Namibia’s President Hage Geingob, 82, died in a hospital early on Sunday. Geingob has been in charge of Nambia since 2015. A veteran of the country’s independence struggle, Mr Geingob had been diagnosed with cancer and revealed the details to the public last month.

He had recently made international headlines after condemning Germany for its decision to support Israel during its ICJ case and intervene as a third party to make arguments at the ICJ on behalf of Israel. Geingob argued that Germany’s decision demonstrates the former colonial power has failed to learn from its horrific past and added, “The German Government is yet to atone for the genocide it committed on Namibian soil fully.”

May he rest peacefully with the ancestors.

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DARK MUSIC-INDUSTRY SECRET?

US-based rapper Krayzie Bone shared a message with aspiring rappers and entertainers, warning them about the malicious nature of the industry. He read aloud from a letter he claims he received from a former music-industry executive, describing a secret meeting that took place in the 1990s. During the meeting, it was announced rap music would be used as a medium to increase the profitability of private prisons. According to the rapper, the author’s letter states attendees were asked to use their influence to encourage making music that promoted ‘criminal behavior.’ While the contents of the letter have never been verified, when looking at the current state of mainstream hip-hop, one can understand why the story has gained so much traction.

Video credit: @krayzie_bone on Digital Soapbox Network

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NIGERIAN CHESS KING BEATS 10 PLAYERS SIMULTANEOUSLY!

It’s normally superheroes who’ve the strength of ten men. But a Nigerian chess player has just beaten ten opponents simultaneously!

Tunde Onakoya laid down the challenge at a competitive event in Germany. And it took him just two hours to blast past them all. Amazing pictures show him switching between boards every few seconds.

What’s more, he’s raised money for a brilliant cause. Tunde runs a chess academy for deprived children in the slums of Lagos, and his Herculean effort brought in much-needed cash.

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NAMIBIAN PREZ SCHOOLS GERMANY

Namibia’s President Hage Geingob has died aged 82 while receiving cancer treatment at a hospital in the capital Windhoek.
Geingob who played a key role in his nation’s struggle for independence from apartheid South Africa was a firm and unapologetic Pan-Africanist who did not shy away from putting former colonizers in their place when they crossed the red line.
In his memory, we repost this clip where he scolded Germany’s ex-parliamentary speaker for his remarks about Namibia’s expanding Chinese population. May his revolutionary spirit soar high!

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This week’s African proverb comes from Zimbabwe. It means don’t let emotions take control of your decision making. Wise words from the land of Victoria Falls and 16 languages 😉

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SENEGAL UNREST AMID ‘CONSTITUTIONAL COUP’ CLAIMS

The Senegalese capital has been rocked by unrest again after President Macky Sall postponed the presidential election indefinitely. The opposition say it amounts to a ‘constitutional coup.’

Sall had ruled himself out of the race - which was meant to take place February 25th - after mass demonstrations over the prospect of him seeking a controversial third term. He’s now put his support behind his prime minister, Amadou Ba.

Unrest has also been triggered by what is seen as Sall’s suppression of rival candidates - in particular, the popular Ousmane Sonko, whose anti-imperialist and anti-French stance has captured the public imagination.

Continued….Sonko is also admired as a whistleblower who exposed tax-evasion via off-shore accounts among the elite. But he’s been barred from running after being found guilty of “corrupting youth” - a trumped-up charge, according to his supporters.

Thérèse Faye Sall, the Minister of Community Development, is proposing a six-month postponement of the election. Do you think Macky Sall will let go of power? Share your predictions in the comments.

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BURKINABÉ CONFRONT U.S. EMBASSY

A grassroots organisation called the Black African Defence League held a rally on 2 February outside of the US Embassy in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Ralliers demanded US military bases withdraw from the country and they denounced US imperialist policy. African Stream’s Salifu Mack scored an exclusive interview at the demonstration with the group’s national coordinator.

US and French military bases—from which NATO operations can originate—encircle Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, all founding members of the newly formed Alliance of Sahel States. These three countries recently experienced coups that ousted Western-aligned leaders and they have cooperated in recent months to secure their territory. Plus, they announced during a 28 January joint televised event that they plan to exit the French-approved Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Continued….The group delivered a letter on 2 February to the embassy, condemning current and future interference in the internal affairs of AES member-states. In addition, the letter denounces potential weaponisation of the United Nations against AES states. It reminded the embassy that the people that the AES represents are ‘united behind their leaders.’

The letter concludes, ‘We address this, first, as a warning, and we reserve the right to call on the peoples of the AES to preserve their interests, as well as throughout Africa.’

@usembassyouaga could not be reached for comment, as of press time.

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CAN YOU BE A BLACK EUROPEAN?

Joshua Maponga, a social entrepreneur, motivational speaker and musician, was asked on a show, ‘Penuel the Black Pen,’ whether one can be a white African. He flipped the question on its back and explained one cannot be a Black Indian or a Black European and how, after living in the US for centuries, Africans in America are referred to as African-Americans. European settlers are generally called “white” or “American,” and may hyphenate their identity.

Do you think identity is fluid or does Maponga have a point here?

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NAMIBIAN PRESIDENT REMEMBERED

Namibia’s President, Hage Geingob, passed away on Sunday, a few weeks after publicly announcing his fight with cancer. He’ll be remembered for dedicating much of his life to his country’s independence struggle.
African Stream’s William Sakawa profiles the amazing journey of this teacher-turned-liberation icon. One which took him from the classroom to the halls of the country’s presidential palace and beyond.

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BOB MARLEY‘S POLITICAL REGGAE: ‘CRAZY BALDHEAD’

On what would have been Bob Marley’s 79th birthday, we look back at some of the deeper, political messages behind his songs - taking a deep dive into the lyrics of his revolutionary tune Crazy Baldhead.

The noscript might make it sound like it’s about neo-Nazis and skinheads. But ‘baldhead’ is actually Rasta slang for colonialists, and the words of the song are about fighting back against their cultural, political and economic grip on the Caribbean - as our man Uwimana explains. He also breaks down the Pan-African ideals behind certain other famous Marley lyrics.

Unfortunately copyright restrictions meant we weren’t able to include the music - but please do go hunt it out in the usual places if you don’t know it already!

And, of course, let us know your favourite lines in the comments!

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COERCED INTO COINTELPRO

In this 1980 interview from @abc7ny’s ‘Like It Is’ news programme, FBI informant Darthard Perry spoke to journalist Gil Noble about how the FBI was able to coerce him into betraying the African liberation struggle in the United States. The FBI’s COINTELPRO, an acronym for ‘Counterintelligence Program,’ aimed at crushing the Black Power movement and other liberation struggles in the United States. COINTELPRO sometimes relied on ordinary people infiltrating movements to serve as informants. As this clip demonstrates, the FBI recruited Africans into their ranks through manipulation, force, blackmail and threats.

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OPPRESSORS TURN PEOPLE OF COLOUR AGAINST EACH OTHER

For centuries, imperialists have sought ways of turning oppressed people against each other. This not only makes the oppressed forget who the actual enemy is, but it also turns us into cannon folder during wars of imperialist aggression.

In this 1993 clip, renowned singer and actress Eartha Kitt (1927-2008) explained how the US military-industrial complex fomented hatred between US-based African communities and other Global South people to attract Black people into the US military to fight wars in countries such as Iraq, Vietnam and Korea.

Continued…..Kitt highlights how, after our people returned to the US, they were provided with no financial support, while forced to live under discriminatory Jim Crow laws that prevailed up until the mid-20th century.

This makes it clear why the likes of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali refused to be drafted to fight in Vietnam. When questioned, Ali famously declared, ‘I ain’t got no quarrel with them Vietcong. No Vietcong ever called me n*gg*r.’ He added, ‘No. I’m not going 10,000 miles from home to help murder and burn another poor nation simply to continue the domination of white slave masters of the darker people the world over.’ Over five decades later, his words ring true, as some African people continue to see each other and other people of colour as the ‘enemy,’ perpetuating oppressive structures that only benefit the ruling class.

Video credit: @whoopigoldberg

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LAGOS’ LITTLE CHESS KINGS

By popular demand, we’re re-running the amazing story of Nigerian chess champ Tunde Onakoya. Yesterday, we posted him beating ten players at once during a competition to raise money for his chess academy for deprived kids. Well, here’s him in action with those children in the slums of Lagos. He says the game teaches them life skills and likens his project to pawns reaching the top of the board and turning into more powerful pieces. It’s inspiring stuff. Enjoy.

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BOB MARLEY: AFRICA’S OUR HEAVEN

Happy Birthday to the late reggae legend Bob Marley.
He was born on February 6th, 1945, but there’s something we want to remember beyond his wonderful music.
The artist wanted a unified Africa. Even though he was born in Jamaica, he travelled to the continent with trips to Ethiopia, Kenya, Gabon and Zimbabwe. And he recognised all Africans scattered everywhere shared the same struggle. That is why he wrote songs like ‘Africa Unite’ and ‘Zimbabwe.’ His songs called for resistance, an end to injustice and exploitation, and a return to Africa. Africa, as he explains in this clip, is Heaven. Bob Marley passed away from skin cancer aged just 36 years old. But he remains the most internationally popular and beloved reggae artist ever and is revered by Pan-Africans worldwide.

Play your favourite Marley song today and tell us what it is in the comments 🤟🏾🎵❤️

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Britain’s King Charles III has been diagnosed with a form of cancer. The announcement comes less than 18 months after he ascended to the throne.

Charles, 75, became monarch after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on September 8th, 2022. The British monarch is also head of state in 14 other countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu

His reign began with controversy: his first foreign visit to a commonwealth country as king was to Kenya, where he refused to issue an apology for the crimes committed by the British during colonial rule - going only so far as to admit that there were “no excuses” for the “abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence committed against Kenyans.” Many Kenyans were disappointed and angered, and there was a continent-wide backlash over the visit.

Continued…..In particular, there had been calls for Charles to apologise for the violent suppression carried out by British authorities in Kenya during the early reign of his mother. In the 1950s, British officials responded to what was known as the Mau Mau revolt - a movement to reclaim land and independence - with a brutal crackdown on the broader population. The Kenya Human Rights Commission estimates colonial authorities tortured, maimed or killed more than 90,000 Kenyans between 1952 and 1960.

King Charles is expected to pause public events but will continue with his constitutional role as head of state. No further details have been shared on the stage of the cancer or a prognosis.

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