MEET CHEDDAR MAN

Blue eyes and dark skin? You might remember the news breaking about Cheddar Man. That’s the name scientists had given an ancient human being whose remains were discovered in Gough’s Cave in Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, in southwestern England, UK. Unearthed in 1903, Cheddar Man’s almost complete skeletal remains date back to the 9th millennium BC, in the Mesolithic period, making him one of the oldest human skeletons in Britain.

What sets Cheddar Man apart is his estimated age and the ground-breaking genetic analysis performed on his remains in 2018. Scientists proposed he had dark skin, blue eyes and curly dark hair. The unexpected revelation challenged previous assumptions about how ancient Brits looked.

Continued….But it should really come as no surprise that the first ancient human being discovered in the UK was Black, as all human history originated in Africa. One museum scientist described Cheddar Man as ‘indicative of the population of Europe at the time.’ However, the UK’s far-right population lost its collective mind when this story broke back in 2018, so it is always nice to remind them ;-)

Cheddar Man’s striking looks transcend borders and challenge our preconceptions about the evolution of human physical characteristics. It’s a reminder that our history is rich, complex, and often filled with surprises that connect us in unexpected ways.

Were you surprised by the news? Please leave your thoughts below.

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THE MOST DANGEROUS AFRICAN!

Leading Pan-African figures have responded after Ghana authorities cancelled their event at the last minute.

Convention 2024 was due to be held at Independence Square, in Accra, on January 7th, but police intervened. However, leading guests due to speak held a press conference shortly after and didn’t hold back.

Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao called out presidents for having a ‘colonised mind’ and urged us all to look in the mirror and ask serious questions about the continued imperialist exploitation of Africa.

PLO Lumumba called on the continent’s youth to embrace the ‘spirit of personal sacrifice’ for the general good. Have a listen. Are you up to the challenge they describe?

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KINGDOM OF KUSH

Egypt may hog much of the limelight when it comes to ancient civilisations, but it too was influenced by a powerful sub-Saharan dynasty.

The Kush Kingdom also build pyramids and developed its own form of written texts. And its rich history helped shaped a regional landscape that can still be admired today.

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‘WE BLEW UP MOSQUES, UN OFFICES’ - ISRAELI RESERVIST

An Israeli military reservist told @TheGrayzoneNews that he was part of operations that bombed mosques and United Nations offices in the Gaza Strip. The unidentified person acknowledged UN offices had assisted Palestinian families since 7 October.

This clip is part of an exclusive video report that shows illegal settlers at the Kerem Shalom and Nitzana border crossings in the Gaza Strip blocking trucks carrying humanitarian aid from Egypt. The Israeli military appeared to aid protesters’ efforts, while Egyptian forces did not respond to provocations.

Reports in January said Israel had destroyed 1,000 out of 1,200 mosques in the 41-kilometre-long enclave since the 7 October escalation. The UN said the highest death toll among its staff members worldwide has occurred in the Gaza Strip, where Israel’s military operation has killed more than 100 workers.

Continued…. The UN Security Council passed a resolution on 25 March for an immediate ceasefire, to allow the flow of humanitarian aid and for the release of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which ends in two weeks. Further, the International Court of Justice ruled on 26 January that Israel must avoid genocidal acts. However, Israel’s strikes and a blockade have continued.

Should the so-called international community impose economic sanctions on Israel for its continued disregard for the ICJ ruling and the UNSC resolution?

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MAMA BURNA TO AFRICAN ARTISTS: FOCUS ON LEGACY

Legacy. Building one, and leaving one. That’s what it’s all about - according to Bose Ogulu (aka Mama Burna Boy), who recently gave the key-note speech at the UK’s Best of Africa Awards.

There, she scooped the History Maker 2023 gong - and used the occasion to urge African and diaspora artists to be methodical in their creativity, striving not just for short-term success, but aiming at contributing to culture in a lasting and meaningful way. As she puts it, there’s no “shortcut” through the hard work that’s required in building up an artistic legacy.

Continued…. Moreover, Ogulu - a businesswoman and a talent promoter - says that people like her singer-songwriter son have shown that African talent can break through globally, with international appeal that sells out stadiums the world over. Far from gloating, she wants this to be an inspiration to budding young artists from the continent and diaspora.

Have a watch and let us know if you think she’s as much of a legend in her own right as we think!

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MEET SENEGAL'S NEW FIRST LADIES

Meet Senegal’s new First Ladies: Marie Khone Faye (left) and Absa Faye (right).

While there’s been much excitement about 44-year-old Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s becoming Africa’s youngest elected head of state, his two wives are also stealing the limelight.

Marie is described as pious. She is the mother of four children (three boys and a girl) and has been with the new president for 15 years (they come from the same village). Their relationship appears to embody tradition and family values.

Continued….. Absa is described as elegant and classy. She has not yet had any children with Faye - their union perhaps indicating a modern twist to the traditional practice of polygamy.

Polygamy is common in 94%-Muslim Senegal, where it is legal to have up to four wives. 32.5% of registered marriages in the country are polygamous, a figure that excludes the large number of unrecorded customary marriages. The practice is more common in rural areas compared with cities.

How many wives - or husbands! - do you think are ideal?

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WINNIE VS NELSON

Today marks six years since South African liberation icon Winnie Madikizela-Mandela passed away at 81.

Too often, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is remembered as ‘Nelson Mandela’s wife.’ That is only one part of her legacy. Winnie Mandela was a freedom fighter and organiser who was, in many ways, more uncompromising than Nelson. Winnie, too, was a political prisoner during the anti-apartheid struggle, including a brief sentence she served while pregnant. Her position was that African people must free ourselves by any means necessary. Winnie unwavered on oppressed peoples having a right to use revolutionary violence in the face of colonial exploitative violence. This led to a growing distance between her and the African National Congress (ANC) during the 1990s. She also believed that land in Azania (a name to describe parts of southern Africa, including South Africa) and Zimbabwe must be redistributed to African peoples.

Continued…. Winnie spoke out at a time when Nelson Mandela felt the need to compromise on the land question, which has led to perpetual inequality and prolonged settler colonialism.

In her own words, ‘I have a good relationship with Mandela. But I am not Mandela’s product. I am the product of the masses of my country and the product of my enemy.’

In this 29 November 1993 lecture given at Kean College in New Jersey (USA), Pan-Africanist and former Nation of Islam leader Khalid Muhammad railed against Nelson and expressed his support for Winnie.

Let us know what you think of Muhammad’s remarks.

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ISRAELI POLICE ASSAULT JEWISH PROTESTER

For decades, Israel has cast itself as representing all Jews.

While the media just started covering it, a section of Israeli society, especially Haredi Jews, have opposed Israel's military operation that has killed more than 32,000 Palestinians since 7 October. For years, these ultra-orthodox Jews have called for a free Palestine. The state's response has been violent, as exemplified in this clip—one of many online—of militarised Israeli police assaulting protesting Haredi Jews.

Despite this and an Israel official admitting Israel has been sterilising Ethiopian Jews, the West insists Israel is the 'only democracy in the Middle East.'

Continued…. The United States, Canada and some European countries have used that argument to provide Israel with funds, arms, and diplomatic cover in the form of ceasefire resolution vetoes at the United Nations over the past almost six months.

Leaders such as US President Joe Biden have referred to Israel as a Western outpost or 'beachhead' in West Asia. We also cannot forget that immediately after 7 October, Israel began launching attacks into neighbours Jordan and Lebanon under the guise of rooting out militant group H*m*s.

While some say Israel is the only safe home for Jews, this video shows US/EU-backed Israel will assault some of its own population to maintain its settler-colonial project.

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MOTHER OF THE NATION

On 2nd April 2018, Winnie Mandela breathed her last. Many South Africans remember the radical anti-apartheid activist as the mother of the nation. Today, we take a few moments to remember her efforts towards the emancipation of her people and why she is still referred to as the mother of the nation.

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Continued….The 81-year-old belonged to the ANC for more than six decades, but his relations with them have soured. He now openly supports MK ahead of the May 29th general elections.

According to opinion polls, the new party is likely to capture ANC votes, especially in two populous regions. Gauteng province is the country's economic centre, and KwaZulu Natal is Zuma's home province.

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Over sixty years late, France has finally condemned the massacre its police inflicted on Algerian protesters in Paris in 1961.

On March 28th, the country’s parliament voted to recognise what happened as a crime tantamount to “bloody and murderous repression” - and called for an official commemoration of the atrocity, which the authorities covered up for decades. Alas, the resolution is non-binding.

In 1961, around 30,000 Algerians took to the streets of Paris to protest colonial rule in their homeland. At that time, the Algerian National Liberation Front had been fighting against French colonial forces for seven years. In response, French police killed possibly hundreds of Algerian anti-colonial protesters. A document from the Parisian archives notes that:

“There were a lot of bodies. Some with the skulls crushed, others with shotguns wounds.”

Continued….. Over 110 bodies were reportedly discovered in the River Seine over the course of the following weeks. Graffiti scrawled along the Seine embankment appeared afterwards, reading, “Algerians are drowned here.”

France has stubbornly refused to apologise for colonial violence in Algeria, where it ruled with an iron fist for 132 years. French colonial forces were notorious for their use of torture during Algeria’s war for independence.

In 2020, 24 skulls of 19th-century Algerian freedom fighters were sent back to Algeria after having been kept in a French museum for over 100 years. The Musée de l’Homme in Paris still possesses 18,000 skulls of various origins, mostly tied to French-colonialism.

French politicians continue to debate whether or not October 17th, the date of the 1961 Paris massacre of Algerians, should be an officially recognised memorial date.

What do you think?

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TUNISIANS DEMAND GAZA CEASEFIRE

Over a thousand Tunisians have taken to the streets, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The demonstration, on March 30th, coincided with Palestinian Land Day commemorating a brutal crackdown by Israel forces 48 years ago.

The UN Security Council recently voted for a halt in the fighting. However, Israel continues its bombardment of the Strip and the Washington Post reports the US has sent another multi-billion dollar consignment of weapons to Tel Aviv.

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