racist and violent in nature was a key aspect to Garvey
Philosophy since no freedom could be won easily.

If Marcus was alive today, he would be sad that Africa is not one independent country, but
would be happy with the formation of the African Union since they have their own
government, flag and influence the world politics. From his teachings and philosophies he
inspired future African leaders to form a government or institutions that would advocate for
African rights. Nkrumah, Ghanas first president advocated that Africa should be one and
serve the interests of Africans first. Even though the Organization of Unity (OAU) was
formed in 1963 that allowed African countries after gaining independence to form their own
country as was designed from the Berlin Conference in 1884. Garveys dream that Africa in
Africa and the diaspora working together to improve Africa politically and economically has
been realised through the African Union Charter. Delices (2013) has stated that Haiti has

officially become a member of the African Union hence promoting African nationalism
between Africans in the diaspora and in the continent.

Dagnini (2008) argues that Garvey inspired future African leaders from his philosophy.
Garvey did most of the philosophies while Kwame Nkrumah, Ghanas first president
implemented although not all of Garveys philosophy. His call for African unity in the first
summit of OAU was all what Garvey had wanted. Patrice Lumumba of Congo and Sekou
Toure of Guinea were all disciples of Garvey. Their main goal was Black Nationalism African
redemption.
In as much as I support Garveys philosophy, different Pan Africanists, government
institutions and independent minded people were critical and did not support Garveys
philosophy. The United States of America government was one such institution that did not
tolerate the views of Marcus Garvey. The USA saw Garveys radical philosophy as harmful
and a threat to its national security. By Garvey claiming that black people in the USA should
go back to Africa and develop their motherland would destroy the economy of the USA
negatively. Africans played a key role in the economy of the USA as they had been the
resource engine since slavery. More than that Garvey called for riots and protest against
racism and human rights atrocities committed by the USA government. Any form of protest
would have destroyed USA both politically and economically. Christian (2004) argues that
politically it would lead to racial indifference and civil wars as what witnessed in 1865 when
they fought against slavery and economically because most businesses and government
installations would have been destroyed. I do not support the view of the USA government
because the root cause of racism and violence in the USA was not Garvey but the lack of
democracy.

Hahn (2006) argues that liberal critics in the USA were against any form of segregation
between blacks and whites and that is why Garvey was criticized by liberal black elites like
W.E.B. Du Bois who saw his divisive philosophy as a threat to unity between blacks and
whites in the USA. This to Garvey was unimaginable, since when did the colonised people
who had endured torture, slavery and human rights atrocities work together harmoniously
with the colonisers. However, to the critics they argued that was a form of racism that would
not get worldwide support. More than that, they criticised Garvey for claiming to be the
emperor of Africa without consulting Africans. They argued that this was a form of
imperialism just as Europeans had carved up Africa for their own selfish benefits. In
summary, they argued that Garvey used Black Nationalism to enrich himself politically and
economically. I disagree with the liberal philosophers and critics because they did not provide
an alternative route to Africans problems in the USA and that in as much as Garveys thought
were divisive in nature it helped Africans run away from the racial problems they were facing
in USA to Africa where there were no racial segregation among black people in West Africa.
Third, there were black spies sent by the USA government to monitor all the works by
Garvey in the UNIA and Black Star Line. Christian (2004) argues that this was a big blow to
Garveys practical philosophy as many Africans thought that had used Garvey their money in
UNIA and Black Star Line for personal gains. More than that, many people have criticised
Garvey for not coming to Africa when he himself was calling on Africans to return back
home. He used this as a scapegoat to gain fame rather than solving the problems that Africans
faced. In as much as I agree with the critics who claimed that Garvey did not come to Africa
and that he should not force Africans to go back to Africa I disagree with them on the point
that Garvey was not practical in what he was philosophising. Garvey had implemented most
of his thoughts such as starting of black businesses second because it was the desire of some
black diaspora who were deep Garveyites who wanted to come back to Africa voluntarily and

last because the money which were spent illegally was not because of Garvey but the greed of
some African Americans.

Garvey called for the independence of Africa and this became a pillar in his philosophy but
this did not go well with the Europeans. Dagnini (2008) argues that his radical approach that
Africa should be independent politically and economically from Europe meant that Europe
would not benefit from Africa. That is why they ignored Garveys request that colonised
countries should be given to UNIA. This in itself was a big blow to African nationalism. I
disagree with the Europeans because by ignoring Garveys philosophy and Africa being
independent was going against the wishes of Africans and the Europeans were driven by
selfish desires.

The most controversial of Garveys work was when he met with the Ku Klux Klan officials.
Dagnini (2008) argues that the Ku Klux Klan was a racist group in America that was
responsible for black people. By Garvey meeting the groups officials; it raised negative
signals to the Pan Africanists, who accused him of selling his own race and joining hands with
the enemy. I disagree with the Pan Africanist who claimed that Garvey was betraying his race
because he was implementing his philosophy that Africans should go back to Africa and
Europeans should stop enslaving Africans. Garvey wanted America to be the land of the
whites and Africa the land of the blacks.
In conclusion Marcus Garveys philosophy has brought unity and division among some
Africans and Europeans with some claiming he was racist. His desire for Africans to have
their own government and influence world politics positively did not go as plan but after his
death future African leaders endorsed Garveys philosophy keeping his dream alive. His
desires for Africans to be proud of their race made some see him as racist and segregationist

but all what Garvey wanted was to liberate Africans from the yoke of colonialism and
imperialism.

REFERENCE:

Bezerra, M. E. (2009, January 28). Religion in Brazil's Free Market of Faith. Retrieved
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4,

2013,

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Biographical reading:MARCUS GARVEY. (n.d.). Retrieved November 4, 2013, from
http://www.mrtripodi.org/students/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/marcusgarvey.pdf
Christian, M. (2004). Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association
(UNIA): With Special Reference to the "Lost" Parade in Columbus, Ohio, September 25,1923.
Retrieved November 4, 2013, from http://www.xavier.edu/diversity/documents/blackstudies/Christian_Marcus_Garvey.pdf
Dagnini, J. K. (2008, March). Marcus Garvey: A Controversial Figure in the History of PanAfricanism.

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Delices, P. (2013, February 21). HAITI JOINS THE AFRICAN UNION: A SPECIAL
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ENDURES.

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http://www.haitiantimes.com/haiti-joins-the-african-union-a-special-relationship-endures/
Green, R. (1983). The Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association
Papers. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Hahn, S. (2006). MARCUS GARVEY, THE U.N.I.A, AND THE HIDDEN POLITICAL
HISTORY OF AFRICAN AMERICANS. Retrieved November 4, 2013
M'Baye, B. (2006, September 5). Marcus Garvey and African Francophone Political Leaders
of the Early Twentieth Century: Prince Kojo Tovalou Hounou Reconsidered . Retrieved
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