MAJESTIC DHOWS OF LAMU

One of the main attractions at the annual Lamu festival held in Kenya is the island’s magnificent dhows. These majestic boasts are a beautiful attraction - centuries-old vessels that have stood the test of time and can still be enjoyed today. We spoke to one of the men keeping the tradition alive.

UNITED NATIONS' FRENCH BIAS IN AFRICA

The United Nations was founded for the purpose of maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations, and promoting social progress and human rights. But when it comes to Western states like France, it opts to turn a blind eye. France has a long record of crimes and violations against everything the UN claims to protect in Africa, from its role in the European slave trade that took place across the Atlantic Ocean; to supplying arms, military training and a safe escape to the Hutus during the Rwandan genocide; to genocide in former French colonies, Algeria and Senegal. And, it continues today with France militarily occupying its former colonies and requiring such countries to use the French currency.

Continued….So, would it be wrong to say the United Nations is a compromised organisation that functions solely to protect the interest of certain members? If so, how can Africa or Africans trust an organization that lacks integrity?

Maybe it's time for Africa to start cutting ties. Let us know what you think.

HAWAII IS NOT AMERICA!

More Native Hawaiians live in mainland America than on the islands themselves. It’s a startling statistic that was reached in 2021 and the relocation trend looks set to continue following Hawaii’s devastating fires this summer.

However, we should not forget the displacement of indigenous people began centuries ago through European and American expansion. Before Captain James Cook landed in 1778, Hawaii was inhabited by descendants of Polynesians who’d settled there from as early as the 5th century AD.

Sadly, there’s still plenty of Western ignorance surrounding the history of these Pacific islands. And there’s probably not a better example than this TV clip from 1990. During an episode of Island Issues, activist Hunani-Kay quickly educates a caller who can’t get ahead around America’s dark past.

MANIPULATING THE MASSES

Years before US-based intellectual Noam Chomsky coined the term ‘manufacturing consent,’ Malcolm X had been describing the phenomenon, based on his observations of the oppression Africans face in the United States.

In this clip, the human-rights defender lays out to the public how the media rely on police for ‘official narratives,’ thereby influencing the perception of Africans. The media, by deciding what and how to report an event, can create a narrative that supports the interests of the powerful.

Continued….This tactic can be seen deployed against the global African nation. For instance, in Haiti, the presence of Western-created ‘gangs’ has been used to justify multiple invasions. In countries on the continent, such as Burkina Faso and Mali, Western-created ‘terrorists’ have justified the French military occupation. And, as Malcolm pointed out, the spectre of the African ‘criminal’ has made the case for police brutality in the United States.

The propaganda has been manufactured so effectively that Africans in the United States use terms like ‘criminal,’ ‘gang members,’ and ‘terrorists’ to describe each other. However, Malcolm would want us to wake up and resist the programming.

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Our latest Facts of the Week focus on the real size of Africa. If you look at most maps, you'd be forgiven for thinking Greenland is the same size as Africa and Russia is bigger. But that couldn't be further from the truth! Here are some facts to shake up this distorted view of the world.

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HOW THE U.S. LOBBIES FOR ISRAEL IN AFRICA

Were you among the many Africans who were taken aback by Kenyan President William Ruto’s blind support for Israel since the recent escalation in Gaza?

Critics were dismayed by what they saw as his total siding with Tel Aviv - without at least a nod to the decades of conflict and Israeli abuses that preceded the atrocities.

But could his posturing on the issue be due to foreign - specifically US - influence? African Stream’s William Sakawa looks at reasons to suspect that Washington is calling many of the shots in Nairobi.

Let us know in the comments whose hands you think Kenya’s destiny is currently in.

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AFRICA DOESN'T HAVE TO TAKE SIDES.

For a long time, the world has been dominated by superpowers - whether it’s the US, Russia or China. But there are dozens of countries in between who don’t want to take sides. And during the Cold War, this saw the creation of the so-called Non-Aligned Movement. Out of the five founders, two were African - Egypt's Nasser and Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah. We look at the movement's roots and renewed relevance in a multi-polar world.

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REVOLUTIONARY DAVIS SPEAKING FROM PRISON

In 1970, Black Power movement activist and philosopher Angela Davis became only the third woman ever to be placed on the FBI’s ten most-wanted list. She was accused of supplying weapons used in a deadly courthouse shoot-out during the trial of three Black Panther Party members, known as the Soledad Brothers.

After 16 months behind bars she was acquitted, but not before giving this interview. She was asked if the organisation had to use confrontation to achieve its goals. Davis gave this stunning response, explaining Africans in America have suffered aggression since 'the first Black person was kidnapped from the shores of Africa.'

Continued….And she went on to describe how she’d witnessed it first hand, growing up in the violent US neighbourhood of Birmingham. It was dubbed 'Dynamite Hill' due the frequency it was bombed and attacked by the Ku Klux Klan and other White supremacist groups.

Davis is now 79 years old and has campaigned tirelessly against the oppression of the Black community and for prisoners’ rights. It’s been a life-long drive for justice, as the clip demonstrates.

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WHY THE FBI MURDERED FRED HAMPTON

Fred Hampton - assassinated December 4, 1969 - is the true definition of an African revolutionary. He rose to prominence in Chicago as deputy chairman of the national Black Panther Party. He also later created the anti-racist, anti-classist multicultural political organisation known as the Rainbow Coalition.

A Marxist–Leninist, Hampton considered fascism the greatest threat: “Nothing is more important than stopping fascism, because fascism will stop us all.” A charismatic orator and true grassroots leader, his community work was identified as a radical threat by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

In 1969, The FBI led an operation to assassinate him - he was drugged, shot and killed in his bed during a predawn raid at his Chicago apartment. A civil lawsuit was later filed on behalf of the survivors and Fred’s relatives.

Continued….His legacy remains influential with multiple movies and documentaries about him - the latest being a Hollywood production staring Daniel Kaluyya: Judah and the Black Messiah.

Rest in Power Freddy!

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REMEMBERING FRED HAMPTON

On 4 December 1969, 21-year-old Fred Hampton, one of the most charismatic leaders African people the world over have ever known, was assassinated in a raid orchestrated by the Chicago Police Department and the US Federal Bureau of Investigations, known as the FBI.

Hampton, born on 30 August 1948, in Chicago, was a visionary leader who dedicated his life to the pursuit of justice and equality for Africans in the United States. After being a young and dynamic voice in the Civil Rights Movement, Hampton rose to prominence through his involvement in the Black Panther Party, becoming chairman of the Illinois chapter.

Under Hampton's leadership, the BPP initiated the Free Breakfast for Children Programme, providing thousands of African children with nutritious meals before school began.

Continued….At the core of Hampton's ideology was the belief in self-defence and self-determination for Africans. He advocated for the right to bear arms and defended the community against police brutality, urging others to do the same. Hampton's fearless approach to confronting systemic oppression made him a symbol of resistance and hope.

His assassination was a blow to the Black Panther Party and to the larger struggle for African liberation. Yet, the ideas and principles Hampton championed continue to reverberate through the halls of history.

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FATHER OF AFRICAN PHOTOGRAPHY

Seydou Keïta is celebrated as one of Africa’s greatest photographers. Through his lens, he captured the dreams and aspirations of the people who sat before him and left behind a visual legacy that captivated generations.

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HUMAN RIGHTS OR JUST WHITE RIGHTS?

From the French revolutionary government’s enslavement of Haitian people to today’s televised Israeli collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza, it is clear that the West’s conception of human rights does not extent to us. African Stream's William Sakawa breaks down the past and present of the West's lethal double standards in Africa and beyond.

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KENYAN POLITICIAN FLIES IN TO BUILD MUD CLASSROOM

You have seen Kenya’s president call for ‘tightening of belts’ while sporting a $2800 belt. In another bizarre display, his interior minister, Mr Kithure Kindiki, flew a chopper to build a mud classroom at a school in his home county of Tharaka-Nithi a few years ago. Many argue the fuel expense alone would have covered the cost for brick-walled classrooms instead.

This is a microcosm of the Kenya Kwanza administration. As the government hiked taxes and stripped subsidies of key commodities like fuel, it exempted aircraft parts from taxation. Instead of strengthening the management of government companies, there is a renewed push to privatise, eliciting fears of the creation of a brand new class of oligarchs.

Continued…. Meanwhile government officials have embarked on countless trips abroad. President William Ruto and his deputy have incurred a staggering KSh 1.3 billion ($8.5 million) in travel costs, having made 51 trips to 34 countries between July 1st, 2022 and June 30th, 2023 since coming to government

Many feel betrayed, as the government seems to be taking a 180-degree turn from its campaign promises which pledged a ‘bottoms-up’ approach. For now, it seems only wealth is being transferred from the bottom-up.

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