Africa doesn't exist. What we have is the African continent, and a large number of independent nations within it. Garvey didn't live to see the Diaspora independence movements, and we can't expect a clear definition for Africa from him. But if you look at his travels and the location of hundreds of Liberty Halls in the Americas, there is no indication that he limited his definition of Africa to the continent. So when I propose that we start from scratch to define Africa in the way that suits us (and seems to be in the spirit of Garveyism), people may think I'm joking, but I'm serious. So I can start to build a concept of Garveyite Africa starting where he was born. My concept is not to go to the continent, but rather to let the continent come to us. Due to time and convenience, I'll follow with an excerpt of what I wrote to someone else about this. As I say at the end, I'm reaching, but what I say should be enough to make clear whart sort of Africa I'm NOT thinking about. "The point is that we need thinkers here. One is trying to develop a clean, clear blueprint for Africa, starting from scratch. We don't have to fight for the right to conceive of Africa (other than just the continent), since that right has been won. But what we conceive of AS BEING Africa has not, IMO, been done.

It is strategically propitious to begin with Garvey. If you begin with Garvey, why not begin with the town of his birth (which happens to be "beginning point for Jamaica)? If you begin with the town of his birth, why not, simultaneously, with the country it is part of? If you begin with Jamaica, claiming it to be a keystone building block for a future Africa, you have to define your terms, and show how this building block works to prefigure a totally new concept of a place.

The town therefore takes on global responsibility. If takes on global responsibility, then ALL of its ethnic connections to the planet become part of the African constitution. Jamaica, with its relatively harmonious intermingling of ethnicities either leads the way or reinforces or supports similarly harmonious relations throughout the African Diaspora/provisional African Unity. Africa becomes, simultaneously, a hub of the Global South and a hub of the world (if ethnic diversity is built into its DNA).

I'm still trying to think this through. I see an Africa that is extremely diverse and spread out. It would be ungovernable from a central point, and therefore it must have a highly decentralized governance system. It would seem to behove the USA to be a very close partner and ally with this Unity, perhaps serving to back up (but not dominate) its military posture. "Africa" might come to mean places with very black, marginalized people that are part of other national unities: south India, south Iran, parts of Australia. I'm reaching here. There is also the prospect of shared nationalities.; what do you do about Africans in the US or in South America?

If you have hope for Indian heritage somewhere, where is that somewhere? I'm suggesting that it, and other similar hopes, might be strengthened in a vast, new entity that you can help to define."