Continued….Her arrest for civil disobedience motivated the African community to boycott Montgomery buses for over a year and ignited the civil-rights movement that changed America. This act of defiance became an important symbol for the civil-rights movement and Rosa became an international icon of resistance against racial segregation.

In her autobiography, My Story, she wrote:

"People always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn't true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old then. I was forty-two. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in."

SOUTH AFRICA RECORDS DROP IN HIV CASES

Every year, World AIDS Day is commemorated on 1 December. It is in memory of those who lost their lives to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, in solidarity with people living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and as a way to celebrate victories in the fight.

Today, one country will observe the day with some success on its back: South Africa. According to a survey conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council, the number of South Africans living with HIV has decreased from 14 per cent in 2017 to 12.7 per cent in 2022. That amounts to about 100,000 fewer infected people in that 5-year period.

Continued…..While there is no single contributing factor for this drop, it is believed that enhanced access to anti-retroviral medication has helped to reduce the number of new infections. That is because infected people who consistently take the medication can have what's referred to as an "undetectable" viral load, making it nearly impossible to pass the virus to uninfected partners. Further, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) medicine, taken to reduce the possibility of contracting HIV after exposure, has a 99 per cent success rate.

News of the reduction may be a ray of hope for South Africa, which is one of the worst affected countries in the world and accounts for over 25 percent of the HIV cases on the African continent. Throughout the continent, 25 million people are infected with HIV, according to the World Health Organisation.

U.S. HYPOCRISY EXPOSED

Is Nigeria the most corrupt country in the world?

Just a month ago, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu attempted to allocate public funds to buy luxury items, kicking off new public outrage over the country's corruption. Before the supplemental budget—meant to fund remaining 2023 expenditures—was approved, $38 million was allocated for a presidential air fleet, sport utility vehicles, and a renovation of the official residences for Tinubu, his wife and top government officials. When the news broke, it rightfully stoked anger among ordinary Nigerians. But it is important to note that, in response to the public's concerns, lawmakers redirected $6 million Tinubu had put aside for a luxury yacht to the student loan budget line.

Continued….. So, while corruption certainly exists in Nigeria, according to many, including Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan, only one country contends for the noscript of ‘the most corrupt in the world’.

In this now viral 1996 interview with the US news program ‘60 Minutes,’ Farrakhan challenged US hypocrisy in judging Nigeria. He said Nigeria is a young state working to overcome its challenges. Hence, Farrakhan added, it does not need the United States to lecture it on how to run its affairs.

He questioned the United States’ moral authority to impose governance on African nations. He criticised the United States for disregarding its own past atrocities, such as the atomic bombing of two Japanese cities—Hiroshima and Nagasaki—and the genocide against indigenous peoples. He challenged the portrayal of Nigeria as the world’s most corrupt nation and called for an end to hypocritical moralising.

Let us know what you think about Farrakhan’s remarks. Is he right about the U.S being the most corrupt country in the world?

Zimbabwe’s government is getting serious about maximising revenue from its vast lithium receivers. Companies have until the end of March next year to set up refineries to process the metal. The new law’s been introduced to stop the export of lithium in its raw form, which is worth less. Selling it when it’s already battery-grade will mean higher prices and more cash for the country's coffers.

Lithium is in high demand around the world and is used in appliances from mobile phones to electric cars. A market that’s set to grow as countries switch from fossil fuels to greener sources of energy.

Zimbabwe holds the largest lithium reserves in Africa and the seventh in the world. Between January and September 2023, it sold raw supplies worth $209m.

The Southern African country is leading the way on value-added economics. Time for others to follow?

70-YEAR-OLD UGANDAN GIVES BIRTH TO TWINS!

You’ve got to be kidding!

A 70-year-old Ugandan woman has just had twins, describing it as a ‘miracle’. The baby boy and girl make Safina Namukwaya the oldest woman in Africa to give birth. And you could say she’s a late starter. She had her first child just a couple of years ago after being mocked most her life for failing to have children. Safina says she was called a ‘cursed woman’ but found new hope through IVF treatments at a fertility centre in the capital Kampala.

Believe it or not, she doesn’t hold the world record. That goes to a 74-year-old Indian woman who gave birth to twins in 2019. Still, who’s to say Safina won’t have more!)))

KISSINGER & AFRICA: NO LOVE LOST

Henry Kissinger’s crimes are many and great. But his malignant influence in Africa is often overlooked. Thanks to him, racist White-minority rule in South Africa and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) lasted longer than it would have. His support helped prolong the civil war in newly independent Angola, which raged for a quarter of a century. He’s dead, and so are countless Africans because of him.

EGYPTIAN MP: 'EXPEL ISRAELI AMBASSADOR'

Egyptian Member of Parliament Mustafa Bakri recently gave an impassioned address on the floor of the house about the rage of the Egyptian people toward Israel’s actions in the occupied Palestinian territories. Thus far, the Israeli military has killed more than 15,000 people in the Gaza Strip since the 7 October escalation in the 75-year Palestine-Israel conflict.

Bakri directed his words at the north African country's prime minister, Mostafa Madbouly, remarking Egyptians can no longer tolerate Israel’s bombardments. He called for the government to 'freeze relations' with Israel, and recall Egypt's ambassador to Tel Aviv while also immediately expelling the Israeli ambassador from Cairo.

Continued….He called on Madbouly to show leadership and follow the MP's advice, prompting a round of applause from fellow parliamentarians. Bakri ended his address by repeating former President Gamal Abdel Nasser's famous quote, 'What was taken by force will be restored by force alone.' Then Bakri called Israel 'criminals and murderers.'

What do you think about the MP's call for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador? Let us know in the comments.

AFRICAN HEROES MASSACRED BY FRANCE

History is full of people who served the interests of Western countries, only to be betrayed by them later in the most brutal way. One example is that of West African soldiers who fought alongside the French to free the European nation from the Nazis. As soon as the job was done and the African soldiers demanded their pay, the French turned their guns on them, killing hundreds on the 1st of December 1944. This is their story.

GEORGE W BUSH FAILED TO CURB HIV

It’s World AIDS Day, commemorated every year on 1 December to raise awareness about the epidemic caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). In a move to combat the global spread of HIV, which causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), former US President George W Bush (2001-09) attempted to impose US conservative values on some African countries. While Bush’s so-called President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is credited with helping to distribute HIV medication on the continent, thereby reducing the number of AIDS-related deaths, his abstinence-centric approach to a large extent flopped because it ignored communities’ experiences in Africa.

Continued….The approach was similar with former US First Lady Nancy Reagan’s ‘Say No to Drugs’ program, launched in the 1980s. It lamentably failed to end drug use in the United States.

Why did the Bush administration think a strategy of preaching abstinence would work in modern Africa? Tell us what you think below on this World AIDS Day.

LAMU TAMU FEST

The Lamu cultural festival brings together domestic and international tourists every year to the beautiful island of Lamu in Kenya.

This year’s theme is “exploring the rich tapestry of local traditions and technologies,” with a focus on dances and food that make up the rich culture of the people.

We went along to last year’s festival and witnessed first hand the vibrant atmosphere and the donkey race, sampled Swahili food, and caught that amazing Lamu sunset.

BEWARE THE UNSEEN HAND

People are easily distracted, and politicians know it. Thanks to the all-pervasiveness of television and now social media, distraction is an art that’s become even more powerful. Those in power will make you look here and do the things they don’t want you to see there. It was a lesson taught by Ray Hagins, the chief elder of The Afrikan Village & Cultural Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Here he’s got Obama in mind. As people pinned their hopes for change on him, America carried on doing what it did in Afghanistan and then Libya. But it’s a lesson that still applies today. What examples of the distraction tactic in action strike you today?

EGYPTIAN MP TEARS UP PEACE AGREEMENT WITH ISRAEL

This will give you a sense of the outrage felt in Egypt over Israel’s bombing of Gaza. During a feisty session in parliament, Egyptian politician Diaa El-Din Dawood ripped up a copy of a 50-year-old peace agreement between the two nations.

Over 15,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel’s assault began nearly two months ago. During this time, Tel Aviv has floated the idea of expelling Palestinians to tent cities in Egypt’s Sinai Desert. The MP believes Israel, ultimately, wants to destroy Egypt and the surrounding region.

His comments are extreme and highlight the boiling anger over the current Israel-Palestine conflict. How real is the danger the war could widen?

Continued….His work saw him cross paths with other prominent revolutionary abolitionist figures like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. He is most famous for leading a raid on the federal armoury at Harpers Ferry with the goal of inspiring a slave insurrection. Brown's forces held out for two days but were eventually defeated by military forces led by Robert E. Lee. Many of Brown's men were killed, including two of his sons, and he was captured. Brown was quickly tried, and on the 2nd of December, he was hanged.

Though no longer with us, John Brown remains an honoured figure in the African community. He is credited with inspiring, in part, the Civil War, which kicked off a few years later and culminated with the defeat of slavery in the United States.