IBRAHIM TRAORÉ EXPOSES U.S. DESTRUCTION OF USSR

Ibrahim Traoré continues to expose imperialism at every opportunity. During his 11 July address to the nation, the 36-year-old president used the US destruction of the Soviet Union as an example to warn his people to be cautious in the face of the imperialist system.

As he pointed out, the United States deployed multiple tactics during the 20th century’s Cold War, from economic destabilisation initiatives to backing the Afghan mujahideen in a war against the Soviet Union in the 1980s. This group would eventually form the basis of the Taliban that returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, almost 20 years after the US launched an invasion claiming the group was behind the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US.

Continued……President Ronald Reagan also set up the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), which some opposition forces called the ‘Star Wars Program,’ to serve as a space-based missile defence program. Ultimately, the totality of these and other tactics led to the Soviet Union’s dissolution and the Western capitalist takeover of Russia’s economy in the 1990s.

What lessons do you think Africans can learn from this history? Let us know in the comments.

Video credit: Faso7 TV (@faso7tv on YT, @faso7_bf on X and IG, @faso7bf on TikTok)

KAMALA HARRIS NOT FOR REPARATIONS

US President Joe Biden appears to have heeded calls from fellow Democratic Party members to withdraw from the 2024 US presidential race, ending his re-election bid on 21 July.

This follows his debate performance on 27 June, which fuelled some Democrats’ worry about Biden’s ability to defeat former President Donald Trump. Public opinion polls released over more than a year have shown Biden faring poorly against Trump.

He has endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, whom reports say is the only other Democrat who could access $91 million in Biden-Harris campaign donations.

Since the announcement, Harris has secured the backing of several Democratic Party bigwigs. However, beloved figures like former President Barack Obama held off on endorsing Harris.

Continued….. The Democratic Party will hold its nominating convention in August in Chicago. Still, it remains unclear how the party will democratically choose a nominee, with state primaries ending in June.

The mainstream media has touted Harris’s identity as a mixed Indian and Black woman as why her candidacy is notable, showcasing her as a champion of Black people. 

However, in this 2020 interview with theGrio senior correspondent Natasha Alford (@NatashaSAlford on IG, X and TikTok), Harris made it clear that she does not support calls for paying reparations to Black people who are descendants of enslaved people in the United States. Meanwhile, a Reuters/Ipsos poll in 2023 revealed that at least 74 per cent of Black people support reparations.

That position, as well as her record imprisoning Black people as California’s attorney general, has raised questions about her loyalty.

Like Biden, Harris fares poorly in polls against Trump.

Video credit: @theGrio (YouTube)

GENOCIDE JOE’S LEGACY

US President Joe Biden’s dropped out of his re-election bid after weeks of pressure from fellow party members, sparked by a disastrous presidential debate performance against Donald Trump on June 27th. Behind him, ‘Genocide Joe’ leaves a destructive legacy as bloody as they come.

He’s armed and bankrolled Israel’s obliteration of Gaza and consistently vetoed UN resolutions for a ceasefire. Domestically, many Black people will remember him backing a crime bill which disproportionately locked up the Black community. Even as a young politician, he fought against desegregation of schools in case his children ‘grow up in a racial jungle’.

Continued…. In all, it’s good riddance but the future isn’t looking brighter with his endorsement of his Vice President Kamala Harris for president. She’s also a terrible record when it comes to keeping Black men locked up to provide cheap labour. As for Trump, let’s not even bother.

It’s clear the African community in the United States still needs a voice. The question is, where will it come from?

Credit : Carlos Latuff

CROWDS DESPERATE FOR MEDICINE IN DRC

Medical supplies are so scarce in eastern DRC, crowds gather as soon as health workers arrive to offer help in the war-torn region. The desperate situation was highlighted by #TheRealHumanitarian documentary, which followed X Medical provider Joy Dale. She says her ‘tiny, little medical supplies’ run out every day, as people queue for treatment.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been the site of one of the world's most violent conflicts for decades, with militia groups fighting for control of resources. Many have international backers, with a UN expert recently confirming Rwanda’s 'de facto control' of the M23 rebel group.

Continued….. The consequences for civilians are devastating. Since the beginning of 2024 nearly 358,000 have been displaced, bringing the total number of internally displaced persons to around 7.1 million. Disease is widespread, prenatal care is limited, and sanitation systems have been destroyed.

Aid groups, such as @focuscongo (also shown in the video) step in to help, but the roots of the crisis remain.

Video credits:
@foreverjuicebae
#TheRealHumanitarian documentary

Six weeks of anti-government protests in Kenya have paralysed the East African nation's economy and inspired similar 'occupy' demos across the continent. Starting, in Kenya, as demos against a now-shelved IMF-backed finance bill, the Gen Z-led resistance’s rallying cry now is: Ruto must go!

The embattled leader dismissed his entire cabinet on July 12th, only to reappoint six of them a week later in what he describes as a 'broad-based' government. The move has riled protesters demanding radical change in Kenya's political and economic structures. Several recycled ministers are tainted by corruption and abuse-of-power scandals.

Continued…. President Ruto has come under fire for brutally cracking down on nationwide demonstrations. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reports that at least 50 protesters have been killed - with 413 injured, 682 detained and 59 abducted/missing. The interior minister, under whose ultimate control the police falls, was among those sacked and reappointed by Ruto, who's vowed to end protests against his administration.

With increased global media attention on Kenya, protesters feel they can put enough pressure on Ruto to make him leave office.

MUSEVENI’S ANTI-PROTEST WARNING: DON’T PLAY WITH FIRE!

Looks like someone’s nervous about people power. Uganda’s president addressed the nation to warn citizens - especially Gen Z - against taking part in anti-corruption protests on Tuesday (23rd July). Yoweri Museveni clearly doesn’t want to see the kind of mass-rallies that have swept Kenya and forced its president, William Ruto, to make concessions - though in this video, he claims what he’s really worried about is protesters stepping on the wares of street sellers! He said people should just come and see him for a friendly chat if they want to see any changes… as if!

Continued….. Museveni also presented himself as a defender of the ‘revolution.’ He came to power in a military coup in 1986, when he wrested control from Milton Obote. Since then, he’s ruled with an iron fist, cracking down on opposition figures such as Bobi Wine and Kizza Besigye with house arrests and violence.

Tuesday’s planned protests are largely driven by growing public discontent with the government. In his address, Museveni said he and his team were ‘wealth creators’ - and warned protesters that they’d be ‘playing with fire’ if they dared to gather en masse in the capital Kampala. That’s created concerns that there will be violent scenes, as were seen in Nairobi a few weeks back, when peaceful protesters were met with deadly police brutality.

Do you think Ugandan’s will heed their president’s warning?

Video credit: @ubctvuganda

INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY DEFENDS THEIR BOY AND CULTURE

The audacity of colonisers. After centuries of genocide against the Indigenous peoples in the Americas, displacing them from their lands and confining them to minuscule reserves, settlers continue to police Indigenous people celebrating their culture. 

Watch this white man in Canada’s Vancouver Island in the British Columbia province intimidate an Indigenous boy from the W̱SÁNEĆ First Nations. A surprise twist followed as his community came out the next day, playing drums, singing and dancing in the same spot to defend their son and culture.

Throughout the world, European settler colonialism in centuries past sought to eradicate native populations through various methods that the United Nations now defines as gen*cide.

Continued….. European settlers demonised Indigenous cultures and religions in such a way that, in the US and Canada, Indigenous children were kidnapped from their communities and forced to speak the settlers’ language and convert to Christianity inside boarding schools, lest they faced physical punishment. Graves of many such Indigenous children have recently been found throughout Canada and the US.

In Kenya, schools still exist that punish students for speaking a language other than English, proving the colonial project is still alive and well in Africa.

Through this lens, the Indigenous community’s response in this video is a powerful expression of resistance.

Video credit: @angela_sterritt (IG)
@MeganMarie(Supernault) (FB)

WE ASK MALIANS: HOW DO YOU LIKE COUP GOVERNMENT?

Things are changing rapidly in the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which comprises the landlocked African countries of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in the arid Sahel zone south of the Sahara Desert. 

Last month, African Stream dispatched journalist Inemesit Richardson to all three countries to report on how the people view governments that came to power via military coups.

First stop: Bamako, Mali. In this video, we interviewed people at the Grand Market of Bamako to get perspectives from vendors on Malian President Assimi Goïta and the AES.

Continued….. Malians told African Stream they supported the process because they seek to build African unity. They’ve also witnessed an increase in national security and gains against terrorist paramilitary forces—most notably the reclamation of the Kidal region—and they see their new government creating a new power supply. With external support Mali is building the largest solar panel field in West Africa. The construction will cover 314 hectares to produce 200 megawatts of energy.

Only 13 per cent of people we spoke with distrusted Goïta. Unfortunately, the dissenters refused to talk on camera.

Interviews took place in French and Bambara.

YOUNG CONGOLESE CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY

The roots of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) can be traced to the colonial era, when Belgian King Leopold II treated the entire region of modern-day DRC as his treasure box, with its resources to be looted and people to be exploited. The extraction of resources and the oppression of the local population set the foundation for future instability, which has continued to this day.

This young Congolese named Gloria, who was born in the DRC and has lost friends and relatives to the conflict, is raising awareness about what has led to the ongoing violence and humanitarian crisis fuelled by the exploitation of the DRC’s $24 trillion in minerals. About 7 million Congolese are internally displaced, while many have warned that exploitation and violence are destroying the environment as well.

Video credit: @AfricaFactsZone (X) @africafactsafz (IG)

UGANDA SECURITY SEIZE LONE ANTI-CORRUPTION
PROTESTER

Uganda’s president warned that anyone taking part in Tuesday’s planned anti-corruption protest in Kampala would be “playing with fire” - and video’s already emerged of a protester getting ‘burnt.’

In this clip, a man armed with only his voice and a placard gets manhandled by police - a clear contravention of the right to demonstrate that Ugandans enjoy, at least on paper.

Corruption gobbles up 23% of Uganda’s budget, according to the country’s Inspectorate of Government. In a nation where 41% of the population lives on less than $2.15 a day, that money could have been used to build schools, hospitals and other key infrastructure. This looting has taken place under the more-than-30-year-rule of President Yoweri Museveni.

Continued….. Uganda is a country with a track record of repression. Main opposition figures such as Kizza Besigye and Bobi Wine have been hounded by state security agencies. This is the climate in which brave young Ugandans risk protesting.

But, as US author Ursula K. Le Guin once said, “We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings.”

Do you think Ugandans will escape their ‘king’?

SLAM DUNK RACISM? U.S. PUNDITS MOCK STUNNING AFRICANS

South Sudan stunned the basketball world when they almost beat the mighty USA at the weekend. The Bright Stars lost by only one point to the world’s number one side, going down 100 to 101 in a pre-Olympic friendly.

However, the close call didn’t earn South Sudan the universal respect you might expect. Former NBA stars made condescending remarks about the African country. Gilbert Arenas said they ‘don’t even have shoes...we gotta ship them shoes.’

Paul Pierce claimed South Sudan had no one above six feet three inches. American sports columnist Skip Bayless also ridiculed the Africans, claiming they were in for a hefty defeat.

Continued…. But why such arrogance and exceptionalism? South Sudan is ranked 33rd in the world (out of 160) and is making its Olympic debut in Paris. It is on the up. As their forward Wenyen Gabriel stressed, that’s despite the country’s lack of sporting opportunities.

At least USA coach Steve Kerr could concede South Sudan was ‘amazing’. It’s too bad about the lack of class shown by other ‘big names’ in the game.

Still, for those of you who believe in karma, watch this space. South Sudan is in the same group as the USA at the Olympics. How sweet would that victory be?

video credit @EuroHoopsTv (YouTube)

video credit @UNDISPUTED (YouTube)