AFRICANS’ HEARTFELT CONGO MESSAGE

DR Congo bowed out of AFCON with their heads held high. They made the semis and just lost to South Africa on penalties in their third-place match. But it wasn’t only the football that won the Leopards praise. Their players’ determination to highlight the horrific violence sweeping their country, also earned respect.

Just have a listen to fans we spoke to at AFCON. Many stand in solidarity with the Congolese people. Millions are bearing the brunt of an imperialist-fuelled conflict as armed groups fight for resource-rich land in the east of the country.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

U.S. THREATENS SOUTH AFRICA OVER ICJ CASE

South Africa could face US sanctions over its genocide lawsuit against Israel.

Barely two weeks ago, President Ramaphosa warned Washington would strike back after its Middle East ally was hauled before the UN’s top court. Well, we haven’t had to wait long. Two US lawmakers have now tabled a bill claiming Pretoria’s actions are politically motivated and anti-Semitic. And it’s pressing to exclude South Africa from lucrative US trade deals.

It comes after the International Court of Justice ruled Israel must prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians in its ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip. So far, Israel has killed more than 28,000 Palestinians since the October 7th Hamas attacks, which killed around 1,400 Israelis.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

Moroccan drug dealers are inflicting huge losses on their Israeli counterparts - by refusing to do business with them. That’s according to Israeli publication Mako, which says Moroccan hashish sellers are boycotting Israel over its war in Gaza. One dealer interviewed asked how trade was thinkable while “our Palestinian brothers are suffering from hunger and living in inhumane conditions?”

According to the UN, Morocco is the biggest exporter of cannabis resin in the world. Demand is high as it’s widely regarded as the best available. A single kilogram of Moroccan hashish can reportedly sell for as much as ₪300,000 in Israel - or $82,000.

Continued….The industry boycott flies in the face of official Moroccan relations with Israel, which were normalised under a Trump administration-brokered deal in 2020. In exchange, the US recognised Rabat’s claim to the Western Sahara, which Morocco has been occupying since 1975. In 2021, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Israel and Morocco regarding security, intelligence and arms sales.

In contrast, thousands of Moroccans have regularly protested the war in Gaza and have called for ties to be cut.

Whatever your thoughts about drugs, what do you think of the Moroccan dealers’ protest action? (Must be hurting their own pockets a bit too, so definitely some sacrifice involved!)

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

WILL JAMAICANS DITCH UK MONARCHY? (DON’T ASK SKY NEWS!)

We’re well into 2024, and that’s the year Jamaica’s government said it would hold a referendum on whether to cut ties with the British monarchy. Fingers crossed that’s still on.

The revelation came during Charles’ accession to the throne in May last year - surely no coincidence. It was made on Sky News, and what’s interesting is how they chose to cover it. Basically, their package was crammed with Jamaicans saying they were against ditching the king - hmmm… surely also no coincidence!

In fact, a survey conducted by Lord Ashcroft Polls in August-September 2023 found that almost half of Jamaicans are in favour of becoming a republic - and only 11% against. (The rest said either they didn’t know or that they wouldn’t vote.)

Here’s a snippet from that Sky coverage last year - let us know if you agree it’s a bit misleading. We’ll keep you posted on how this Jamaican referendum thing plays out (if it does!).

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

LONDON’S FREE CONGO MARCH: WHY SO SMALL?

It was great to see a rally in support of a free Congo in London over the weekend. Hats off to all the participants for trying to bring attention to this emergency. That said, the turnout was small - certainly when compared with the huge rallies seen in support of Palestinians or Ukrainians in the British capital. It’s a similar story in other major cities around the world. And yet, the scale of the tragedy in DRC is equally enormous. Please share your thoughts on why it’s so hard to get people to care about Congo’s unending crisis and humanitarian disaster and on what can be done about it.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

FORGOTTEN: DRC’S DISPLACED MILLIONS

African Stream visited an internal refugee camp in DRC - to hear the stories of the people inside. The world has turned a blind eye to their plight. An astonishing 7-million Congolese are internally displaced amid genocidal violence in the country’s east. On top of the humanitarian crisis and conflict, some of the women also told us about abuse and rape.

One reason for the Western media’s silence could be that wealthy countries depend on destabilising the Congo.

Continued….While M23 rebels wreak deadly havoc, the priority will not be improving the dangerous working conditions and minuscule wages of miners - many of them children - digging up the minerals on which today’s modern technology so vitally depends. Western multinationals lord over DRC’s wealth while its people suffer in poverty. Helping out the needy would mean eventually having to pay fair prices for Congolese goods - hence they don’t.

African Stream’s Erick Gavala filed this report from the camp at Kanyaruchinya village in Goma, at the foot of the Nyiragongo volcano. Please share, and let us know your reactions in the comments.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

WHAT MADE U.S. SO VIOLENT?

The US is not the shining city on the hill it fronts itself as. Far from being the beacon of human rights and democracy it preaches about, it has a closet full of bones of its victims. Professor Amos Wilson peels back the mask, and explains how its bloody past manifests in the criminogenic society it is today. It has two original sins, he explains, the genocide of American natives followed by the enslavement of Africans.

Once this is clear, it becomes easier to see the hypocrisy whenever a U.S. official lectures the world on humanity. While professing democracy, its government seems to mainly serve a small wealthy elite, including a military industrial complex responsible for the deaths of more than 20 million people since World War II. Its calls for human rights reflect poorly, considering the descendants of the enslaved Africans are nowhere close to justice, with subjects such as reparations seen as calls for free handouts.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

NEW SAHEL CURRENCY IN THE WORKS

The Alliance of Sahel States has been demolishing the pillars of Françafrique by the minute. Mere weeks after withdrawing from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and a few months after the creation of the alliance, a common currency for Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger is well underway. That would relegate the CFA franc as a colonial relic in the dustbin of history.

A sovereign Sahelian currency will be a welcome break away from the patronising relationship that Francophone Africa has with Paris. France dictates 14 African countries’ economic policies, including requiring a French citizen to sit on the board of each of the three central banks that govern various forms of the CFA franc.

Continued….Despite holding a wealth of resources, these countries are among the poorest in the world. Following the 26 July coup that Nigeriens supported en masse, the International Monetary Fund projected 11 per cent growth in 2024 for Niger. And, it is not alone. Burkina Faso and Mali are also expected to grow despite Western powers attempting to isolate all three states and regional bodies like ECOWAS imposing sanctions. So, what changed?

Have a watch, and, as always, please let us know what you make of it.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

SUDANESE REFUGEES PICK WARTORN HOME
OVER INHOSPITABLE EGYPT

The war between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group has increased Sudan’s internally displaced population to 9 million people. Meanwhile, 1.7 million have fled abroad, with about 450,000 Sudanese ending up in neighbouring Egypt.

But an economic crisis has caused Egyptians to turn on Sudanese refugees, whom they see as a burden. Many Sudanese are now deciding between homelessness in Egypt and risking their lives by returning to a war-ravaged country. Unfortunately, reports say many Sudanese neighbourhoods have been devastated, and the few houses that stand are swarming with fighters.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

DRC DEMOS AGAINST WEST ESCALATE

Protesters have burned US and Belgium flags on the streets of Kinshasa. Anger continues to rage over claims the West is fuelling worsening rebel violence in the eastern DRC. Similar demonstrations have happened in the past, but these latest have a new intensity. DRC’s Foreign Ministry has given assurances the government will protect Western officials. Sadly, no one’s protecting the millions of civilians being killed and displaced in the east. As always, we’re interested in your comments.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

CHILD DIES EVERY 2 HOURS IN SUDAN

A child dies every two hours in the Zam Zam camp in the northern part of Sudan’s Darfur region. That’s according to global medical charity Doctors Without Borders.

The civil war that kicked off in April between Sudan’s generals has left hundreds of thousands of refugees without access to vital humanitarian aid and medical care.

Over the past several months, Sudan has earned the unfortunate distinction of having the largest internally displaced population in the world, with 9 million people having fled their homes. Meanwhile, 1.7 million refugees have left the country. Over the past 10 months, the violence has killed more than 13,000 people.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

IVORY COAST’S HOUPHOUET-BOIGNY NAME OF SHAME?

Ivory Coast gave everybody great AFCON memories - but our reporter could have been more impressed. She noticed how many public venues and institutions bear the name of its first President, Félix Houphouët-Boigny. A man who promoted French imperial interests and thwarted neo-colonial movements. So, our question to you: Should his name still decorate streets, stadiums and airports?

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

ERIK PRINCE: ‘U.S. SHOULD COLONISE AFRICA’... AGAIN? 🤡

Imperialists’ audacity can amount to clownery. But their intentions have dangerous consequences.

For example, private US-based mercenary firm Blackwater killed 17 Iraqi civilians in 2007 in what came to be known as the Nisour Square massacre.

Erik Prince, the speaker in this video, is Blackwater’s founder, who once served as CEO and later as chairman. Some might see him as an extension of US foreign policy. Blackwater has won billion-dollar US-government security contracts to patrol throughout West Asia. He now thinks ‘underdeveloped’ Africans need the US to help govern the continent.

Africa certainly has leadership issues, but hasn’t Africa had genuine leaders who worked for the good of their people? And what became of them? France, a NATO member, assassinated Burkina Faso’s Thomas Sankara. The US, UK and Belgium killed the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Patrice Lumumba.

Continued….The US-backed South African apartheid government allegedly took out Mozambique’s Samora Machel. The CIA ousted Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah, as well as Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi. In every case, the West’s fingerprints are on the crime scene. Why are these facts glaringly absent from Prince’s rationale?

In many ways, the US already colonises Africa. Most African countries’ economies are at the mercy of the International Monetary Fund’s loan terms. These countries are reeling in debt on Washington’s conditions. The impacts can range from cuts to healthcare and subsidies, labour market deregulation, and privatisation of state assets and services. Plus, while numbers are not easy to pin down, of Africa’s 54 countries, 15 reportedly host 29 AFRICOM military bases. And 53 African states have varying military partnerships with the United States.

The point is, has Africa ever been free? Let us know what you think of this clownery.

Please follow us on Telegram, Link in Bio

EXPLAINING HOW STEREOTYPES FESTER

Author and social activist Gloria Jean Watkins, is better known by her pen name Bell hooks [sic].
She wrote over 22 books and here explains how negative stereotypes of Blacks can be perpetuated.
Even if a Black person shatters a prejudicial trope, often they’ll be viewed as the exception to the rule.
While slamming White supremacist attitudes, she also laments Blacks who consider themselves inferior.
It’s a thought provoking interview, even if it is a few years old. Tell us if you think it’s still relevant.

‘LAND RETURN MUST HAPPEN WITHOUT WHITES’

There’s one fact we keep repeating: Whites make up 10 per cent of South Africa’s population and yet own about 70 per cent of the land.

Author Kim Keller says the ANC ruling party has not done enough to give back land to Blacks, the rightful owners. A bold government, according to her, would’ve done this already without consultation with White colonisers.

In this powerful interview, Keller explains that land ownership is tied to economic growth and dignity. Without it, Blacks in South Africa will remain oppressed.

She wrote the book No White Lies, Black Politics and White Power in South Africa. In her words, she claims to ‘unmask the Rainbow Nation as a palace of White Power, even though the governing Party, the ANC, is Black.’

Keller pulls no punches. Listen to this clip of her talking on the EFF podcast, and tell us if you think she’s right.