THE WORLD WAS SILENT WHEN WE DIED

What you see in this clip is happening right now - another mass displacement of people in eastern DRC. Thousands of people have fled their homes in Goma - capital of the North Kivu Province - and in nearby towns and settlements, as M23 rebel advances bring genocidal violence ever closer.

Yet the global media is silent, as are world leaders. Why don’t African lives matter to them?

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Kenyan President William Ruto has called on Africa to harness green energy to create opportunities for Africans. On 18 February at the African Union Commission headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ruto said banking on green industrialisation would create enough jobs so African youths wouldn't have to migrate to the West to seek a better life.

While calling for more jobs in Africa, Ruto's numerous trips abroad have involved lobbying for hundreds of thousands of jobs in Germany, Saudi Arabia and Poland, to name a few. The Council of Governors, touted as a nonpartisan body that represents 47 counties, recently lamented Kenya's brain drain, saying only 14 doctors are available to treat every 10,000 Kenyans. Yet, barely a week ago, Labour and Social Protection Secretary Florence Bore was in Germany to 'follow up on job opportunities [Ruto] initiated and discussed.'

Continued…..Is Ruto's statement about keeping African youth on the continent in sync with his policy to send well-educated Kenyans abroad? Has he had a change of heart or is it something else? Let us know what you think.

BRAZIL’S PRESIDENT COMPARES ISRAELI ATROCITIES IN GAZA TO THE HOLOCAUST

At the 37th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia this weekend, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva likened Israel’s assault on the Gaza strip to Adolf Hitler’s extermination campaign against the Jews.

Lula called Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza, which has killed nearly 29,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, unprecedented. He went on to compare the systematic attacks upon the Palestinian civilian population to the Jewish Holocaust.

Taken aback by the comments, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Brazilian head of state of “trivializing the Holocaust and trying to harm the Jewish people and Israel’s right to defend itself.”

Continued…..Israel’s Foreign Ministry summoned Brazil’s ambassador to the country to express an official reprimand. Shortly thereafter, Brazil’s Foreign Minister, Mauro Vieira, spoke personally with Daniel Zonshine, the Israeli ambassador to his country. On Monday night, in a private meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Vieira expressed his government’s discomfort amid the diplomatic row, referring to statements made by Netanyahu as “unacceptable.”

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ECOWAS WANTS SAHELIAN TRIO BACK IN BLOC 😂

On February 8th, 2024, the Economic Community of West African States - ECOWAS - convened in Abuja to discuss the decision of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to quit the regional bloc. The revolutionary trio have formed their own alliance, known as the Alliance of Sahel States - or AES. ECOWAS representatives made it clear they regretted the triple departure and sought reconciliation.

But the AES states show no signs of a change of heart. As Burkina Faso’s prime minister put it, “Our withdrawal from ECOWAS is not directed against anyone, against any institution, against any state. It aims to assume our sovereignty and ensure the security and prosperity of the populations of our area. However, we will be able to respond to provocations wherever they come from.”

Continued…..Niger - which was threatened with war by ECOWAS if it did not undo its anti-imperialist coup - has also taken additional measures to defend itself from neighbouring member states. For example, it’s closed its airspace to flights from Nigeria next door. Niamey has also accused Benin’s president, Patrice Talon, of supporting sanctions against Niger only to avoid criticisms from ECOWAS allies over seeking an illegal third term.

What do you make of AES efforts to stand up against ECOWAS?

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The US State Department has ‘strongly’ condemned escalating violence in the restive eastern DR Congo, blaming the M23 rebel group, which it says is backed by Rwanda.

But some might accuse Washington of merely feigning concern - or even of attempting to pull the wool over the world’s eyes regarding its own destructive role in the tragic history of the mineral-rich country.

Washington’s main interest in the Congo began during the Second World War when it used the purest known uranium ore from the Shinkolobwe mine to make the first-ever atomic bomb. Ore from the mine was later used in the manufacture of nuclear weapons.

Continued…..In 1961, the CIA orchestrated the killing of visionary Pan-Africanist leader Patrice Lumumba, and then propped up murderous dictator Joseph Mobutu, who enabled Western interests to loot much of the Congo’s wealth until his ouster in 1997.

US tech giants such as Apple, Google, Dell, Microsoft and Tesla are accused of profiting from child labour, as they rely on battery-grade cobalt mined in the DRC.

Washington also allegedly uses Rwanda and Uganda as conduits for arms shipments to militia groups in the DRC. Is it a coincidence that the leaders of both countries are still around 25 years after US President Bill Clinton labelled them a ‘new breed of African leaders’?

What do you think the US is really ‘concerned’ about?

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ISRAEL FAILS TO EXPEL LAWMAKER OVER SA GENOCIDE CASE

On Monday, February 19, Israel’s supreme state body, the Knesset, narrowly failed to expel left-wing member, Ofer Cassif, for his support over South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the ICJ. The motion was supported by 85 Knesset members, 5 short of the two-thirds majority of 90 needed for expulsion.

Eleven lawmakers voted against expulsion and 24 abstained, including leading centrist politicians Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz and significant portions of their respective parties, Yesh Atid and National Unity.

Continued…..Cassif faced expulsion from the Knesset after signing an open letter supporting South Africa’s charge at the ICJ that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza. Israel has rejected the accusation. Shortly after the vote, he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that “the voice against the war, the voice against the carnage of innocent civilians, the voice for the immediate release of the hostages, the voice for peace and justice will not be silenced. My voice will not be silenced!”

Israel’s assault on the Gaza strip has killed almost 30,000 Palestinians in operations it says are aimed at rooting out H*m*s militants. However, most of the victims have been women and children. The ongoing attacks have displaced 1.9 million people and destroyed over 70% of homes in the region.

Tel Aviv has faced global condemnation for the high death toll, and even its allies, particularly the United States, have urged restraint. The ICJ has said it’s ‘plausible’ Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered it not to take actions that violate the Genocide Convention. However, the court did not call for a cease-fire as many had hoped.

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US AND FRENCH FLAGS SET AFLAME AGAIN IN DRC

Congolese people have had enough of being trampled on and dominated by Western neo-colonial powers! Yet again they’ve taken to the streets to burn the American and French flags which represent imperialist violence and destruction. In this video the protesters also denounce Paul Kagame, president of neighbouring Rwanda who is accused of helping Western powers illegally access Congolese resources by fueling war in Eastern Congo.

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MALCOLM X: WE’RE IN A POLICE STATE

Today marks 59 years since Malcolm X was assassinated. But about 62 years ago, the human-rights defender delivered this fiery speech that remains relevant.

Africans in the United States live in a police state intent on criminalising us for our very existence. We are routinely shot and maimed, and then blamed for our own deaths. While our loved ones pray that the innocent victims of grotesque violence rest in peace, the media ensures we do not. After our people are brutally killed, character assassinations begin.

Meanwhile, Hollywood and the US music industry work hard to propagate violent images of Africans, both in the US and worldwide. Many rappers have come forward to talk about how the multibillion-dollar music industry offers better contracts to artists who use violent lyrics. This is then used to depict our culture as inherently violent, which justifies over-policing and mass incarceration.

Can you see where we’re coming from? Let us know.

HUGO CHAVEZ’S LOVE FOR AFRICA

What may have been revolutionary Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez’s final public document was a letter addressed to the Third Africa-South America Summit, hosted 20-23 February 2013 in Equatorial Guinea. He expressed regret for not being able to attend the conference. At the time, he was battling cancer, which took his life just a few weeks later, on 5 March 2013.

This video shows the Burkinabé people organising a tribute to Chávez after his passing. The event took place at the l’Université Ouaga 1 Professeur Ki-Zerbo (formerly the University of Ouagadougou). Chávez was the first Venezuelan leader to publicly claim an African heritage. He stated, ‘He [my father] is mixed Indian and Black, which makes me very proud.’

Continued…..Throughout Chávez’s presidency, he fought for the liberation of and attempted to deepen the diasporic connection with African people. That effort took place both within Venezuela as well as throughout ‘our America,’ a term used to describe the landmass from Canada to Chile.

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BBC LIGHTENS GAZA GENOCIDE TO ‘CAMPAIGN’

A recent BBC post on X (formerly Twitter) downplaying Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza as a ‘campaign’ backfired after many users agreed with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva that it is not a campaign but a genocide.

Last month, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found it plausible that Israel’s acts could amount to genocide. South Africa petitioned the ICJ to decide whether Tel Aviv had violated the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention.

As usual, we’re glad to help the good folks at the BBC fix their headline. But let us know what you think, too.

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Nina Simone is among the most famous musical figures of the 20th century. Today, the 21st of February, is her birthday, a good occasion to highlight the radical politics woven throughout her songs.

Her political life went beyond the usual civil rights narratives dominating US discourse. Simone aligned herself with communism’s promise of true liberation. Malcolm X’s influence moved her to embrace Pan-Africanism, while advocating for Black nationalism and supporting armed action. Songs like ‘To Be Young Gifted and Black’ and ‘Backlash Blues’ reflect this shift.

Conversations with figures like playwright and writer Lorraine Hansberry influenced Simone, whom she cites in her ‘real girls’ talk’ quote. These discussions fueled songs like ‘Mississippi Goddam,’ which addressed racism, imperialism and global solidarity.

Continued…..Despite allegedly facing FBI scrutiny and industry pressure, Simone remained unwavering. Songs like ‘Ain’t Got No / I Got Life’ were poignant commentaries on poverty and societal marginalisation, while ‘Feeling Good’ offered a flicker of hope amidst struggle. Simone’s legacy transcends music, reminding us that art can be a powerful tool for demanding a just world.

Simone later renounced the United States, calling it, ‘the United Snakes of America.’ She moved to France in 1993, and passed away in 2003.

Please join us in wishing our revolutionary ancestor a happy birthday!

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ALGERIA: ISRAEL BLOCKING PALESTINIAN STATE

This week, 52 states and three multi-state organisations are presenting arguments at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) about the legal consequences of Israel occupying the Palestinian territories.

The six days of hearings started on 19 February and came after the UN General Assembly asked the court in 2022 for an advisory—non-binding—opinion on the occupation.

In this clip, Ahmed Laraba, who represents Algeria’s legal team, asserted Israel wants to make sure a Palestinian state is impossible.

Algeria has long opposed normalisation with Israel. Plus, its own experience with French colonisation fuels its longstanding solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for self-determination and against Israel’s illegal occupation.

What do you think about Laraba’s argument? Let us know in the comments.

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