Continued…. Many have long questioned the veto right held by the five permanent members of the UNSC (China, France, Russia, UK, US) - pointing out that it can be abused, un-democratically, to oppose the will of the majority (something particularly ironic - or hypocritical - in the case of the self-styled world champion of democracy!).

What are your thoughts on the issue?

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BALDWIN: ENSLAVED AFRICAN LABOUR BUILT U.S.

Reparations to Africans have long been a contentious issue. In this clip from a 1965 debate between author James Baldwin and US conservative writer William F Buckley at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, Baldwin paints a picture of how, through forced labour, Africans played a crucial role in building US wealth. The economic prosperity of the United States during its early years was inextricably tied to the institution of slavery, as the labour of enslaved people contributed to building industries such as agriculture, finance, textiles, and mining.

Continued…. The wealth generated through centuries of free labour laid the groundwork for the economic development and industrialisation that characterise the United States today.

The legacy of slavery—compounded by subsequent discriminatory practices, such as Jim Crow laws and ‘redlining’ neighbourhoods to mark areas meant for Africans—has prevented equal access to education, employment, and housing opportunities. That is why many say reparations are a means to acknowledge and address the systemic injustices that have hindered Africans’ economic and social progress in the United States. The consequences of these policies manifest today in higher incarceration rates for Africans, as well as a household wealth ratio of 20 to 1 between white people and Africans.

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AFRICOM GENERAL REVEALS REAL REASON U.S. IS IN AFRICA

Western media paints US imperialism as an altruistic initiative to bring democracy to savages too simple-minded to know who their enemies are. But, sometimes, the truth slips out, such as when US Africa Command (AFRICOM)’s General Michael Langley admitted why the United States holds a vast footprint on the continent. Apart from access to African resources, the presence of non-Western powers seems to be a problem for Washington.

However, history shows the West broke African society through slavery, colonisation and ongoing neo-colonisation for the past five centuries. Russia and China, on the other hand, do not have such a history.

What’s more puzzling is the West’s insistence on this strategy despite the messaging not attracting many adherents on the continent, not even from far more Western-leaning countries like Ghana.

Take a look and please share your thoughts.

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SA BANS BREEDING LIONS FOR TROPHY HUNTING

High-paying trophy hunters will no longer have South African lions on their kill lists after Pretoria banned the lucrative trade. Environment Minister Barbara Treecy announced on April 3rd that breeders of captive lions have two years to phase out their businesses before the ban takes effect.

South Africa has more lions in breeding farms (7,838) than in the wild (3,500). The big cats are bred for hunting, and as a substitute for tigers in traditional medicine. A study conducted by Tourism Research in Economic Environs and Society (TREES) in collaboration with the Professional Hunters Association of South Africa (PHASA) revealed that foreign trophy hunters spend an average of $10,300 per hunting trip, excluding travel costs.

Continued….. The total economic contribution of trophy hunting to the South African economy is more than $130 million a year.

The 2015 killing of the famous Zimbabwean lion ‘Cecil’ by a hunter from the US led to global awareness of Africa’s ‘canned’ hunting problem, where animals are bred solely to be shot by wealthy foreign hunters. Critics say little has been done to curb the trade, and the impact on conservation efforts has been detrimental.

What you think of South Africa’s decision?

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TONI MORRISON: YOUR QUESTION IS POWERFULLY RACIST!

If you’ve never read any Toni Morrison, this short clip might just inspire you to. The Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist is known for her unmatched poise, authority and articulacy - qualities on display here, as she halts the interviewer in her tracks to call out the implicit racism of her question (essentially: why doesn’t Morrison write about White characters?). The interviewer is left shell-shocked.

What’s your reaction?

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TRINIDAD’S LEGENDARY CLAUDIA JONES

With roots in Trinidad and a political consciousness forged as an immigrant in the US witnessing racial injustice, Claudia Cumberbatch Jones was a leading feminist-Marxist intellectual - whose activism saw her jailed, and then deported to the UK. There, in response to London’s Notting Hill race riots, she launched what is now one of the world’s most famous and vibrant carnivals. She was already a legend whilst alive, and her works and legacy remain an inspiration. African Stream’s Wambura Mwai brings us the story of this amazing woman. Have you read her work?

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KNOW THREE COUNTRIES WITH FIRST LETTER M?

We’re back on the streets with another exciting edition of Afriquiz! Watch - and join in - as host Miss Phyll tries to tease the right answers out of her contestants. Can you name three countries in Africa that start with the letter M? Let us know in the comments.

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SCOTTISH TRADE UNIONIST’S REMARKS RING TRUE FOR AFRICANS

At African Stream, we think Scottish trade unionist Jimmy Reid’s remarks in this clip from about 50 years ago are relevant for Africans.

From the continent and throughout the world, governments tell us we have rights. According to international law, a Malian farmer has the same legal rights and responsibilities as Nestlé CEO Ulf Mark Schneider. However, when Malians lost a lawsuit against food companies Nestlé and Cargill for child slavery, we saw that, in practice, equality before the law isn’t real.

Rural Nigerian villagers are allegedly equal to the executives running oil companies Shell and Chevron. But who do you think has the upper hand in the courtroom?

Continued…. Legally, African Stream has the same rights to freedom of speech as the New York Times, CNN and the BBC. But which do you think has to contend with censorship?

Under capitalism, most of our freedoms are abstract because, while we have the same legal rights as those who rule over us, we do not have the resources to fight to maintain these so-called freedoms.

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WHAT IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF IMMIGRATION?

Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, while speaking to France 24 about immigration, reminded viewers of the root cause: Europeans coming to Africa to enslave, plunder and colonise - and leaving Africa underdeveloped while robbing it of resources to this day. That’s why those in a panic in the EU and the United States about Africans seeking a new life there ought to be more understanding. Had the West not enriched itself at the expense of Africans and done everything to keep our continent down and divided, this ‘crisis’ would not be at their door. What are your thoughts on this?

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