TWO JAMAICANS ARGUE OVER PALESTINE-ISRAEL

You might have heard TikTok posts have turned many young people into supporters of the Palestinian liberation struggle. Israel backers and the administration of US President Joe Biden have accused the social media platform of serving a Chinese agenda to undermine the United States, the largest supporter of Israel. However, TikTok has denied its algorithm has boosted pro-Palestine videos into users' feeds. In fact, the Chinese company recently reported a pro-Israel hashtag has trended far more since the 7 October escalation, which has so far killed more than 17,000 civilians in Gaza.

However, new data shows 70 per cent of TikTok's 1.67 billion users are under the age of 35. These young people have been learning for the first time about the 75-year Palestine-Israel conflict, venting their outrage on the platform and on the streets.

Continued... In this recent video from a small town in Jamaica, we might be witnessing a generational divide, as an older man argues 'Israel for Israelites,' while the younger one defends Palestine.

What could explain the stark difference in opinion? Let us know below.

WHY THEY WANT TO BALKANISE AFRICA

‘Balkanisation’ means breaking up a larger state into smaller ones - and it’s a powerful weapon of control, especially if the smaller states are then turned against each other. It’s what the colonialists have tried to do with Africa. This has successfully kept us punching below our weight on the global stage. African Stream’s Inem Richardson explains how, and also why Pan-African unity is the right response!

THE METEORIC RISE OF TEMS

With her mesmerising voice and unique style, Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems is on a roll of incredible achievements, and it looks like her rise to stardom is only going to keep reaching new heights!

NO MATTER THE LANGUAGE, WE ARE AFRICANS

Obi Egbuna, Jr, a Pan-African activist and journalist, appeared on the 'Rock Newman Show' in Washington, D.C., to discuss all things Africa. He presented a poem that is directed at children to understand that, despite the various countries Africans inhabit, ultimately, we are all African.

The language barrier between Africans has partly come as a result of colonialism, as well as migration and slavery. However, despite our diversity, we must remember that we are all united by our motherland, Africa.

PLO LUMUMBA ON SUDAN CRISIS

What started in April as skirmishes in Khartoum between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has burst into an all-out conflict. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who leads the SAF and is the chairman of the country's Transitional Sovereignty Council, had collaborated in 2019 with his former deputy chairman, the RSF’s General Mohamed 'Hemedti' Hamdan Dagalo, to topple the government of President Omar al-Bashir. Together, they orchestrated a military coup in 2019, and another one in 2021. But tensions over how the RSF would integrate into the SAF eventually led to fighting that has festered over the last eight months. Caught in the crossfire are Sudanese civilians. More than 12,000 people have been killed this year, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. Plus, thousands more have been injured and about 7 million have been internally and externally displaced, worsening an acute humanitarian crisis.

Continued... In a recent exclusive interview with African Stream in our Nairobi office, Pan-Africanist scholar PLO Lumumba discussed several issues across the African continent, including the ongoing crisis in Sudan. Take a look and let us know what you think about Lumumba's position.

If you'd like to watch more, head over to our YouTube channel for the whole conversation.

CONFESSION OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN

Ever wonder exactly how the United States subverts democracy and the aspirations of countries?

In this clip, we hear from the horse’s mouth about the array of tools that are used to shape the international landscape to US favour. John Perkins bore witness to his time at a US-based consulting firm, for which he said the US National Security Agency screened him. Decades later, Perkins published an exposé, ‘Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.' The book lays out how individuals are recruited to promote the interests of corporations and Western government agencies in developing countries, at the expense of the people.

Continued... Perkins' job involved convincing poor countries' leaders to accept loans for infrastructure and development projects that were often unnecessary and unsustainable. Since recipient countries could not easily pay off these loans, they fell into a cycle of debt and dependency. This allowed the United States and its corporate interests to exert control over these countries, effectively turning them into economic and political vassals.

Let us know what you think of Perkins' explanation.

CLIMATE CHANGE: MO IBRAHIM CALLS OUT THE WEST

During the Inaugural African Climate Summit, Sudanese entrepreneur Mo Ibrahim called out the United States, Europe and China over the large amount of carbon emissions they produce.

He asked who gave them the right to do such a thing, emitting anywhere between 6.5 and 17 tons of carbon per individual annually when, according to science, the global average should not be more than 3 tons of carbon per person yearly? He proposed that these countries pay for the harm they are causing because that is the only way to effect change.

At the moment African countries continue to bear the biggest brunt of climate change yet are the lowest carbon-emitting nations. On average, each individual on the continent emits just 1 ton of carbon annually.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

Continued….This year's celebrations come against the backdrop of a deteriorating economy. Kenyans are struggling with the high cost of living and increased taxation. The national currency has lost 20% of its value in 2023, attributed to high debt levels and shrinking government revenue.

President William Ruto came into power promising to ease the burden on citizens but has done the opposite. Many say he is singing to the tune of Western powers - as played by the IMF and World Bank, who are apparently dictating the country's economic policies. He has also pledged to send a police force to Haiti, against the wishes of many Kenyans.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

THE CRISIS IN AFRICA’S RICHEST COUNTRY

DRC should be flourishing right now - it possesses an estimated $24 trillion in wealth in the form of natural resources. Instead, it is being torn apart by war and Western greed and exploitation. Millions internally displaced, countless killed, masses in poverty, swathes of the population exploited in slave-like conditions.

Activists like @chakabars - who has over a million followers on Instagram - are doing their bit to raise awareness, but the world at large still hasn’t taken note.

Continued….He witnessed the aftermath of a recent attack by locals on a UN truck in DRC’s North Kivu - suspected of transporting Rwandan-backed rebels, who’ve been among the main perpetrators of genocidal violence in the region.

Since the days of the limb-chopping Belgium King Leopold, to the Apples and Teslas of today, instability has been used as a tool for extracting the country’s ample resources - and the people of Congo have paid the highest price.

DRC urgently needs change. Please watch, like and share, and let us know what you think the most viable solutions are.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

SUDAN'S 'FORGOTTEN WAR' UN WARNS OF CRISIS

It's been described as the 'forgotten war.' The United Nations has been able to provide assistance to only 4 million of the almost 25 million Sudanese in need of relief, said Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN's Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, as well as Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the UN mission in Sudan. A few days ago, she described to Agence France-Press that assistance will stop once funding dries up.

Eight months of war between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed 'Hemedti' Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, have killed more than 12,000 people, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). Meanwhile, the conflict has displaced close to 8 million people.

Continued….Recent ceasefire talks have failed, leaving millions without adequate food, water, sanitation and health provisions. Many parts of the country, including the capital of Khartoum, are cut off from relief agencies. Meanwhile, the vast western region of Darfur is in danger of sliding into the kind of violence it became known for in the early 2000s.

Aid workers have warned Sudan risks being further ignored with global attention on the recent escalation of the Palestine-Israel conflict.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

ECOWAS MAINTAINS NIGER SANCTIONS

Just days after a regional West African court dismissed a Nigerien case to lift sanctions imposed by ECOWAS, the regional body met and doubled down on the sanctions regime, with conditions spelt out as a prerequisite. These include the freeing of Bazoum as well as the formulation of a democracy transition roadmap.

Despite ‘democracy’ being the rallying call for ECOWAS hostility, Niger’s overthrow of Bazoum has been met with overwhelming support on the ground. For weeks, Nigeriens came out in force to support the CNSP, even besieging French military bases in the capital. Neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali, who have also seen popular coups, threw their weight around Niger.

Continued…..ECOWAS is seen as being a proxy for the West, who joined in condemnation of the July 26 coup. Countries like the US, Germany and Netherlands withdrew aid to one of the poorest countries in the world. The sanctions, in addition to affecting Niger, also hit neighbouring economies that conduct trade with the country.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

AFRICA’S ROUGH CLIMATE DEAL

The Global South is hit hardest by climate change yet contributes massively lower emissions than the North. Africa - 54 countries - emits only 3% of global emissions. But the Horn of Africa, for example, is in the grip of the worst drought in 40 years.

Global leaders have met in Dubai for COP 28 to discuss climate. As with previous get-togethers, it’s accused of being a mere talking shop that yields only imaginary solutions.

For instance, take carbon credits. The real impact of this is displacing African communities such as the Ogiek from their ancestral lands - all in the name of virtue-signalling box-ticking by climate-devastating giants. A recent report by the non-profit ONE indicates pledges from developed countries to developing ones fell short by a whopping $340 billion.

Local communities are neither consulted nor represented at these climate summits, yet they bear the brunt of decisions taken at such forums. Let us know what you think of this year's edition of COP.

WORLD BANK LOANS WITH
STRINGS ATTACHED

Did you know that Kenya’s borrowing has amassed to over $69 billion USD during President William Ruto’s first year in office? New data from the Treasury and Central Bank of Kenya place the country’s debt at Ksh10.189 trillion ($69.3 billion) at the end of June 2023 compared to Ksh 8.579 trillion ($58.4 billion) in June last year.

Staggering numbers, right?

And Kenya doesn’t plan to stop there as explained by our brother in this video. The World Bank plans to lend Kenya $12 billion over the next three years, thus burdening the taxpayer with more repayment obligations. And now, with the potential privatization of public institutions, the economic-financial hole keeps getting deeper with no reprieve in sight.