ANTI-PALESTINIAN BIAS EXPOSED

Following the announcement of a four-day ceasefire in Gaza, Western media coverage of the exchange of hostages has again exposed just how prevalent White supremacy is.

In this video, this African sister in America makes an astute observation on how the media shapes and controls narrative. Mainstream media refer to Israeli hostages aged under 18 as ‘children’ - but to Palestinians who are as old and in captivity as ‘teenagers.’ This raises concerns of a deliberate attempt to play down the fact that Israel, the so-called only democracy in the Middle East, seizes Palestinian children and, in some cases, tries them in military courts.

One of the many such cases is that of Ahmed Manasra, who was arrested at 13 by Israel in 2016, held until 14, and then slapped with a 12-year prison sentence. He isn’t alone.

Continued….Another high-profile detention is that of Ahed Tamimi, who was arrested in 2018 at the age of 16.

The anti-Palestinian bias goes even further. Throughout Israel’s destruction of Gaza, much of mainstream media referred to Israeli casualties as ‘killed’ but to Palestinians as ‘dead,’ removing context that might have shed light on how exactly these Palestinians ‘died.’

Language matter. Do you agree?

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CASTRO ON AFRICAN SACRIFICE

Cuban leader Fidel Castro was a key figure in the fight against apartheid, colonialism and exploitation in Africa. He sent troops to fight for the independence of African counties (especially Angola, in its struggle against South African regime forces), as well as doctors, engineers and teachers.

In this clip, he speaks about the long history of immense sacrifice that the people of the Global South - and of Africa in particular - have had to make over the last half millennium. He seems to suggest sacrifice is not something we should shy away from if the ultimate goal is our freedom.

Is that a message that speaks to you?

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Kenya’s government has identified the first 35 state-owned companies to be privatised. Although it hasn’t named them yet, it’s claimed only loss-making firms hampered by bureaucracy will be sold. It follows the introduction of a new law last month that allows the executive to privatise state firms without parliamentary approval.

President William Ruto said potentially lucrative companies can now be off-loaded. His finance minister Njuguna Ndung'u denies it's a desperate bid to shore up Kenya’s finances. However, the country is in dire need of revenue as it struggles to repay its $66-billion national debt, which is two-thirds of its GDP. A task made harder by the depreciation of the Kenyan shilling and declining tax revenues.

It’s called a debt trap, with new loans needed to keep the country running.

Continued….Kenya has now opened a $12-billion credit line with the World Bank over three years, and has taken on another IMF loan worth $938-million. But that comes with strings attached, with the IMF pushing for public-sector reforms.

Meanwhile, Kenyans are suffering a cost-of-living crisis that shows no signs of fading. Protests this year over soaring inflation saw 30 people killed by police officers, according to Amnesty International.

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ASSATA SHAKUR SOCIALISM OR IMPERIALISM

On this day, 44 years ago (26/11/1977), revolutionary leader Assata Shakur escaped an American high-security prison and fled to Cuba. She is a former member of the Black Liberation Army, a revolutionary group that fought for Black rights. She was the target of the FBI's infamous COINTELPRO program because of her fight to liberate African people in America. In 1973, she was accused of killing a state trooper in a shootout and given a life sentence. There is much evidence to suggest the trial in which she was convicted was unjust: trannoscripts of the jury selection show that two, maybe more, of the jurors expressed prejudice before the trial.

Continued…. Furthermore, there was evidence that defence team offices were being bugged with materials relating to her case going missing from the home of her lawyer, only to later turn up at the New York City police station. She's now on the FBI's most-wanted list, and there's a $2-million bounty for her capture. But apart from her famous jailbreak, she's known for supporting socialism. In this clip, she explains why she thinks it's the only way to achieve justice. Assata Shaku remains an inspiration to many activists, artists, and scholars who have mentioned her in their works or advocated for her cause.


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FLASHBACK GHANA MP ROASTING MAGUIRE

By popular demand, we’ve decided to re-run a fan favourite. Here’s Ghana MP Isaac Adongo roasting Man United star Harry Maguire in parliament last year. He compared him to the country’s vice president, who scored his own goals regarding Ghana’s economy.

Well, this week, Adongo apologised to the footballer who’s since ‘re-discovered’ his form on the pitch.
But there was no such remorse for Mahamadu Bawumia, who continues to perform badly.

Ghana has been plagued by a stubborn economic crisis that’s seen the government knocking at IMF’s door for a shocking 17th time. Not a good look for the lender’s star pupil. The country received $ 3 billion in IMF funding back in May - but that’s done little to turn around Ghana’s fortunes. Apart from high levels of debt, it faces high inflation, a cost-of-living crisis and low agricultural productivity, according to USAID.

Mmm…maybe Maguire can give Bawumia a few tips?

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ISRAEL’S COLONIAL COMPLICITY IN AFRICA

Many assume Israeli colonialism is restricted to the Arab world. However, history tells another story - of a long tradition of Israeli tampering and siding with colonial White regimes across Africa.

We break down the historical footprint of Tel Aviv during a dark chapter in African history.

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SOUTH AFRICA CONDEMNS ISRAEL AT U.N.

South Africa has again berated Israel’s bombing of the Gaza. UN envoy, Jonathan Pasmoor, reeled off a string of breaches of international law by Tel Aviv.
He condemned the ‘absolute disregard for the protection of civilians and targeting of civilian structures.’ And stressed his country, along with other states, have formally called on the ICC to investigate potential war crimes being committed.

South Africa has already suspended its diplomatic ties with Israel and plans to close the Israeli embassy in Pretoria.

Over the last seven weeks over 14,500 Palestinians have been killed including more than 6,000 children.

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Our Facts of the Week this week centre on Britain’s bailout for slave-owners. Britain wrongly gets the credit for being first to abolish slavery, and although it paid out a lot of compensation, this didn’t go to the real victims.

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HAIR RELAXERS IN THE DOCK: DO THEY CAUSE CANCER?

African women are among the biggest consumers of hair relaxers - chemicals used to straighten hair. Often, especially in the diaspora, this is driven by societal pressure to fit in, with traditional Afro styles mocked or branded unprofessional. As if that wasn’t bad enough, new research suggests hair relaxers could cause uterine cancer.

A group of African women in America are now leading the charge against cosmetic industry heavyweights like L’Oreal and Revlon. They’ve filed a lawsuit against a dozen companies, accusing them of failing to warn customers of the dangers of their hair relaxers.

According to a study done by the National Institute of Health, women of colour who used relaxers more than four times in 2022 were twice as likely to develop cancer.

African Stream’s Brenda Mwai digs deeper into this story, which could be an issue for so many of our sisters. Please share and let us know your reactions and concerns in the comments.

ZIONISM'S GRIP ON AFRICAN LIBERATION

Many African people are shocked by the number of African politicians, celebrities, and friends coming out in support of Israel on social media. But African support for Israel is just as old as the Zionist manipulation of African freedom dreams and liberation struggles around the world. African Stream takes a look at just one of those histories of manipulation that took place in the United States.

Let us know if your friends, relatives and favourite celebrities have surprised you.

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ZOOMING IN ON DIOP’S PHOTO ART

Meet the Senegalese photographer who uses his art to build bridges between Africa and its diaspora.

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Niger is suing ECOWAS over sanctions that have crippled the West African country since the summer coup. Lawyers for the military rulers say the bloc’s punitive measures have caused untold economic hardship on one of the world’s poorest countries. The ECOWAS court in Abuja will decide on the case on December 7th. Some of blocs members refuse to recognise Niamey’s new leadership and claim they don’t have the authority to launch the lawsuit.

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AFRICAN POLITICIAN: LOYALTY TO ISRAEL A MUST

The entire US political apparatus is founded upon and fueled by imperialist conquest and colonialism. Who can then be surprised that support for Israeli settler colonialism fits like a glove? You may have noticed that almost every seemingly progressive US congress member, who says they want to make change from within, ends up selling out to Israel. It’s by design! US politicians defend the interests of the United States, not of the people within its borders. More than one US politician—including President Joe Biden—has said supporting Israel benefits the United States.

In this clip, former US congressmember Cynthia McKinney spoke to Press TV journalist Marzieh Hashemi about what happened when she refused to pledge allegiance to the Zionist state of Israel.

Do you still think it is possible to change the system from within? Let us know in the comments below.

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TURE MASTERCLASS ON ZIONISM

If you want to understand the difference between Zionism and Judaism, here’s an unforgiving summary by pan-Africanist Kwame Ture.

Zionism is imperialism and originated from atheist Europeans determined to give Jews their own homeland. Judaism is a monotheistic religion derived from Black people in Africa. In this 1995 clip, Ture argues the two terms are deliberately mixed to make people think they are one of the same thing. As a result, anti-Zionist views get termed anti-Semitic.

Ture was often accused of popularising anti-Israel sentiment within the Black nationalist movement. He led the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party in the US and was Honorary Prime Minister of the Black Panther Party.

Continued….During this time the FBI secretly identified him as the man who would succeed Malcolm X and began a targeted counter-intelligence campaign. That spurred Ture to move to Africa, where he lived in Ghana and then Guinea between 1968-1969. It was there he changed his name from Stokely Standiford Churchill Carmichael and campaigned for revolutionary socialist pan-Africanism. To him, any African who aided and abetted Zionism worked against the interests of Africa.

Ture’s views were direct and uncompromising, as you’ll see from this interview at Howard University. He died from cancer three years later.

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PIRACY RETURNS TO SOMALIA

A commercial Iranian fishing vessel has been hijacked off the coast of Somalia. It’s the first such incident in years, with piracy in decline in the region since the launch of EU naval patrols in 2008. While mainstream media brand Somali hijackers pirates, the root cause of the problem is often overlooked - overfishing, much of it by foreign ships, has destroyed local livelihoods, as has the dumping of toxic waste, including nuclear, off Somali shores. The hijackers of the Iranian vessel are demanding a large ransom. The EU naval mission says it will look into the incident, and there are allegations aired on Somali TV by people connected to the ship that Somali maritime police have been unresponsive.

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