MALCOLM X STANDS FOR PALESTINE

On this day a century ago, 19 May 1925, Malcolm X, one of the most prominent Pan-Africanist revolutionaries, was born in Omaha in the US state of Nebraska.

Like many revolutionaries, Malcolm knew that the African struggle was fundamentally linked to the struggles of other oppressed people in different parts of the world.

One struggle Malcolm stood with was that of the people of Palestine. In early September 1964, Malcolm X visited Gaza to witness first-hand the horrors of the Israeli occupation. During the trip, he visited the Khan Younis refugee camp, which housed displaced Palestinians, which deepened his appreciation of the suffering of the Palestinian people. 

Continued……. Shortly after the visit, Malcolm X authored an article in the Egyptian Gazette highlighting the flawed logic of the Zi*nist project in Occupied Palestine, laying out the lack of logic or legality for the continued Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. He also raised that the state of Israel also threatens African sovereignty. Though the article is now more than 60 years old, his arguments remain relevant today, especially as Tel Aviv ramps up its brutal onslaught against Palestinians in Gaza.

Rest in power, Malcolm X.

Sources

https://mondoweiss.net/2024/03/malcolm-xs-final-written-words-were-about-zionism-here-is-what-he-said

https://www.newarab.com/news/what-did-malcolm-x-say-about-palestine-gaza-and-zionism

https://www.workers.org/2025/05/85675

https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/newspape/socialist-viewpoint-us/mayjun_05/mayjun_05_21.htm

MALCOLM X'S REVOLUTIONARY TRIP TO AFRICA

Revolutionary pan-African icon Malcolm X would have turned 100 today. He was born 19 May 1925 to parents who followed the teachings of Black nationalist Marcus Garvey. He would go on to become one of the most revered figures in African history.

His trips to Africa in 1959 and 1964 were pivotal in shaping his evolving political ideology. These exposed him to newly independent nations, pan-Africanist leaders and vibrant anti-colonial movements. His experiences deepened his understanding of global racial and economic oppression.

He began drawing clear parallels between colonialism abroad and systemic racism in the US. He once said, ‘As long as we think that we should get Mississippi straightened out before we worry about the Congo, you’ll never get Mississippi straightened out.’

In Nigeria, he was welcomed as a returning ‘child.’ He engaged in dialogue with influential figures such as Egypt's Abdel Nasser, Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah and Tanzania's Julius Nyerere.

Continued……. During his Africa visits, Malcolm X spoke passionately about the need for the Black population to connect with global struggles against imperialism and capitalism. He embraced an internationalist perspective, emphasising the interconnectedness of Black struggles worldwide.

One century of iconic life and influence. Happy 100th, X.


Sources
https://africasacountry.com/2011/06/malcolm-x-in-africa1/

ITALIAN PM DRAGGED OVER ISRAEL HYPOCRISY

Italy’s support for what the International Court of Justice has called Israel’s ‘plausible’ g*nocide in Gaza has come under fire. Angelo Bonelli, Italian parliamentarian and spokesperson of the Italian left-wing political party Green Europe (@AngeloBonelli1 on X), denounced Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government on 14 May.

Italian support for Israel survived the 7 October 2023 escalation of Israel’s 77-year occupation of Palestine, with Italy immediately declaring its support for Israel. Thus began a hike in Italian arms transfers, such as the $2.3 million in arms and munitions sold to Israel in the final three months of 2023. In December 2023, Italy exported $1.47 million in arms, three times the value of its December 2022 exports. Meanwhile, Italian law forbids sales to entities at war or international human rights violators.

Continued….. However, Italian Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto defended the sales, saying they fulfilled outstanding contracts and that Italy had ascertained the weapons wouldn’t be used against civilians. Francesco Vignarca, head of a national pacifist network, however, criticised the lack of clarity on the arms sales and attempts to reform the export law.

Italy also hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, announcing it would not fulfil its obligations to carry out an arrest warrant against him and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Italy's Foreign and Justice Ministries claimed immunity for visiting leaders is permissible under the Vienna Convention.

Israel’s massacres of Palestinians in Gaza, ongoing since 7 October 2023 with a brief reprieve in January 2025, possibly claimed more than 186,000 Palestinian lives by July 2024, according to the Lancet medical journal. Israel has also weaponised humanitarian aid deliveries, with convoys of trucks carrying essentials like food stranded outside Gaza as its population grapples with a hunger crisis. In 2024, the United Nations reported 100 per cent of Gaza’s people faced acute food shortages.

Video credit: la Repubblica (@repubblica on X)

Sources
https://apnews.com/article/gaza-israel-hamas-palestinians-aid-explainer-ecc0e70d5ff1120a04bf36626dfd96f4

https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/europe/artc-italy-joins-france-in-granting-immunity-to-netanyahu-rejecting-icc-arrest-warrants

https://archive.ph/jhy9E#selection-1875.0-1875.55

https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/europe/artc-italy-joins-france-in-granting-immunity-to-netanyahu-rejecting-icc-arrest-warrants#google_vignette

https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/05/1163321

WE STILL HAVE HOUSE NEGROES AND FIELD NEGROES

Pan-Africanist revolutionary Malcolm X would have celebrated his 100th birthday today. In his renowned 1965 speech delivered just days before his assassination on 21 February at the age of 39, he drew a powerful distinction between the ‘house negro’ and the ‘field negro.’

Sixty years have passed since he was gunned down in what many contend was a US-intelligence orchestrated plot. In 2024, Malcolm X's family sued the FBI, CIA and New York Police Department for $100 million over the agencies' complicity. Their attorney, Ben Crump, said they believe these institutions ‘all conspired to assassinate Malcolm X.’

Yet, even today, as we continue the struggle against racism, imperialism, and neo-colonialism, we see the same tactics at play, with the oppressor often enlisting people who share our skin colour in the divide-and-conquer strategy.

Continued……For example, the United States recently attempted to manufacture consent for intervention in Burkina Faso through a campaign of character assassination against the country’s revolutionary president, Ibrahim Traoré. US Africa Command’s General Michael E Langley became the imperial mouthpiece, appearing before the US Senate Armed Services Committee to accuse Traoré of squandering the country’s recently reclaimed gold to fortify his position. Meanwhile, in what appears to be a carefully orchestrated smear campaign to delegitimise his revolutionary leadership, Western media and certain African media lazily circulated the same headline and story. In it, they claimed widespread support for Traoré is simply a product of 'disinformation.'

House negroes like Langley do not wish to see the master's house burning. They work against those like Traoré, who resist imperial dictates, reciting their master’s noscript to promote and maintain the status quo. Thus, Malcolm X's speech serves as a timely reminder that in our fight for true independence, some of our 'skin folk' are no more than tools employed by the oppressors to undermine the movements they seem to resemble.

Sources

https://www.themilitant.com/2015/7906/790650.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98Jmw5o9ulA

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3rxzndzl7yo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYjb6R489tM&t=45s

Perhaps another milestone has been reached in Senegal’s decolonisation process with the withdrawal of French military personnel from the Contre-Amiral Protet base, strategically located in the port of the capital, Dakar.

The French embassy in Senegal announced in a statement that the transfer happened on 15 May. In March, France had handed over two other bases, Maréchal and Saint-Exupéry. France plans to return the remaining French military facilities by the end of September 2025.

Elected in March 2024 on a Pan-Africanist agenda, 45-year-old President Bassirou Diomaye Faye had called for closing French military bases during a speech marking a notorious massacre. On 1 December 1944, French troops opened fire on around 1,600 unarmed ‘Tirailleurs Sénégalais,’ a corp of African soldiers who had demanded unpaid wages after fighting for France in World War II, k*lling nearly 400, according to some historians.

Continued……..
Senegal said the goal of the mutually agreed upon withdrawals is to ‘lay the foundation for a new strategic relationship built on shared priorities and mutual respect,’ which could mean possible continued cooperation with France. The base closures took place under the eyes of a joint France-Senegal commission. China-based publication Xinhua reports, ‘Both sides expressed their intention to establish a new framework for defence and security cooperation based on shared strategic priorities.’ 

The trend of booting French troops began with the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), an anti-imperialist confederation of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger that ousted Western-aligned leaders. These three countries cut off ties with France after booting its troops.

Public outcry demanding an end to French occupation even led France-aligned Côte d’Ivoire (formerly the Ivory Coast) to boot French troops in February, raising questions if all efforts to close bases will move the continent toward Pan-Africanist unity.

Sources

https://caliber.az/en/post/france-transfers-
third-military-base-to-senegal-as-full-withdrawal-advances

https://x.com/FranceoSenegal/status/1923026231265550818

https://english.news.cn/africa/20250516/7bf2f1e79c444636aff30cd724e772a6/c.html

https://apanews.net/france-hands-over-military-base-to-senegal/

https://en.sputniknews.africa/20250517/1073176788.html

https://www.wavn.org/france-transfers-key-military-base-in-dakar-to-senegalese-authorities/

https://africabriefing.com/france-quits-military-base-dakar/

https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20241129-senegal-s-leader-says-france-should-close-all-army-bases-in-country

https://www.newarab.com/news/senegal-leader-calls-france-close-military-bases

https://english.news.cn/20241129/698175acadee400d9d4fc18526de2b19/c.html

https://diplomaticwatch.com/end-of-an-era-senegal-closes-french-military-bases/

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/senegal-follows-chad--seeks-to-end-french-military-presence

https://tass.com/world/1879807

https://apnews.com/article/senegal-france-thiaroye-colonial-massacre-tirailleurs-76db7190dcbc12349ff0d6ade82309b3

https://english.news.cn/africa/20250516/7bf2f1e79c444636aff30cd724e772a6/c.html

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/1/ivory-coast-says-french-troops-to-leave-country-after-decades

WADI HALFA: THE ERASURE OF NUBIAN CIVILISATION

Have you heard of Wadi Halfa? The town sits on the eastern bank of the Nile River in northern Sudan, just 30 kilometres from the Egyptian border. 

According to archaeologists, Nubians have inhabited the region for thousands of years, at least as far back as 1500 BC. For millennia, it has been a crossroads for civilisations and trade.

The Nubians, known for their rich culture and elaborate architectural heritage, have strong ties to the region going as far back as the Kush empire when they ruled Egypt during the 25th dynasty in the 7th to 8th centuries BC. In the 19th century, Wadi Halfa served as a port of commerce between Africa and the Mediterranean Sea.

Continued…….. In this clip, author and content creator Abir Ibrahim (@itsabiribrahim on Instagram) reminded us of how the Aswan High Dam's construction in the 20th century displaced tens of thousands of Nubians from Wadi Halfa. Today, many Nubians remain marginalised after being forced to settle in places like Egypt, with their culture and languages eroded. Archaeologists have estimated that as much as 90 per cent of the Nubian civilisation's historical record may be lost. 

Now, Nubians in Sudan, Egypt, and other countries where they have been scattered struggle to preserve what remains of their heritage.

Video credit: @itsabiribrahim

Sources

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/sudan/regional-risks

https://newlinesmag.com/essays/how-egypts-aswan-dam-washed-away-nubian-heritage

https://www.jstor.org/stable/44947278

https://scholarlypublications.universiteitleiden.nl/access/item:2933639/view

https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/oimp24.pdf

https://magdiamin.com/2015/03/02/wadi-halfa-a-painful-history/

https://journals.openedition.org/ema/2913

https://www.proquest.com/openview/dd0472be303165059e87dec94a828b18/1?cbl=1820943&pq-origsite=gscholar

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/12/sudans-anti-dam-movement-fights-the-flooding-of-nubian-culture

NEW ‘BLACK FACE’ ATTACK ON TRAORÉ

On 4 June 1962, revolutionary pan-African leader and first president of Ghana Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972) spoke about skinfolk who betray the struggle for liberation. During a conference in Accra for African freedom fighters, he said that imperialists ‘operate from European and African centres, using agents who I am ashamed to say, are often unpatriotic sons of Africa.’ He added that they buy ‘personal satisfactions with the betrayal of their countries’ safety and integrity.’

Continued…….. These words remain as relevant today as they were over 60 years ago. African Stream’s @Sannario_ looks at the latest hit job against Burkina Faso’s president Ibrahim Traoré - penned by an African hand attached to imperialist strings.

Sources

https://www.sunesislearninginitiative.com/insights/217/steps-to-freedom-by-dr-kwame-nkrumah

https://www.cfr.org/blog/cult-traore

https://guardian.ng/news/disinformation-fuels-support-for-burkina-junta-leader-in-nigeria/

https://www.channelstv.com/2025/05/02/disinformation-fuels-support-for-burkina-faso-junta-leader-in-nigeria/

https://www.gidipoint.com/disinformation-fuels-support-for-burkina-faso-junta-leader-in-nigeria/

https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.44J62NP

https://www.barrons.com/news/disinformation-fuels-support-for-burkina-junta-leader-in-nigeria-baee68bc

https://www.macaubusiness.com/disinformation-fuels-support-for-burkina-junta-leader-in-nigeria/

https://www.yahoo.com/news/disinformation-fuels-support-burkina-fasos-125546750.html

https://x.com/ADFmagazine/status/1918946253271912769

https://www.cfr.org/expert/ebenezer-obadare

MALCOLM X: 'YOU'RE MORE DANGEROUS SOBER THAN DRUNK'

This week marks the 100th birthday of revolutionary Pan-Africanist icon Malcolm X (19 May 1925 - 21 February 1965).

The founder of the Organization of Afro-American Unity clearly understood the dangers of escapism for the liberation of African people. In this 1963 video clip, Malcolm X highlighted how entertainment and drugs have distracted descendants of enslaved people in the United States. It's much like the 'bread and circuses' of ancient Rome.

Continued……..
Many decades later, the Pan-Africanist's remarks ring true. Capitalist entertainment companies have hijacked and diluted cultural products rooted in radical Black consciousness, such as hip-hop, turning the art form into a medium that glorifies misogyny, drug and alcohol use, and self-hate. The ongoing case of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, a hip-hop megastar and record executive accused of s*x trafficking, s*xual assault and racketeering, is an example of the degenerate influence.

While distracted, we cannot agitate for our interests. For example, no comprehensive plan exists to compensate Africans in the United States for their ancestors' forced labour. Further, the over-policing of Black communities feeds our people into the US prison-industrial complex.

As Malcolm X said, the white man worries when the African stops dancing, stops drinking and stops playing to hegemonic narratives that were created for us.

How powerful we can be if we avoid distractions and focus our collective energies on the struggle for the total liberation of African people worldwide!

P Diddy video credit: @LegacyDistribCo (X)

Sources

https://janicesellis.com/black-are-readily-accepted-in-sports-and-music/

https://www.city-journal.org/article/how-hip-hop-holds-blacks-back

https://variety.com/2025/music/news/cassie-diddy-settlement-alleges-rape-trial-1236398358/

https://www.thecrimson.com/column/where-rap-meets-race/article/2018/4/4/whererapmeetsrace-installment4/

https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/News/story?id=694982&page=1

https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2017/07/ucla-study-pro-social-lyrics-record-labels/

https://www.thestranger.com/sports/2017/09/25/25432524/why-the-over-representation-of-black-americans-in-professional-sports-is-not-a-good-thing

RUTO’S ABDUCTIONS U-TURN

Has Kenya’s president William Ruto let the cat out of the bag? In August last year, he denied any knowledge of abductions of protesters by his security forces. But during a media conference on Monday, he confirmed that all abductees had been returned to their families.

Recall that, in June 2024, Kenyans protested in huge numbers against IMF-backed tax increases (on everything from bread to wheelchairs). The government’s response was a vicious crackdown, marked by arrests, abductions and killings.

Continued……. While Ruto now admits there were abductions, some families don’t believe his claim that all abductees have been returned. For example, Mary Nduta continues looking for her son, who was reportedly abducted by men that identified themselves as police in October 2024.

Do you trust Ruto?

Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKQIdIwn0uM

https://citizen.digital/news/president-ruto-there-are-no-missing-persons-all-abducted-kenyans-have-returned-home-n362615

https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/112008-ruto-accused-lying-about-abductions-list-missing-kenyans-emerges

NIGERIA PAID OFF IMF DEBT WITH SOVEREIGNTY

Revolutionary pan-African icon Thomas Sankara once made a prophetic plea: ‘If we do not pay, the capital lenders will not die; if we pay, we will die. We cannot pay, and we don’t want to pay.’ The former Burkinabe president said this in a speech at the Organisation of African Unity summit in 1986 in Addis Ababa. Less than a year later, Sankara was killed! Decades on, his call goes unheeded.

In this video, Moussa Ibrahim, the former spokesman for Muammar Gaddafi’s revolutionary government, gives his take on Nigeria’s announcement on 8 May 2025 that it had paid off its IMF debt. Abuja had borrowed $3.4 billion during the COVID-19 crisis.

Continued…….. But what was the cost? IMF loans come with painful conditions attached, such as the scrapping of subsidies and the devaluation of national currencies. In this clip, @_moussa_ibrahim (X)—the former spokesperson for deposed ex-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi—shares his take on whether Nigeria’s IMF loan was worth it.

To satisfy the IMF, President Bola Tinubu floated the naira, which shed 70% of its value, badly harming Nigerians’ purchasing power. A fuel subsidy was removed, sending pump prices skyrocketing. Amid this austerity, Nigeria experienced its highest food inflation in 28 years.

It’s funny how the IMF never demands that corruption be rooted out. In Nigeria, this reportedly sucked $20 trillion from the economy between 1960 and 2005. Much of this wealth is in Western jurisdictions like the City of London and the Cayman Islands.

Video Credit: @_moussa_ibrahim (X) and @moussa.ibrahim.in.english (Insta)

Sources
https://www.documenta14.de/en/south/37_a_united_front_against_the_debt
https://www.facebook.com/Sankaralebt/posts/if-we-do-not-pay-the-capital-lenders-will-not-die-if-we-pay-we-will-die-we-canno/919654058103684/

https://archive.ph/Pcegg#selection-1995.3-1998.0

https://www.academia.edu/110662387/Analysis_on_IMF_Loan_Conditions_with_more_Detrimental_Impact_on_the_Economy_A_Case_Study_of_Nigeria

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/6/nigerias-petrol-use-falls-after-end-of-subsidy-regulator-says

https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/nigerian-inflation-rate-climbs-to-28-year-high-on-food-costs

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

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/11/opinion/pandora-papers-britain-london.html
https://www.ft.com/content/6dab83e4-4320-4867-9848-8d298023c324

DUTCH GOV’T SEES RED FOR SUPPORTING ISRAEL

On 18 May, The Netherlands witnessed one of the largest public demonstrations in two decades, with as many as 100,000 protesters demanding the Dutch government cease its political, economic, and military support for Israel’s military onslaught in Gaza.

Protesters symbolically created a ‘red line’ by wearing red and marching for five kilometres around the centre of The Hague, which houses the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC). A ‘red line’ is a diplomatic term aimed at compelling authorities to adhere to a moral and legal threshold lest they face consequences.

A 2024 survey by market researcher Ipsos I&O showed that more than half of the Dutch people want the Netherlands to stop supplying weapons to Israel, and 63 per cent want the government to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.