7 Books for the Afrikan Warrior!

“Politics is war without bloodshed; War is politics WITH bloodshed.” – Chairman Fred Hampton

War is considered by many to be humanity at its worst. Some consider war to not be human, or even humane. Paradoxically, it is in war that many of us show the very best of ourselves.

War is often the result of greed, stupidity, or depravity. But in war is truth; in war, the character of men and women shines brightest.

I am not a soldier. I was once, but no longer. I am, however, a warrior – always have been; always will. As a warrior, I have studied the strategies, tactics and methodologies of war for a long time. I am not alone in this.

The greats have been telling stories, writing and reading about war – its causes, its effects, its heroes, its victims – since the dawn of woman and man. Some of our most powerful literature is either overtly about war or profoundly influenced by it.

The study of war is the study of life, because war is life in its rawest sense. It is death, fear, power, love, adrenaline, sacrifice, glory, and the will to survive.

As we say at the Afrikan Martial Arts Institute: “The mat is the truth and the sword decides all.” We must learn the strategies, the motivations, the offenses and the defenses of war. We must understand and respect the light and the darkness; the rewards and the consequences.

Here, I give you 7 books about war and warriors that you should read if you consider yourself a warrior. And that you should read to your children if they are very young, or have them read to themselves to help them become the warriors they were born to be.

Seven books is certainly not a comprehensive list – I chose seven books because 7 is the number sacred to Ogun, the Orisa “Force of Nature”) of Iron and War in the spiritual tradition of Ifa (pronounced ee-FAH). I am sure I will miss some great books you love, so please, suggest them in the comments.

The Afrikan Warriors’ Bible by Balogun Ojetade

The long-awaited sequel to Afrikan Martial Arts: Discovering the Warrior Within! 

While a stand-alone book, The Afrikan Warriors’ Bible expands on the first, teaching the reader advanced techniques and principles that aid in the awakening and discovery of their Warrior within. 

This book applies the FTP/RBG Codes of Conduct to the lives and methods of REAL Afrikan Warriors and Revolutionaries. 
If you consider yourself a Warrior, read this book! 

And remember: Revolutionary WILL, without Revolutionary SKILL, will get a Revolutionary KILLED!

Message to the Warriors by Mwalimu K. Bomani Baruti

Message to the Warriors is a nationalist’s handbook, a warrior’s workbook, a nation-builder’s manual on the basics of how to develop the base for a strong, righteous character, knowing vision and uncompromising, enduring personal power.

All of these attributes are necessary if the Warrior is to fulfill his or her natural purpose in life – to assess, pursue and fulfill the interests and sovereignty of Afrikan people.

Destruction of Black Civilization: Great Issues of a Race from 4500 B.C. to 2000 A.D. by Chancellor Williams

The Destruction of Black Civilization took Chancellor Williams sixteen years of research and field study to compile. It was written at a time when many Black students, educators, and scholars were starting to piece together the connection between the way our history is taught and the way we are perceived by others and by ourselves.

Williams’ extensive study and research led him to the contention that many elements – nature, imperialism, and stolen legacies – have aided in the destruction of Black civilization. The Destruction of Black Civilization is revelatory and revolutionary because it offers a new approach to the research, teaching, and study of Afrikan history by shifting the main focus from the history of Arabs and Europeans in Afrika to the Afrikans themselves, offering, as Chancellor Williams said, “a history of Blacks that is a history of Blacks because only from history can we learn what our strengths were and, especially, in what particular aspect we are weak and vulnerable.”

Fist of Africa by Balogun Ojetade

Nigeria 2004…Nicholas ‘New Breed’ Steed, a tough teen from the mean streets of Chicago, is sent to his mother’s homeland – a tiny village in Nigeria – to avoid trouble with the law. Unknown to Nick, the tiny village is actually a compound where some of the best fighters in the world are trained. Nick is teased, bullied and subjected to torturous training in a culture so very different from the world where he grew up.

Atlanta 2014…After a decade of training in Nigeria, a tragedy brings Nick back to America. Believing the disaffected youth in his home town sorely need the same self-discipline and strength of character training in the Afrikan martial arts gave him, Nick opens an Academy. While the youth are disinterested in the fighting style of the cultural heritage Nick offers, they are enamored with mixed martial arts. Nick decides to enter the world of mixed martial arts to make the world aware of the effectiveness and efficiency of the martial arts of Afrika. Pursuing a professional career in MMA, Nick moves to Atlanta, Georgia, where he runs into his old nemesis – Rico Stokes, the organized crime boss who once employed Nick’s father, wants Nick to replace his father in the Stokes’ protection racket. Will New Breed Steed claim the Light Heavyweight title … Or will the streets of Atlanta claim him?

Yoruba Warlords of the Nineteenth Century by Toyin Falola and Dare Oguntomisin

This is a pioneer book on the Yoruba military generals of the 19th century, covering their individual careers, military alliances and the consequences of their actions on the society.

This book is divided into two parts. The first examines the life histories of the most distinguished among the Yoruba warriors. In the second section, the authors examine some of the Yoruba warlords’ strategies and the enduring consequences of their actions.

A Single Link and Wrath of the Siafu by Balogun Ojetade

I put these books together because, while standing alone each book is a great action-packed story of triumph, determination and the warrior’s spirit, together, they are a powerhouse rarely seen in fiction.

“A Single Link NEVER Breaks!” 

After suffering a brutal assault at the hands of a martial arts champion, Remi “Ray” Swan decides that, to gain closure and empowerment, she must face her attacker in the first professional fight between a man and a woman. 

Join Ray in this powerful, two-fisted adventure as she fights, not just for herself, but for all who have suffered at the cruel hands of those who would wreak pain, oppression, injustice and death! 

Step into the cage, where action, adventure, bone shattering fights, and even an examination of violence and how to handle it await you!

In Wrath of the Siafu, we discover the story is actually set in the very near future…

A young genius is gunned down brutally by the police. Remi Swan – our hero A Single Link – fights the police to avenge the little boy and herself. She is arrested, imprisoned, forced to fight and infected with an experimental virus that turns people into raging monsters…or worse.

Possessed with incredible – and frightening – new abilities, Remi sets off a war against a system that has long brutalized Black people; a war that, alone, she might not be able to fight. But now she is backed by an army…a powerful and deadly force of her own making.

Now, that brutal system will suffer the… WRATH OF THE SIAFU!

How to Build a People’s Army by Kalonji Changa

How to Build a People s Army is a guide to successful community organizing on a basic and practical level.

Over the years, the overall art of grassroots organizing has been lost. The failure of intergenerational communication, technological weapons of mass distraction and overly exasperated grand illusions of capitalism have sent our future towards a downward spiral.

Protocol, discipline, political education, loyalty and respect are absent from today’s liberation struggle.

How to Build a People’s Army breathes life back into the asphyxiating Black Movement. It is a basic training manual of sorts, filled with effective, tested and proven strategies and principles that “Arm the Masses” with proper information.

With How to Build a People’s Army in hand, without a doubt, victory is inevitable!