The Black Hammer Times is continuing our interview series of members of the Black Hammer Organization by talking with Chief Shewel, the Chief of International membership of the African region. Chief Shewel is a revolutionary who lives to serve the colonized poor and working class, and serve his community. Read on to see his story about suffering in Nigeria, his approach to revolution, and what makes a true African revolutionary.
What colonized nation do you represent? Your pronouns?
I represent Nigeria, which is in West Africa. My pronouns are he/him.
How did you find out about the Black Hammer Organization?
I got to know about the Black Hammer Organization through Facebook in my search for Black Power/African Power. I saw a list of groups, and Black Hammer Organization was a closed group, so I had to send a request to join. I was actually linked up with Chief Nyah who was Chief of Membership back then, and I was added to Black Hammer by her.
Were you the first Black Hammer member in Nigeria?
I’m not; the first member was Chief Azzy. I guess I was number 3 in Nigeria. Before joining Black Hammer I didn’t know any of the other members. We all live far from each other, about a two or three days journey by road.
What led you to look for Black Power / African Power organizations? How did you become radicalized?
I became woke. I always knew we Blacks knew a sort of revolution, especially in African, colonized countries. We need freedom from neocolonialism. I was searching for a platform that addressed those things.
Black Hammer is a rebel group, but instead of carrying arms we carry food and PPE (protective health equipment like masks); we feed the people. But trust me, if Black Hammer was a fighting force group, I would love to carry guns for my people.
I saw the sufferings of my people, how Black people have been stolen from. Gold, diamonds, everything! We see them in England, like what the fuck? The English have gold bands but they don’t have gold mines.
I always knew then that Blacks are under this neocolonialism, and I always wanted to see if I could help stop that, to free my people.
How did you become woke about politics and revolution?
My grandfather, when he was still alive, used to say: “Service to humanity is service to oneself.”
After my secondary education, my endless desire to serve humanity and serve the people led me to join the military. I fought in a few conflicts, and I thought I was fighting for my people.
But at the time, I knew that this fighting was just a part of corrupt politics. Neocolonial politicians play a game with people’s lives. The poor fight for their daily bread, but the rich are up there, just playing games with their minds and with their lives.
When you see this, I don’t think you don’t need an education to understand it. You see it every day. People who can’t afford a meal. They just have to beg. But at the same time, you see some people who throw parties every day, who throw rubbish everywhere, and who drive twenty cars.
You don’t need an education for this. I saw these things and I knew it wasn’t right.
So, yes, I got woke from my grandfather’s words, “Service to humanity is service to oneself.” I always want to serve humanity, and I will until my last breath.
What is your current role in Black Hammer Organization?
I’m the Chief of International of the African Region. I’m part of membership, so I enroll people in my region and help start-up chapters. They report to me, and I report to the Chief of Membership.
Can you talk about some of the projects your chapters are working on?
Right now, we are able to complete a food drive and a PPE drive. We’re hoping in the next couple weeks to complete another drive and pass out even more because Coronavirus is fast rising in Africa right now.
Coronavirus is killing our people, so we want to pass out masks, gloves, and other PPE to serve them.
With PPE and with food drives, we will serve our poor and working-class colonized people.
Then, we are hoping to find farmland to build a Hammer City here in Nigeria; there’s one being planned outside of Nigeria and we are planning one too.
What do people think about Black Hammer when you give them food and protective equipment?
When we give out the PPE we are very happy. The government doesn’t do this, so if they see someone do this for free without money or anything, they are very happy.
The only time they get to do stuff like this is during political campaigns. The political aspirants give them food or other items so the people vote for them. After voting for them, when they come into power they stop.
So when they see people come give them items for free without voting, they get very happy. We’re not telling them what to do like politicians, but we are telling them to do something: to get a political education.
We give them this political education. When passing out food or other items, we also let them see the facts about why they should stand up as true Africans. We get to do a political education while giving them the items. They are extremely happy and excited for this.
A lot of people are angry at the suffering of the world and frustrated that nothing can ever change. What is your message to these people?
Always believe in yourself, and always know the best is meant for you. See yourself as the best person and the god you are. Don’t ever settle for less.
And my final message is what my grandpa told me before he died: “Service to humanity is service to oneself”. If you serve humanity, you serve yourself. See the best possible way to serve humanity, and to make the world a better place. What is a person if they can’t make the world a better place.
Those are my final words.
Black Power!
Land is Power!
You can help the revolutionaries on the ground in Nigeria by donating to their cashapp $BHInternational
