Ukraine Slams African Peace Mission

Ukrainian officials have slammed Africa’s peace mission to Kiev and Saint Petersburg.
One of President Zelensky’s advisers accused its delegates of playing a ‘primitive information game’ and lacked the capacity to resolve the conflict.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was joined by leaders and senior officials from Senegal, Comoros, Zambia, Uganda, Egypt and Congo-Brazzaville.
They met with Zelenksy and Russia’s President Putin.
But their ten-point plan for peace failed to achieve a breakthrough.
It proposes recognition of Russia and Ukraine's sovereignty under the UN Charter and continued, unhindered, grain exports.
Moscow believes parts of the plan could be implemented.

IMF's Game Of Loans

As anger over incoming tax hikes boils over in Kenya, we take a deep dive into the role the IMF has played in ramming austerity down Africans’ throats. It boils down to neocolonial debt slavery, pure and simple - a system designed to keep us down, while oiling the wheels of otherwise faltering Western economies. African Stream’s Kenneth Kaigua breaks down this complex issue.

Watch the full YouTube version on https://youtu.be/hIvLjRdPsas

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Mali Wants UN Out

Mali’s not messing around when it comes to reclaiming sovereignty. First, it booted out French troops (as well as French diplomats and propagandists). And now it wants a large contingent of UN forces dispatched over a decade ago by the Security Council ‘to fight jihadists’ to go as well. Bamako thinks it can do a better job by itself, and many citizens seem to agree: the so-called MINUSMA mission is - if not making things worse - then at best useless.

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Are Some Jamaicans In Denial About Africa?

Is it a kind of madness to deny your African roots? Discussing the case of the diaspora in Jamaican, Dr. Imani Tafari Ama argues yes - claiming a kind of cognitive dissonance has set in. She compares Black identity in Jamaica and the Caribbean more widely with how other races living in diasporas have a clear sense of where they are from. She surges her community to rid itself of an imposed identity and reclaim its true, African self.

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Zuma: 'West Can't Crush BRICS'

Former South African President Jacob Zuma has come out swinging against the West. He says it’s desperate to stop the growing influence of BRICS which has emerged as the world’s biggest economic bloc. And believes the war in Ukraine is partly an attempt to break the organisation.

Africa's Ukraine Peace Plan Failed?

Africa’s peace plan for Ukraine failed to find a breakthrough.
And both Kiev and Moscow seem as far apart as ever when it comes to negotiations.
However, the delegation - representing seven African nations - didn’t come away completely empty handed.
Both Russia and Ukraine say they’re open to further talks.
Finding a solution is crucial for the continent which heavily depends on the warring sides for food imports.

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Diamonds Demons De Beers

An African gem has just been auctioned at Sotheby’s for nearly $35 million.
But while the rare ‘Pink Diamond’ earns De Beers a small fortune, the company has heaped misfortune on the continent for centuries. Here’s a reminder…

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Lumumba On Ukraine

P. L. O. Lumumba believes Ukraine has become testing ground for NATO weapons. He also insists the war could end within a month if they stopped arming and encouraging President Zelenksy. Does he have a point?

Listen to the interview the public speaker and pan-Africanist gave to Kenyan media.

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Recycled Knowledge

Kids might complain that school is rubbish, but for hard-up parents, rubbish could be the key to securing their young ones schooling - and a brighter future. This is the story of My Dream Stead school in Lagos, Nigeria, which is making education accessible by waving school fees for parents who instead collect and hand in recyclables. They can also swap re-usable plastics for textbooks and uniforms. So not only is this a great way of opening doors for young learners, it’s helping in our planet’s ever more urgent fight against pollution.

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Anti-Gay Law
Hits Aids Clinics

Uganda’s anti-gay law is sparking one controversy after another. Following the initial international outrage over its harsh punishments for homosexuals, concern has now moved to its impact on the country’s fight against HIV and AIDS. Fear in Uganda’s LGBTQ community seems to be keeping people away from ‘safe space’ clinics. Complicating the picture is the fact that the US - which has threatened sanctions over the legislation - is now ‘reassessing’ its support for such clinics, which could now face closure. Their existence has prevented tens of thousands of HIV/AIDS cases in Uganda.

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Mali Flies 'Un Spying' Charge

Mali says the UN is conducting illegal surveillance of the country with the help of peacekeepers stationed on the ground - and has now lodged a formal complaint. That might help explain why Bamako recently demanded that troops from the UN’s MINUSMA mission get off its territory ASAP. Satellite evidence gathered via the alleged spying was used in the controversial UN report that claims 500 people were massacred by Malian soldiers collaborating with Wagner mercenaries. Bamako insists that’s a ‘fabrication.’

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Senegal Violence Western Silence

Police have killed tens of people in Senegal who are making their voices heard loud and clear over what they see as the unfair trial and imprisonment of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.
However, despite pictures saying a thousand words, Western media and politicians are largely silent on the deadly protests. Why the blind indifference? Well, demonstrators point out Dakar has a French-backed dictatorial incumbent 🤔
Host Ahmed Ghoneim gives his take in this week's Africa in 90 seconds.

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The Visionary Zulu Sofola

Born in Nigeria on this day in 1935, playwright Zulu Sofola was a true visionary and iconic matriarch of African theatre.

Her artistic tendencies shone through early with a passion for storytelling. And despite the obstacles facing women living under British colonial rule regarding education and work, she committed herself to writing drama for the stage.

Sofola's plays demonstrate her understanding of and sensitivity to issues such as gender politics, culture clash and the struggles of African women in coming out of the yoke of colonial rule.

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Continued- Visionary Zulu Sofola

Her writing mixes traditional African folklore, contemporary concerns and emotional depth. It resonates with all types of audiences - and has made Sofola an inspiration for generations.

Her most celebrated work,' Wizard of Law,' cemented her reputation as a dramatist. The play highlights the recurring intricacies of power, corruption and human resilience and remains as relevant today as when it was first performed in the '70s.

Sofola fought for women's empowerment and inclusivity in the arts. Her ability to capture the essence of the African experience paved the way for actors and playwrights to embrace their culture and tell their stories with pride.

Today, on her birthday, we remember her legacy and influence, which reverberates through the global theatrical community and is a testament to the transformative power of art and its ability to break through barriers.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Zulu Sofola - may you continue to rest in power

Africa
Must LEAD
On Climate

One thing that’s often missing in discussions of climate change and Africa is - Africans! Our continent has been marginalised in global green-policy decision-making.

We accounts for a fifth of the global population and create only as fraction of global emissions, yet it’s our people who pay the highest price during climate disasters.

So why are countries that industrialised and got rich through dirty energy charged with setting the climate agenda? Their hundred-billion-dollar promises on climate financing for Africa are yet to materialise. Not only that, they are okay with using fossil fuels while placing multiple obstacles in our path.

Continued - Africa Must Lead On Climate

Across the continent, communities that had nothing to do with carbon emissions have had to give up their land so Western corporations can use it for ‘carbon trading’ in the name of conservation. This also completely ignores the tradition of indigenous communities acting as guardians of biodiversity in their ancestral lands.

Watch Kenya’s William Ruto make the point well: Africa needs to take charge of its climate future. And it deserves a voice when it comes to the global effort to save the planet. No one will save Africa unless Africa saves itself!

DEBT TRAP$
COMING $OON

Ethiopia, Kenya, Zambia and Ghana are the latest African countries to turn to the IMF in a time of economic crisis. But can their populations afford the higher prices and cuts to public spending that's likely to follow?
What's more, can their governments afford to pay back dollar loans when their own currencies depreciate?
Welcome to the debt trap!

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