WAS COLONIALISM BENEFICIAL?

We recently sat down to react to British TV channel GB News’ segment on the benefits of colonialism. GB News contributor Carol Malone (@thecarolemalone on X) argued the world should thank Britain for things like education, transport and sanitation. The caucasity!

Of course, we disagree, so African Stream journalist Erick Gavala (@erickgavala on IG) takes us through Europe’s blood-soaked trail on the continent.

Continued……The Belgians in Congo, the French in Algeria, Germany in Namibia and Tanzania, and the Dutch Cape Colony in southern Africa all committed horrific atrocities against Africans. And none of it was to the benefit of the indigenous population, whose forced labour, oppression and natural resources enriched Europeans, as historian Walter Rodney (1942-80) argues in ‘How Europe Underdeveloped Africa.’

Have a watch, and please let us know what you make of it.

You can check out our whole reaction on Editor-in-Chief Ahmed Kaballo’s YouTube channel (@ahmedkaballo4170).

Sources
https://www.dw.com/en/tanzanians-welcome-germanys-apology-for-maji-maji-massacre/a-67286643

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/12/23/how-to-pay-for-genocide-the-cost-of-germanys-colonial-crimes-in-namibia

https://worldhistoryedu.com/second-boer-war-1899-1902-history-major-causes-phases-concentration-camps-outcome/

https://blog.prif.org/2025/03/26/dealing-with-germanys-first-genocide-why-bilateral-negotiations-with-namibia-failed-and-what-the-new-government-must-do/

https://www.britannica.com/place/South-Africa/The-Delagoa-Bay-slave-trade

https://ala-choice.libguides.com/c.php?g=1354626&p=10001551

MALCOLM X: ONLY A STRONG AFRICA WILL GET RESPECT

This week marks 100 years since Malcolm X, one of the most eminent Pan-Africanist icons, was born in Omaha in the US state of Nebraska.

Born at a time of widespread oppression of Black people both in the United States and in Africa, a commitment to the global African people’s struggle marked Malcolm X's life.

The founder of the Organization of Afro-American Unity firmly believed that for African people at home and in the diaspora to be respected, the African continent needed to become economically and militarily strong.

In this video, Malcolm X (1925-65) explained how the Chinese began to command respect worldwide as a force to be reckoned with culturally, economically, and militarily under People’s Republic of China founder Mao Zedong (1893-1976).

Continued………Malcolm X said the lesson for us Africans was clear: Unite! Just like the Chinese state could unite a population of 540 million in 1949, according to a 2020 commentary in the journal ‘China Population and Development Studies,’ Africa needs an integrated state to unify our growing population of over 1 billion. Watch him make the point by explaining how a r*cist saying quickly fell out of use once China became powerful.

Perhaps the revolution underway in the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), comprising Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, would have brought a smile to Malcolm X’s face. On 6 July 2024, the three states established an anti-imperialist confederation on their path to one governance in Africa. In less than a year, the AES has repeatedly demonstrated that the journey to a unified African state might still be long, but it is possible.

Sources

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/19/al-sharpton-malcolm-x-100th-birthday-civil-rights-trump

https://mg.co.za/thought-leader/2025-05-19-malcolm-x-at-100-our-shining-prince

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42379-019-00042-5#:~:text=Abstract,to%201.4%20billion%20in%202018.

Just a week after US President Donald Trump granted asylum to reportedly as many as 59 Afrikaners over alleged racial persecution in a country where minority white settlers own more than 70 per cent of private farmland, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the White House to try and iron out the rough patch between the two countries. What Ramaphosa may have intended as a constructive dialogue morphed into a contentious display reminiscent of a TV reality show.

Continued………. During a live press conference at the White House, Trump presented a series of videos showcasing South African political rallies, particularly focusing on Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) President Julius Malema (@Julius_S_Malema of @EFFSouthAfrica). Trump also presented a stack of print-outs that allegedly demonstrated racial attacks against white people. Footage played on a large screen, including that of Malema chanting ‘K*ll the Boer,’ an anti-apartheid song that refers to Dutch settlers. Boer means 'farmer' in the Afrikaans language, and is generally used to refer to white settlers who descend from Dutch colonialists, the group that dominated the apartheid regime that ruled South Africa between 1948 and 1994.

The video presentation culminated by showing a field of crosses, which Trump claimed was a burial site for over 1,000 white farmers. However, South African reports say the videos showed a 2020 multi-racial protest of temporary crosses after a farming couple was murdered.

In a post on X, Malema reacted to the press conference by referring to Trump and Ramaphosa as 'a group of older men [meeting] in Washington to gossip about me.' He dismissed Trump's allegations about discrimination against white settlers and a ‘white g*nocide’ as unfounded. The latter term has become a rallying cry for those who oppose South Africa's land expropriation law that aims to rectify lingering apartheid-era racial inequities. According to Malema, Ramaphosa didn't need to visit the US, noting the US possesses intelligence that makes clear no g*nocide exists.

Sources

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce9vvljen0xo

https://www.ewn.co.za/2025/05/21/julius-malema-reacts-to-trump-playing-eff-clips-to-justify-false-sa-white-genocide-claims

https://www.news24.com/southafrica/debunking/donald-trump-confronted-cyril-ramaphosa-with-a-collection-of-misinformation-20250522-0311

https://iol.co.za/news/politics/2025-05-19-malema-criticises-ramaphosas-us-trip-as-a-waste-of-time-during-critical-budget-crisis

https://www.facebook.com/economicfreedomstruggle/videos/eff/1762302561002339

AFRIXPLAINED: MUGABE’S LAND REFORM - GOOD OR BAD?

With issues related to colonial-era land grabs by White settlers in South Africa making headlines, we are reminded of how the West condemned former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe (1924-2019) for his land reforms. For Zimbabweans, it was a vital step towards reclaiming sovereignty and addressing historical injustices. These reforms led to a boost in agricultural production. However, the sanctions they triggered from the EU and the US led to considerable economic difficulties.

Continued……. Research conducted between 2000-2010 in Masvingo province, one of the areas where the land reform was implemented, has revealed that mainstream media narratives did not fully capture the complexities of the situation. In our in-depth look at the issue, we speak with Ian Scoones - the author of Zimbabwe Land Reform. He dispels several myths surrounding Mugabe’s policy.

A more nuanced understanding invites a reevaluation of the reforms’ impact. Have a watch and let us know if you think they were ultimately worth it.

Sources

https://agrarianstudies.macmillan.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/colloqpapers/12scoones.pdf

SOUTH AFRICAN ‘REFUGEE’ WHO
DIDN’T BRING MOM!

"Here's a look at one of those so-called 'refugees' that Donald Trump has just welcomed from South Africa. (The US president falsely claims there's a gen*cide against White people there.) 46-year-old Charl Kleinhaus says he took up the asylum offer because he feared for his life. Yet he didn't bother to bring his mother to the US, leaving her in South Africa. He must hate her, because he told the BBC that there's a gen*cide there - targeting the likes of her.

Oddly, the US Department of Homeland Security (@DHSgov on X) didn't bar him from entry to the US. Since 9 April, it's been screening foreigners' social-media activity for anti-Semitic views - saying such views would count negatively in immigration decisions. In a now-deleted post on X, Kleinhaus branded Jews 'dangerous and untrustworthy. Looks like the reality is that only those who oppose Israel's onslaught on Palestinians get banned.

Continued…….. In this video, South Africa-based broadcaster Dan Corder (@dancorderonair - Instagram) exposes why Kleinhaus' story of victimhood is far from the reality of someone genuinely fleeing danger.

Video Credit: @dancorderonair (Instagram)

Sources

https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/dhs-to-begin-screening-aliens-social-media-activity-for-antisemitism

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98p3eple9eo

https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-us-refugees-trump-afrikaners-16e34760b93cfa66f15b4cd8380743c1

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/5/15/theyll-be-back-white-afrikaners-leave-south-africa-to-be-refugees-in-us

https://www.nbcnews.com/world/africa/trump-musk-south-africa-refugee-claims-white-farmers-genocide-rcna20632

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/addressing-egregious-actions-of-the-republic-of-south-africa/

NOTTOWAY PLANTATION TOUR: 'SLAVES WERE TREATED WELL'

Black people in the US who are descendants of enslaved people have furiously commented on a video that has surfaced of a history tour at the Nottoway Plantation, where a fire on 15 May destroyed what was once the largest pre-Civil War plantation mansion. 

In the video, a tour guide in period attire described the supposed benefits of the lives of the enslaved people, claiming our ancestors were treated ‘fairly well.’

Watch the video and let us know what you think.

Video credit: @11Alive (X), @KPRC2 (X)

Sources

https://nypost.com/2025/05/16/us-news/fire-guts-nottoway-plantation-largest-antebellum-mansion

https://www.thedailybeast.com/souths-biggest-antebellum-mansion-nottaway-plantation-mysteriously-burns-to-ground/?utm_source

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJzXHrBpv2Q/?igsh=eGZsZGJ0cnZobWRi

WE SHALL NOT PUT OUR HEAD DOWN!

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel's onslaught has k*lled 53,000 Palestinians. Meanwhile, the Lancet medical journal estimated in July 2024 that the death toll is at least 186,000. And there seems to be no end in sight.

In this clip from May 2024, Reverend Reginald Wayne (@rwsharpejr on X) of the Chicago-based Fellowship Ministry Baptist Church (@fellowshipchi on X) gave a passionate speech at Morehouse College's commencement exercises in Atlanta, denouncing those who are complacent with Israel’s military onslaught of the Palestinian people in Gaza. 

Continued……. The US continues to send billions of dollars in weapons to Israel. Former US President Joe Biden approved $26 billion in ‘military aid’ during his term. In early February, the US State Department signed off on more than $7.4 billion in bombs and missiles. Then, the US Senate approved $8.8 in arms in April. 

Wayne reminds us that we cannot ignore the hypocrisy of a world that demands our silence in the face of injustice. When those in power, those who shape the narratives and control the airwaves, urge us to sit down and stay silent, we must stand up and speak out. Listen in and share your thoughts.

Video credit: @morehouse (X)

Sources

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/supreme-court-rejects-appeal-from-dylann-roof-who-killed-9-people-in-a-black-church

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/18/why-did-israel-break-the-ceasefire-in-gaza

https://fellowshipchicago.com/meet-pastor-sharpe

https://morehouse.edu/events/signature-events/commencement/virtual-celebration/baccalaureate

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/07/israel-weapons-sale-gaza

https://abc7.com/dylann-roof-south-carolina-church-shootingo-emanuel-african-methodist-episcopal/801013

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/25/us/politics/us-foreign-aid-egypt-israel.html

WOULD YOU SAY THAT TO A JEW?

Would the UK-based GB News panel featured in this clip lecture a victim of the Holocaust on the supposed benefits the massacre of Jews brought? No! Yet, why do they make the same claim for Africans?

In this clip from our longer reaction to the soundbite, African Stream journalist Sanna Arman takes aim at the blatant double standards, arguing that attitudes haven’t shifted much since the end of colonialism, with Africans still seen as subhuman.

Arman dismantles that logic and pointed out that if British education had been so great, the panellists would have been more informed of British imperialism's devastating consequences on the world. However, the information is readily available to any journalist, so the panellist is choosing to be ignorant out of r*cism.

Have a watch, and let us know what you think.

Continued…….. Don't forget to head to Editor-in-Chief Ahmed Kaballo's YouTube channel (@ahmedkaballo4170) to watch our complete reaction.

Soundbite credit: @GBNEWS (X)

Sources
https://ebrary.net/173755/sociology/frantz_fan_n_dehumanization_inferiorization_epidermalization

On this day, 23 May 1926, Joe Slovo, described by many as the 'most hated' white person by South Africa's apartheid regime, was born Yossel Mashel Slovo in Lithuania to Jewish parents. He moved to South Africa at age 8.

Slovo eventually became a communist and commander of the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). 

However, his political activism began in the 1940s, when he served as a shop steward in the National Union of Distributive Workers (NUDW), founded by supporters of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA). In 1942, he joined the CPSA.

Inspired by the Soviet Red Army's fight against the N*zis, he joined the South African military, serving in North Africa and Italy. He then became a member of the multiracial radical military veterans' group, the Springbok Legion.