Uploaded October 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

---

What is Red Africa? Kevin Ochieng Okoth and Ashok Kumar discuss radical Black Marxism, including the history of African socialism, Afro-pessimism, race and class, Portuguese anti-colonialism, and the future of Black radical politics.

Kevin Ochieng Okoth's new book - Red Africa: Reclaiming Revolutionary Black Politics - makes the case for a revolutionary Black politics inspired by Marxist anticolonial struggles in Africa versobooks.com/products/2896-red-africa?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=verso_video

Watch Robin D.G. Kelley & Kevin Ochieng Okoth talk about Walter Rodney's life and work here: youtube.com/watch?v=NgO1bxKfXOw

Kevin Ochieg Okoth is a writer and researcher based in London. He is part of the Salvage Editorial Collective and is a regular contributor to the London Review of Books. He holds an MPhil in Political Theory from the University of Oxford and regularly participates in conferences, speaking on themes related to anti-imperialism and twentieth century anti-colonial movements. He is a founding editor of Nommo Mag.

Ashok Kumar is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) of Political Economy. He has published widely on a number of issues including urban theory, development, capitalist crisis, workers’ movements, global supply chains and identity.

0:00 Intro
0:56 What is Red Africa?
2:50 What is Afro-pessimism
14:56 Critiques of Marxism
19:05 ‘De-linking’
24:38 Cedric Robinson’s Black Marxism
36:41 Negritude
43:30 Portuguese anti-colonial movements
50:20 The future of black politics