Continued….. He can say that again. South Sudan is the world’s youngest country, and after gaining independence in 2011, Deng set about creating a national basketball side. Like himself, a lot of players are refugees and have shown a resilience that’s got them competing with the world’s best. The Bright Stars beat Puerto Rico in their Olympic opener and narrowly lost to the USA and Serbia. They also came within a whisker of beating the USA in a pre-Olympic friendly.

It’s an amazing story that’s made them a symbol of unity, pride and hope for South Sudanese people. Their achievement is perfectly summed up by Deng in this clip, as he speaks with thousands of fans.

In solidarity with a French-born Pan-Africanist, Niger recently granted Kémi Séba of @urgencepanafricaniste a special diplomatic passport following France stripping him of French nationality.

Reports say French authorities cited Séba's 'hostile' remarks against France, calling him a foreign agent because he has been part of the struggle against French imperialism in Africa. In March, a video circulated of Séba burning his French passport at a conference.

Continued……According to article 23-7 of the French Civil Code, 'A French person who actually behaves as a national of a foreign country may, if he has the nationality of that country, be declared to have lost French nationality by decree with assent of the Conseil d'État.' 

The 42-year-old (@KemiSeba1 on X, @kemisebaofficial on IG and TikTok) also is a citizen of his parent's home country, Benin. Séba has spent 25 years advocating against French military occupation of the African continent, the French-controlled CFA franc currency and African statues and street names bearing the names of French colonists. He has met with officials and important actors from countries such as Venezuela, Russia and Iran, which he views as better partners for Africa. The end goal of his organisation, Urgences Panafricanistes, African liberation from imperialism and total African unification.

Niger is a member of the Alliance of Sahel States, a confederation of anti-imperialist states that have broken military ties with France following successful coups d'état against Western-aligned leaders.

TRUMP GLAZES ELON MUSK

Given America’s multiple woes right now - domestic and foreign - you might think a presidential candidate who’d called a media conference would like to get his message out on these matters. But, true to form, it was ‘me, me, me’ at Donald Trump’s latest Mar-a-Lago press blitz. Besides rambling incoherently on a host of tropics - such as crowd size and ‘would he, wouldn’t he?’ debate Dem rival Kamala Harris - he took the opportunity to boast that he had ‘full-throated’ support from ‘the’ Elon Musk, owner of X. In fact, he said ‘the’ Elon Musk would be interviewing him Monday. From an African - or African-in-America - perspective, what would you ask him?

Video credit: @WFAA

BRITISH MEDIA’S SYSTEMIC RACISM

Many around the world, including in Africa, have been disgusted by the racist violence witnessed in the UK lately. And lots of people inside Britain have been pointing the finger at their country’s press and media generally. In this clip, writer and broadcaster Afua Hirsch (@afuahirsch)- speaking a few years back - explains clearly why ‘journalism’ is systemically racist in the UK. Along the way, she relates an incident when she was a panel-debate guest that will strike a chord with many of you.

Video credit: @Penguin Books UK

AFRICA WARNS CITIZENS UK IS TOO RA… RAINY?

What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

Following the race riots in Britain, Nigeria, Kenya, and the African Union issued travel advisories against the former colonial power, which has often targeted African countries with travel warnings.

This is an African Stream skit - written by @ahmedkaballo and presented by @erickgavala.

According to a new Human Rights Watch report, the impact of the - effectively forced - relocation of indigenous Maasai in Tanzania is “like killing culture.” The Tanzanian government launched a programme in 2022 to evict 82,000 people from their ancestral land in Ngorongoro and move them to Msomera, roughly 600 km away.

Between August 2022 and December 2023, @hrw interviewed close to 100 residents, including some of those who’d been resettled, and learned that what had been touted as a ‘voluntary’ relocation was far from it.

Continued……To ‘encourage’ those unwilling to comply, the government’s been systematically reducing essential services in the Ngorongoro area, while also taking measures to restrict the grazing of animals. There were also allegations of intimidation from park rangers.

Activists are calling on the government to desist from pressuring Maasai people to relocate - and instead, to consult those affected, seek their consent and put measures in place to adequately compensate those who do agree to move.

What’s your gut reaction to what’s happening to Tanzania’s Maasai?

MOZAMBIQUE’S MIGHTY MACHEL

Happy Birthday Josina Machel!
We remember Mozambique’s fearless freedom fighter, who was born on August 10th, 1945, and married the country’s first president, socialist and nationalist Samora Machel.

Josina gallantly fought against Portuguese occupation through the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO,) where she championed for women’s rights and even provided political and military training in order for them to be part of the liberation struggle. Even as her health failed, her resolve was strong to the very end. She died from liver cancer aged just 25, but achieved a lot during her short life.

Continue to rest in peace, Josina.

HOW UK MEDIA DEMONISED ASIAN MEN AS S*X PREDATORS

In this clip, UK rapper and activist Lowkey (@lowkeyonline) gives a striking example of how the British media has been fanning the flames of racism that have been engulfing the country lately.

When a report by the Quilliam Foundation concluded that so-called ‘grooming gangs’ - which prey on often underage girls to s*xually abuse them - consisted, in the UK, predominantly (84%) of Asian men, the media ran wild with the story, plastering their front pages with headlines that painted immigrants as s*x pests.

Yet the study had serious methodological flaws - so bad, that Lowkey calls them criminal. First and foremost, the sample size was tiny (a hundred or so cases) compared with the vast number of s*x crimes committed in the UK - so that no general conclusions could confidently be inferred from it.

Continued……The Crime Survey for England and Wales reported that an estimated 1.1-million adults (798,000 women and 275,000 men) aged 16 years and over were victims of sexual assault (including attempts) in the year ending March 2022. Around 227,500 identifiable child-abuse offences were recorded by the police in the year ending March 2019.

Of course, when the flawed nature of the study was finally realised, the media did little to disabuse the public. Why do you think that was?

WHEN ICE CUBE DIDN’T EVEN HAVE TO USE HIS A.K.!

In a 1993 TV interview that apparently never made it to air, rapper Ice Cube - then aged 24 - articulately called out the false assumptions behind questions designed to make him admit that his music s*xualised children and fostered violent tendencies in them. He refutes both claims in this excerpt.

As for the s*xual content of his songs, he points out that it accounts for only a small fraction of his work - and that holding it up as representative would be like confusing the porn industry with the entire movie industry.

As for the violence, he notes that he’s not promoting it - but merely reflecting it.

Continued……The point is to hold up a mirror to society so as to change it - just as when you notice your hair is a mess in the mirror you might start re-styling it.

Ramming his point home, Ice Cube then reminds the interviewer that children in America are violent because the country itself is. Moreover, society at large - and Black communities in particular - have been flooded with easy-to-get guns.

Add poverty and systemic injustices to the mix, and what you get is violence. Pulling the plug on rap music wouldn’t change that - it would simply remove one route to self-awareness. Only addressing the core issues will stop the gun crime.

In our book, Ice Cube wiped the floor with this interviewer. Were you nodding along too?

Video Credit: @krazethekingofcontent

BREAD REVOLUTIONS -THE TAX INGREDIENT

Bread is at the heart of politics across the world. It represents labour, life and livelihoods. Ruling classes down the ages have always offered ‘bread and circuses’ to keep a lid on mass discontent over unpopular policies. Kenya’s President William Ruto seems to have skipped a lesson on keeping citizens pacified when he attempted to ram through unpopular IMF-backed tax hikes - which included a proposed 16% hike on bread. It set off a series of violent protests in which police officers reportedly killed more than 50. African Stream’s Erick Gavala brushed up on his baking skills and takes us on a journey - from the oven to street protests, where much of history is fermented. Written by @kenneth_kaigua and presented by @erickgavala

WESTERN FRENZY OVER VENEZUELA EXPLAINED

Venezuela’s President-elect Nicolas Maduro claims the unrest unfolding in his country is part of a US-backed coup attempt.

Well, if that is the case, what would Washington have to gain? It’s all to do with controlling the South American nation’s vast oil and mineral reserves, according to Grayzone journalist Anya Parampil.

She says the West has long been angered by the country’s socialist leaders nationalising key industries and blocking ownership by private multinationals. Washington has in turn throttled Venezuela’s economic potential through sanctions and sponsored coup attempts.

In this interview with journalist Clayton Morris, Anya gives some background to what’s happening now. You can find a more detailed analysis in her book Corporate Coup - Venezuela and The End of US Empire’

Do you agree with her take?

Video credit: @Redacted
@claytonmorris, @anyaparampil

IBRAHIM TRAORÉ: NOT JUST COUNTER-TERRORISM, BUT DECOLONISATION

Congratulations to Burkina Faso, which has made tremendous strides toward land reclamation this year.

In this speech given in the Burkinabé town of Banfora in April, President Ibrahim Traoré congratulated the armed forces for liberating and reclaiming territories in the Cascades Region and the neighbouring South-West Region from terrorist paramilitary organisations, marking a significant victory for all Burkinabé.

When Traoré arrived in this part of the country, crowds of civilians applauded and cheered his entourage. However, the fight is not over. As Traoré explained, these paramilitary groups will likely retaliate.