ERITREA: AFRICA’S MOST INDEPENDENT STATE?

If you’ve ever paid attention to how Western media talks about Eritrea, you’re sure to notice that it’s not very positive. Often labelled ‘the North Korea of Africa’, Eritrea is simply a country that refuses to submit to Western demands or participate in their neo-colonial politics. It also refuses to let in Western aid workers whose image isn’t helped by the regime-change record of USAID.

If you want an example of what we mean, have a listen to this interview with Eritrea’s President Isaias Afwerki. He’s asked why his country won’t call for outside help to combat a drought ravaging the Horn of Africa in 2010. But his reply is simple. Eritrea can feed itself. Since independence, it’s strived to be self-sufficient in food and agriculture and the numbers of people suffering food insecurity has declined substantially.

Continued….But that’s not all. Eritrea is the only African state not to have signed an accord with AFRICOM - the organisation which runs US military operations across the continent.

Coincidentally, Eritrea has been under Western and UN sanctions for years but that hasn’t altered Afwerki’s politics or beliefs. He’s led his country since it gained independence 30 years ago and to him independence means independence.
Should other African leader’s learn from him?

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THE MOTHER OF ALL KARENS

The name ‘Karen’ has become synonymous with self-ennoscriptd White women who pick on minorities, especially Africans, to get their way. Colonial Kenya had one Karen who boasted a 6,000-acre home and 2,000 servants on her coffee farm at the foot of the Ngong’ Hills.

Karen Blixen’s memoir, ‘Out of Africa,’ was made into an Oscar-winning romantic film starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. Blixen’s farm was a prototype of the British colonisation of Kenya, in which the best land was reserved for White settlers.

There’s a Nairobi suburb named after her now. But it’s not just the name that has stuck. Unlike other suburbs that reverted to African names after Kenya gained independence, life in Karen still has the whiff of colonial exclusivity and snobbishness, as African Stream’s Wambura Mwai found out.

UK HYPOCRISY TOWARDS ITS BLACK COMMUNITY

Renowned rapper, author and activist Akala brilliantly broke down the double standard of how people of African descent are represented in the UK. To illustrate the point Akala gives examples of Black excellence in terms of educational attainment and how that is portrayed as an individual feat, whereas “If a Black person does something negative the entire so-called Black community is to blame.”

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Today’s African proverb can be traced back to Accra, Ghana. It reminds us that the problems and misfortunes of others make for good gossip - until the same misfortunes happen to you or those close to you. The proverb calls for empathy towards others who are ridiculed or face problems, as someone else’s trouble today could be yours tomorrow. Do you have any similar sayings?

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FELA KUTI: REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE

Fela Anikulapo Kuti and his musical family have done much to shape Nigerian arts, culture and politics. His mother Funmilayo Kuti was a revolutionary who organised Nigerian women to fight neo-colonialism and capitalist exploitation. Fela Kuti in turn understood his role as an artist in the service of African liberation. Now his children carry on their father’s musical legacy, with son Seun Kuti also actively engaged in keeping alive the Pan-African and socialist politics of his family.

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BLACK DOES CRACK USE SUNSCREEN!

Despite the sun’s UV rays damaging everyone’s skin, a third of Blacks still don’t use sunscreen. What’s more, they aren’t encouraged to by doctors or the manufacturers. We look at why.

STRIVING FOR WHITENESS IN LATIN AMERICA

Harlem rap legend and activist Felipe Andres Coronel is better known by the stage name, Immortal Technique. Most of his lyrics focus on global politics, from an anti-colonial perspective.

During a podcast on the YouTube channel, American Cholo, he gave a master class on how racism derives from a centuries-long colonial system in what is now Latin America. In it, he details how commonly used terms, like ‘mulatto,’ are racist.

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HOW THE WEST FACILITATED UGANDA'S ANTI-HOMOSEXUALITY LAW

Ghana’s parliament recently followed Uganda in passing an anti-gay bill. It has yet to be signed by President Akufo Addo but has already drawn heavy fire from global rights groups, as has the new wave of homophobia sweeping across Africa.

Supporters of Ghana’s and Uganda’s tough anti-gay stances say that the LGBTQ movement is a corrupting, non-African influence imposed by the West. But could the same actually be said for homophobia? Could it be a colonial import to the continent - with negative African attitudes towards homosexuals shaped and fostered by European teachings? And could modern-day Western influences be radicalising these attitudes? Even today, groups such as US-based Family Watch International have been accused of lobbying for legislation criminalising homosexuality in Uganda, Kenya and Ghana.

You views matter to African Stream, please share them in the comments.

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MIRIAM MAKEBA: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA AFRICA!

Today we celebrate Miriam Makeba’s birthday. Also fondly nicknamed Mama Africa, her voice transcended music, becoming a beacon of strength and unity. From the heart of South Africa’s struggle against apartheid to global stages, her songs resonated with the call for equality and social change. She stirred souls and consciousnesses alike with a voice that held both gentleness and might.

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