How Belgium Killed Congo

Belgium’s horrific colonial occupation of Congo was one of the worst crimes of the 20th century. The resource-rich country had the potential to become an African superpower, but, it was destroyed along with its charismatic leader Patrice Lumumba who would have turned 98 years old today had he not been assassinated. US academic and commentator Professor Noam Chomsky pulls no punches as he describes what happened.

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Burna Boy Blasts
Stereotyping

African music sensation Burna Boy wants to know who put the "S" on Afrobeats.
Because that word is now used to describe all music from the continent.
As a result, a huge number of talent is being mis-labelled and ignored.
Africa has many tunes: Rumba in Congo, Ethiopian-Jazz, Kwaito, Amapiano, Mbaqanga and Kwela from South Africa, Bongo from Tanzania and many more. But all these styles are being lumped under one name!
Listen to Burna Boy spell out the lazy Western stereotyping to US radio hosts. Today also happens to be the Nigerian artist's birthday. Happy Birthday, Burna!!

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U.S. Hand
In Creating
AL-SHABAAB

The US loves to cite the threat posed by Al-Shabaab when trying to justify American boots on the ground in the Horn of Africa. What they’d rather you and I forget, though, is that it was Washington’s meddling in Somalia that led to the terror group’s creation in the first place! As Somalia marks its 63rd anniversary of freedom from colonial rule today, here’s a reminder.

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Lumumba
Lives On

Patrice Lumumba’s reign as the Democratic Republic of Congo's first prime minister was short-lived.
The Pan-Africanist lasted just weeks in power before he was assassinated by the CIA and Belgian backed forces.
But his struggle against Belgium colonial rule and ideas for unity and sovereignty on the continent means his legacy lives on and the example he set continues to inspire us all today.
In fact, look closely and you may even see reminders of the great man where you live today!

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Africa's First Humanoid Robot

We’re not used to seeing African-data built robots, but Omeife is here to change that!

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France Burns
Over Killer Cop

Riots have rocked France for a sixth night after the deadly shooting of a French teenager of North African origin.
Nahel M was shot point-blank by a police officer during a traffic stop in Paris last Tuesday.
The 17-year-old allegedly ran a red light, and officers then said he’d tried to run them over.
But social media footage contradicted those claims, showing officers standing at the side of a stationary car with one pointing a gun at the boy.
A 38-year-old policeman has been charged with voluntary homicide.
The killing sparked mass riots across the country amid claims of institutional racism.
Blacks and Arabs are 20 times more likely to be profiled and stopped by police in France.
Tens of thousands of officers were deployed and used rubber bullets, while thousands of people were arrested.
There were also unconfirmed reports police used live ammunition in Marseille.


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Continued- France Burns Over Killer Cop

It’s reminiscent of violent protests in 2005 when two boys of African descent died during a police chase in France.
On Friday, the UN said France must now address issues of racial discrimination in the police.
Nahel’s parents, who are from Algeria and Morocco, have called for calm.
But they also want the criminal case to be moved to another jurisdiction to ensure objectivity.
They claim the prosecutor hid the possible complicity of a second cop as well as a possible issuing of false public documents.

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Wikileaks: The African Angle

Julian Assange turns 52 today, although it's probably not one he's celebrating. The Wikileaks founder is spending a fourth year at Britain's Belmarsh prison and faces charges in the US for violating the Espionage Act.
But for many, he’s an example of a journalist punished for exposing shocking truths about governments and the rich and powerful.
We look at his revelations on Africa.

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UN’S MALI
MISSION OVER

The UN’s peacekeeping mission in Mali is over.
After a decade, its troops are being pulled out following demands by the country’s military leaders.
Bamako says the so-called MINUSMA operation failed to improve security and has allegedly turned to Russia’s Wagner group to fight extremists.

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Not Everybody
Roots For Ruto

Kenya’s President Ruto is quickly becoming a household name. He’s been getting standing ovations from Joburg all the way to Djibouti on account of his pan-Africanist speeches.
And he's even being compared to the likes of Lumumba and Nkrumah.
But in Kenya itself, many don’t see him as their hero.
They accuse him of reneging on election promises and aligning with Western interests.

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No Third Term!
POWER To The Senegalese People!

Who said protests don't work? If the latest news from Senegal has shown us anything is that organised people power can achieve their objectives.

Just ask Senegal’s embattled president, Macky Sall, who has just announced he won’t be running for a third term. Since 2021, the streets of Senegal have been a battleground following fears the incumbent would run for what critics call an illegal third term. It hasn't come without a price. A brutal crackdown by security forces has resulted in dozens being killed and horrific scenes of children being used as shields by Senegalese police.

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Continued - No Third Term! POWER To The Senegalese People!

France has been a giant looming shadow in the long-running episode. Many believe Sall reports to Paris. This has led to French businesses such as Total and retail stores like Auchan becoming prime targets during protests.

The announcement throws Senegal further into political limbo. A few weeks ago, Macky Sall’s biggest opposition was handed a two-year jail sentence. This most probably locks him out unless the ruling is overturned. But with this important battle won, who knows what more victories lie ahead?

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BURKINA BANS
FRENCH MEDIA

Another French media outlet has been banned in Burkina Faso.
This time news channel LCI has been taken off air for spreading misinformation about militia violence in the country.
Burkina continues to grapple with an insurgency which has killed over 10,000 people.

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MOROCCAN FANS' REVOLUTIONARY CHANTS

"You made us live delusions and starved us like dogs, a government of corruption that left us in poverty, impoverishment and marginalisation!"
This is just one chant from Morocco's famous Curva Che ultra football fans. In fact, most of their songs are made up of revolutionary lyrics that would make any government tremble!
Ultra groups like them have played a key role in the Arab revolutions across North Africa - including Egypt, Tunisia and the protests in Morocco and Algeria.
Throughout their history, they've rarely shied away from political or socio-economic issues.
As for Curva Che, they support AS FAR - a side in the top tier of the Moroccan Football League.
The club was founded in 1958, three years after Morocco gained independence from France. It is also one of the most famous football clubs in Morocco.
Have a listen to their heart-felt chants ringing out from the stands.

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WHY AFRICA NEEDS TO MAKE STUFF

Stop importing and start producing, Africa! That’s a message Nigeria’s former minister of agriculture Audu Ogbeh liked to hammer home. Watch him make a solid case for why over-reliance on imports from outside the continent drains it of vital financial resources and stifles the growth of its agricultural and industrial sectors.

Africa currently spends over $570 billion on imports annually, and experts are warning that this figure could double by 2030 if no measures are taken to address the lack of significant investment into the productive sectors.

If the billions spent on imports were spent on homegrown industries, the continent would not only be saving money but also creating jobs to tackle the high unemployment rates. After all, Africa produces the majority of the raw materials used by the world’s industries.

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Mboya Remembered

54 years ago today, Tom Mboya - one of Kenya's most talked about independence heroes - was gunned down by an unidentified assassin as he emerged from a drugstore on a busy downtown street in the capital, Nairobi.

Mboya began his career as a trade unionist, attended Oxford, and upon his return to Kenya, dove into politics. At the age of 28, with the support of Ghana President Kwame Nkrumah, he was elected chairman of the All-African People's Congress, which coordinated independence movements in African countries. He led the Kenyan delegation that negotiated the country's independence from Britain in 1963 and then became Minister of Justice. He quickly emerged as the country's most charismatic politician.

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Continued- Mboya Remembered

During the late 1950s, Mboya developed a plan to send gifted young Kenyans to study in the US. Notable beneficiaries of the program include Barrack Obama Senior -  father of former US President Barrack Obama - and Wangari Maathai, the first African female and first environmentalist to win the Nobel Prize. His assassination was a devastating blow to prospects of African development. The hit is presumed to have been engineered by the country's power establishment, which was headed by President Jomo Kenyatta and future president Daniel Arap Moi.

In the decades since his death, Mboya has faded from memory, another inspiring figure who might have helped lead Africa toward prosperity but was cut down too soon. Today, the world should pause to remember him. Rest in Peace, Tom Mboya!

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On July 5th, 1962, Algeria gained independence from France, ending 132 years of brutal colonial oppression.
France first invaded Algeria in 1830 and would spend the next century and a half committing atrocities.

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In May 1945, as Europe was celebrating the defeat of NAZI Germany, French troops massacred 45,000 Algerians demanding independence. It started in the town of Sétif, after a 14-year-old member of the scouts movement hoisted an Algerian flag during a rally organised by the colonial government to celebrate the Allied forces' victory.
A French general ordered troops to shoot the teenager and other people in the crowd holding placards calling for independence.
During the next two weeks, the violence spread across the country. Tens of thousands of Algerians were shot and bludgeoned, and some of the bodies were thrown into wells and pushed off cliffs.
In 1954, the Algerian Independence movement, Front de Libération Nationale (FLN) began a nationwide armed campaign to rid their homeland of French colonialism.
In response, Paris unleashed a murderous military campaign against Algerians.

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Continued 3 - Algeria Independence Day


Two years later, FLN launched the Battle of Algiers, taking the war of liberation to the capital, the seat of the colonial regime which increased its brutality. During this period, summary executions, torture and forced disappearances were widespread.
The savagery of the French also affected Algerians in the diaspora. In 1961, hundreds of Algerian nationals were killed and their bodies thrown in the Seine River after they peacefully protested in Paris, demanding independence.
However, it could not end the Algerians' desire for freedom and in March, 1962, Paris was forced to sign a ceasefire agreement with the FLN, officially ending the war.
Six months later Ahmed Ben Bella became the prime minister of the newly independent nation. However, as its occupation was ending, the French committed more horrors. Between 1960 and 1966 they detonated at least 17 nuclear bombs in the Algerian desert, the toxic fallout from which is still felt today.

Ethiopia Eyes Brics

Another African country wants to join BRICS.
Ethiopia is the latest to apply to become a member of the economic bloc.
Its Foreign Ministry Spokesperson says it’s necessary as global power shifts. And he’s not the only one.
Many nations see BRICS as the best alternative to Western institutions.
It currently has five members, including South Africa, but a further 19 countries want to be part of it.

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