Ben Barka
The pioneer of the tricontinental
Mehdi Ben Barka was a Pan Africanist and a strong proponent of tricontinental solidarity. The Tricontinental Alliance called for the unity of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It began as an anti-colonial movement emphasizing the need for countries of the South to form a political and economic alliance. Some claim the movement endangered the stability of established imperialism, and Barka as its president and spokesman made him one of his day’s highest-profile persons of interest.
Early Life and Politics
Barka was born in the year 1920 in Rabat, Morocco. He attained a mathematics degree in 1950 at Algiers University before returning to Morocco to become a mathematics teacher. He taught at the Royal College in Rabat, a notable student of his is the late King of Morocco, King Hassan II. A pupil who later became Barka’s greatest adversary. Barka’s involvement in political affairs began long before Algiers university. At the tender age of 15, he was the youngest committee member campaigning for complete independence from France. This venture ultimately got him arrested and imprisoned, but it proved to be the starting point of his political career. Following his release from prison, he joined the Istiqlal political party. The Istiqlal party was popularly known as the independence party, a significant player in…
