Perforated Memory: A non-review

Before reading this, you must watch the film.

My subsequent rant:

It's an important reminder of all the anonymous and all the survivors we have, regardless of the place, who risked everything. No one knows the all names of the dead Panthers. No one knows all the names of Che's companions in Cuba, Congo, or Bolivia. No one knows all the names of Abu Ammar's comrades. Even the best educated don't know the names of them all. And here, in the present, they are being forgotten. Only those who lived it keep it alive. And it is a situation that brings disgrace on all of us who strive for freedom. Be it Jordan or Bolivia or the US. And by failing the memory, we fail the struggle. And by failing the past, we fail to learn from it. To romanticize it is not the answer. But to recognize and learn and fight for those who came and fought before us is an essential part of the struggle.

To forget is to lose.

To fail to adapt is to lose.

To compromise is to lose.

To disgrace our elders and our fallen through compromise or collusion, is to lose.

To honor those who falsely claim the mantel of our fallen revolutionaries, is to lose.

The future belongs to those who honor, recognize and reclaim the past; while at the same time adapting, transforming and inspiring our future. Without the past we cannot win. Without the destruction of the present we cannot win. Without the liberation of our future we cannot win. The only step is forward.