Continued…..In 1960, Sembène released Les Bouts de Bois de Dieu (God's Bits of Wood), a fictional account of the Dakar–Niger Railway strike. While he found great satisfaction in tackling social issues in his writing, he began to consider that film might be a “more effective tool” for his activism. “To summarize history using our oral tradition,” he said, “cinema is an important tool for us.”

As a filmmaker, Sembène sought to challenge colonial modes of film production and expression. He directed films in various African languages including Wolof, Fulfulde, and Mandinka. Sembène's choice to incorporate indigenous languages into his films was a deliberate effort to represent the rich cultural and linguistic tapestry of Africa. It aligned with his broader mission of decolonizing African cinema and promoting authentic narratives rooted in local experiences. This viral clip from the film Caméra d'Afrique speaks to an idea that African artists today should remember: Europe (the West) should not be the center of our world.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

PLO‘S 2023 AFRICA POSITIVES!

2023 has been a memorable year for Africa. Although we have gone through a lot, there is also a lot of positive news to take into the new year. Unfortunately, a lot of it may not end up in your newsfeeds.

Ahmed Kaballo, our CEO at African Stream, asked Pan-African scholar PLO Lumumba about what he saw as the biggest positives this year in Africa. He had much to say, from Tanzania to Nigeria - there is much to be hopeful about!

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

SAVING THE ATLAS LIONS

European colonialism is one of the reasons the strongest, most magnificent lions in the world almost disappeared. Here's the story of what happened to North Africa’s great Atlas lions and how Morocco is trying to save them.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

BRAZILIAN DANCE AFRICAN ROOTS

Did you know that the traditions that formed the foundation for capoeira were created in Western and Central Africa?

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

THE UPC: CAMEROON’S TRAGIC INDEPENDENCE HEROES

The Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (UPC) fought and died for both the independence and unity of Cameroon, as well as that of Africa, but they paid a terrible price as a result.

While the Cameroonian War of Independence is often referred to as the ‘Forgotten War’ due to the fact that it was overshadowed by the more successful Algerian Revolution at the time, the history of this struggle continues to shape Cameroon in the present.

It was the elimination of the UPC leaders that allowed France to install Ahmadou Ahidjo and later Paul Biya, who have ruled over the country since independence.

The UPC worked hard to build relationships with other Pan-African organisations and leaders, from Kwame Nkrumah to Patrice Lumumba and Ahmed Ben Bella. And while we may have lost that round, the struggle is not over. The UPC’s objective of a unified and liberated Africa lives on.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

MOTHER AFRICA BUILT EUROPE AND AMERICA

Would the West as we know it be possible without Africa? When you think about the extent to which European and American societies depend on African resources, it becomes clear that our continent is the foundation stone for much of the world. As Pan-African scholar PLO Lumumba puts it in this clip, Mother Africa ‘built’ the world - and keeps on building it! Problem is, Mother Africa has been enslaved, robbed and exploited. She is more than ready to help people and societies beyond our continent to realise their potential, but on her own terms - from a position of respect, equality and dignity.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

‘AMERICA IS THE BIGGEST GANG IN THE WORLD’

“America is the biggest gang in the world.”

Legendary rapper Tupac explains how US foreign policy is no different to the gang mentality seen on America’s streets. If it doesn’t like something, it steams in to show who’s boss – whether it’s Cuba or Yugoslavia where war had raged around the time Tupac gave this interview. Since then, of course, the US has carried out a string of interventions which included the destruction of Libya in 2011.

Tupac was more than a hip-hop hero, he was an activist dedicated to African liberation in America. And he had a way of speaking that resonated with millions.

Does his view of US foreign policy ring true with you? Have a listen and tell us.

WHATSAPP FRANCE? AU CHAT ROASTS EX-COLONISERS

Group chats on WhatsApp can get awkward when the wrong people have accidentally been invited. As France and Britain find out when they get roasted by African Union countries in this satirical (not!) sketch.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

'CAPITALISM LOOTED THE WORLD'

What would the world look like if everyone in Africa, Latin America and China got cars? Former Cuba leader Fidel Castro lamented this question thirty years ago. And he feared our hyper-consumerist lifestyle would end up destroying the planet.

Well, if he was worried then, he’d be more than alarmed if alive today. There are now 1.4-billion cars driving around our Earth, all using up vital resources and spewing pollution.

In this clip Castro blames capitalism and the consequent rat race. He says we’ve got our priorities wrong. Is he bang on?

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

LAWN OF THE BEAST

A nice, well-kept garden looks innocuous enough, but the reasons it became popular aren’t so beautiful. We look at the thorny colonial history of the British lawn, which left its mark on the African landscape

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

KWAME TURE: 'UNDERSTAND YOURSELF, WHITE MAN'

In this 1966 CBS News interview, Kwame Ture claimed white people—not Africans—are uncivilized. The white man's actions in Africa—disruption, breaking down indigenous systems and enslaving Africans—demonstrate uncivilized behavior, said Ture, who was in the US-based Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee at the time of the interview. Ture, who later joined the All-African People's Revolutionary Party, went on to say Africans are still suffering from the consequences of Europeans' uncivilized actions.

Let us know your thoughts on Ture's remarks.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

Continued….Al-Umari, a 14th-century North African geographer and explorer, writes that he was told about the voyage by Mansa Musa during his visit to Cairo. Abu Bakari‘s exploits are also mentioned by Ibn Khaldun, an Arab historian and sociologist during the Middle Ages.

According to Leo Weiner in his book ‘Africa and the Discovery of America,’ Columbus logged in his journal that the Native Americans had mentioned that “black-skinned people had come from the south-east in boats, trading in gold-tipped spears.” The explorer also reported seeing mosque-like buildings when he arrived in America. This would tally with the arrival of Abu Bakari from the Muslim Kingdom of Mali.

What do you think? Did Abu Bakari reach America? Why did he never return?

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

HOW WORLD BANK & IMF FUEL WATER PRIVATIZATION

Water is a basic human need. But to the World Bank and IMF, it’s just another commodity. They’ve been among the main cheerleaders of water privatisation in Africa - arguing that only an economic incentive can make clean, safe water more widely available. The essentially dictated terms of loans given to African nations by these two institutions have included demands on water privatisation.

The IMF instructed Benin, Tanzania, Senegal and São Tomé and Príncipe to privatise their water and electricity distribution companies, and directed price hikes for these essentials in Angola. And in Kenya, water rates in 2021 reportedly jumped 1,000% on the back of a World Bank deal.

What do you think? Should we surrender our water sovereignty to these sharks?

ISRAEL’S JIM CROW?

Does Israel do ‘Jim Crow,’ too?

Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef thinks so. He explained to Piers Morgan during their second widely-circulated interview, which aired in November, that racist laws in Israel prevent Palestinians from buying land in Israeli towns built on top of demolished Palestinian towns. He drew a powerful parallel to the Jim Crow laws that discriminated against Africans in the United States during the 19th and 20th centuries. In both instances, perpetrators were presented as law-abiding citizens, even though the laws violated human rights.

Plus, Youssef pointed out Christians also live in Palestine. That fact tends to be ignored amid the anti-Muslim rhetoric about Palestinians.

What are your thoughts on this comparison? Jot them below.

BLACK AFRICANS: THE ONLY INDIGENOUS PEOPLE!

Black Africans are the only indigenous people on earth, period - that’s according to science educator and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. In this clip, he explains why to US podcaster Joe Rogan.

Africa is of course the cradle of humanity and civilisation. Being indigenous anywhere else, Tyson points out, is simply a matter of having got there first.

It’s a fact that might upset people - especially those who see themselves as indigenous to an area. And does it mean that everyone on the planet is actually (diaspora) African - and not merely descended from someone in Africa?

WHITE NARRATIVES BRAINWASH BLACKS

Psychology can go a long way to explaining who sits on top of the political and economic ladder.

Here, African-American Dr. Amos Wilson reveals how Eurocentric narratives and education purposely made Blacks feel inferior to Whites. And that, he says, has led to an acceptance of the status quo among many.

Dr Amos, who was also a Pan-African thinker, lectured at New York University and died almost thirty years ago. But has anything changed since? Let us know your thoughts.

HOW THE IMF KEEPS AFRICANS POOR

Financial rights activist Alex Gladstein breaks down how the IMF works in Africa.

Using the example of Zaire, now known as DRC Congo, he explains how they appoint their own officials to control African treasuries, then proceed to create export-led economies, weaken local currencies and cut deals with dictators.

Most importantly, they make sure that there is nothing left over for the African people whose land is being exploited for Western consumption. Basically, they deny our people education, healthcare, basic human rights and a decent quality of life to satisfy their own neocolonial interests.

When will this cycle of economic interference stop?

African fabrics have become ever more popular. European luxury fashion brands, such as Valentino and Louis Vuitton, are incorporating our textiles into their designs after decades of being inspired by them without giving any acknowledgement.

What makes these fabrics so unique is their distinctive styles, decorations, dyeing methods and colours. They are rooted in our rich African heritage and craftsmanship, ranging from the Kente worn by the Ashanti royals to the much-loved Ankara fabric adorned by West Africans.

The production of fabrics in Africa dates back to 5,000 BC, when raw materials from tree bark, animal hides, cotton, palm, jute, flax and silk were used.

So, next time you’re dressed in an African fabric or purchase one, try to learn more about its history and where exactly in Africa its are from.

BRITISH CRIMES IN KENYA SHOCK JOHN OLIVER

The United Kingdom's monarchs have been rehabilitated as people holding harmless ceremonial offices that only lend prestige to Britain. However, for the hundreds of millions of people who lived as second-class citizens throughout the lands Britain looted and pillaged starting in the 16th century, it’s a different story.

In this episode from last year of comedian John Oliver’s satiric news programme, he laid bare one of the most cruel acts Britain committed. It occurred in Kenya during the first decade of recently-deceased Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.