NIGER’S UNKNOWN REVOLUTIONARY HISTORY

Niger is a country that made headlines in July 2023 as a military coup shifted the status quo. Thousands of Nigeriens took to the streets to demand the departure of French and US troops as well as unification with neighbouring states, Burkina Faso and Mali. More recently, Niger’s government has been following calls from the people to end control of French uranium exploitation in the country. 

But where does this radicalism come from?

It turns out Niger has a deep history of revolutionary struggle waged on the part of the ‘talakawa’ meaning the ordinary people in the Hausa language. These talakawa masses formed the Sawaba Party in the 1960s to fight for socialism and Pan-Africanism. A courageous freedom fighter named Djibo Bakary led the party.

Today, many Nigeriens remember Bakary as Niger’s foremost revolutionary. This is his story. 

TRUMP NOT SORRY FOR WANTING INNOCENT BLACK TEENS DEAD

Donald Trump is seeking a second stint as US President. The businessman-cum-politician is known for his controversial statements, and Africans in particular have been on the receiving end of some of Trump’s most derogatory vitriol - for example, his branding Haiti and African nations ‘sh*thole countries.’ He’s pledged to curb immigrants from countries he deems beneath America’s dignity, never mind that the US is the biggest neo-colonial imperialist around:

Continued….. it has more guns than citizens, 600+ mass shootings per year, nearly 2 million locked up in prison, is the biggest weapons supplier to Israel, which has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, and the wrecker of Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam...

In this clip, we get a taste of Trump’s deep disrespect for, and devaluation of, Black lives. In 1989, Trump took out full-page ads in several newspapers to advocate for the death penalty for five Black and Latino teenagers falsely accused of assault and rape in New York’s Central Park. The Central Park Five, as they became known, each served between five and 13 years - before being exonerated in 2002, when the actual attacker confessed.

SOUTH AFRICA BELONGS TO AFRICANS

Imagine someone stole your house at gunpoint, kicking your entire family out and keeping generations down the line out. Now, your family remains homeless. At what point does that house rightfully belong to the thief’s family?

That’s what’s happened to many Africans in South Africa during European colonialism. However, decades after apartheid was dismantled, Afrikaaner nationalists have built a white-majority town, Orania, stirring the country’s debate on the lingering impacts of colonialism.

Lunga Mantashe told us Orania’s existence is possible because South Africa’s constitution and Freedom Charter are missing a critical component.

Continued……Mantashe, a member of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (@mypaconline), was a guest recently on ‘This Week in Africa,’ African Stream’s livestream collaboration with @authentic_african.

Those who criticise the Freedom Charter hold an unwavering commitment to Indigenous land rights, as gen*cide, violence and poverty have accompanied land dispossession.

‘We regard it as the sacred duty of every African state to strive ceaselessly and energetically for the creation of a United States of Africa from Cape to Cairo and Madagascar to Morocco,’ said Robert Sobukwe, founder of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania.

Is Mantashe on to something, or do settlers have a legitimate claim to occupy land without submitting to the African majority? Let us know in the comments.

Head to our YouTube channel and find the complete livestream under our playlist for ‘This Week in Africa.’

THE FIGHT FOR THE FORESTS IS A FIGHT AGAINST IMPERIALISM

Imperialism, as Lenin argued, is the highest form of capitalism. Capitalism, the dominant global economic system, is premised on viewing the planet as a resource to exploit - its overriding objective being to maximise profits from that exploitation as rapidly and extensively as possible. This goes a long way towards explaining the ecological collapse facing the world today, marked by climate-change extremes, such as droughts and flooding. The one natural line of defence - trees - has been decimated over centuries on the altar of profit over humanity.

Imperialism is like an arsonist - and we are left to fight the fires it starts: witness the suffering imposed on Congo and Sudan for their resources, such as cobalt and gold.

Continued……Pan-African icon and Burkina Faso’s revolutionary leader (1983-1987) Thomas Sankara fought against this, including on the environmental front. He marshalled a nation to halt the spread of the Sahara, launching a massive tree-planting drive to ‘re-green’ the country, halt soil erosion and foster sustainable agriculture. His ‘fight against the desert’ was both ideological and existential, a means to empower the impoverished nation and guarantee its survival. The initiative required every household, village, school and business to plant saplings and tend to tree nurseries.

He also understood the importance of a united African front to achieve this endeavour, saying, “Today, the desert is creeping into Burkina Faso, but tomorrow it will be Ivory Coast’s turn and then Liberia’s.”

His ideas live to this day. Despite slow progress, at least 20 countries in the Sahel belt are participating in the creation of a ‘Green Wall,’ a belt of vegetation at the edge of the Sahara desert to halt its spread. It faces major challenges, such as insecurity, insufficient funding and a lack of political will.

Do you think Africa needs more leaders like Sankara?

LOWKEY EXPOSES ISRAELI LINKS TO BRITAIN’S FAR-RIGHT

In this interview with African Stream, rapper and activist Lowkey runs through the links between far-right groups in the UK and Israel.

Recent riots that swept Britain targeted minority groups after misinformation was spread over the fatal stabbing of three children. It was wrongly claimed the attacker was a radical Islamist illegal migrant, and the false narrative was used to stir up racial hatred.

Lowkey believes the riots that ensued were part of a wider effort to push the Muslim community from political activity. Many people, he says, are unhappy at the political mobilisation of Muslims ‘off the back’ of Israel’s destruction of Gaza. He goes on to outline links between Israel and far-right groups, such as the English Defence League and its co-founder Tommy Robinson.

Lowkey was speaking to African Stream CEO Ahmed Kaballo during our flagship podcast Pan-African Attitude.

Have a listen and gives us your view on his assessment.

Namibia's justice minister barred an Israel-bound ship carrying military cargo and explosive materials from sailing through Namibian waters or docking at the country's principal port on 26 August, part of a global trend to block arms to Israel amidst its 10-month military onslaught in the Gaza Strip.

When the MV Kathrin arrived from Vietnam, Minister Yvonne Dausab reminded the Namibian cabinet, international relations ministry, works ministry, and the safety and security ministry of the southwestern African country's obligations under international law.

She said it would be encouraging if all countries, particularly African countries, followed suit by taking action within their power and scope.

Continued….. Namibia shows solidarity with Palestine because of their shared history of colonisation. The southwestern African country was the victim of the 20th century's first gen*cide, when German colonial forces k*lled and employed collective punishment against the Herero and Nama peoples. After the Europeans, white-led apartheid South Africa controlled Namibia from 1920 to 1990.

In January, Namibia criticised Germany for supporting Israel in a gen*cide case that South Africa had brought against it.

Image credit: Bernd U.

SAUDI SNAPS UP ETHIOPIAN LAND TO FEED ITSELF

Is there a new Scramble for Africa?
Writer @DJ Bwakali gives another example of a foreign country sweeping up swathes of the continent for its own benefit.

A Saudi company is growing rice on thousands of hectares of fertile land in Ethiopia in order to feed the Gulf state.
The firm’s signed a 50-year lease with the government and claims it’s creating jobs and wealth. However, Bwakali argues there are few trickle-down benefits for locals.

Other similar projects in Ethiopia span an area the size of Belgium and have displaced thousands of people. They’ve ended up losing their livelihoods and connection to ancestral lands.

Continued….. The leases are often lopsided in favour of foreign entities, who pay as little as $3 per hectare and enjoy tax breaks. They also undermine the food security of a country that’s suffered terrible famines.

Bwakali describes it as a modern-day ‘Scramble for Africa’. If you factor in the news of Emirati sheikhs buying huge tracts of African land in carbon-offsetting deals, it’s hard to miss his point. Blue Carbon, chaired by Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook al-Maktoum, has signed deals that involve a fifth of Zimbabwe, 10% of Liberia, 10% of Zambia, 8% of Tanzania and millions of hectares of Kenyan forests, according to The Guardian.

Bwakali wants all land-lease agreements renegotiated with local populations, who should have the final say.

Do you think that can happen?

Video credit: @djbwakali

GLOBAL SOUTH NEEDS OWN SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORKS

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, popularly known by his initials ‘AMLO,’ says social media giants’ continued censorship of Global South voices should spur its people to create their social media platforms.

The Mexican leader argued that only opinions aligning with those of the class to which wealthy social media executives belong have free rein on their platforms.

The events of the last few months validate AMLO’s arguments. Since the 7 October escalation in the 76-year Israeli occupation of Palestine, hundreds of pro-Palestine accounts have been suspended, deleted or restricted on platforms such as Meta and X, while Zi*nists’ accounts promoting gen*cide against Palestinians appear to have largely been left untouched.

Continued….. On top of that, she also faced bullying in the playground for being a ‘smarty pants’. Luckily, her mum stepped in and started homeschooling and, well, let’s just say that paid off!!!

Alena, from California, fell in love with STEM subjects from an early age. They cover science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and the brain-box flourished in all of them. She now aims to become a doctor specialising in viral diseases and wants other youngsters to follow in her footsteps. Alena’s set up the Brown STEM Girl Foundation to empower girls and women of colour to learn the sciences.

Image credit: Alena Analeigh Wicker

THEY TRIED TO SET MICHAEL JACKSON UP!

Pop icon Michael Jackson would have been 66 years old today.

In this 2021 clip, singer and rapper Aaron Carter (1987-2022), brother of ‘Backstreet Boys’ singer Nick Carter, recounted the moment when FBI agents appeared unannounced in his California hotel room to pin sexual assault charges on Jackson. Carter explains that his mother was trying to pressure him into telling the FBI that Jackson had done something inappropriate, even though he had done nothing of the sort.

Continued……Allegations of child sexual abuse had dogged the pop star in 1993 and 2003, but he was never found guilty. In Carter’s words, Jackson was nothing more than the kindest man he had ever met. The 50-year-old singer and dancer passed away in 2009 due to an overdose administered by a physician who was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

For many, the allegations tainted Jackson’s legacy. But, for his fans, hearing stories like this appear to help correct the record.

What do you think? Leave your comments below.

Video credit: @djvlad (X) and @vladtv (IG)

‘HOW FREE IS NIGERIA?’

Many call Nigeria the ‘Giant of Africa’ because it has the continent’s largest population at 232 million and Africa’s fourth-largest economy, coming in at $253 billion, according to the International Monetary Fund.

As the largest oil producer in Africa, Nigeria wields significant influence in global energy markets. Although Nigeria has participated in peacekeeping missions and diplomatic initiatives through organisations like the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States, its poverty rate hovers around 40 per cent, leading people to question just how free the Giant of Africa is.

Continued….. Speaking during a constitutional conference held at an unknown time, the late Dr Matthias Offoboche (1936-2015), former deputy governor of Nigeria’s Cross River state, addressed this question by quoting a book written by Shehu Shagari (1925-2018), who served as Nigerian president (1979-83), following a military coup. Shagari wrote in the book about an encounter with a Greek professor in Geneva who said the West saw Nigeria as a threat to Western European interests on the continent. He referenced the Biafra War as an example, saying that the West backed the rebels. That is not technically true. Britain backed the Nigerian government as it committed war crimes in the Biafra region, while France allegedly backed rebels.

But Offoboche’s point about Western states not wanting Nigeria to develop is certainly valid. Especially when you look at the very real obstacles Western corporations have placed in front of Aliko Dangote’s oil refinery in Nigeria. Dangote Refinery is the biggest one of its kind in West Africa and could help Nigeria, the largest oil producer in Africa, rely less on external players to refine its oil.

Do you agree with the professor’s perspective? Let us know in the comments.

FRANCE APPOINTS WINE THIEF AS NIGERIA AMBASSADOR

France’s appointment of Marc Fonbaustier as ambassador to Nigeria may indicate a strategic plan by France to exert influence in West Africa, particularly in light of recent setbacks in the Sahel region. Fonbaustier’s controversial past, including smearing a journalist in Benin who was jailed for his reporting and the theft of expensive wines in Hong Kong, also raises concerns about whether he is even fit for the role at all.

France has faced significant challenges in the Sahel, with Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger expelling French military forces and closing diplomatic missions. These actions have hurt French interests, including the loss of access to valuable resources like uranium. Statements from high-ranking French officials indicate that France is not willing to relinquish its influence in the region and may be planning to destabilise it further.