EDDIE GRIFFIN ON COLONIALISM IN AFRICA

In 2008, comedian and actor Eddie Griffin joked about what European colonialists did when they came to Africa. In his words, they gave us Bibles, and they took the gold, diamonds and land.

Tell us below who your favorite African comedian is.

THE YORUBA KINGDOM

When we talk about Africa’s rich history and ancient civilisations, Egypt often tops everyone’s list. However, if you headed west you would’ve found another kingdom that grew its wealth through vibrant international trade and powerful city states. The Yoruba Empire dominated an area that is now modern-day Nigeria, Benin and Togo. And its traditions are still held strong among its people who are one of Africa’s largest ethnic groups.

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100,000 YEAR OLD FOOTPRINTS DISCOVERED IN MOROCCO

Archeologists from Morocco, Spain, France and Germany have discovered a set of footprints dating back 100,000 years. They are the oldest in North Africa, and follow a 2017 discovery of 300,000-year-old Homo sapien bones in Jebel Irhoud, Morocco.

More-frequent storms caused coastal erosion, revealing the footprints.

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SOMALI-ORIGIN CONGRESSWOMAN SMEARED BY U.S. RIGHT

We all know about the dangers of deep fakes. But more primitive forms of online deception are still catching people out as well. Something as simple as adding misleading subnoscripts to someone speaking in another language. That’s what happened to Somali-born Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who’s faced calls to be sacked, stripped of her US citizenship and deported as a result!

Continued….Addressing a crowd in her native tongue, she spoke about how Somalis in the US could petition their representatives to try and influence Washington’s policy on their homeland - in particular, over the question of the status of the breakaway republic of Somaliland. But someone deviously added subnoscripts to the speech that made out she was saying the Somali diaspora had the US government in its pocket, that the likes of Omar could dictate US foreign policy, and that she put Somalia and the Muslim faith before everything else - including, by implication, US interests.

That led to a barrage of performative outrage by prominent right-wingers, from Rob DeSantis to Marjorie Taylor Green. Omar has brushed off the smear - poking fun at the amateurish nature of the attempted hit-job translation (which used ‘Somalians’ rather than ‘Somalis’ to refer to her people - something no self-respecting Somali would do) - branding it a ‘manufactured controversy’ rooted in xenophobia and Islamophobia.

What do you think about the whole episode?

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8 February marks 56 years since the Orangeburg Massacre, when police killed three young Black people and wounded 27 others during a civil rights protest at South Carolina State College, a historically Black institution of higher education that later was renamed South Carolina State University.

The incident was the culmination of a crescendo of protests that had started two days earlier, when Black youths—mostly university students—had gathered outside All-Star Bowling Lane to denounce the bowling alley’s refusal to admit Black patrons.

That protest ended in arrests. When student demonstrators returned the next night, officers attacked them with billy clubs and arrested more people.

Continued….This led to heightened tension in the town and on campus. In an attempt to put down the protests, South Carolina’s governor called in the state’s National Guard (civilians who serve in military roles on an as-needed basis) to support highway patrol officers, adding fire to the already tense situation. Despite authorities’ manoeuvers, the determined students gathered at the university on 8 February to continue with their protests.

A scuffle broke out when firefighters tried to extinguish a bonfire the students had lit. During the ensuing chaos, one officer apparently fired into the air and other officers started shooting into the crowd.

By the time guns went silent, three students lay dead, while 27 were injured. Most of the victims were shot in the back and in the soles of their feet as they tried to flee, thereby making it hard to believe the police claim that they acted in self-defence.

In the aftermath of the massacre, nine officers were charged with ‘imposing summary punishment without due process of law.’ However, they were all acquitted.

The only person who went to jail was Cleveland Sellers, whom the state accused of inciting the protests. The national program director for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee received a one-year prison sentence, of which he effectively served seven months. In 1993, South Carolina’s governor pardoned Sellers.

Nearly six decades later, survivors and relatives say justice was never served.

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BURKINABÉ ‘WOULD RATHER DIE’ THAN ACCEPT NEW COLONIAL MASTERS

Burkina Faso’s president, Ibrahim Traoré, sat down for an exclusive interview with Cameroonian journalist Alain Foka, just two days after his country, along with Niger and Mali, announced they were exiting the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The three states underwent anti-imperialist coups in recent years, forming the Alliance of Sahel States on 16 September. ECOWAS member-states are mostly former French colonies whose economies remain under the thumb of France. They are forced to use the CFA franc currency for international transactions and they must store at least 50 per cent of foreign reserves in that currency at the French Public Treasury.

Continued….During the interview, the journalist pressed Traoré about his country’s relationship with Russia. The president responded that Burkinabé people ‘would rather die’ than replace one colonial master (France) with another (Russia).

Have a listen and let us know what you think about Traoré’s remarks below.

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South Africa’s much-anticipated genocide case against Israel—which the global public was able to watch live in January—appears to have inspired other Global South countries to stand up to Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Nicaragua announced on 1 February that it will hold accountable Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom via ‘all measures,’ including at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), for providing arms, ammunition, technology, and other components to Israel. The Central American country stated such acts violate multiple international laws, including the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention.

Continued….Nicaragua further warned these governments, that suspending funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees is an act of ‘disregarding’ their obligations under international law. While they were warned in written notices, Nicaragua provided no deadline before it would begin to take legal action.

The ICJ said in a provisional ruling on 26 January that Israel’s actions could ‘plausibly’ amount to genocide. Since 7 October, Israel has killed more than 27,000 Palestinians in the besieged enclave.

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PITCH PERFECT: SONGS UNITE RIVAL FANS AT AFCON

The AFCON final four nations are special this year - all are (besides good at football!) African musical powerhouses.

So while the fans will be cheering their own team - be it Nigeria or Côte d’Ivoire in the final, or South Africa or DR Congo in the runners-up game - they’ll also be humming, singing, dancing and vibing to each other’s tunes and songs outside the stadium and long after the tournament.

Be it Afrobeats or amapiano, DJ Arafat or Fally Ipupa - African Stream’s Inem Richardson mingled with the fans to find out how music unites Africans… even when they are footballing rivals!

Share your musical winners - and AFCON final predictions - in the comments.

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THOUSANDS FLEE M23 RESURGENCE IN GOMA

East DRC is witnessing a mass exodus, amid fears the M23 rebels will capture the region’s biggest city, Goma. In the last few days, thousands have abandoned their homes and fled, while rockets have been raining down on the city’s outskirts. The Congolese army appears to be on the back foot but the government has vowed it will hold the city.

M23 - allegedly armed by Rwanda (something Kigali strongly denies) - has been making gains recently in the country’s mineral-rich provinces of North and South Kivu. The conflict, decades old, has seen over a million Congolese leave the country, and over 7 million internally displaced - in the grip of a humanitarian disaster.

It’s feared the intensifying conflict could draw in neighbouring countries in the Great Lakes region if the violence is not decisively quelled fast.

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NIGERIA IN AFCON FINAL FANS GO MAD

Nigerian football fans are dreaming of a fourth AFCON noscript after beating rivals South Africa to reach the final. Wild celebrations lasted long into the night, as you’ll see from these pictures from Lagos.

It’s been over a decade since the Super Eagles were last crowned African champions. But the penalty-shootout win has got everyone believing another noscript is within their grasp. They’ll play hosts Ivory Coast in Sunday’s final.

Win or lose, the tournament has been a much-needed tonic for many Nigerians. Inflation topped 26 per cent last year and a cost-of-living crisis has been sharpened by government subsidy cutbacks.

Check out the reaction of these fans after substitute Kelechi Iheanacho slotted home his winning spot kick to decide the tie which had finished 1-1 after extra time.

There’s nothing like success on the pitch to lift the spirits of a nation!

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IVORY COAST AFCON DREAM CONTINUES!

The footballing fairytale continues for AFCON hosts Ivory Coast who’ve reached Sunday’s final. In fact, their fans probably have to keep rubbing their eyes to believe what’s happening. They beat DR Congo 1-0 to set up a showdown with Nigeria in what’s been an amazing turnaround.

Just days ago, the Elephants were on the brink of elimination from the group stage and sacked their coach. They were in complete disarray with few giving them any chance of progressing. And yet, here they are, just a few days later, in the final after Sebastien Haller popped up to score last night’s winner.

Ivory Coast fans have gone mad! Who can blame them? And who’d bet against them from beating Nigeria to claim a third AFCON noscript? Would you?

AFRICAN STREAM ON GROUND AS NIGERIA HEADS TO FINALS

On 7 February, African Stream journalist Inem Richardson, herself of the Nigerian diaspora, was on the ground in Bouaké, Ivory Coast, for a tense, yet exciting, Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) match. It ended 4-2 in penalty kicks against South Africa, sending Nigeria to the AFCON finals against the host country, Ivory Coast. We send cheers to the final contenders!

ISRAEL WANTS CONTROL OF EGYPT-GAZA BORDER

Tensions between Egypt and Israel are reaching breaking point, with Cairo rebuffing Tel Aviv’s request - in violation of a peace treaty - to control the so-called Philadelphi Corridor (aka, the Egyptian-Gazan border), as well as refusing to allow any relocation of Palestinians to the Sinai Desert. It’s got so bad, el-Sissi’s stopped taking Bibi’s calls! African Stream’s Ahmed Ghoneim breaks it down in 90 - no, this week, 60! - seconds.

A MOVING PLEA FROM CONGO'S CHILDREN

Children should never have to plea for their lives. But in DRC, they are being killed, maimed, dangerously exploited, and denied real childhoods and futures.

So the children of DRC are pleading with the world. To stop swindling the country of its mineral wealth, to stop aggravating the genocidal conflict there, to stop sending children and their parents into dangerous mines for a pittance, to stop ignoring the humanitarian crisis affecting millions.

In this moving video, they ask the simple question - what did we do? Please share their massage.

https://linktr.ee/gnzowo

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PANDOR CHANNELS HADITH ON OPPRESSED AND OPPRESSORS

South Africa’s foreign minister Naledi Pandor - who’s been vocal and active in her support of Palestinians, and relentless in her attempts to end Israel’s war in Gaza - has addressed the Al-Quds Mosque in Cape Town.

During her speech, she cited two hadiths (sayings by the Prophet Muhammad) about how we should act towards the oppressed and their oppressors.

Her message was a reminder to Muslims of their duties during this time of trouble in the Middle East. But it’s one that will resonate strongly with non-Muslims as well. Indeed, it’s one that the backers of Tel Aviv’s terrible war - the US and co. - would also do well to learn from.

What do you think?

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CESSATION OF DEPLOYMENT OF KENYAN POLICE TO HAITI

Kenya’s High Court has ruled plans to send Kenyan police forces to Haiti to provide security there unconstitutional.

The envisioned deployment was widely criticised as an attempt to win favour with the US (by offering up Kenya as the ‘blackface’ of US imperialist ambitions on the island nation), an infringement of Haitian sovereignty and a misuse of resources desperately needed at home - though supporters of Kenyan President William Ruto tried to sell it as a sign of African solidarity and brotherhood.

African Stream has been opposed to the policing plans from the get-go. But our CEO Ahmed Kaballo was not overly jubilant about the High Court’s decision. He explained why to community organiser Salifu Sanni, who put a more positive spin on that ruling.

What do you think?

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ECOWAS WAS WARNED?

Perhaps this was Niger’s final warning to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) before it, Burkina Faso and Niger pulled out the regional bloc.

After the July coup in Niger, which deposed then-President Mohamed Bazoum, ECOWAS imposed the strictest set of sanctions in its history against a member-state. ECOWAS, along with the eight-member West African Economic and Monetary Union, agreed to close their borders with Niger, suspend financial transactions, freeze the country’s assets in external banks and suspend financial assistance with regional development banks. The sanctions would be lifted if the coup regime reinstated Bazoum.

The sanctions, indeed, have caused hardship in Niger. However, surrounding countries also experienced adverse boomerang effects.