Henry Sylvester Williams

**Henry Sylvester-Williams** (24 Maris 1867 ko 15 Fabrairun shekarar 1869 - 26 Maris shekarar 1911) lauyan Trinidadiya ne, mai fafutuka, mashawarci kuma marubuci wanda yana cikin waɗanda suka kafa ƙungiyar Pan-African.

Lokacin da yake matashi, Williams ya yi tafiya zuwa Amurka da Kanada don ci gaba da karatunsa, kafin daga bisani ya koma Ingila, inda ya kafa ƙungiyar Afirka tare da Alice Kinloch da Thomas Josiah Thompson a shekara ta 1897 don "inganta da kare muradun dukkan batutuwan da ke da'awar zuriyar Afirka gaba daya ko a wani bangare, a cikin yankunan Birtaniyya da sauran wurare, musamman Afirka, ta hanyar yada cikakkun bayanai game da batutuwan da suka shafi batutuwan da suka shafi ainihin batutuwan da suka shafi Afirka. Daular Biritaniya, ta hanyar yin kira kai tsaye zuwa ga Masarautu da kananan hukumomi."

A cikin 1900, Williams ya shirya taron Farko na Afirka na Farko, wanda aka yi a Westminster Town Hall a London. A cikin 1903 ya tafi aikin lauya a Kudancin Afirka, inda ya zama bakar fata na farko da aka kira zuwa mashaya a Cape Colony.

## Rayuwar farko
An fafata a ranar da wurin da aka haifi Williams. An haife shi 24th Maris 1867, Endeavour, St. James, Barbados ko a cikin 1869 a Arouca, Trinidad, Shi ne ɗan fari na Elizabeth Payne da Henry Bishop Williams, wani kafinta ( wheelwright) (Barbados Church Registers) daga Barbados. Williams ya girma a Arouca, ƙauyen da yawancin mazaunan asalin Afirka ne. Ya halarci makarantar Arouca, wanda a lokacin wani dan kasar Trinidadian na kasar Sin wanda aka fi sani da Stoney Smith ke tafiyar da shi.

Williams ya fara aikinsa yana dan shekara 17, inda ya zama malami mai takardar shedar Class III, kuma a shekarar 1887 aka tura shi makarantar gwamnati a San Fernando. Kamar yadda bayanai suka nuna, ya kasance daya daga cikin malamai uku kacal da ke da satifiket a wannan shekarar. Bayan shekara guda shi kaɗai ne wanda ya yi shedar malami a makarantar da ke ƙasar Kan’ana, kusa da San Fernando; kuma a shekara ta gaba aka ɗauke shi zuwa San Juan, inda ya zauna har sai da ya bar Trinidad a shekara ta 1891. Mutum ne mai al’ada, ya kuma ƙware wajen koyar da waƙa da kuma buga piano a kai a kai.

A cikin Janairu 1890, Williams ya zama memba na kungiyar malamai na Elementary Trinidad. Babban mai shari’a Sir John Gorrie ne ya bayar da wannan jawabi, inda ya goyi bayan kawo sauyi a gwamnati kuma a kodayaushe yana cikin sabani da masu mulkin farar fata. Ya akai-akai yana yanke hukunci game da kafa kuma mutumin da ke kan titi ya ƙaunace shi har ana kiransa "Papa Gorrie". Williams ya shawarci malaman da su yi aiki a matsayin kwararru. Wannan kasa ce mai ‘yanci, ya tunatar da su, ko da kuwa Turawan Mulki ne. Babu shakka Gorrie zai yi tasiri a tunaninsa.

A wannan lokacin, daya daga cikin abokan Williams, wani Lauya mai launin fata mai suna Edgar Maresse Smith, ya roki Gwamnan da ya ayyana ranar 1 ga Agusta a matsayin hutu don bikin 'Yanci. Robinson bai goyi bayan hakan ba amma Gorrie ya yi. Har ma a wancan lokacin, akwai a Trinidad wani gungun mutane bakar fata masu ilimi, masu fafutuka da kabilanci, daga cikinsu akwai John Jacob Thomas, Maresse Smith, Mzumbo Lazare, C. E. Petioni, Reverend Phillip Henry Douglin. Thomas musamman ya shahara da littafinsa Froudacity (1889), inda ya karyata tare da koka game da ra'ayin da masanin tarihin Oxford James Anthony Froude ya yi na cewa ba za a iya ba wa bakaken fata amanar mulkin kai ba. Lallai ra'ayoyin Thomas sun ƙarfafa Williams.

A cikin 1891 Williams ya tafi Birnin New York, amma yana iya samun aiki kawai yana haskaka takalma. Ya koma cikin 1893 zuwa Jami'ar Dalhousie, a Halifax, Nova Scotia, don yin karatun digiri na shari'a. Yayin da yake zaune a Kanada, Henry ya zama abokin haɗin gwiwa na ƙungiyar majagaba da sabuwar ƙungiyar Hockey mai launi (1895–1936), wanda ke nuna ƙungiyoyi daga Nova Scotia, New Brunswick da Tsibirin Prince Edward.

## Komawa London
A lokacin da ya koma Landan, Williams ya yanke shawarar tsayawa takarar gwamnati, domin yana ganin ya kamata a samu mai magana da yawun Afirka a majalisar dokokin kasar kuma kwarewarsa ta Afirka ta Kudu ta ba shi ilimin da yake bukata don yin magana mai inganci kan wadannan batutuwa. Bakaken fata da kala-kala sun kasance “mutanena” kuma da zuwansa ya bai wa ofishin mulkin mallaka ra’ayinsa. “Bai kamata a hana mu adalci ba saboda kalar fatarmu,” inji shi.

Williams ya shiga Fabian Society da National Liberal Club, amma bai kai majalisa ba. Ya shiga harkokin siyasa na birni kuma ya sami kujera a matsayin mai ci gaba a majalisar gundumar Marylebone a cikin Nuwamba 1906. Shi da John Archer na daga cikin mutanen Afirka na farko da aka zaba a mukaman gwamnati a Biritaniya.

Duk da haka, hidima a matsayin dan majalisa bai kawar da shi daga sha'awarsa da sadaukarwa ga Afirka ba. Ya shiga cikin al'amuran Laberiya kuma ya tafi can a cikin 1908 bisa gayyatar da shugaba Arthur Barclay ya yi masa.

A 1908, ya koma Trinidad, inda ya sake shiga mashaya kuma ya yi aiki har mutuwarsa bayan shekaru hudu.

Williams ya mutu a ranar 26 ga Maris 1911, yana da shekaru 42. An binne shi a makabartar Lapeyrouse, Port of Spain.

## Gado
Jami'ar West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad da Tobago, ta gudanar da taro kan "Henry Sylvester Williams da Pan-Africanism: A Retrospection and Projection" akan 7-12 Janairu 2001.

An buɗe alamar tunawa a wurin tsohon gidansa na London a 38 Church Street, Marylebone, a ranar 12 ga Oktoba 2007.

An nada Williams a matsayi na 16 a cikin jerin 2003 na "Bakar Birtaniyya 100".

## Manazarta