Prof. Sam Noumoff, 1935-2014

We would like to pay tribute to the memory of an exemplary anti-imperialist intellectual and fighter, Sam Noumoff, who passed away recently in Montreal, Quebec, a short time after the death of his beloved wife, Francesca.

This is a huge loss because across Canada there are too few teachers, professors and intellectuals like Prof. Noumoff ready to stand by their dialectical, Marxist, pro-people and anti-imperialist principles in the face of ferocious pressure from within and without the academic world.

We sought out many times Prof. Noumoff’s support for the struggle of the people of the Philippines against US imperialism and local reaction. He never failed to lend his support in whatever form he could. He even went to the guerrilla zones of the New People’s Army to better understand the revolutionary struggle still underway in the Philippines via the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

Also, how many Canadian intellectuals of his stature have stood up so consistently for the right of the people of North Korea (the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) to build a society based on their own socialist ideals and goals in the face of constant war threats and imperialist bullying? Recently Prof. Noumoff had been encouraging us in our effort to renew friendship links between the people of Canada and the DPRK, even though he could not attend our meetings because of his illness.

In his life and deeds, from the time he decided to move to Canada during the Vietnam War and the many struggles that followed, Prof. Noumoff clearly demonstrated that it is possible for intellectuals to oppose the dominant capitalist system and ideology and resist the pressure to serve it in the academic world. He showed it is possible to come down from the ivory tower and be one with the people.

Many students who passed through McGill University were profoundly marked by the time they spent with Prof. Noumoff, as were his many friends and comrades from around the globe.

Together with them, today we honour a man and his legacy and promise to continue the anti-imperialist struggles that he espoused and fought so hard to promote and defend.

Vive Sam Noumoff!

Sam Noumoff, Presente!

Signed: Malcolm Guy

— Member, Coordinating Committee of the International League of Peoples Struggle – Canada

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More tributes available on the Sam Noumoff Tribute Blog: http://samnoumofftribute.blogspot.ca/2014/11/the-passing-of-era-sam-noumoff-dies-at.html