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.

Continued….. Nigeria, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, may be acting as a proxy for France in the region - a suspicion fuelled by his response to the Niger coup in 2023, when regional bloc ECOWAS (headed by him) threatened an invasion.

So is Fonbaustier’s appointment part of a broader strategy by France to regain control and protect its interests in West Africa, using Nigeria as a key player in this effort? Your thoughts in the comments are appreciated.

DID SENEGAL’S ANTI-FRANCE LEADERS DO A U-TURN?

Bassirou Diomaye Faye, 44, was sworn into office on 2 April as Senegal’s newest and youngest president. His rise to power followed several years of protest against French imperialism and former President Macky Sall’s attempts to consolidate power for his party.

Ousmane Sonko was originally the beloved candidate of Senegal’s youth and working-class majority. He built an election campaign centred on delinking Senegal from its former coloniser by rejecting the French-controlled CFA franc currency. Over time, the focus of the 50-year-old’s campaign gradually seemed to shift from anti-imperialism to pro-electoral and constitutional democracy geared at getting Sall out.

Continued……When authorities barred him from contesting in the elections, Sonko encouraged his supporters to vote for his protegé, Diomaye Faye, who catapulted to popularity.

But did Sonko and Diomaye Faye abandon their anti-imperialist line?

As Senegal’s newest president, Diomaye Faye’s first international visits were to meet with pro-Western leaders, such as Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast, Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria, and Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana. His first visit outside of Africa was to France, where he met President Emmanuel Macron. He eventually went to the anti-imperialist bloc, where he met President Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso to ask him to consider re-joining the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Let us know what you think in the comments.

CANDOMBLÉ: KEEPING YORUBA ALIVE IN BRAZIL

Linguistic and other forms of cultural genocide are an all too familiar theme for African-descendants in the West. Speaking a European language is often perceived as a civilising feature. In Brazil, however, Africans have maintained the knowledge, both verbal and written, of their Yoruba language through the practice of Candomblé. Unhappy with the dictates of colonial rule, which went as far as prohibiting the expression of African religious worldviews, the enslaved substituted the names of their Orixás (Yoruba deities) for those of Catholic Saints. The fusion of religious practices allowed Africans to disguise their true veneration. While the religion underwent some changes to ensure its survival, its core message and manifestation never altered.

Continued….. This is the origin of Candomblé, a spiritual-religious practice giving reverence to, and communicating between, life and death, earth and cosmos, and the supreme universal power. Priestesses, priests and followers speak Yoruba during religious ceremonies. Similarities between Candomblé and local religious beliefs facilitated a cohesive co-existence between Africans and Indigenous peoples in Brazil.

Continued….. Egypt threw its weight behind Somalia, warning against the deal.

Ethiopia also has tense relations with Egypt. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has been a point of friction. Built on the Nile, it is set to be Africa’s biggest hydropower dam, but Cairo says its construction will diminish the water available downstream. Egypt is overwhelmingly reliant on the river for its needs. To date, despite multiple rounds of negotiations, an agreement is still beyond reach.

SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOL KIDS BELT OUT 'NOT LIKE US' VIRAL CLIP

It’s been claimed Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ was a cultural moment. GQ magazine called it the ‘song of the summer’ and others said it would be played in schools and events for months to come. No lies. Here’s a video highlighting the affinity between Africans on the continent and Africans in the diaspora as Parktown Boys’ High School, in Johannesburg, South Africa, belts out a rendition.

It was Lamar’s latest ‘diss track’ targeting Canadian rapper Drake in a heavyweight hip-hop feud that’s simmered for years. Given the popularity of this tune, seems like Lamar landed the knock-out blow?

PS. We know a lot of people point out the lyrics are not appropriate for school kids, but as HotNewsHipHop said, ‘you can’t do much to slow down what’s viral.’

In what’s considered one of the worst t*rrorist attacks in Burkina Faso’s history, unknown militants k*lled at least 100 civilians, according to local reports, and as many as 500 civilians, according to foreign news agencies. The death toll included men, women, children and the elderly in the village of Barsalogho. 

The new government that ousted a Western-aligned leader in 2022 and has since liberated territories from armed militants has promised a firm response.

Barsalogho is located in the Central-North Region of the country, roughly 145 kilometres north of the capital, Ouagadougou. While Burkina Faso’s military has secured the western side of the country from t*rrorist attacks and improved security along the Mali-Burkina Faso border, the threat of t*rrorist violence continues to riddle the northeast.