The Communist Party Marxist Kenya (CPM-K) will on Friday, May 23 hold the 4th International Theoretical Conference at Nairobi’s United Kenya Club.
The conference, dubbed ‘Theocon’, will bring together 59 international delegates from radical movements across the world as well as 53 local revolutionary delegates to deliberate on the theme: “Bureaucratic and Comprador Capitalist in the Neocolonies.”
The organisers will also hold a press conference on the sidelines of the event, whose purpose will be to provide insights into the objectives of the Theocon, the role of internationalist solidarity, and the revolutionary significance of the event in the context of contemporary class struggle in Kenya and globally.
Speakers at the historic gathering will include the CPM-K Chairperson Mwaivu Kaluka, the party’s Secretary General Booker Omole, a representative from the Communist Party of the Philippines and delegates from the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. Local movement leaders from Kenya, too, will speak.
Ahead of his maiden speech, Chairman Mwaivu Kaluka spoke on the absolute importance of the conference, reminding participants of the struggles past comrades endured in their quest for a fairer world – struggles that included rough terrains, sleppless nights, imprisonment and even death.
“We envision that by the conclusion of this conference, Nairobi will resound with the pulse of the world communist movement. The harmonisation of revolutionary voices gathered here will refine our doctrine, shape our strategies, and forge policies to sharpen the ideological and organisational blade of each participating movement,” he stated.
“Communists never shy from the battle of ideas, we wage it without compromise, carrying the struggle through to its revolutionary conclusion. When theory guides practice, and practice transforms and advances theory; can we truly chart a revolutionary path toward the liberation of humanity.”
Kaluka went on to rail against imperialism and what he described as the comprador bourgeoisie; agents who work to exploit the working masses and who manage the affairs of the imperialist order.
He said: “The principal enemy remains imperialism. But to defeat it, we must first confront its local agents; the comprador-bureaucratic bourgeoisie; These are the ones who guard the gates of underdevelopment, who misappropriate state instruments for the benefit of foreign capital, and who betray the aspirations of the working masses.”
Booker Omole, CPM-K’s General Secretary also shared a few insights on the ongoing conference, stating that party adherents needed to be aware of the many ills which plague the common mwananchi, while also calling for action.
“The comprador–bureaucrat class has bitten the Kenyan masses for too long. But to heal, we must name the disease. To strike, we must see the enemy clearly. That is why we gather, to sharpen our swords of theory, to clean our guns of ideology, and to prepare for political battle, ” he said in a statement.
Omole also cautioned on the activities of the so-called compradors, who he maintained that while they may not be seen walking in the corridors of power, they still existed and thrived in various powerful circles in the country.
“These compradors may not always be seen in Parliament. But they rule nonetheless, from boardrooms, investment conferences, and chambers of commerce. Their task is singular: to extract surplus and channel it to their imperialist masters. They do not build factories. They build bank accounts. They do not invest in the nation. They traffic in its ruin,” he said.
The conference comes just a day before the 62nd African Liberation Day (ALD) commemoration, a fete comprising workers, peasants, youth, women and international delegates and whose objective is to ‘sharpen the continental struggle against imperialism and neocolonial exploitation’.
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