TREVOR NOAH: APARTHEID TOOK CUES FROM U.S.

Apartheid was a system of race-based segregation enforced by the South African regime of white settlers between 1948 and 1994. It controlled every detail of the life of non-white people—Blacks, Coloureds and Indians—where they were allowed to live, with whom they could marry, where they could work, and even which hospital or school they could go to.

In this clip, comedian Trevor Noah (@trevornoah on IG and X) explained that apartheid extended to criminalise his existence. ‘Me being born was illegal. My dad couldn't be on my birth certificate,’ he told ‘The Breakfast Club,’ a New York-based radio programme. His Xhosa mother and Swiss-German father were in an illegal relationship, according to apartheid law. 

Sometimes, truthful messages are delivered in a harsh tone, but that doesn't make them any less honest. @GeorgeGalloway certainly didn't mince his words in his 27 March X post. The former UK parliamentarian and leader of @workerspartygb echoed sentiments that have been the subject of long-standing debate among many Africans. While we know the colonial powers ensured former colonies remained economically and politically dependent on them even after colonialism, surely, decades later, isn't it time we broke free?

Continued……. Some of us argue that Africa's dependence on the West prevents African people's progress; others view this argument as an oversimplification of the complex dynamics of global inequality and exploitation.

Many African leaders have sought sovereignty for their nations and a breakaway from Western dependency. To address inequalities created by colonialism, Zimbabwe's former president Robert Mugabe, for instance, sought to take back an estimated 74% of the country's total arable land that was stolen by fewer than 5,000 white settlers - who made up just 0.2% of the population - through land reforms. Rather than plead for Western handouts, he aimed to rebuild his nation as a dignified homeland for all Zimbabweans.

Similarly, Patrice Lumumba, the Democratic Republic of Congo's first Prime Minister, sought to liberate his country from the shackles of colonial exploitation to establish a genuinely sovereign nation, whose vast resources would primarily benefit the Congolese people for the first time in centuries. Both leaders faced fierce resistance from the West. Lumumba was k*lled in January 1961, in a Belgian and US-backed assassination, and Zimbabwe, under Mugabe, was subjected to punitive sanctions that devastated the country's economy.

Today, the Alliance of Sahelian States (AES), made up of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, continue to face resistance from the West, aided by pliant governments in neighbouring countries and weak institutions such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which function as extensions of global imperialists.

Considering neocolonialism alongside other historical and present realities, do you think voluntary dependence on the West is the primary barrier to progress in Africa?

Sources

https://x.com/georgegalloway/status/1905323309799272645?s=46

https://news.un.org/en/story/2010/09/352972

https://www.fao.org/family-farming/detail/en/c/884521/

https://www.africanews.com/amp/2017/02/21/president-mugabe-turns-93-eu-extends-economic-sanctions/

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/10/17/patrice-lumumba-congo-washington-00121755

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/487930/ECOWAS-France-The-chronicles-of-a-predator-and-its-prey

https://www.securityincontext.com/posts/ecowas-whose-best-interests

Continued……So, to celebrate his life, we’ve gathered some of his most powerful words, spoken in solidarity with Congo and Palestine.

Have a read, and share your reflections.

Sources
https://www.instagram.com/p/DItq_qzJ2XP/?img_index=5

https://www.palestinechronicle.com/pope-francis-passing-his-key-statements-on-gaza-and-the-ongoing-genocide

January 31 quote: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/january/documents/20230131-autorita-repdem-congo.html

February 1 quote:
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/february/documents/20230201-vittimeest-repdem-congo.html

Cause of death
https://apnews.com/live/pope-francis-dies-catholic-church-updates

African growth
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/262883/worldwide-catholic-population-hits-14-billion#:~:text=Concretely%2C%20there%20has%20been%20a%201.15%%20increase,in%202022%20to%20281%20million%20in%202023.

AFRICOM TARGETS BURKINA FASO

The US has plans for Burkina Faso, but none are good. Listen to brother Isa Bako (@gothicaboki) explain how the empire has perfected the use of ‘Black faces in high places’ to advance its anti-Africa agenda. 

During a 3 April US Senate hearing, the head of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), General Michael E Langley, accused Burkina Faso leader Ibrahim Traoré of using Burkina Faso’s resources like gold, not for the people, but to consolidate his position.

Just as Gaddafi was targeted and k*lled in an invasion launched by the first Black US president, Barack Obama, history is rhyming with Langley’s recent testimony against Traoré. 

But why accuse Burkina Faso of corruption (with no evidence) when there are more obvious suspects? Its Western-aligned neighbour, Nigeria, lost $20 trillion in corruption in more than four decades.

Continued……. Meanwhile, in Kenya, evidence exists of elites enriching themselves at the expense of the people, such as with President William Ruto's expensive private flights rather than using state aeroplanes. Former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta also allegedly stored loot abroad.

Similar to Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya, Burkina Faso’s government that came to power in a 2022 people-backed coup d’état has made sovereignty non-negotiable by taking control of their country from the West. The country has kicked out French troops and some media, and has nationalised two gold mines from which a British mining company profited. The US had nothing to say for the years France enacted neo-colonialism by controlling Burkinabé resources, economy and politics. But it is up in arms against a government that enjoys popular support, not just in Burkina Faso, but around the continent, too.

Additionally, the United States’ corruption goes unchecked, with elected officials engaging in insider trading in industries over which they have regulatory oversight. For example, US Congressmember Nancy Pelosi made 20 times her salary trading tech company Nvidia’s stock.

Video credit: @gothicaboki

Sources

https://burkina-faso.news-pravda.com/en/burkina-faso/2025/04/16/1724.html

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377297627_A_CHRONOLOGY_OF_CORRUPTION_AND_LEADERSHIP_WOES_IN_NIGERIA_1960_-2023

https://deepnewz.com/kenya/kenyan-officials-accused-sh2-7-billion-sgr-land-fraud-amid-ruto-criticism-over-5-4bfe2f09

https://www.thecollector.com/gaddafi-muammar-african-union/

https://jacobin.com/2020/01/franc-zone-french-neocolonialism-africa

https://www.dw.com/en/africa-and-france-an-unfulfilled-dream-of-independence/a-54418511

https://www.cato.org/commentary/obama-administration-wrecked-libya-generation

https://www.econotimes.com/Nancy-Pelosis-264-Million-Milestone-Sparks-Outrage-Insider-Trading-or-Savvy-Investing-1695163

https://www.financeuncovered.org/stories/pandora-papers-kenyatta-family-offshore-secrets-kenya-revealed

TRUMP HAS NO IDEA WHERE CONGO IS

US President Donald Trump’s ignorance is again on display, as he admitted to not knowing where the Congo is whilst hosting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on 17 April at the White House.

As they took questions from the press, Trump responded on the illegal deportation to El Salvador of a Salvadoran citizen living in the US on a work permit, Abrego Garcia. The US has outsourced its prison-industrial complex, migrant detention and torture to the Central American country, denying many the US right to due process.

Trump seems not to have bothered to find the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on a map since he first accused the country of releasing inmates to the US during his 2024 campaign. He presented no supporting evidence, with the DRC and the neighbouring Republic of Congo condemning him.

Continued…………His ignorance is especially damning, considering how crucial the DRC is to the US economy. Tech giants like Apple, Dell, Google, Microsoft and Tesla depend on minerals like cobalt to power their devices. The DRC has more than 50 per cent of the world’s cobalt reserves. The exploitation of DRC’s minerals hasn’t been a net positive for the Congolese people, with more than 7 million of whom have been displaced from their lands, suffer from a polluted environment and are vulnerable to s*xual violence. In 2024, a US court ruled against former Congolese child miners who sued the aforementioned tech companies for supporting child labour.

Further, the US used uranium mined in the DRC to create nuclear bombs that k*lled hundreds of thousands of Japanese during World War II.

Sources
https://apnews.com/article/who-is-abrego-garcia-e1b2af6528f915a1f0ec60f9a1c73cdd

https://earth.org/cobalt-mining-in-congo

https://fnl.mit.edu/january-february-2021/the-legacy-of-the-involvement-of-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-in-the-bombs-dropped-on-hiroshima-and-nagasaki

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50812616

https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-appeals-court-dismisses-child-labor-case-against-tech-companies-2024-03-05

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/16/politics/donald-trump-congo-release-prisoners-immigration/index.html

HOW THE WEST SUPPORTS ISLAMIST EXTREMIST GROUPS

In recent decades, radical Islamist groups have proliferated across Africa, from Egypt to Libya, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and beyond. But whose interests do these groups truly serve? While some claim to be fighting the West, the reality is far more complex. Many of these movements have played into the hands of imperialists and neo-colonial forces by destabilising anti-imperial secular nationalist leaders, ultimately advancing Western-backed agendas.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, Libya's Islamic fighters, ISIS in Sinai, ISIS in the Sahel and Boko Haram in Nigeria all highlight the uncomfortable truth that these groups often deepen divisions and fuel conflict rather than achieve their stated goals.

From Boko Haram's mysterious funding to the US-backed overthrow of Gaddafi, to terrorist groups targeting the Alliance of Sahel States - history shows how these violent movements often serve imperial interests.

Continued………For a deeper understanding of how these so-called Islamist groups continue to advance neocolonial interests, it's crucial to question who truly benefits from the chaos. Watch African Stream's Ahmed Kaballo break down a list of extremist groups that have all served imperialist interests in Africa and beyond.

Hear Us Roar: https://news.1rj.ru/str/AfricanStream

MOROCCANS PROTEST AGAINST SHIP CARRYING ALLEGED WEAPONS FOR ISRAEL

In the port city of Tangier, about 1,000 Moroccans took to the streets to protest the arrival of the Maersk Detroit ship, which reportedly transported components for F-35 fighter jets destined for Israel. 

Furious dockworkers’ unions and pro-Palestine activists marched toward the Tangier port. While port authorities at Tanger Med claimed ignorance about what was on board, Maersk confirmed that the ship was handling ‘US government cargo’ and that its policy doesn’t prohibit it from carrying military goods. However, it refuted claims that it was bound for Israel.

Continued……. On 6 April, an estimated tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied in Rabat against Israel’s military onslaught in Gaza, one of the largest protests in recent months. Moroccans also called for an end to normalisation with Israel, brokered by the United States in 2020. Many Moroccans expressed their frustration with US foreign policy, particularly US President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate displaced Palestinians to develop Gaza into the ‘Riviera of the Middle East.’ 

The Moroccan people’s commitment to supporting the Palestinian liberation struggle dates back to the 1920s, according to Pan-African journal Souffles (@soufflesmonde on IG and X).

Video credit: @aljazeera, @africanews

Sources

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/4/6/mass-protests-in-morocco-against-israels-war-in-gaza-and-us-support

https://www.newarab.com/news/moroccans-protest-maersk-ship-carrying-f-35-parts-israel

https://www.soufflesmonde.com/posts/introduction-moroccos-palestine

NICARAGUA: RESISTING U.S IMPERALISM!

This week marks the Western-backed attempted coup in Nicaragua in 2018 that aimed to overthrow the socialist government of Daniel Ortega and strip back the various social programs aimed at reducing poverty and providing educational support. African Stream's CEO and founder, Ahmed Kaballo, visited Nicaragua in 2021 to cover its presidential elections. He also used the opportunity to gain deeper insights into how the foreign-backed coup attempt impacted the nation that had already been attacked so viciously in the 1980s by US-backed Contra rebels. He travelled throughout the country and spoke to Nicaraguans from all walks of life to get their perspective on the events that almost brought them to the brink of war for a second time. This documentary was the outcome (apologies if the camera work is a bit rough and ready in places - he went there on a limited budget).