Continued……. In this 2000 video clip, journalist Louis Theroux (@louistheroux on X / @officiallouistheroux on IG) interviews Minkie du Toit, who, alongside her husband, Pieter du Toit, had set up Owendale, a whites-only town in 1998 and the early 2000s on a site once known for asbestos mining in South Africa's Northern Cape region. 

During the interview, Du Toit made several r*cist statements, including that white people are God's ‘chosen people’ and, therefore, Black people can not govern them. We are sure you know which other group calls themselves the 'chosen people,’ but in case you don’t, they have occupied Palestine since 1948.

The Owendale project collapsed in the 2000s due to financial problems.

However, South Africa is still home to two r*cist enclaves: Orania in the Northern Cape province and Kleinfontein, near the capital Pretoria.

These settlements are not only evidence of their r*cism but also a worrying sign of the government's ineptness. When will South Africa hold these settlers accountable?

Video credit: ‘Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends,’ @BBC (2000)

Sources

https://www.abc.net.au/tv/guide/abc2/201204/programs/ZX8779A003D2012-04-09T203117.htm?program=Louis%20Theroux%27s%20Weird%20Weekends

https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/view_episode_noscripts.php?tv-show=louis-therouxs-weird-weekends-1998&episode=s03e03

https://www.facebook.com/wherestommeh/videos/the-mentality-of-white-separatist-settlers-explained-by-the-founders-wife-this-w/2586068205094022

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/30/south-africa-kleinfontein-apartheid-afrikaner

https://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/382003

Continued……In the immediate post-1999 era, there was a focus on civilian control of the defence forces after years of military rule. However, the rise of Boko Haram and widespread banditry in the Northwest and Central regions led to a significant increase in defence spending.

The Military Balance, a journal of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, reports that Nigeria's Air Force comprises 18,000 personnel, 61 combat-ready air platforms, and a total of 179 air platforms. It also has 117 aircraft, 55 helicopters, and seven heavy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In 2024, Abuja allocated $138 million to the Air Force.

Given these considerable resources, the apparent ineffectiveness of the Air Force is puzzling, as evidenced by persistent insecurity and the repeated "mistaken" bombings of civilians and vigilantes. Some analysts suggest that corruption, inadequate resources, and political expediency prevent optimal utilisation of funds and other resources.

Concerns over foreign interference were raised by Scott Perry, a U.S. Congressman, who claimed that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded the terror group Boko Haram. However, USAID has vehemently denied the allegations, stating there is "no evidence" to support them. 

Still, serious questions remain over the latest Nigerian Air Force fiasco.

Sources

https://saharareporters.com/2025/06/02/nigerian-military-jet-mistakenly-strikes-kills-20-vigilantes-zamfara-state

https://theconversation.com/why-theres-a-mismatch-between-funding-for-nigerias-military-and-its-performance-149554

https://theconversation.com/west-africa-is-the-worlds-new-epicentre-for-terrorism-nigeria-is-expanding-its-air-force-in-response-242074

https://saharareporters.com/2025/06/03/we-were-trail-terrorists-when-nigerian-air-force-jet-bombed-us-zamfara-vigilantes-react

https://dailytrust.com/zamfara-airstrikes-naf-locals-differ-over-casualty-figures/

https://punchng.com/zamfara-mourns-as-another-airstrike-kills-vigilantes/
https://acleddata.com/2024/03/26/actor-profile-volunteers-for-the-defense-of-the-homeland-vdp/

https://www.voaafrica.com/a/usaid-denies-funding-nigeria-terror-groups/7982897.html

https://theconversation.com/why-theres-a-mismatch-between-funding-for-nigerias-military-and-its-performance-149554

https://www.voanews.com/a/nigeria-boosts-military-spending-but-analysts-doubt-it-will-improve-security/7378910.html

https://businessday.ng/africa/article/top-10-african-countries-by-defence-budget-in-2025/

https://budgetoffice.gov.ng/index.php/resources/internal-resources/budget-documents/2024-budget

https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/tmib20/about-this-journal

TANZANIA STATE VIOLENCE: A COLONIAL REFLECTION

What is the common denominator between colonisers and African leaders who rule with iron fists and suppress dissent?

African Stream's @mwaibrenda (on instagram) examines this question in context of the recent allegations of brutal violence - including sexual abuse - meted out to activists Boniface Mwangi (@bonifacemwangi on instagram and X) and Agather Atuhaire (@AAgather on X) in Tanzania at the hands of security forces who didn't even attempt to conceal the fact that they were acting in their capacity as official state actors.

Sources

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/kenyan-ugandan-activists-say-they-were-sexually-assaulted-tanzania-2025-06-02

https://www.instagram.com/p/DKaCvaXNXYj/?hl=en

https://www.africarebirth.com/the-epic-maji-maji-rebellion-by-tanzanians-against-german-colonizers

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-12997138

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13623699708409316

Over the last couple of days, the world has witnessed a distasteful bare-knuckle online feud between US President Donald Trump and his ally-turned-foe, tech billionaire Elon Musk - two men whose egos are as inflated as their imperialist influence. The bickering has led some to use Artificial Intelligence to generate memes, such as this hilarious one showing Trump wearing the signature red beret of the South African Pan-Africanist political party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica).

A disagreement over Trump's tax bill, which proposed phasing out electric-vehicle (EV) subsidies, apparently sparked the bickering. Musk had built Tesla in the US using a reported tens of billions of dollars in government funds, including $3.8 billion in the 2024 fiscal year, according to a US government website.

Continued……. Musk had already bid goodbye in a public appearance with Trump on 30 May in the Oval Office as his 130-day mandate as a special government employee had ended. As the feud escalated, Trump suggested terminating Musk’s funding.

Ordinarily, like many Pan-Africanists, we wouldn't concern ourselves with schoolyard-like skirmishes between two white supremacists. However, we are closely watching the battle as it could have ramifications for South Africa as Musk had influenced Trump to cut off aid to the South African government over its alleged discriminatory policies against white settlers and discredited claims of a 'white g*nocide.' Trump also tried to publicly humiliate South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during a meeting at the White House.

The question many people are now asking is: Will the fallout between Trump and Musk change the US government's attitude towards South Africa?

Honestly, we are not holding our breath. Trump’s white-supremacist views seem to drive his hostility toward Pretoria. Most likely, the anti-African bus will continue with its journey, even without Musk. 

Note: *This is an AI-generated image

Sources

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cyvm2181lqvt
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/06/what-we-know-so-far-trump-and-musks-spectacular-public-blowup-rocks-washington
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/19/south-africas-ramaphosa-to-visit-trump-can-they-fix-tricky-relations
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/06/aid-trump-south-africa

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0j76djzgpvo

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-elon-musk-federal-subsidies-cost-tesla-spacex-billions

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114632206992330264

https://www.usaspending.gov/recipient/8a3a5525-3218-a488-db0e-4823241ceb90-P/2024

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/may/29/elon-musk-announces-exit-from-us-government-role-after-breaking-with-trump-on-tax-bill

SUDAN: TAKING BACK WHAT PROXY WAR STOLE

As the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) further advance against the United Arab Emirates-backed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the foreign-backed proxy war that began on 15 April 2023, this video shows displaced Sudanese reportedly returning to their hometowns in territories that the SAF had recently reclaimed from the RSF. 

Now in its third year, the latest phase of Sudan’s crisis has displaced millions and turned vast regions into battlegrounds but recent military gains offer hope for resettlement and recovery.

Sudanese authorities recently estimated that reconstructing the country’s devastated infrastructure would require over $1 trillion. Khartoum state alone faces a rebuilding cost of approximately $300 billion, while the rest of Sudan would need around $700 billion. 

Continued……Although the war has caused catastrophic structural damage, the human cost has been even more severe. Experts from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine estimate that the death toll in Khartoum alone during the first 14 months of the war, from April 2023 to June 2024, may exceed 61,000. Furthermore, the researchers say over 90 per cent of deaths in Khartoum went unrecorded, suggesting that the actual death toll could be much higher throughout the country, including in areas still under RSF control, such as Darfur and Kordofan.

Sudanese who have endured the brutal violence of this war now face the daunting task of rebuilding their lives from scratch. Yet, despite the challenge, rebuilding offers a more hopeful path for the country than continued entanglement in a neocolonial power struggle waged by foreign countries through local proxies.

Video credit: @mohanadelbalal on X

Sources

https://www.iom.int/sudan-conflict-two-years#:~:text=With%20over%2011%20million%20people,the%20world's%20largest%20displacement%20crisis.

https://www.unrefugees.org/news/sudan-crisis-explained/

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/over-14-million-people-displaced-sudan-iom-says-2024-10-29/

https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/news/2024/invisible-and-severe-death-toll-sudan-conflict-revealed

https://english.news.cn/20250415/bb7ad94562d248f695218e96422d0819/c.html

https://acleddata.com/2025/04/15/two-years-of-war-in-sudan-how-the-saf-is-gaining-the-upper-hand/

https://www.unrefugees.org/news/sudan-crisis-explained/

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2025/4/14/animated-maps-show-two-years-of-war-in-sudan

https://www.unrefugees.org/news/sudan-crisis-explained/

PALESTINIAN AMBASSADOR'S PLEA

In this 28 May clip, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the UN Riyad Mansour sobbed as he considered the Palestinian children that Israel’s military onslaught had k*lled. He called on the international community to intervene and halt the escalating violence in Gaza as airstrikes and an escalated siege since 7 October 2023 have k*lled over 61,000 Palestinians, according to Al Jazeera's live tracker. However, the Lancet medical journal estimated at least 186,000 by early July 2024. The UN reports Israel's onslaught has k*lled or injured more than 50,000 children.

Speaking at the UN Security Council (UNSC), Mansour lamented what he called ‘gen*cide’ and accused Israel of perpetually violating international law. He condemned some states for engaging in double standards, asking why international outrage at Israeli casualties is not extended to Palestinian casualties as well.

Continued….. Mansour's address highlighted the worsening conditions in Gaza, where airstrikes have targeted infrastructure like hospitals and refugee camps. Doctors Without Borders reported in January that only 17 out 36 Gaza hospitals were 'partially functional,' while the other 19 had closed. Mansour stated that Palestinians are being bombed, starved and blamed for Israel’s onslaught, and he called on the UNSC to act quickly to end the violence and hold Israel accountable for its actions.

Video credit: @trtworld (IG)

Sources

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/26/palestinian-ambassador-urges-un-to-stop-the-killing-as-israel-pounds-gaza

https://apnews.com/article/491038611a812685f8b98c34603ebc7f

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/palestinians-plead-stop-the-bombs-at-un-meeting-but-israel-insists-hamas-must-be-obliterated/articleshow/104741759.cms

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2824%2900135-1/fulltext?rss=yes&utm

https://www.arabnews.pk/node/2587841/middle-east

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker

www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01169-3/fulltext

https://www.msf.org/strikes-raids-and-incursions-year-relentless-attacks-healthcare-palestine

https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unimaginable-horrors-more-50000-children-reportedly-killed-or-injured-gaza-strip

REMEMBERING GADDAFI’S SUPPORT FOR PALESTINE

Libya’s revolutionary leader, Muammar Gaddafi, was born on this day, 7 June 1942, in the district of Sirte. Gadaffi had strong views on many subjects, including Israel’s actions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and West Asia at large.  

In this 1988 speech, he alleged that Israel wanted to expand and occupy Arab lands, with historic Palestine being a ‘frontline.’ He lauded Palestinians for holding back Israeli attacks, for if they failed, other Arab states would be next. Further, Gaddafi also stated that a ‘new, angry Arab generation’ is ready to unite and liberate Palestine.

Gaddafi condemned Egyptian President Anwar Sadat (1918-81) for signing the 1979 Camp David Accords that led Egypt to recognise Israel, which started diplomatic ties and prompted Egypt to sign many bilateral agreements with Israel, while taking pressure off winning freedom and justice for the Palestinians. 

Continued……. The 2011 US-led NATO invasion led NATO-backed ‘rebels’ to k*ll Gaddafi, transforming the once-most prosperous African state into a fractured territory riddled by conflict and slave markets.

Sources

https://www.temehu.com/brother-leader-Gaddafi.htm

https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/193003/Hicks,%20Shakeelah_CapstoneEssay.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7Agqf2N_I4&t=8s

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2008/3/29/gaddafi-condemns-arab-leaders

https://www.blackagendareport.com/killing-gaddafi-10-years-ago-has-resulted-death-nation-libya-and-destruction-its-people

https://www.counterpunch.org/2015/10/20/libya-from-africas-wealthiest-democracy-under-gaddafi-to-terrorist-haven-after-us-intervention/

We recently created a pan-African Mount Rushmore featuring three African icons. 

From the comments, it became clear that some of you had reservations about the choice of the mountain and the lack of women on our list. As a responsive, pan-African, people-centred media outlet, we have taken your feedback to develop another concept.

This time around, we are using Africa’s tallest mountain, the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro, as our canvas to discuss Pan-Africanists’ most influential and enlightening books.

Our first choice is ‘How Europe Underdeveloped Africa,’ by assassinated Guyanese Pan-Africanist revolutionary Walter Rodney (1942-80). Published in 1972 during Rodney’s time in Tanzania, the book delves into one of the topics that has for decades kept many Pan-Africanists awake at night: Why does Africa remain underdeveloped despite its immense resources?

Continued………Rodney explains how Africa’s underdevelopment is directly linked to centuries of the European slave trade, colonialism and the present-day neo-colonial stage that some of us relate to as just another form of colonialism.

Our second pick is ‘Neo-Colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism,’ written by Ghana’s founding father and African giant, Kwame Nkrumah (1909-72). The book, a staple in pan-Africanist circles, reveals how, despite gaining independence, African elites’ collaboration with imperial powers via the international financial system exploits ordinary Africans. The book’s message hit so hard that the US State Department summoned the Ghanaian ambassador to deliver an oral protest and cancelled $100 million in ‘aid.’

Our final book on the list, but just as important, is Black Liberation Army member Assata Shakur’s ‘Assata: An Autobiography.’ As the name suggests, the book traces Shakur’s life from early childhood to the political activism that led to her exile in Cuba. The book highlights the struggle of Black people in the US in the face of state oppression anchored on white supremacy.

What do you make of our book selection? Which ones would you add to the list?

Sources

https://www.lse.ac.uk/africa/hub-for-african-thought/thinkers/kwame-nkrumah

https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP75-00149R000600010011-6.pdf

https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/After-Nkrumah-published-and-shared-this-book-among-leaders-the-US-suspended-aid-to-Ghana-1217215

https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v24/d256

AID? HOW ABOUT OUR STOLEN WEALTH?

Today marks what would have been the 83rd birthday of Muammar Gaddafi (1942-2011), the Libyan leader and Pan-African revolutionary. Nobody could articulate the truth to the UN quite like Gaddafi did. Here he is, reminding delegates at a UN hunger summit in Rome back in 2009 that the West owes more than mere ‘aid’ to its former colonies. Any aid is just a small part of the vast wealth that imperialists stole from Africa and other places. Return it, and be thankful you’re not being prosecuted for it!

Sources

https://www.namibian.com.na/gaddafi-asks-food-summit-to-stop-africa-land-grab

https://youtu.be/PBRqqa7ZpeQ?si=CHY8QxB3S1IKOvfx

https://www.africanews.com/2017/09/19/speech-muammar-gaddafi-at-the-64th-un-general-assembly-in-2009

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2009/9/24/gaddafi-attacks-major-powers?_gl=1*1qrn2hg*_ga*LXJVNmxHWnBSS1lEVEpnTkFpWmN4em5jWWJkWUtfRlRJN1FDS1c4OURRUXhUWXhacEV2dWhGaWVQRzRXOERLNw..*_ga_XN9JB9Q0M1*MTc0OTIxOTI1Mi4zLjAuMTc0OTIxOTI1Mi4wLjAuMA..

EVERY AFRICAN CAPITAL: THE A’S

Every African country has a capital city - but some have two, like Eswatini… or even three, like South Africa!

Africa’s capital cities typically hold the seat of power, but they’re not always a nation’s best known metropolis - as is the case with Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania.

While the UN recognises 54 countries in Africa, the African Union recognises 55.

In our latest series, we’re going to take you on an alphabetical tour of each of them - including also Western Sahara’s Laayoune and Tifariti cities (the latter being where the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is planning to move its capital, as the former is in disputed, Morocco-occupied territory).

So fasten your seatbelts as we start with the A’s…

Which one is your favourite?

DIASPORA AFRICANS CRUCIAL IN
LIBERATION STRUGGLE

The African Union formally recognises Africa's diaspora as the continent’s “6th region.”

We share a history of oppression, a commitment to Pan-Africanism, and a collective desire for self-determination and dignity. In this clip, Claude Gatebuke, a Rwanda G*nocide survivor and activist, gives the recent solidarity marches for Ibrahim Traoré as an example of this dynamic.

Gatebuke argues that Africans in the diaspora play a crucial role as vital bridges between the continent and global struggles for liberation. Their intellectual contributions, political activism, financial support, and cultural solidarity form a critical bridge between Africans on the continent and a global network of allies. 

The diaspora actively counters dominant Western narratives that often misrepresent or ignore events and leaders in Africa.

Continued…….. In the case of Ibrahim Traoré, mainstream Western media usually paint him as a power-hungry ‘junta’ leader, burying the inconvenient truth that he is spearheading a people-led revolutionary movement. 

Diaspora activists utilise social media, independent news sources, and direct action to ensure that alternative views highlighting African sovereignty and the fight against neo-colonialism are heard worldwide. For example, in late April, Leo Muhammad, who was born in Jamaica, led a pro-Traoré solidarity protest outside the US embassy in London, where he heads the UK’s Nation of Islam movement.

Can you add your voice to Gatebuke’s by liking and sharing this important message?

Video credit: AfriDominion Media

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

HOW GADDAFI CHANGED LIBYA

One of Africa’s finest sons, Pan-African icon and Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was born on this day in 1942. He is often mentioned along with the likes of Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Patrice Lumumba and Thomas Sankara who spared no effort realising the liberation of Africa from foreign domination.

In 2024, African Stream had the chance to interview Gaddafi’s last spokesperson and communications minister, Moussa Ibrahim. In this snippet, he sheds light on just how much Libya’s leader achieved in a short period of time after the revolution. He kicked out foreign military, ensured oil profits stayed in Libya, and used the wealth thereby acquired to fund vital infrastructure. It’s all very reminiscent of the events happening in the Sahel at the moment.

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