Celebrating the Centennial of the League Against Imperialism’s founding congress
In February 2027, we will mark 100 years since 175 delegates from across the globe convened in Brussels to establish the League Against Imperialism and Colonial Oppression (LAI). The Congress aimed to create a global mass anti-imperialist movement, and for several years, the LAI successfully inspired and supported anti-colonial and anti-imperialist struggles worldwide.
The founding conference of the LAI is widely regarded as a precursor to the 1955 Asian-African Bandung Conference, a connection explicitly noted by Indonesian President Sukarno in his opening remarks at Bandung. It is fair to say, therefore, that the 1927 Brussels conference and the LAI, which existed until the mid-1930s, had a significant influence on the Non-Aligned Movement that emerged in the postcolonial and Cold War era.
Today, the world remains shaped by political and economic structures rooted in colonial injustices and exploitation. A New Cold War is emerging, with growing antagonism towards China in the West. Palestine continues to be a flashpoint and symbol of colonialist and imperialist domination. At the same time, resistance to imperialism is gaining momentum in the Global South, both at the governmental level and among the people.
An initial group of conveners has taken the initiative to make sure the centennial does not pass unnoticed. They include the following esteemed activists among others yet to be confirmed:
• Aleida Guevara is a Cuban physician and internationalist.
• Jeremy Corbyn is a member of Parliament in the UK and a former leader of the Labour Party. He is also founder of the Peace and Justice Project.
• Baba Aye is the health and social services sector policy officer of Public Services International (PSI) and Co-President of the Geneva Global Health Hub (G2H2). He is also a contributing editor of the Review of African Political Economy (ROAPE).
• Vandana Shiva is an environmental thinker, activist, feminist, philosopher of science, writer and science policy advocat, is the founder of Navdanya Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology (India) and President of Navdanya International.
• Vijay Prashad is an Indian historian, journalist and author. He is the executive director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, the chief correspondent for Globetrotter, and the chief editor of LeftWord Books (New Delhi).
• Demba Moussa Dembele is an economist and researcher from Senegal. He is a researcher with the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) and a founding-member of the African Social Forum.
• Varsha Gandikota is the co-coordinator of Progressive International.
They are currently preparing a series of activities to give the centennial of the League the attention it deserves. Commemorating the centennial of the LAI conference will be a timely opportunity to reconnect today's anti-imperialist struggles with a rich tradition of alliances and struggles.
For more information or if you want to contribute, please get in touch: LAI2027@proton.me