Media is too big
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IRAN-CONTRA: HOW THE CIA BIRTHED THE CRACK EPIDEMIC
Join African Stream as we dig into the true story behind one of the darkest chapters in U.S. history — a real-life saga more disturbing than any TV drama. If you thought Snowfall, was based on fictional events. Think again. It was loosely based on the story of the Iran-Contra scandal and the devastating impact the U.S. War on Drugs had — and still has — on Black communities.
Join African Stream as we dig into the true story behind one of the darkest chapters in U.S. history — a real-life saga more disturbing than any TV drama. If you thought Snowfall, was based on fictional events. Think again. It was loosely based on the story of the Iran-Contra scandal and the devastating impact the U.S. War on Drugs had — and still has — on Black communities.
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Continued……Hosted by Salifu Mack, this piece exposes how covert U.S. operations in the 1980s — involving illegal arms deals, CIA-backed rebels in Nicaragua, and a flood of cocaine into American cities — helped unleash a crisis that tore through Black communities in America. The Reagan administration publicly declared a “War on Drugs,” but behind the scenes, the US government were fuelling the very epidemic it claimed to be fighting.
By the late 1980s, crack cocaine had ravaged inner-city communities. According to the ACLU, by 1989, 1 in 4 Black men aged 20–29 was under some form of criminal justice supervision — probation, parole, or incarceration. Black Americans, though using drugs at similar rates to white Americans, were imprisoned for drug offences at six times the rate. Entire families were shattered. Generations of Black children grew up with parents behind bars, caught in a cycle of poverty, trauma, and mass incarceration.
The long-term consequences remain staggering. Over 80 percent of those incarcerated for federal crack cocaine offenses during the late 1980s and 1990s were Black. The 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act introduced a 100-to-1 sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine — a policy that overwhelmingly targeted and punished Black communities. And even today, despite decades of criminal justice reform efforts, Black Americans still make up nearly 40 percent of the U.S. prison population, despite representing only 13 percent of the overall population.
WARNING: This video contains violent scenes of the U.S. “war on drugs.”
Let us know what you think in the comments.
By the late 1980s, crack cocaine had ravaged inner-city communities. According to the ACLU, by 1989, 1 in 4 Black men aged 20–29 was under some form of criminal justice supervision — probation, parole, or incarceration. Black Americans, though using drugs at similar rates to white Americans, were imprisoned for drug offences at six times the rate. Entire families were shattered. Generations of Black children grew up with parents behind bars, caught in a cycle of poverty, trauma, and mass incarceration.
The long-term consequences remain staggering. Over 80 percent of those incarcerated for federal crack cocaine offenses during the late 1980s and 1990s were Black. The 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act introduced a 100-to-1 sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine — a policy that overwhelmingly targeted and punished Black communities. And even today, despite decades of criminal justice reform efforts, Black Americans still make up nearly 40 percent of the U.S. prison population, despite representing only 13 percent of the overall population.
WARNING: This video contains violent scenes of the U.S. “war on drugs.”
Let us know what you think in the comments.
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With the all-too-familiar sounds of the US empire’s drums of war booming louder, marked by the US and Israeli bombing campaign against Iran, it is a good time as ever to show the interconnectedness of the anti-imperialist struggle and the need for Africans to be in solidarity with other peoples in the Global South.
Here, we examine the relationship between different Iranian governments and South Africa, from the apartheid era to the post-apartheid era.
Before the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Iran and apartheid South Africa developed strong ties despite Iran's official anti-apartheid stance. Shared anti-communism and ‘economic complementarity’ drove relations, says Boston University Professor Emeritus of International Relations and History H E Chehabi.
Here, we examine the relationship between different Iranian governments and South Africa, from the apartheid era to the post-apartheid era.
Before the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Iran and apartheid South Africa developed strong ties despite Iran's official anti-apartheid stance. Shared anti-communism and ‘economic complementarity’ drove relations, says Boston University Professor Emeritus of International Relations and History H E Chehabi.
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Continued……For example, Iran needed industrial goods and uranium, while South Africa relied heavily on Iranian oil, receiving over 90 per cent of its imports from Iran by 1978. Military and nuclear cooperation also deepened, including a $700 million uranium deal and Iranian naval visits. Despite global pressure, the Shah prioritised ties with South Africa.
The 1979 Iranian Revolution severed formal ties with Pretoria. Iran's new leadership expressed support for the South African liberation struggle and provided financial aid to the African National Congress (ANC). The Iranian revolution served as inspiration for South African Muslims, Chehabi noted.
With the end of apartheid in 1994, Iran and the new democratic South Africa re-established diplomatic relations. Iran's earlier support for the ANC paved the way for the establishment of cordial ties.
Iran and South Africa have evolved from being cogs in the imperialist machine to demonstrating revolutionary solidarity and, finally, to post-apartheid cooperation driven by changes in government on both sides amidst Western imperialism's aggression against both states.
Sources
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-launches-strikes-iranian-nuclear-facilities-trump-says/
https://sci-hub.se/https://doi.org/10.1080/03057070.2016.1201330
The 1979 Iranian Revolution severed formal ties with Pretoria. Iran's new leadership expressed support for the South African liberation struggle and provided financial aid to the African National Congress (ANC). The Iranian revolution served as inspiration for South African Muslims, Chehabi noted.
With the end of apartheid in 1994, Iran and the new democratic South Africa re-established diplomatic relations. Iran's earlier support for the ANC paved the way for the establishment of cordial ties.
Iran and South Africa have evolved from being cogs in the imperialist machine to demonstrating revolutionary solidarity and, finally, to post-apartheid cooperation driven by changes in government on both sides amidst Western imperialism's aggression against both states.
Sources
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-launches-strikes-iranian-nuclear-facilities-trump-says/
https://sci-hub.se/https://doi.org/10.1080/03057070.2016.1201330
CBS News
U.S. launches strikes on 3 Iranian nuclear facilities, Trump says
President Trump told the nation that "Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated."
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WHY IRAN NEEDS NUKES
Iran needs nuclear weapons to deter Israel’s aggression in its quest to topple the government in Tehran.
That was the message from British political commentator George Galloway (@georgegalloway on X) during a heated discussion on UK journalist Piers Morgan’s ‘Piers Morgan Uncensored’ TV programme about US and Israeli warnings that Iran is allegedly on the verge of producing nuclear arms, justifying attacks on Tehran and other Iranian locations. Meanwhile, Israel owns undeclared nuclear capabilities, likely through decades of US military aid, threatening West Asia.
The Costs of War Project at Brown University reports that the United States allocated $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel from October 2023 to September 2024. In December 2023, the Wall Street Journal noted that US arms deliveries to Israel since 7 October 2023 included 15,000 bombs and 57,000 artillery shells.
Iran needs nuclear weapons to deter Israel’s aggression in its quest to topple the government in Tehran.
That was the message from British political commentator George Galloway (@georgegalloway on X) during a heated discussion on UK journalist Piers Morgan’s ‘Piers Morgan Uncensored’ TV programme about US and Israeli warnings that Iran is allegedly on the verge of producing nuclear arms, justifying attacks on Tehran and other Iranian locations. Meanwhile, Israel owns undeclared nuclear capabilities, likely through decades of US military aid, threatening West Asia.
The Costs of War Project at Brown University reports that the United States allocated $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel from October 2023 to September 2024. In December 2023, the Wall Street Journal noted that US arms deliveries to Israel since 7 October 2023 included 15,000 bombs and 57,000 artillery shells.
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Continued……. Galloway contends a nuclear-capable Iran would act as a deterrent against such military actions. His remarks also underscore the hypocrisy of the West, which claims arbitrarily that some countries are permitted to have nuclear weapons while others are not.
Galloway says he employs a realist interpretation of geopolitics, where anti-colonial nations like Iran must bolster their defence capabilities to ensure their survival, as imperialist forces target them.
Do you think that being prepared for battle against Western imperialism is a lesson that Africa’s anti-imperialist revolution in the Sahel should take from Iran’s situation?
Video credit: @PiersUncensored
Sources
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/17/politics/israel-iran-nuclear-bomb-us-intelligence-years-away
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/moscow-backs-iran-s-peaceful-nuclear-program-opposes-weaponization-president-putin/3606555
https://time.com/7296553/us-iran-strike-israel-trump/
https://thebulletin.org/2025/03/the-us-hypocrisy-about-israels-nuclear-weapons-must-stop/
https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/nuclear-weapons-who-has-what-glance
https://usafacts.org/articles/how-much-military-aid-does-the-us-give-to-israel/
https://archive.ph/gLT2f
https://archive.ph/2zeyo
https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-190082/
https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/07/17/sovereignty-exceptionalism-countries-should-mind-their-own-business/
Galloway says he employs a realist interpretation of geopolitics, where anti-colonial nations like Iran must bolster their defence capabilities to ensure their survival, as imperialist forces target them.
Do you think that being prepared for battle against Western imperialism is a lesson that Africa’s anti-imperialist revolution in the Sahel should take from Iran’s situation?
Video credit: @PiersUncensored
Sources
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/17/politics/israel-iran-nuclear-bomb-us-intelligence-years-away
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/moscow-backs-iran-s-peaceful-nuclear-program-opposes-weaponization-president-putin/3606555
https://time.com/7296553/us-iran-strike-israel-trump/
https://thebulletin.org/2025/03/the-us-hypocrisy-about-israels-nuclear-weapons-must-stop/
https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/nuclear-weapons-who-has-what-glance
https://usafacts.org/articles/how-much-military-aid-does-the-us-give-to-israel/
https://archive.ph/gLT2f
https://archive.ph/2zeyo
https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-190082/
https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/07/17/sovereignty-exceptionalism-countries-should-mind-their-own-business/
CNN
Israel says Iran was racing toward a nuclear weapon. US intel says it was years away
When Israel launched its series of strikes against Iran last week, it also issued a number of dire warnings about the country’s nuclear program, suggesting Iran was fast approaching a point of no return in its quest to obtain nuclear weapons and that the…
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The United Nations Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG) has identified Nigeria as the most dangerous country in the world for childbirth, with the MMEIG reporting that one in 100 women die during birth or in the days following.
The maternal mortality crisis in Nigeria is a multifaceted issue driven by systemic healthcare challenges and economic barriers. Swipe through these slides as we break them down.
The maternal mortality crisis in Nigeria is a multifaceted issue driven by systemic healthcare challenges and economic barriers. Swipe through these slides as we break them down.
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Continued…….Sources
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yk8ek86kdo
https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/381012/9789240108462-eng.pdf?sequence=1
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/apr/16/pregnancy-is-not-disease-why-do-so-many-women-die-giving-birth-in-nigeria-one-of-africas-richest-countries
https://who.canto.global/v/U3AICRBPSC/album/MDDD0?viewIndex=0&referenceTo=&from=list&display=list&column=document&id=3s1u15oqbp4o3fh797cjbfnd56
https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/381012/9789240108462-eng.pdf?sequence=1
https://articles.nigeriahealthwatch.com/call-for-abstracts-for-evidence-briefing-quality-of-maternal-medicines-used-in-nigeria/#:~:text=The%20most%20common%20cause%20of,and%20unsafe%20abortion%20at%2011%25.
https://risevest.com/blog/the-rise-fall-and-revival-of-nigerias-healthcare-system
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11542805/#:~:text=The%20system%20 suffers%20from%20 poor,workers'%20confidence%20in%20the%20system.
https://risevest.com/blog/the-rise-fall-and-revival-of-nigerias-healthcare-system
https://articles.nigeriahealthwatch.com/mamii-a-promising-initiative-to-crash-maternal-mortality-in-nigeria
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/apr/16/pregnancy-is-not-disease-why-do-so-many-women-die-giving-birth-in-nigeria-one-of-africas-richest-countries
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yk8ek86kdo
https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/381012/9789240108462-eng.pdf?sequence=1
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/apr/16/pregnancy-is-not-disease-why-do-so-many-women-die-giving-birth-in-nigeria-one-of-africas-richest-countries
https://who.canto.global/v/U3AICRBPSC/album/MDDD0?viewIndex=0&referenceTo=&from=list&display=list&column=document&id=3s1u15oqbp4o3fh797cjbfnd56
https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/381012/9789240108462-eng.pdf?sequence=1
https://articles.nigeriahealthwatch.com/call-for-abstracts-for-evidence-briefing-quality-of-maternal-medicines-used-in-nigeria/#:~:text=The%20most%20common%20cause%20of,and%20unsafe%20abortion%20at%2011%25.
https://risevest.com/blog/the-rise-fall-and-revival-of-nigerias-healthcare-system
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11542805/#:~:text=The%20system%20 suffers%20from%20 poor,workers'%20confidence%20in%20the%20system.
https://risevest.com/blog/the-rise-fall-and-revival-of-nigerias-healthcare-system
https://articles.nigeriahealthwatch.com/mamii-a-promising-initiative-to-crash-maternal-mortality-in-nigeria
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/apr/16/pregnancy-is-not-disease-why-do-so-many-women-die-giving-birth-in-nigeria-one-of-africas-richest-countries
Bbc
One death every seven minutes: The world's worst country to give birth
Nigeria accounts for 29% of global maternal deaths - a lack of medics and poor facilities are partly to blame.
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I SPEAK UP, I DIE
I STAY QUIET, I DIE
As Kenya nears the one-year anniversary of the biggest Gen Z protest last year - when parliament was stormed - young Kenyans who led the demonstrations against the IMF-pushed Finance Bill continue to express their dissatisfaction with the system. While the protests had kicked off before 25 June 2024, that date was marked by a dramatic and tragic escalation. Police opened fire on the crowd, killing several protestors and injuring many others. The violent crackdown led to intensified calls for justice and accountability.
Young Kenyans remain determined to shape the future of their nation, while the government remains resolute in maintaining the status quo. Rather than offering accountability, Kenyans are witnessing further aggression towards those critical of the establishment.
I STAY QUIET, I DIE
As Kenya nears the one-year anniversary of the biggest Gen Z protest last year - when parliament was stormed - young Kenyans who led the demonstrations against the IMF-pushed Finance Bill continue to express their dissatisfaction with the system. While the protests had kicked off before 25 June 2024, that date was marked by a dramatic and tragic escalation. Police opened fire on the crowd, killing several protestors and injuring many others. The violent crackdown led to intensified calls for justice and accountability.
Young Kenyans remain determined to shape the future of their nation, while the government remains resolute in maintaining the status quo. Rather than offering accountability, Kenyans are witnessing further aggression towards those critical of the establishment.
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Continued……. The recent killing of blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang while in police custody has reignited the anger of young people across the country, fuelling renewed demands for transparency, justice and systemic reform.
In this clip, Kenyan poet, and 2024 Slam Queen, Scar (@scar_poetry on IG) delivers a powerful piece on what it means to live within a broken system that kills you anyway, whether through the bullet, taxes or a defunct healthcare system.
Video credit: @scar_poetry on Instagram
Sources
https://allafrica.com/stories/202406210114.html
https://citizen.digital/news/a-year-on-kenyan-gen-z-protesters-divided-on-path-forward-n364321
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8jexr9yv0do
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2jj5mee1pmo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrerUaWFitI
In this clip, Kenyan poet, and 2024 Slam Queen, Scar (@scar_poetry on IG) delivers a powerful piece on what it means to live within a broken system that kills you anyway, whether through the bullet, taxes or a defunct healthcare system.
Video credit: @scar_poetry on Instagram
Sources
https://allafrica.com/stories/202406210114.html
https://citizen.digital/news/a-year-on-kenyan-gen-z-protesters-divided-on-path-forward-n364321
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8jexr9yv0do
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2jj5mee1pmo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrerUaWFitI
allAfrica
Kenya: Protests in Kenya - Gen Z Take to the Streets
Kenya's government has scrapped many proposed tax hikes after mass protests in the streets of Nairobi this week. Observers say it's the first time young people have played such a prominant role.
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In a unified stance, African trade unions are calling out Saudi Arabia over the exploitation and mistreatment of African migrant workers in the domestic and construction sectors. Citing widespread reports of abuse, discrimination and inhumane working conditions, the unions are urging the International Labour Organization (ILO) to launch an immediate and independent inquiry into Saudi labour practices. Backed by growing outrage regionally and internationally, the labour unions demand reforms and protection for vulnerable workers.
Sources
https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/african-labour-unions-press-saudi-arabia-over-workers-abuse-5077716
https://www.ituc-csi.org/Trade-unions-take-Saudi-Arabia-to-UN-labour-body
https://www.ituc-csi.org/global-rights-index-2025
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/05/saudi-arabia-migrant-domestic-workers-face-severe-exploitation-racism-and-exclusion-from-labour-protections/
https://archive.ph/avdTi
https://archive.ph/9Zq3H
Sources
https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/african-labour-unions-press-saudi-arabia-over-workers-abuse-5077716
https://www.ituc-csi.org/Trade-unions-take-Saudi-Arabia-to-UN-labour-body
https://www.ituc-csi.org/global-rights-index-2025
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/05/saudi-arabia-migrant-domestic-workers-face-severe-exploitation-racism-and-exclusion-from-labour-protections/
https://archive.ph/avdTi
https://archive.ph/9Zq3H
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WOULD YOU K*LL YOUR SLAVE MASTER?
Kwame Ture (1941-98), the brilliant Pan-Africanist and co-founder of All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (@aaprp on X and @aaprpinternational on IG), knew how to respond to those who challenged liberation tactics with critical, hard-hitting questions. In this video from a 1979 speech at the University of Georgia, he responded to one person who denounced Ture's willingness to use violence to overthrow the capitalist system.
Ture famously said:
‘Dr. [Martin Luther] King's policy was that nonviolence would achieve the gains for Black people in the United States. His major assumption was that if you are nonviolent, if you suffer, your opponent will see your suffering and will be moved to change his heart. That's very good. He only made one fallacious assumption: In order for nonviolence to work, your opponent must have a conscience. The United States has none.’
Kwame Ture (1941-98), the brilliant Pan-Africanist and co-founder of All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (@aaprp on X and @aaprpinternational on IG), knew how to respond to those who challenged liberation tactics with critical, hard-hitting questions. In this video from a 1979 speech at the University of Georgia, he responded to one person who denounced Ture's willingness to use violence to overthrow the capitalist system.
Ture famously said:
‘Dr. [Martin Luther] King's policy was that nonviolence would achieve the gains for Black people in the United States. His major assumption was that if you are nonviolent, if you suffer, your opponent will see your suffering and will be moved to change his heart. That's very good. He only made one fallacious assumption: In order for nonviolence to work, your opponent must have a conscience. The United States has none.’
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Continued….. While many people believe that the Civil Rights movement in the United States was built upon the principle of strict nonviolence, books such as ‘This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed: How Guns Made the Civil Rights Movement Possible’ (2014) by Charles E. Cobb Jr. and ‘We Will Shoot Back: Armed Resistance in the Mississippi Freedom Movement’ (2013) by Akinyele Omowale Umoja challenge this narrative by representing another side of the struggle. According to Cobb's research, even King sometimes kept a gun on him for self-defence ‘just in case.’
Do you agree with Ture's point, or do you think we can defeat capitalism through peaceful means?
Sources
https://www.imdb.com/noscript/tt1592527/characters/nm0138460
https://www.hoplofobia.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Charles-Cobb-This-Nonviolent-Stuffll-Get-You-Killed.pdf
https://books.google.ne/books/about/This_Nonviolent_Stuff_ll_Get_You_Killed.html?id=dN4-AwAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_denoscription&redir_esc=y
https://nyupress.org/9780814725245/we-will-shoot-back
Do you agree with Ture's point, or do you think we can defeat capitalism through peaceful means?
Sources
https://www.imdb.com/noscript/tt1592527/characters/nm0138460
https://www.hoplofobia.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Charles-Cobb-This-Nonviolent-Stuffll-Get-You-Killed.pdf
https://books.google.ne/books/about/This_Nonviolent_Stuff_ll_Get_You_Killed.html?id=dN4-AwAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_denoscription&redir_esc=y
https://nyupress.org/9780814725245/we-will-shoot-back
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