Continued…. Vietnam embodies the saying, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog that matters.” In a brutal, 20-year conflict that killed more than a million Vietnamese between 1954 and 1975, North Vietnam fought against the US and the South - and won. In this clip, People’s Army general Võ Nguyên Giáp reveals the secret behind his side’s success: high morale among the troops and widespread support from the people.

Vietnam - then a poor, largely agricultural country - showed that colonialism can be fought back against successfully. So did Angola, South Africa and Kenya. It’s a lesson we can still learn from. Flag independence gave way to neocolonialism, and the imperialist powers that looted Africa 100 years ago still do so today. But an educated, patriotic populace can break those chains. Don’t you think?

RUSSIA’S AMBASSADOR CALLS OUT GERMAN HYPOCRISY

On 12 January, Germany said it would intervene on Israel’s behalf in the gen*cide case brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its military onslaught in Gaza. Stating the accusations had no basis, it accused South Africa of ‘politicising’ gen*cide. This stand sent shock waves, with many criticising Germany’s horrific history.

However, Namibia was most vocal in denouncing Germany’s intervention. The southwestern African state of 3 million was a German colony between 1884 and 1919. German colonial forces systematically killed about 100,000 Herero and Nama people between 1904 and 1908 following a popular uprising over land seizures and forced labour. 

Continued….. Today, it’s the same Germany that defends Israel’s military onslaught. That’s why Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya stated in this video clip that Germany doesn’t have any moral right to teach others about the importance of national reconciliation, having started two world wars, k*lled millions of people in the Holocaust and committed mass crimes in Africa.

ALGERIANS STILL ANGRY WITH FRANCE

Sixty-two years after gaining independence from France, many Algerians still feel that there’s been little progress in terms of justice for the victims of French imperialism.

Over the 132 year occupation, France committed unspeakable crimes - including massacring tens of thousands of anti-colonial protesters at the end of WWII. French forces committed further atrocities during the war for independence, in which Algerian historians say 1.5-million Algerians were killed. Paris also conducted 17 nuclear tests between 1960 and 1966 - and the region they took place in suffers from higher cancer rates than the national average. It took France till 2007 to reveal the location of landmines to the Algerian government.

Continued….. France has also looted countless cultural treasures from Algeria - as well as skulls of fallen fighters.

Although Algeria’s formal relations with France have improved a little in recent years, they came under renewed strain when Emmanuel Macon recently supported Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara - with Algiers firmly backing the region’s independence movement. The Algerian ambassador in Paris was recalled over the spat, and Algeria’s president has rescheduled a planned visit to France.

In this clip, a 92-year-old Algerian war veteran and a museum-collections expert share their grievances regarding the ex-coloniser. Do you think their wishes will be fulfilled?

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SHOWDOWN: NIGERIA’S DANGOTE VS GLOBAL OIL GIANTS

There is a pretty straight line from colonial exploitation to modern-day neocolonialism. Few African countries process their own raw materials - rather, the value is added elsewhere, and the finished products reimported, much to the benefit of foreign-owned companies. Multinational companies hold enormous economic and political power in post-independence African countries, a colonial hangover that’s seen them take part in illicit capital flight, pay low royalties and low rates of tax, provide little in the way of local employment and spur the destruction of local industries.

When Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, announced that Nigeria would be moving up the value chain and that he would be building a 20-billion dollar, 650,000-barrels-a-day refinery that would meet domestic needs and export to the rest of Africa,

Continued……ending the country’s age-old reliance on global oil giants, local importers and state regulators - who for decades have lived comfortably in those giants’ pockets - lost it.

Efforts to sabotage the project, the largest single-train refinery in the world, which began operations in January of 2023, got underway. The Dangote refinery, which represents a threat to the West’s lucrative refinery-products market share, has been struggling to acquire enough feedstock of Nigerian crude. Some of Europe’s largest refineries, like Shell and TotalEnergies, are owned by International Oil Companies (IOCs), and have for decades had a stranglehold on Nigeria’s oil industry. They essentially refused to sell crude to the Dangote refinery, insisting on a $6 premium above market price - forcing it to source crude from Brazil and the United States at a higher price.

It appears the objective is to ensure the Dangote refinery fails, guaranteeing that Nigeria continues to export raw crude and import refined products, making it dependent on IOCs, as it has been for decades. African Stream’s Erick Gavala takes a deep dive into this high-stakes showdown. Your reactions in the comments are appreciated.

AFWERKI: CONFLICT IS WEST’S WEAPON

Exactly 63 years ago this week, Eritrea began its war for independence from Ethiopia.
On September 1, 1961, resistance fighters started a campaign to liberate Eritrea from Ethiopian rule in a conflict that would last almost 30 years.

Here, Eritrea President Isaias Afwerki argues that conflicts in Africa serve external interests at the expense of Africans.

Indeed, divide and conquer proved an invaluable strategy for the colonisers as they set foot on the continent. Communities’ differences were amplified, stoking conflict, and in the dysfunction, European imperialism was cemented.

Continued….. With a formula that’s worked for decades, there was little reason for the West to give up stoking division. We see it today in the fights between Nigerians and South Africans or between Algerians and Moroccans. While entities like Israel and the US benefit from increased weapons sales or aligned policies, the division is instead detrimental to the building of a dignified Africa.

He proposes a different approach to solidarity, cooperation, and economic development among African nations, claiming that Africans are ready for this as they are tired of marginalisation.

Ending the cycle of intervention and sinister plots to destabilise Africa’s nations and people.

973 INDIGENOUS CHILDREN DIED IN U.S.-RUN SCOOLS

Hundreds of Indigenous children in America died while in the ‘care’ of US government-run boarding schools between 1819 and 1969. Often forcibly removed from their homes, they were kept in overcrowded dormitories and subjected to physical, mental and sexual abuse. A recent report released by the US interior secretary found that 973 Indigenous children died as a result. Marked and unmarked graves were discovered at 65 of more than 400 boarding schools. The findings show that many of the children died from sickness and abuse during the 150 year period. They received English names, and were subjected to military drills as well as forced manual labour, including farm work and brick-making.

Continued…. Over two-centuries after the abuse started, US Catholic bishops recently formally apologised for the church’s role. However, the apology, which was offered in June 2024, did not refer specifically to sexual abuse, even though at least 122 priests, sisters and brothers at 22 Catholic-run boarding schools have been accused of sexually abusing the Native American children under their care. So far, there’s been no proper apology from the American government for the horrific abuse. What’s your reaction to the findings?

EGYPTIAN STUDENTS BOYCOTT COCA-COLA

The younger generation is increasingly taking a moral stand against Israel’s military onslaught that has k*lled more than 40,000 civilians in the Gaza Strip, according to official reports. However, a Lancet medical journal report estimated more than 186,000 Palestinian casualties as of early July.

In this video, Egyptian students walk past what appears to be a Coca-Cola ambassador handing out cans. Pro-Palestine supporters around the world boycott it for several reasons, such as the company’s long record of supporting Israel. So much so that in 1997, the Government of Israel Economic Mission honoured Coca-Cola at the Israel Trade Award Dinner for its continued support of Israel for the last 30 years. Additionally, an Israeli-owned bottling company that works for Coca-Cola operates a factory in an Israeli settlement in Occupied East Jerusalem, considered illegal under international law.

KFC and Pizza Hut’s West Asia profits have also dropped by half due to boycotts.

Continued….. Plus, McDonald’s admitted to missing a revenue target in the fourth quarter of 2023. Its Israeli franchise gave thousands of free meals to Israeli troops last October, the month the country launched its bombardment of Gaza.

The revenue losses are another win for the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement that seeks to isolate Israel. International boycotts also helped bring apartheid to a halt in South Africa during the 20th century.

This is not the first boycott of Coca-Cola. From 1967 to 1991, the Arab League officially boycotted the carbonated drink for building a bottling plant in Occupied Palestinian territory. The recent boycott of Coke and other US soft drinks has catapulted sales for a 100-year-old local soda brand, Spiro Spathis.

Video credit: @nourhabib12 (TikTok)

NO LESSER OF TWO EVILS FOR SOMALIA

How many innocent lives in Somalia should US drone strikes take before they generate public outrage in the West? For some people, the number of Somalis k*lled matters less than which US president deployed the most strikes, playing into the myth of a ‘lesser of two evils’ between Democrats and Republicans.

While Democratic Party presidents have k*lled slightly fewer Somalis than Republican presidents, the argument appears to deny Somali humanity. 

African Stream’s Inemesit Richardson asked the audience to imagine if one of these US drones k*lled your child, spouse, parent or sibling. Would you sit back and say, ‘Well, at least it was Joe Biden and not Donald Trump.’ Would you celebrate because one of Biden’s 88 airstrikes took out your loved one instead of one of Trump’s 281 strikes? 

Continued….. To clarify, while Vice News reported US Africa Command (AFRICOM) admitted to four casualties four years ago, other outlets have stated AFRICOM has admitted to more deaths.

Hear more on a recent livestream collaboration with @authentic_africa, ‘Is South Africa Falling for Xenophobia? Miss South Africa Competition Stirs Global Controversy.’ The whole conversation can be found in the ‘This Week in Africa’ playlist on our YouTube channel.

LIBYAN PETROL SIX TIMES CHEAPER THAN WATER!

Latest figures show Libya has some of the cheapest petrol in the world. At just $0.03 per litre, it’s over six times less than bottled water.

To illustrate the point, content creator Daniel Pinto @dnzh.travels, took a trip to a local petrol station where motorists were filling up for less than $2. He posted this on 2 July 2024.

It’s due to a combination of factors, including abundant oil reserves, low production costs, and the fact that it’s a state-run oil industry.

Continued….. According to website Numbeo, as of July 9th, 2024, Libya couldn’t be beaten for price across the globe. Africa’s other top oil producers weren’t far behind with Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt and Angola charging a few cents more.

As for the most expensive, Hong Kong topped the charts. There, motorists had to fork out $3.10 per litre. Ouch.

Of course, the on-going political crisis in Libya could have an impact on price in the near future. Some oilfields have halted production amid a fight for control of the country’s central bank.

Video Credit: @dnzh.travels

ALGERIA BUSTS ALLEGED MOROCCAN SPY RING

Algeria has arrested seven people - including four Moroccans - on charges of espionage. With the country heading to the polls in less than a week, it comes amid allegations from one presidential hopeful (Abdelaali Hassani) that Rabat has “historically conspired against Algeria.”

The potential Moroccan spy-ring bust will no doubt worsen already sour relations between the two countries, which have fallen out over the status of Western Sahara: Rabat claims sovereignty over the territory, while Algiers backs its independence movement. Additionally, Algeria - which backs the Palestinian cause - is unhappy about Morocco normalising relations with Israel (which Rabat did in exchange for the US backing its claims to Western Sahara.)

BACKLASH AFTER NIGERIAN BEAUTY QUEENS PROMOTE SKIN WHITENING

African model Chidimma Adetshina has been crowned Miss Universe Nigeria.
And event organisers have been praised for offering her a last-minute invite after she pulled out of a similar event in South Africa over xenophobic abuse.

Unfortunately, there was also an ugly side to the pageant in Lagos. Organisers faced a backlash after telling their Black contestants to promote skin-whitening products.

Wambura Mwai looks at the disturbing and dangerous decades-old trend where African women are pressured to change their natural appearance to mimic European beauty standards.

‘IF YOU’RE NOT LOOKING FOR SMART IMMIGRANTS, YOU WON’T FIND THEM!’

In this clip, celebrity astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson makes a good point on the Joe Rogan Experience about young African immigrants, especially Nigerians, to the UK: namely, that they often out-perform their counterparts in their host country when it comes to academic tests. The case no doubt generalises, and his main point is actually that this is widely ignored by those who wish to paint African immigrants as a drain on the host nation’s resources.

According to a 2021 report by the UK’s Sutton Trust and the Social Mobility Commission, African-origin students, particularly those of Nigerian descent, have a high rate of progression to university and academically outperform other ethnic groups, including White British students from the same socio-economic class. A 2020 report by the UK Department for Education highlighted that students of African origin, particularly Nigerians, often outperform their peers in academic settings.

Continued….. And the ‘Race Disparity Audit’ released by the UK government in 2017 also showed that African children had higher percentages of achieving top grades (A* - C) in state exams (GCSEs) compared with other ethnic groups, including White working-class students.

It’s the kind of data that the racists behind the recent anti-immigrant riots in the UK would rather ignore. But unfortunately, even non-racists tend to ignore it because it’s not made much of in the media. As Tyson exclaims, “If you’re not looking for smart immigrants, you won’t find them!” Do you think greater awareness would change attitudes?

Video credit: @PowerfulJRE