‘COPMALA’ QUEEN OF INCARCERATION, PT. 1

‘Kamala Harris was the queen of mass incarceration.’ Those are the words of Caleb Maupin, founder of the Center for Political Innovation.

In this 2023 video, he recounted the time Kamala Harris nearly executed a man without DNA evidence. Kevin Cooper was just hours away from execution in 2004 when California Governor Gavin Newsom demanded DNA testing, which has not taken place, so Cooper remains alive.

In 2010, a California court ruled that Harris’ district attorney’s office had violated defendants’ rights by hiding detrimental information about a police drug lab whose inaccurate results led to many convictions. That led to the dismissal of more than 1,000 drug cases.

Perhaps this is why some say, ‘Not all skin folks are kin folks,’ and why many refer to the 59-year-old mixed Indian and Afro-Jamaican former prosecutor as ‘Copmala.’

Video credit: Center for Political Innovation (@realcpiusa on IG and X)

NIGERIA: 48 KILLED IN FUEL-TANKER TRAGEDY

48 people were killed in Nigeria’s north-central Niger state on 8th September - after a fuel tanker collided with another truck, causing an explosion. The truck was also carrying cattle, at least 50 of which were burned alive, according to the State Emergency Management Agency.

The dead travellers were given a mass burial in the Agaie area of Niger state.

Nigeria has no efficient railway system to transport cargo, such as fuel. Gasoline is shipped overland in trucks, resulting in frequent accidents. According to the country’s Federal Road Safety Corps, 1,531 gasoline tanker crashes resulted in 535 fatalities and 1,142 injuries in 2020 alone.

The giant West African nation has suffered a chronic fuel shortage, primarily due to a lack of local refineries.

Continued….. Recently, billionaire Aliko Dangote’s 650,000 barrel-a-day $20-billion refinery commenced production of petroleum products. But Nigerians are yet to see a drop in the price of the commodity after the state oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), hiked the price from 617 naira ($0.38) a litre to 897 ($0.56).

DOUBLE STANDARDS? U.S. APPLIES IT BEST

On the now-defunct ‘The Phil Donahue Show,’ actor Paul Newman spoke in 1983 about the US painting the Soviets as enemies to justify funding the US arms budget.

Newman (1925-2008) cited the case of Israel shooting down Libyan Arab Airlines flight 114 on 21 February 1973 when it strayed into Israeli-controlled airspace over the Sinai Peninsula. Israeli fighter jets intercepted the aircraft, k*lling 108 people on board.

In response, the UN Security General Assembly passed a resolution condemning Israel and directing the U

Continued……N Security Council to investigate. While US President Richard Nixon deplored the incident, the US representative to Libya was not allowed to offer condolences, according to a 1983 issue of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. The International Civil Aviation Organization also voted to censure Israel for the attack. Israeli newspaper Haaretz recently reported the Israeli cabinet discussed the incident in three secret meetings, where the cabinet concluded it would deny responsibility and not hold an official inquiry.

However, when the Soviet Union shot down Korean Air Lines flight 007 on 1 September 1983, k*lling 269 passengers and crew after the aeroplane entered Soviet airspace, the United States called it a ‘crime against humanity’ and a ‘massacre.’ Reagan referred to the Soviet action as ‘barbaric’ and ‘inhuman.’ The US imposed several sanctions on the Soviet Union, suspended several bilateral agreements and halted Aeroflot flights (the Soviet airline) to the United States. This incident further escalated Cold War tensions between the two superpowers.

Video credit: ‘The Phil Donahue Show’ / @wgnnews

CASE OBAMA: A WARNING TO U.S. VOTERS

It’s a big debate in our comment section, across the Internet and in America’s Black communities: Is Kamala Harris a better option than Donald Trump? Should Black voters support Harris as the lesser of two evils?

Reflecting on this question, we at African Stream recall some wise words from Onyesonwu Chatoyer of @aaprpinternational and @hoodcommunist. In this video, she looks back at the Obama-legacy both in the United States and in Africa. One thing she says especially stands out: the reason why Barack Obama was able so successfully to expand US military operations across the African continent was because “if Bush had done it, we would never have allowed it. So they had to have someone that looked like us do it so we could rationalise it as just.”

The Obama-era serves as a powerful lesson that we must look back on now more than ever.

Continued……Does having leaders that resemble our friends, family and community members allow the empire to get away with even more harm? Are we less critical of politicians when they come from relatable cultural backgrounds? And if so, what does this mean for the upcoming election in which Kamala Harris is on the ballot?

If we use the Obama-era as reference, in case of a Harris win, we can anticipate that US imperialism targeting Africa may accelerate to an even higher level than before. Meanwhile, US domestic policies will continue to harm working-class Black communities within the US, as those who speak up will be told to keep quiet and celebrate Kamala’s “Black excellence” and “girl boss” identity.

This is why it is so important that we break away from this fixation on the lesser of two evils and begin to build global mass revolutionary Pan-African organisations that can bring about permanent transformation outside of the US electoral system.

What do you think, would a Kamala Harris presidency be similar to a Barack Obama presidency?

ANC NOT A LEFTIST PARTY

The African National Congress (ANC) garnered international attention and global popular support during the late 20th century for being one of the leading organisations fighting against the apartheid system in South Africa. But what is the party's legacy in 2024?

In this clip, Lunga Mantashe, a member of the Pan-African Congress of Azania (PAC)(@mypaconline), gives his perspective on the ANC. PAC split from the ANC in 1959 because it disagreed with the ANC’s position that "the land belongs to all who live in it, both White and Black.” For PAC, South Africa, or Azania as they refer to the country, belongs to the Indigenous African people.

While the ANC did produce some progressive and revolutionary leaders, since the time of the first ANC president, Nelson Mandela, the party has failed to adequately address the land question at the heart of dispossession and destitution for the African majority.

Continued….. White commercial farmers own about 50% of the land in South Africa, but White people make up only around 8% of the South African population. According to The Global Wealth Report 2024, released by Swiss bank UBS, South Africa is the most unequal country in the world. The World Bank goes further, saying that South Africa has the world’s greatest wealth disparity largely on racial lines.

As mentioned in the video, questions of inequality and poverty will persist under an ANC government, proving its centrist capacity to draw from both left- and right-wing forces. The ANC has recently entered into a coalition with the Democratic Alliance (DA), a majority-White party that is generally pro-West and pro-NATO in its foreign policy and which rejects real land reform, Black Economic Empowerment programmes and even the existence of a minimum wage.

Is Lunga Mantashe correct in his analysis of the ANC? Agree or disagree? Let us know why. Catch the full conversation on our YouTube channel under the noscript, ‘Is South Africa Falling for Xenophobia? Miss South Africa Competition Stirs Global Controversy.’

CAN PAIGC LIBERATE GUINEA-BISSAU AGAIN?

On 10th September 1974, Guinea-Bissau was finally recognised as a fully independent sovereign nation after a long armed struggle against the Portuguese colonisers. The revolutionary war was fought by the PAIGC - that is, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde. The PAIGC soon gained support from revolutionary and progressive-minded people around the world, especially thanks to its leader, Amílcar Cabral, who was also a brilliant Pan-African theorist and intellectual.

Continued….. But the PAIGC’s struggle isn’t over. It’s actively working to build a unified, socialist Africa. The party lost power in 2020 in a vote that’s widely thought to have been rigged and which saw Western backed Umaro Sissoco Embaló become president. He has the blessing of regional bloc ECOWAS and has strengthened Guinea-Bissau's relationship with France, as well as with former coloniser Portugal. Embaló also threatened to invade Niger after the start of its anti-imperialist revolution.

Today, many in Guinea-Bissau are working hard to ensure the PAIGC regains power, and are trying to live up to the values and teachings of Amílcar Cabral. Former combatants who fought in the revolutionary struggle between 1963 and 1974 are guiding and educating the next generation. With elections due at the end of the year, West Africa could well soon boast yet another anti-imperialist, pan-African state.

A luta continua.

WHO CHIEF: WORLD MUST HELP SUDAN OUT OF NIGHTMARE

The world cannot ignore the disaster unfolding in Sudan any longer. That’s the message from World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom, who’s urging greater international action - in terms of aid and diplomacy.

The armed power struggle ripping apart Sudan has claimed tens of thousands of lives and created the world’s largest displacement crisis. Devastating floods and disease outbreaks have added to the misery. Additionally, the war has led to widespread conflict-related s*xual abuse.

Previous efforts to negotiate a peace have led nowhere. Sudan’s military boycotted a conference involving the United Arab Emirates, which backs its rival, the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary - and has vowed to fight for 100 years if that’s what it takes to take out the RSF.

What do you think is the best way to end the fighting?

On this date, 10 September, in 1979, Angola’s first President, António Agostinho Neto, passed away just a week before his 57th birthday while undergoing cancer treatment in Moscow.

Neto led the communist and anti-colonial organisation Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (MPLA), assuming the presidency in 1975 when Angola gained independence from Portuguese rule.

His path to power was marked by hardships. As a medical student in Portugal, he was imprisoned multiple times between 1951-1957 due to his anti-colonial activism, which he continued upon his return to Angola. On 8 June 1960, Portuguese authorities in Angola arrested him. His supporters rallied for his release but were stopped when Portuguese soldiers opened fire, k*lling 30 and injuring 200 in what is now remembered as the Massacre of Icolo e Bengo.

Continued……Neto was exiled to the Portuguese colony of Cape Verde and later to another prison in Portugal. He was then placed under house arrest, from which he escaped in 1962 and fled to Morocco. As President, Neto valiantly defended against attacks by Western-backed nationalist groups such as UNITA, who were also supported by Apartheid South Africa’s notorious Battalion 32.

Long live the spirit of António Agostinho Neto!

MEDIA HIDES LIBYA FLOODS CONTEXT

One year ago today, Storm Daniel made landfall in Libya, bringing heavy rainfall that put the spotlight on infrastructure failures that developed in the aftermath of the 2011 US-led NATO invasion of Libya.

Two dams failed in the early-morning hours of 11 September 2023 in the eastern port city of Derna, k*lling 11,300 people and displacing more than 40,000, including some 16,000 children, according to UNICEF.

The dams were due for inspection in 2012, according to Libya’s former information minister, Moussa Ibrahim Gaddafi.

Continued……. However, NATO’s 2011 illegal military intervention led to the chaos that prevented Libyan authorities from being able to carry out needed infrastructure work, he said.

For that reason, Max Blumenthal, founder of independent media outlet The Grayzone, argued in this 2023 clip that the flooding was an ‘unnatural disaster.’ Blumenthal said Samantha Power, who worked as a senior aide at the US National Security Council, and former US President Barack Obama are responsible for Libya’s post-2011 destruction. He added they must be held accountable for the flooding deaths.

Do you agree with Blumenthal? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Video credit: The Grayzone (@thegrayzonenews on IG, X, TikTok)

ARSONISTS TARGET BLACKS
IN ‘APARTHEID’ TOWN

Racial tensions are running high in a small resort town in South Africa, after arson attacks on Black-owned businesses. The latest targeted Bubbles restaurant, in Hartbeespoort, in North West Province, last month.
In this clip anti-racist South African content creator @lindizaca points out another Black-owned restaurant was burned down recently in the area, with both owners claiming White residents are trying to drive them out of business.

Continued……Hartbeespoort is known for its vibrant tourism and has historically been dominated by White residents, with a population that has remained somewhat unchanged for decades. However, an influx of Black business owners has led to significant racial tensions and animosity from White south africans towards the Black businesses.

Local non-profit, Hartbeespoort Community Development Initiative, says many Black citizens are still suffering the ‘legacy of apartheid.’ It also alleges many face discriminatory policies that stop their firms from securing permits to operate freely. The organisation has lodged a formal complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) against the Department of Water and Sanitation for discriminating against Black lease applicants in the region.

video credits /@lindizaca

WHAT TO THE SLAVE IS 4TH OF JULY

When James Earl Jones was on stage or on screen, his voice rumbled, his presentation poured forth and his craft was unmistakably powerful. The world learned Jones (1931-2024) passed away on 9 September at 93. His legacy will be remembered in how he orated monologues, such as freedom fighter Frederick Douglas’s speech, ‘What to the Slave Is Your 4th of July,’ during a 5 July 2004 performance of Voices of a People’s History of the United States.

In the speech Douglass gave to the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Society in 1852 in New York, he chastised the United States’ biggest holiday, the Fourth of July, a day marking US independence from Britain. Despite the Declaration of Independence being predicated upon ‘equality of men,’ Africans remained slaves until 1865. What freedom then, Douglass asks, is there to celebrate?

Frederick Douglass was born in 1818 on a plantation owned by then Maryland governor and US senator Edward Lloyd V.

Continued……. He escaped at age 20, and dedicated his life to fighting for abolition of slavery. He was a dedicated reader and powerful orator. He wrote hundreds of essays, a novel, three autobiographies and thousands of speeches.

When the civil war broke, Douglass lobbied President Lincoln to free and arm all enslaved Africans. ‘End slavery right now. Free them and arm them. They know the South far better than anyone else.’ It is argued that had Lincoln’s administration heeded the advice earlier, the war would have been concluded sooner.

Douglass’ words, like many of our ancestors’, ring as true today as it did then. The United States is still divided along racial lines. Africans in the United States are disenfranchised economically, with the average African household being 10 times less wealthy than their white counterparts. The gap is only widening. What then, as Douglass asked, is the 4th of July to a slave?

Video credit: @democracynow

LEGENDARY JAMES EARL JONES PASSES AWAY AT 93

On Monday, the great American born African actor James Earl Jones passed away at the age of 93. This clip is from a 1987 performance of the broadway hit Fences and showcases his amazing talent - and why critics have described him as an “elemental force” on stage. Jones continued to perform on stage up until his mid-80s, sometimes putting in eight performances a week with a discipline and stamina that could put younger actors to shame. He tackled some of the biggest roles in theatre - including Shakespeare’s Othello and King Lear.

Jones also starred in many films, among them Field of Dreams, Coming to America and Conan the Barbarian.