MELANIN EQUALS SUPERHUMAN

Being Black brings with it health benefits, not least because our bodies are packed with melanin. According to holistic health expert Dr Llaila Afrika, the pigment is responsible for almost everything happening in our body. From absorbing harmful UV rays from the sun, to increasing our sense of sight and smell. He says it gives Black people superior sensory perception and has been studied by the US military.

Now, if you go online and look up melanin, you’ll also find experts who disagree. But, for the record, Dr Afrika is a Doctor in alternative medicine, an experienced lecturer and says he’s been helping people be ‘healthy’ for decades. That’s why we thought we’d share this clip, where he champions melanin’s powers. It’s a fascinating topic. Drop us a comment below.

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Our African proverb of the week comes from Kenya.

“Once water has been spilled, it can’t be scooped”.

Otherwise, consequences emerge from our actions. Be prudent when making decisions that could ultimately shift the trajectory of your life. The repercussions, most times, cannot be undone.

STREET-STYLE COW HEAD MEAT

Inyama yenhloko, a stew made from a cow’s head, is not your average dish. This traditional South African Zulu delicacy not only comes with rich flavours, but also with an equally rich history and an interesting set of rules regarding its consumption.

In the past, the meal was reserved for older men. Women were even prohibited from consuming its gravy, as this was considered to be good for male fertility. You’re probably thinking that this is patriarchy in a pot!

But luckily things have since changed and people of all ages and gender can now enjoy this amazing dish.

African Stream visited Champion Inyama, a Johannesburg roadside joint that prepares and serves this yummy stew. Have a watch and tell us if this is something that tickles your taste buds!

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PLO ON STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONS IN AFRICA

Africans need to respect, nurture and bullet-proof their institutions. So argues distinguished Pan-African scholar PLO Lumumba in this clip. He suggests that Africans are in the habit of imagining that institutions care for themselves, whoever they elect to run them. But he vividly illustrates how wrong this is - citing the collapse of health and education in Sudan thanks to a failure of governance. Lumumba says we need institutions plus the right men and women to look after and lead them. Another example he gives is that of the toxic Indian syrup scandal, which cost the lives of African children because our own quality controls weren’t fit for purpose. How would you go about fixing the problem he’s identified?

SISTER SOULJA ON WHITE RACISM IN AMERICA

Here is a 1992 TV clip of rapper and activist Sister Souljah cutting through the chase on race.

That year is remembered for one of the most significant uprisings in US history when violence erupted in Los Angeles after a jury acquitted four police officers in the 1991 beating of Black motorist Rodney King. That, as well as a Korean merchant not serving prison time after shooting a Black teen and years of racial tension between the Black and Korean communities, caused six days of violence that left behind more than $1 billion in property damages.

In this clip, @sistersouljah replied to a caller on 'Larry King Live' who said a white disc jockey mocked Martin Luther King Day, a US holiday, by saying perhaps k*lling more Black people would help 'get a week off.'

Continued….. Our straight-shooting sister pointed to Black people's lack of power in the United States, a comment that mirrored Pan-Africanist Kwame Ture's (1941-98). Ture often said Black people's quest for power is more important than worrying over racist ideas inside white people's minds. Do you agree? Let us know in the comments.

Video credit: 'Larry King Live,' @CNN

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AFRICAN COUNTRIES REPATRIATE THEIR GOLD FROM U.S.

In this video RedactedNews anchor Clayton Morris explains why several African countries have begun withdrawing their gold reserves from the United States in recent months. The moves are a reflection of growing concerns over the stability of a waning hegemonic power and its economy. The trend also marks a real shift in global economics, as these and other countries grow increasingly skeptical of the traditional safe-haven status of US financial institutions and the dollar.

The decision to repatriate gold reserves is driven by a deeper unease among these nations about the trajectory of the US economy. Persistent inflation, mounting debt levels, and concerns about the Federal Reserve’s ability to maintain stable monetary policies have eroded confidence in the US dollar. Additionally, geopolitical tensions and uncertainties surrounding trade relations have further fuelled apprehensions among foreign governments and investors.

Video credit: RedactedNews

‘Being an old farm boy myself, chickens coming home to roost never did make me sad; they’ve always made me glad.’

Pan-Africanist icon Malcolm X uttered these words to a reporter in 1963, shortly after the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. The phrase implies that the actions of an individual or group will return to haunt them.

There is no better place where this saying holds than the United States. Four presidents have been assassinated, while five have survived attempts. Assassins also have tried to take the lives of four presidential candidates, but only one—Robert F. Kennedy—was k*lled.

Although African Stream does not condone violence in any form, we must point out that the U.S. has been built on a foundation of violence, from the k*lling and displacement of the Indigenous peoples from their lands to the enslavement of Africans who had been violently ripped away from our motherland.

Continued….. This penchant for violence against people of colour did not remain in the past as other people want the world to believe; in the last two centuries, the U.S. has continuously exported its violence abroad, especially to the Global South.

U.S. presidential assassinations pale in comparison to the millions of people the United States has k*lled from South America to Africa to East Asia to deal with governments that did not bow to U.S. hegemony.

For the U.S. to effectively stop the chickens from coming home to roost, it will need to address the violence that founded and continues to sustain the U.S. empire, which will continue whoever wins the presidential elections in November, whether it be Donald Trump or Joe Biden.

BLACK PEOPLE IN THE U.S. NOT YET FREE

Are Black people in the United States genuinely free? One might think the answer is obvious since our people are no longer subjected to chattel slavery.

However, content creator @prodigalsun3 (TikTok) argues that merely being free from chattel slavery does not equate to freedom if one is still subject to the institutions of those who enslaved them.

His argument could also apply to African countries that attained political independence decades ago but whose economies are still firmly under the control of the powers that had colonised them. Western companies continue to control the lion’s share of African resources, such as diamonds, gold, copper, timber and land.

Africa’s finance landscape is also still largely dominated by Western banks and insurance companies. Can we then say we are free if we don’t control our resources?

Video credit: @prodigalsun3 (TikTok)

'I HATE ALL AMERICAN PRESIDENTS'

‘I hate all American presidents.’ South Korean woman Do Keum-Yeun, then 81 years old, uttered these words during a 2017 protest against the installation of a US missile defence system in her village.

Her sentiments, which imply that no US leader means well for the world, especially for the Global South, should be the guiding principle for all Pan-Africanists and anti-imperialists regarding the forthcoming US elections in particular and its politics in general.

Regardless of who wins the US elections, Africans and other people of the Global South will still get the short end of the imperialist stick.

Video credit: @BBC

TURNING BLACK PEOPLE AGAINST MIGRANTS

Former US President Donald Trump’s attempt to pit Black and Hispanic people against migrants during the 27 June presidential debate is nothing but a divisive ploy.

African Stream’s Salifu Mack reminds us that migrants seeking a better life are not responsible for the injustices inflicted upon us for centuries. Migrants didn’t enslave us. They didn’t impose Jim Crow laws. They didn’t conduct the Tuskegee Experiment that infected our folks with syphilis. They didn’t destroy Black institutions. They didn’t target our leaders using the FBI’s Counterintelligence Program (COINTELPRO). They didn’t flood our neighbourhoods with drugs. They didn’t unjustly imprison and k*ll our people.

We are stronger together. All of the world’s oppressed people, do not fall for a divisive politician’s ploy to turn us against each other.

Video credits: @CNN and @breakfastclubam

5 WORST U.S. PRESIDENTS FOR AFRICA

When you think of the exploitation of Africans, powers like Britain, France and Germany spring first and foremost to mind. But let’s not forget that America has a longstanding history of meddling and aggression towards our continent. And it’s US presidents who bear the bulk of the blame. Our man Salifu has selected five he thinks should be considered Africa’s biggest OPPs. He’s got clear reasons for each. Hear him out and let us know if you agree. In your book, which American leader was/is Africa’s biggest OPP?

HOW ARGENTINA RED-CARDED BLACK PEOPLE

Argentina has just won the 2024 Copa America trophy after a one-nil victory over Colombia at a match played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

While the focus should have been on football, many people could not help notice the stark difference in the racial make-up of the two teams. The Colombian side had Black players, while Argentina didn’t have any.

So, why do teams of countries on the same continent look so different? In no small part, it reflects racist policies implemented by Argentina over a century ago.

At one point the country was Blacker than it likes to admit. In 1778, Afro-Argentines formed almost half the population of Argentina. However, anti-Blackness policies succeeded in reducing them to 30% of the population by the time the country gained independence from Spain in 1816. Racial politics and alleged extermination campaigns then saw them steadily wiped out and their rich Black culture erased from the nation’s collective consciousness.

Continued….. Today, statistics show Afro-Argentines form a paltry 0.4% of Argentina’s total population, making it the Whitest country not just in Latin America but the Whitest outside Europe.

The old saying: ‘Mexicans descend from the Aztecs, Peruvians from the Incas, but Argentinians descend from ships from Europe,’ encapsulates Argentina’s perception of itself as a nation of White Europeans that never had Blacks.

Historically, Black people and their culture were shown the red card. Argentina’s football team is evidence of that.

OPPRESSORS DON’T GIFT FREEDOM

Happy 77th birthday Assata Shakur!

The activist was born on July 16th, 1947, in New York, USA, and we salute our sister by sharing her powerful quote. It reminds us freedom is not given on a silver platter, it must be fought for and cherished.

Assata was part of the Black Liberation Army (BLA) and was jailed in 1977 for the murder of a state trooper during a shootout with BLA members. But during her trial, she denied holding or firing a weapon at the police, arguing they had shot her with her hands up, leading to immediate paralysis of her right hand. Two years later, she broke out of prison and fled to Cuba where she was given asylum.

It’s believed she still lives there today and is on the FBI’s most-wanted list with a $1m reward for information leading to her capture.

Assata continues to influence political and social activism in areas of racial and economic justice, immigrant rights and Black youth empowerment.

‘EFFIGY’ LEADERS PUSH THROUGH IMF REFORMS

Africa has leaders that are frontmen for powerful Western financial institutions and corporations. And it’s their unpopular policies that are pushed through, causing protests.

That’s the assessment of Shahid Bolsen, creator of social media channel Middle Nation. He likens recent demonstrations against IMF-backed tax hikes in Kenya, to ones seen in Sudan during the Omar Bashir reign and also Egypt.

President Ruto, he says, is just the fall guy who takes the blame for destructive reforms. Even when he’s gone, the source of the policies, the international private sector, will remain and the dysfunctional cycle will likely continue with another puppet leader.
It’s a bleak critic of what’s happening. Is Mr Bolsen on the money?

@MiddleNation @shahidkbolsen

IMF’S CROCODILE TEARS OVER KENYA

It’s always nice for arsonists to sympathise with fire victims!

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) feels for suffering Kenyans, according to its spokesperson, Julie Kozack. In an 11 July press briefing posted on X, she discussed the Kenyan police crackdown that killed 39 people during recent youth-led protests against proposed IMF-backed tax hikes and described it as “the tragic events in Kenya”.

Kenyan President William Ruto insisted the increases would raise $2.7 billion in revenues for payments on the $80 billion in international and domestic debts and other expenses.

The IMF had predicted protests against controversial tax hikes featured in the now-shelved finance bill but urged Ruto’s administration to stand firm. Street battles, including protesters storming Parliament buildings, forced Ruto on 26 June to scrap the most controversial levies, such as a 16 per cent consumption tax on bread.

Continued….. Still, Kenyans insisted he rejected the proposed budget entirely, and the demonstrations have now morphed into calls for major political reforms, including Ruto’s resignation.

A @jacobin report says the IMF’s austerity programmes, such as the one hoisted on Kenya, transferred $229 billion in debt payments from so-called ‘sub-Saharan Africa’ to the West from 1980 to 2004. By 2004, Africa had paid the wealthiest countries $15 billion annually in debt servicing. According to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, that’s more than the continent received in aid, new loans or investment.

Of course, IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack will refrain from mentioning these inconvenient facts.

What are your thoughts? Will Kenya’s youth revolution help end dependency on foreign money lenders? Or is that wishful thinking? Let us know in the comments.

Video credit: @IMFSpokesperson (X)