102 AFRICAN GRAVES FOUND IN U.S.

Researchers using ground-penetrating radar have discovered 102 graves of enslaved Africans next to the Atlantis Water Park inside Bull Run Regional Park in Centreville, Virginia. This discovery includes 11 new graves found recently, adding to the 91 graves in 2022.

These graves are on land that once belonged to Robert Carter III’s plantation. Carter’s ‘Deed of Gift’ led to the gradual emancipation of enslaved Africans on his plantation, beginning with the oldest in 1791​. He provided land and supplies to the approximately 500 Africans he freed.

The women in the video—descendants of enslaved people on Carter’s plantation—were elated to have learned of the graves, but remained uneasy because confirming the identities of the deceased isn’t possible yet. It is unclear if the graves are for people who died while enslaved or after being freed.

Continued….. For many, these discoveries reinforce the need always to remember the atrocities committed against African people in the United States as a core part of the country’s identity.

Video credit: @7newsdc (IG and X)

July 2024 marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Established in July 1944 in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA, the IMF was a product of the post-World War II economic order. Protesters in Kenya and other nations have accused it of being a colonial institution that makes life hard for millions through predatory lending practices. Kenya’s now-shelved, IMF-pushed Finance Bill had hoped to raise $2.7 billion in revenue through a raft of proposed tax hikes that sparked nationwide protests, lifting the veil on the IMF’s far-reaching control of the government’s fiscal policies.

Only three out of 55 African countries (including Western Sahara) have never taken IMF loans. Put differently, nearly all African states are shackled to neocolonialism through onerous debts to the IMF - except Botswana, Eritrea and Libya. 48 African countries collectively owe $42.2 billion to the IMF - or about 30% of the lender’s total loan book.

Continued….. Most of those loans go towards repaying older loans or monies owed to foreign bondholders, not towards developing infrastructure to lift borrowers out of poverty.

Resource-rich Africa should never be at the mercy of international lenders that don’t have the continent’s interests at heart. Botswana has proven it. Libya under Muammar Gaddafi handed out more than $2 billion in loans to dozens of governments across the globe. Eritrea has a self-sufficiency policy whose slogan is “live within your means.”

As Pan-Africanist revolutionary Thomas Sankara said, “If we don’t repay, lenders will not die. That is for sure. But if we repay, we are going to die.” Indeed, African economies are suffocating slowly under the crushing weight of IMF loans.

POOR AND POPULAR

Payment discrimination in Hollywood is an ongoing issue for many industry actors, extras, writers, and stagehands. The 2023 Writer's Guild of America strike brought the hectic movie-making sector to a standstill in the face of such rampant inequality.

In this interview with The Breakfast Club, actor Ernie Hudson spoke about how he moved to Hollywood with hopes of becoming rich and famous. However, he would eventually realise you can become popular and poor.

Famous Pose Emmy-winning actor Billy Porter has also spoken on this subject, stating that the general public has a particular perception that we're millionaires. However, he was forced to put his house for sale due to the financial crisis; Porter and many other actors, writers, and stagehands made Tinseltown go around living paycheck to paycheck.

Continued….. You might think boo-hoo, but many Africans in America are shown these actors and entertainers as examples of success that show anyone can make it in 'show business'. However, the truth is a lot more complicated, as many are not making it as we were/are led to believe.

Algeria has slammed France for recognising Morocco’s claim over Western Sahara. Algiers says the decision reflects 'questionable political calculations' and undermines peace efforts in the region. There’s also suspicion it's linked to the exploitation of Western Sahara’s vast phosphate reserves needed for the manufacture of fertiliser. Before we get on to that, here’s some history.

Morocco asserted control in Western Sahara after Spain’s colonial rule over the region ended in 1975. That triggered a 16-year war with the Polisario Front, a liberation organisation demanding the territory’s right to self-determination. A UN-backed ceasefire was brokered in 1991 but collapsed in 2020.

Continued….. For decades, successive French governments attempted to stay neutral on the issue. However, in February 2024, Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne declared Paris backed Morocco's 'autonomy plan' for Western Sahara. Two months later, France announced it supported Moroccan investments in the territory through the French Development Agency (AFD). These investments support phosphate mining and fertiliser manufacturing.

According to the US Geological Survey agency, Western Sahara holds about 70 per cent of the world’s phosphate reserves, a key ingredient in the manufacture of fertiliser.

REMINDING AMBER ROSE OF TRUMP’S RACISM

American TV personality Amber Rose spoke in support of Donald Trump’s presidential bid at the Republican National Convention. In her mind-boggling speech, she claimed Trump is not a racist and will save America’s new generation of babies!

African Stream’s Ahmed Ghoneim (@ahmed.ghoneim.official) has a reality-check for her in this bumper edition of Africa in 90 (Africa in 210!). He runs though a host of cases that leave little doubt The Donald is America’s racist-in-chief.

Please note: calling out Trump for what he is is categorically not an endorsement of Kamala Harris or any other potential Democratic Party candidate!

WHY DO BLACK CHURCHES WELCOME CROOKED POLITICIANS?

Why do Black churches welcome ‘crooked’ politicians? It’s a question asked by podcaster Sabby Salvati following President Joe Biden’s recent appearance at the Mount Airy Church of God in Christ, in Philadelphia. He also pulled off a similar stunt in January when he visited the historic Mother Emanuel AME Church Charleston, in South Carolina.

For Sabby, it’s more than an invasion of a sacred space by politics. She sees it as a collaboration between Black community ‘misleadership’ and the political class that controls it. For her, it makes no sense churches open their doors to leaders who bankroll Israel and Ukraine, but ignore the poverty of congregations who can’t afford to put money on the collection plate.

Continued….. Mt.Airy is no stranger to U.S. politicians. Republican President George Bush, whose father’s presidency was marked by criticism of his inaction on HIV/AIDS, made a visit there in 2007 for World Aids Day. It’s also received other notable guests such as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Do you agree with Sabby on this?

Video credit: @Sabbysabs2

SISTER SOULJAH ON KU KLUX KLAN

In this 1992 interview with Larry King, rapper and activist Sister Souljah responds to an incredible accusation.
A caller claims her actions are on a par with white supremacist David Duke. Her answer is as powerful as it gets.
To do it justice, you’ll have to listen to the clip, but let’s just say she lays out some history that should never be forgotten.

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is a violent white supremacy organisation founded after the U.S. Civil War. Since 1865, the KKK has killed many Blacks in the U.S., including by lynching. Members burn crosses and march wearing hooded gowns to terrorise Black people. In addition to hate crimes, the KKK has opposed any form of equality with Africans in the U.S. Perhaps that’s why the caller thinks our sister doesn’t deserve to wear her jewels?

Video credit: @Larry King Live, CNN

KAMALA: BLACK FACE OF US IMPERIALISM

So, it looks almost certain US Vice President Kamala Harris will be the Democratic Party’s torch-bearer for the 2024 presidential elections. After Joe Biden quit his bid for a second term, she’s expected to get the nod at the Democratic National Convention slated for August. And if that goes to plan, she’ll then fight Republican Donald Trump for the presidency.

But do you think a Harris victory would signal anything good for the Global South? Her record shows little difference to Trump when it comes to pushing US imperialism around the world.

African Stream’s Salifu Mack takes us through her foreign misadventures in Latin America and the Caribbean.

AGEING AFRICAN LEADERS SHOULD BOW OUT LIKE BIDEN?

US President Joe Biden recently announced his withdrawal from November’s presidential race amid concerns of age-related cognitive impairment following the 27 June debate against fellow hopeful and former president, Donald Trump.

While the empire has agreed on the risks another Biden term would carry, a few African countries might consider the same.

Here’s a short list of aging heads of state, featuring 72-year-old South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, 72-year-old Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and 91-year-old Cameroonian President Paul Biya. All three have given Africans reason to worry. 

Continued……Take Kiir, appearing to urinate on himself in a December 2022 clip that he later arrested journalists for recording. Meanwhile, Tinubu gave an incoherent address at the 2023 UN climate-change conference, COP28. Plus, onlookers at the US-Africa Leaders Summit in 2022 witnessed Biya’s three minutes of confusion on stage with his handlers.

It’s hard to imagine healthier candidates don’t exist on a continent of more than a billion people.

In the comments, please let us know what you think about these figures and who else should be on the list.