THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DANCEHALL AND REGGAE

The two most iconic genres of Jamaican music are Reggae and Dancehall.

Reggae, born in the late 1960s, is known for its smooth, laid-back vibes - anchored in the soulful ‘one drop’ rhythm. It’s more than music: it’s a cultural movement infused with messages of social justice, spirituality and Rastafarian philosophy. Think Bob Marley’s uplifting anthems and the deep, resonant bass that defines Reggae’s rich legacy.

In contrast, Dancehall, which emerged in the 1980s, brings a more electrifying energy to the scene. This genre is all about high-tempo, infectious beats and a party atmosphere that gets everyone moving.

Continued….. With its roots in the digital revolution, Dancehall blends electronic rhythms and playful, sometimes provocative, lyrics. It’s a soundscape where artists like Beenie Man and Vybz Kartel showcase their dynamic styles.

But perhaps the key difference between the two genres - argues Jamaican singer Buju Banton in this clip - is God.

Video Credit: @Revolt (YouTube)

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WHEN CLINTON BOMBED A SUDANESE MEDICINES PLANT

On 20th August 1998, the largest military superpower in the world, the United States, bombed Sudan’s biggest pharmaceutical factory - leading to the deaths of thousands of Sudanese. African Stream’s CEO Ahmed Kaballo - who witnessed the aftermath - dissects the circumstances surrounding the attack, which was authorised by U.S President Bill Clinton, who at the time was embroiled in a politically disastrous and hugely embarrassing sex scandal: the Monika Lewinsky affair. Could there have been a link?

E.U. FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF EXPOSES DOUBLE STANDARDS

This clip of a recent address by the European Union’s foreign policy chief explains why the region’s foreign policy seems hypocritical and destructive.

Josep Borrell told an audience at St Antony’s College in Oxford, UK, that he finds it challenging to explain the EU’s actions in Iraq while the EU calls on countries to isolate Russia over its war with Ukraine. The West’s support of Israel amidst its military onslaught in the Gaza Strip doesn’t make matters easier, either.

The 77-year-old Spanish politician said the game involves managing double standards. In the process, Europe finds it difficult to rally the world around values it doesn’t uphold.

This is not the first mask-off moment, as Borrell also came under fire for comparing Europe to a ‘garden’ and the Global South to a ‘jungle,’ explaining the attitudes of colonisers from when the first ship set sail from European ports.

Video credit: @stantscollege (X) @stantonyscollege (IG)

NIGERIAN JOURNALIST EXPOSES ECONOMICS BEHIND $500 HIT JOB

A UK-based NGO recently approached Nigerian journalist David Hundeyin (@DavidHundeyin) to commission a $500 article about the climate impacts of the Nigeria-based Dangote Refinery.

Inaugurated in May, Africa’s largest refinery reportedly has the potential to turn 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day into saleable oil to export around the world. Some say the refinery will put European plants out of business. While the continent is rich in oil, it lacks the capacity to refine crude oil, hence our reliance on outsiders.

Hundeyin argues the Global North’s language on climate change is being weaponised against Africa. For that reason, he told African Stream in this exclusive interview that the NGO, Dialogue Earth, is not really interested in a greener planet.

Listen to him make the case, and please share your thoughts.

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'ONE DAY, YOU WILL ALL BE PALESTINIANS'

In a powerful talk delivered in January at the Islamic Society of Central New Jersey, US journalist and author Chris Hedges warned that if Israel is not stopped, 'one day, [we] will all be Palestinians.'

Hedges (@chrislynnhedges on X and @the.chris.hedges.report on IG) asserted that Western-backed Israel's military onslaught on the Gaza Strip is setting a precedent for what's acceptable in the global South. So far, Israel has k*lled more than 40,000 Palestinians since 7 October and as many as 186,000 as of early July, according to the Lancet medical journal.

Hedges, a former New York Times bureau chief in West Asia among other places, also called out Western leaders and Western universities for their hypocrisy and censorship attempts amidst pro-Palestine protests in their countries.

Continued.....His talk brings to mind the words of Nelson Mandela, 'We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.'

Video credit: The Chris Hedges YouTube Channel

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KENYAN MP TO FEMALE LAWMAKERS: ‘BE A BAD GIRL LIKE ME!’

The speaker of Kenya’s parliament recently got a fiery response from a female MP - after he told her to be ‘a good example’ to the other women in the house, especially those who’d recently become lawmakers for the first time. Millie Odhiambo Mabona - who’s been an MP since 2008 - told him that ‘good girls’ get nowhere, claiming that one of the reasons behind her success as a parliamentarian (she’s been voted in four times) was precisely that she had been a ‘bad girl’:

Continued...... that is, had not let herself be held back by certain traditional African attitudes, according to which a woman should dress and act in certain ways, and stay out of positions of power. Branded ‘controversial’ and ‘outspoken’ by the media, she’s known for calling out the misogynistic behaviour of her male colleagues, has campaigned hard for women’s rights - including calling for life in jail for ‘revenge p*rn,’ where (overwhelmingly male) exes leak s*xually explicit photos and videos of their former partners online - and has been removed from the House for her protests and shows of solidarity. Her message to the latest intake of female MPs, she tells the speaker in this clip, is: ‘Be a bad girl like me!’ Wise words?

Video Credit: @CitizenTVKenya

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Continued.....The demonstration broke out in response to recent far-right protests in the United Kingdom that have injured some Africans and Asians. Increasing agitation by white supremacist groups in the United States and far-right parties in European countries like France, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Sweden have concerned many, too.

Does this trend encourage you to return to Africa to build our continent for us? Let us know in the comments.

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NEO-N*ZIS: 'AUSTRALIA FOR THE WHITE MAN'

News reports say an Australian neo-N*zi group called National Socialist Network dressed in black and marched on 11 August through the city of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia, chanting, ‘Australia for the white man. The rest must go.’

Reports say police arrested four people for disruption and obstructing police.

The group wore sunglasses and face masks, hiding their identities as they marched around the city centre, chanting the World War II-era refrain of the German N*zi party, ‘Hail Victory.' They also held banners with slogans, ‘Free England’ and ‘Deport them now.’

KENYA’S FEARLESS MEKATILILI!

This week marks the centenary of the death of one of Kenya’s earliest freedom fighters. Mekatilili was Menza died on August 18, 1924, after a life of resistance against British colonial rule. Believed to have been born in the 1840s, she famously used dance to help liberate her people. The Imperial British East African Company (IBEA) used her people, the Giriama, as forced labour and imposed ‘hut taxes’ on them. However, she famously urged them to rebel using a sacred funeral dance. She was arrested and imprisoned twice. She escaped imprisonment 700 kilometres away in western Kenya in January 1914. In August of the same year, she was arrested and incarcerated in the Somalian town of Kismayu. She managed to escape again and died later of natural causes. We look at her powerful story of charisma and determination to fight against British colonialism

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CORBYN: U.K. MUST ‘ABIDE BY INT’L LAW’

‘Our demands on the British government are quite simply this: Abide by international law now.’ UK Member of Parliament Jeremy Corbyn uttered those words at the ‘Divest for Palestine Conference’ on 10 August in London.

The International Criminal Court has pursued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Plus, Israel has ignored orders of the International Court of Justice to avoid gen*cidal acts and end its onslaught on the city of Rafah. The United Kingdom being a party to the agreements that created these courts, as well as the United Nations and other conventions, is obligated to not support Israel’s military onslaught and must arrest Netanyahu if he sets foot on UK soil, according to Corbyn.

Continued……The UK House of Commons Library reports the country has shipped £576 million ($749 million) of arms to Israel since 2008. That has continued throughout the last 10 months of Israel’s military onslaught on the Gaza Strip. So far, Israel has k*lled more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and as many as 186,000 as of early July, according to the Lancet medical journal.

The BBC announced earlier this month that Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn on IG and X) was in talks with four independent MPs to form a new pro-Palestine group to increase their sway in Parliament.

Video credit: Palestine Solidarity Campaign (@pscupdates on X, @palestinesolidarityuk on IG)

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SISTER EXPLAINS WHY CONGO’S PAIN IS CAPITALIST CHOICE

Planned obsolescence aside, do you really need that new phone every year? As TikToker @nairabills argues in this clip, a lot of modern convenience is built on the back of the oppression of millions. She calls on people to boycott brands like Apple, Nokia and Tesla - pointing to the inhumane conditions Congolese people are subjected to while mining the raw materials used in modern devices like smartphones and electric vehicles.

Continued….. What’s worse, the suffering the Congolese people endure is in no way necessary or justified - it is easily avoidable, in fact. Slavery, which was once deemed necessary to produce cotton, was abolished - but cotton is still used to produce clothes. The reason Congo continues living in indignity, she argues, is that we have let a few multinational corporations have their way, even as millions suffer as a result. It is a feature, not a bug of capitalism.

Africa and the Global South as a whole are on the lower rungs of the world’s economic ladder. Their role, as dictated by capitalism, is to provide raw materials as cheaply as possible. Provision of health, protections against hazards, proper pay - all get in the way and shave margins, but these are all things that are the bare minimum in the developed world.

Have a listen and please share your thoughts.

Video credit: nairabills (TikTok)

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MIGRANTS STOLE MY TEETH!!!

Racism is dumb. Literally. Watch as UK prankster Nikolas Omilana (@niko) roasts a right-winger by getting her to agree that migrants stole not just ‘our jobs and houses’ but also… her teeth (of which she has precious few left!). This was filmed in 2018, but given the recent explosion of anti-immigrant violence on Britain’s streets, it’s an evergreen bit of mockery.

Video credit: @Niko / YouTube
https://youtube.com/@niko?si=mQl7qNR3-36zLHeO

NO PAN-AFRICANISM WITHOUT SOCIALISM

Revolutionary activist Kwame Ture was a committed Pan-Africanist and a Socialist. in this legendary clip, he makes the case that Pan-Africanist ideals can only be realised under socialism, because capitalism is the system of the colonialists. To be effective Pan-Africanists, he says, we must also be anti-capitalists.

Originally from Trinidad and Tobago and known as Stokely Carmichael, he was politically active in US politics as part of the civil rights movement, and was elected chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1966. He vacated the post a year later and, with his wife - the South African songstress Miriam Makeba - moved to Guinea, where he changed his name to Kwame Ture. This was a tip of the hat to his two patrons, Kwame Nkrumah and Sekou Touré.

Continued….. A leading figure of the Pan-African movement, Ture was instrumental in establishing the All African People’s Revolutionary Party. Today, the AAPRP extends across the continent, from Guinea-Bissau to Kenya. The ideas he planted continue informing the struggle for liberation today.

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‘ISRAEL MOST MORAL COUNTRY’

In the context of Israel’s military onslaught in the Gaza Strip since the 7 October escalation, the saying ‘the first casualty of war is truth’ rings as true as ever.

Blaming H*mas for Israeli bombings, claiming H*mas beheaded babies, and alleging H*mas uses tunnels under hospitals helped manufacture consent for Israel k*lling more than 40,000 Palestinians—primarily women and children—and as many as 186,000 people as of early July, according to the Lancet medical journal.

That trend continues with this final address by Gilad Erhan, an Israeli ambassador to the UN who vacated his seat after four years on 13 August, but not without claiming Israel is the ‘most moral country in the world.’ Meanwhile, the world has seen widely documented crimes, including recent protests in support of Israeli soldiers r*ping Palestinians.

Continued.....All this is made possible by Western support that has blocked UN Security Council votes for a permanent ceasefire, funnelled arms and ammunition, and provided the occupying entity tens of billions of dollars since October. The US, Italy and Germany are the top three providers of lethal aid to Israel.

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