Ukraine’s embassy, which opened in April in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, has already come under fire for a notice to Ivorians recently circulating across social media stating, ‘The Embassy of Ukraine in Ivory Coast informs young people aged 18 and 30 wishing to serve the Ukrainian armed forces on the front as part of the defence of our nation against Russian aggression launched on February 24, 2022, that recruitment within the Ukrainian embassy will begin on May 30.’

Continued….. The Ukrainian embassy denounced the post as ‘fake news’ a few days after it spread. Yet, it’s not hard to see why someone might have found the notice credible. Since the war began, Ukraine has suffered troop losses as high as 500,000. In 2022, the Senegalese government denounced Ukraine’s effort to recruit 36 Senegalese citizens to fight. Plus, in early 2022, videos had circulated of Africans rejecting attempts to recruit them to fight for Ukraine while they tried to flee the eastern European country.

After the war broke out in Ukraine, many in the Global North were dismayed to hear a large chunk of African countries refused to endorse or join the war effort in support of Ukraine because of modern collaborations and historical ties with Russia that went back to the days of the former Soviet Union.

Continued…. Further, many countries have denounced the West’s attempts to pressure Africans to support any war effort while African states like Libya are still reeling from Western invasions. Meanwhile, colonialism doesn’t seem to have ended with France, the UK and the US continuing to control African economies and occupying land.

Amidst Ukraine’s troop losses and waning Western support, it opened five embassies in April across the African continent, including in Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Mozambique and Rwanda, bringing Ukraine’s diplomatic presence to 17 African states. It has stated that its goal is to have 20 embassies. Meanwhile, Russia hosts diplomatic missions in more than 40 African countries.

GUINEA-BISSAU’S UNSHAKABLE CARMEN PEREIRA

Eight years ago today, Guinea-Bissau’s Carmen Maria Pereira passed on - after a fulfilling life committed to the struggle. She had been a tireless warrior during Guinea-Bissau’s fight for independence from the Portuguese.

At an early age, she joined the resistance movement, becoming a member of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) - a party that produced some of Africa’s finest female freedom fighters, such as Titina Silá.

Pereira would go on to serve very briefly as Guinea-Bissau’s president.

She may not be with us now, but the people of Guinea-Bissau remember her as a radical spirit in the face of injustice. Continue to Rest in Power, Madam Pereira.

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PALESTINE, W.H.O’S NEWEST MEMBER

The wave of Palestinian resistance is yielding results. Refusing to be sidelined and forgotten by history, the World Health Organization’s World Health Assembly (WHA) officially recognised Palestine as a member to align with Palestine’s newly elevated status at the United Nations. The vote took place on 31 May during the 77th WHA in Geneva. In this video, you can see the chamber break into applause after passing a resolution that accepted Palestine’s membership—short of the right to vote—and again after the World Health Ministry president and Botswana’s health minister, Dr Edwin Dikoloti, asked the Palestinian representative to take the state’s rightful seat between Palau and Panama. The vote moves Palestine a step closer to full WHO membership.

Have a look at this historic moment and please share your thoughts.

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U.K. CHILDREN: ‘WHO THE F**K IS ALLAH?’

This clip of children hurling profanities to question the Muslim faith was captured at a 2 June march that far-right activist Tommy Robinson organised in London. An estimated tens of thousands of people marched behind a banner that read, ‘This is London, not Londonistan.’ Groups from across the UK known for being violent related to football matches also marched.

A crowd then gathered at Parliament Square where songs were played with lyrics including ‘I want my country back’.

UK advocacy group HOPE not hate’s CEO, Nick Lowles, told one news outlet: ‘Today’s demonstration is set to be the biggest gathering of far-right activists, football hooligans and Tommy Robinson supporters in years. There is a strong likelihood of violence as we have unearthed shocking messages from hooligan chat groups where people are threatening to attack people of colour, pro-Palestine demonstrators...’

Continued…. Many worry indoctrinating children can birth extremist youth willing to be violent against people they believe inferior. Yet, counter-extremism agencies have turned a blind eye to this worrying trend.

As Israel’s military onslaught against the Gaza Strip has continued for nearly eight months, k*lling more than 36,000 Palestinians, Israeli children have been seen celebrating the deaths. Since the 1948 establishment of the settler-colonial state of Israel, children have been taught to see Arabs and Muslims as less than.

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Happy birthday to an underrated giant of Pan-Africanism, and Mali’s first president, Modibo Keïta (1915-1977).

He was born on June 4th, in a French colony that was then known as ‘French Sudan.’ Keïta was already brilliant in his youth, securing a spot at the most rigorous and prestigious school in French colonial West Africa. Yet, he hated colonialism from a young age and was described by his teachers as, ‘very intelligent but anti-French.’

He formed the US-RDA, a political party that led his country to independence. As a committed Pan-Africanist, Keïta worked relentlessly to unify French Sudan with other African states. He co-founded the Mali Federation, consisting of Senegal and French Sudan. However, his anti-imperialist stance regarding France was not shared with his Senegalese counterpart, causing the federation to splinter. The Republic of Mali, as we know it today, was born.

Keïta never stopped fighting for a unified socialist Africa.

Continued…. He joined the Union of African States, also known as the Ghana-Guinea-Mali Union. He was close with other revolutionary Pan-African leaders, such as Kwame Nkrumah, Ahmed Sékou Touré, Gamal Abdel Nasser and Ahmed Ben Bella. They became the prominent voices of the Casablanca Group, fighting for socialist unification on the continent.

Keïta became Mali’s first President in 1960. An ardent anti-imperialist, he moved his country out of France’s grip by expelling French troops, closing the French military base, and forging a new sovereign currency for Mali which lasted until his overthrow in 1968. Education was transformed and government-supported farming cooperatives became the backbone of the economy. Mali became a close friend of revolutionary governments worldwide from Cuba to Vietnam. National Youth Week was instituted as a cultural showcase bringing together various ethnic groups and regions to represent their heritage.

Continued…. On this day we remember the legacy of a great leader who continues to inspire the state of Mali today! Happy Birthday ancestor Modibo Keïta!

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MALEMA: I AM NOT DESPERATE TO BECOME PRESIDENT

The recently held South African elections saw a drop in support for Pan-African political party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). The final results published by the country’s elections body gave the EFF a 9.5% vote share - a drop of about 1.5 % compared with 2019’s race.

Various possible reasons for the decline in support have been put forward, including the suggestion that the party’s refusal to jump on the anti-migrant bandwagon drove away xenophobic voters.

In recent years, South Africa has witnessed a rise in Afrophobia. Citizens blame African migrants for many social and economic ills, such as crime and unemployment.

This rhetoric is most loudly heard from fringe organisations such as Operation Dudula, which President Cyril Ramaphosa once described as a “vigilante-like force” dividing Africans.

Continued…. However, the run up to the elections saw even mainstream parties use xenophobic rhetoric to attract votes. But the EFF resisted that temptation, despite knowing that such a position would probably cost it votes.

In this clip from March’s campaign trail, EFF leader Julius Malema states very clearly that he would rather lose elections than yield to xenophobes. What do you think? Is sticking to your principles, even if it means making the attainment of power less likely, sensible politics?

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Germany’s football coach has branded a survey racist for asking if the national side should have more white players. State broadcaster ARD randomly polled 1,304 people, with 21 per cent saying yes.

Julian Nagelsmann said it was ‘madness’ for the TV channel to ask such a question. It was also slammed by one of his players, Joshua Kimmich.

ARD claims the survey was commissioned after one of its reporters was challenged about the side’s makeup while making a documentary. Whatever the excuse, it’s not a good look for the hosts of Euro 2024, with the championship kicking off in Munich on June 14th.

Since 2010, Germany’s national team has been significantly multiracial, with several Black and Turkish players.

Continued….. However, while its makeup has been lauded for reflecting the country’s multiculturalism, Black players still suffer abuse.

Germany defender Antonio Rüdiger, who has Sierra Leonian roots, has been vocal about the trauma he’s suffered during his career. He laid bare the treatment during an interview in 2021. You can read it here.

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/antonio-ruediger-champions-league-soccer-racism-chelsea

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BBC WHITEWASHES ISRAELI RAFAH MASSACRE

Running alongside Israel’s destruction of Gaza is the mainstream media’s propaganda war. The recent Israeli air strike on a camp for displaced people in Rafah is the perfect example.

BBC presenters tell the story of what happened with language that distorts and deflects blame. It’s all done with the subtle addition of words and glaring omission of facts.

According to the presenters, over 35 people (not civilians) were killed by an explosion (not air strike). There’s no mention of the UN’s top court ordering Israel to stop its Rafah assault just days before. There’s no mention of the worldwide outrage, including from European leaders. It’s propaganda 101. This is our reaction.

NIGERIA ON STRIKE OVER MINIMUM WAGE

An indefinite strike led by two of Nigeria's biggest unions kicked off on Monday, paralysing parts of the country. Airports were closed, the main power grid shut down, and schools, courts and the Ministry of Finance closed.

Their demands: a higher minimum wage and a reversal of electricity-tariff hikes. The government calls them unreasonable, but the unions point to government extravagance, branding it an insult amid austerity among the population. What the unions are demanding, they say, is not even enough to feed a family.

This is taking place on the back of one year of neoliberal policies from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration. This has included currency devaluations and stripping fuel subsidies, which has made life unbearable for millions of Nigerians.

Do you support the strike action?

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African women find themselves at a high risk of violence.

London is no exception. Black people comprise 13.5 per cent of greater London and just 2.7 per cent of the city of London. And, yet, Black women make up 40 per cent to 60 per cent of femicide victims, depending on the year. These women are killed not only because of their race but also because of their gender.

While the report that we drew these statistics from looks at the United Kingdom, Black women experience similar forms of violence around the world.

Continued….. According to the 2019 Global Homicide Report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, African women face the highest risk of femicide. According to South African NGO Women for Change, South Africa’s femicide rate is five times greater than the global average.

Women and girls of Africa and the African diaspora must organise collectively and fight for change within a global Pan-African framework. The violence of patriarchy is tightly bound to the capitalist and imperialist global system that dominates the world today. From London to Johannesburg to Rio de Janeiro, Black women cannot put an end to the gender-based violence we face until we dismantle the root of this global system.

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HARVARD GRAD SHAMES UNI OVER GAZA

In case you missed it, here’s the moment a Harvard University student grabbed global headlines with a stunning speech. Shruthi Kumar slammed the elite college for barring 13 students from graduating after they’d taken part in pro-Palestinian protests on campus. She’d won a competition to give the commencement address and took her chance to veer off noscript and lay into university authorities.

Her May 23rd outburst got a standing ovation and more than 1,000 students walked out of the ceremony waving Palestinian flags as part of a planned demonstration.

Since April, protests against Israel’s destruction of Gaza have been seen at colleges across the US.

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WHITES ONLY TOWN IN POST-APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA!

South Africans went to the polls on 29th May - and the results were damning for the ruling African National Congress party, which has led the country since the end of apartheid 30 years ago. For the first time since 1994, its first election, the ANC failed to secure at least 50% of the vote (the threshold needed to form a government).

The drop in ANC support is seen as a verdict on its governance of the nation. Many Black South Africans accuse the government of not doing enough to dismantle apartheid-era socio-economic structures and injustices. Nothing exemplifies this better than the existence of Orania, a Whites-only town in the country's Northern Cape province.

Continued….. The town has been a source of tension since its establishment in the early ‘90s during the last days of apartheid. The founders and the residents of the town claim its purpose is to preserve the culture and identity of the Afrikaner people, White South Africans of mostly Dutch, French and German descent. However, many people think the town and its policy of not allowing non-White residents is nothing but a racist endeavour to maintain some vestiges of the apartheid system. The residents of the town insist that its existence is protected by Article 235 of the South African constitution, which guarantees self-determination. However, many have argued that the cited part of the constitution does not in fact permit people of a particular religious or cultural group to live in a secluded place away from other South Africans. In 2000, the Northern Cape High Court adjourned ‘sine die’ (without a further hearing date) after Orania’s proponents challenged attempts by the government to incorporate the town into the nearby municipal authority. In 2019, Zamani Saul, the elected leader of the Northern Cape province, vowed to set up an inquiry to review the legality of Orania - supporters saying that South Africa cannot move on from apartheid as long as places like Orania are allowed to exist. African Stream was shown around Orania by some of the locals, who shared their opinions about their community with us. We’d love to hear yours as well in the comments

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