Today, we remember the almost 3,000 people k*lled in the United States through t*rrorism 23 years ago, on 11 September 2001, and the millions k*lled worldwide in the years that have followed.
After the attacks on US targets, US President George W. Bush declared a global ‘War on T*rror.’ Unfortunately for Africans, countries that had no issues with t*rrorism in 2001—such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Somalia, and Mozambique—have seen a surge in armed violence over the past 23 years that we can trace to decades of US and NATO intervention and exacerbated after 2007 after the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) formed.
For example, t*rrorist activities have ravaged Africa’s arid Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert since NATO’s 2011 invasion of Libya, spurning violent rebels to k*ll former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
After the attacks on US targets, US President George W. Bush declared a global ‘War on T*rror.’ Unfortunately for Africans, countries that had no issues with t*rrorism in 2001—such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Somalia, and Mozambique—have seen a surge in armed violence over the past 23 years that we can trace to decades of US and NATO intervention and exacerbated after 2007 after the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) formed.
For example, t*rrorist activities have ravaged Africa’s arid Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert since NATO’s 2011 invasion of Libya, spurning violent rebels to k*ll former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
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Continued….. Then Sahel-region t*rrorists accessed the fallen Libyan government’s weapons stash and distributed them in Mali, seizing control of large swaths of land in the country’s north. This activity has spilt into its neighbours, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Similarly, the US-backed Ethiopian invasion of Somalia in 2006 led to the rise of the violent t*rrorist group Al-Shabaab, once the radical youth wing of an organisation known as the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), which governed the East African country following the 1991 civil war. The ICU had no Al-Qaeda affiliations and was not belligerent. Nevertheless, the US meddled in Somalia’s governance. When the US crushed the ICU, Al-Shabaab elements were all that remained. From there on, the t*rrorism threat that the US claimed to combat was in place.
Similarly, the US-backed Ethiopian invasion of Somalia in 2006 led to the rise of the violent t*rrorist group Al-Shabaab, once the radical youth wing of an organisation known as the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), which governed the East African country following the 1991 civil war. The ICU had no Al-Qaeda affiliations and was not belligerent. Nevertheless, the US meddled in Somalia’s governance. When the US crushed the ICU, Al-Shabaab elements were all that remained. From there on, the t*rrorism threat that the US claimed to combat was in place.
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However, one country offers a glimmer of possibility. On 16 March, Niger became the first country in the history of Africa to break ties with AFRICOM, choosing instead to form a confederation with neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali for a shared defence, economic and foreign policy. Could this signify a new way forward for Africa?
What is your take? Has the so-called war on terror helped to fight terrorism or made the terrorist threat worse?
What is your take? Has the so-called war on terror helped to fight terrorism or made the terrorist threat worse?
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TAXI TRAORÉ! THE WHEELS OF REVOLUTION?
The revolutions in the Sahel have captured the imaginations of Africans across the continent - including artists who decorate Kenya’s beloved ‘matatu’ taxi minibuses, which are like art galleries on wheels. Their exteriors are typically bedecked with colourful graffiti-style designs and cartoons, as well as portraits of cult musicians and actors. But a new face has been spotted on Nairobi matatus: that of Burkina Faso’s anti-imperialist leader, Ibrahim Traoré.
Like the people of Burkina Faso, Kenyans have been standing up for their rights and fighting back against exploitation by imperialist foreign actors.
The revolutions in the Sahel have captured the imaginations of Africans across the continent - including artists who decorate Kenya’s beloved ‘matatu’ taxi minibuses, which are like art galleries on wheels. Their exteriors are typically bedecked with colourful graffiti-style designs and cartoons, as well as portraits of cult musicians and actors. But a new face has been spotted on Nairobi matatus: that of Burkina Faso’s anti-imperialist leader, Ibrahim Traoré.
Like the people of Burkina Faso, Kenyans have been standing up for their rights and fighting back against exploitation by imperialist foreign actors.
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Continued….. This was most evident in the recent mass protests that swept Kenya in opposition to IMF-pushed tax hikes. These were mainly attended by young people, undeterred by the harsh police crackdown which proved fatal to dozens. Burkina’s youth are also instrumental in the change their country is undergoing, with Traoré - at 36 - one of the world’s youngest leaders.
So the question for Kenyans is: will it just be their matatus’ wheels that will be experiencing a ‘revolution’?
Video credit: @Abraza Africana
So the question for Kenyans is: will it just be their matatus’ wheels that will be experiencing a ‘revolution’?
Video credit: @Abraza Africana
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THE OTHER 9/11
Fifty-one years ago on this day, 11 September 1973, the United States helped right-wing forces overthrow democratically elected and popular Chilean President Salvador Allende (1908-73). The ousting ushered in a fascist dictatorship and mass privatisation of public services, birthing neoliberalism, where the state was shrunk to the bare minimum and profit-driven businesses took over public services.
Allende ran on a progressive platform, promising, for example, to nationalise the US-dominated copper industry. After Allende's 1970 election, US President Richard Nixon (1913-94) ordered the CIA to make the Chilean economy 'scream,' creating a conducive environment for a coup d'état. The CIA spent millions of dollars supporting worker strikes and propaganda against Allende, with one publication, El Mercurio, receiving at least $1.5 million. US officials also backed economic measures and monetary aid cuts to squeeze Allende's government into an 'invisible blockade.'
Fifty-one years ago on this day, 11 September 1973, the United States helped right-wing forces overthrow democratically elected and popular Chilean President Salvador Allende (1908-73). The ousting ushered in a fascist dictatorship and mass privatisation of public services, birthing neoliberalism, where the state was shrunk to the bare minimum and profit-driven businesses took over public services.
Allende ran on a progressive platform, promising, for example, to nationalise the US-dominated copper industry. After Allende's 1970 election, US President Richard Nixon (1913-94) ordered the CIA to make the Chilean economy 'scream,' creating a conducive environment for a coup d'état. The CIA spent millions of dollars supporting worker strikes and propaganda against Allende, with one publication, El Mercurio, receiving at least $1.5 million. US officials also backed economic measures and monetary aid cuts to squeeze Allende's government into an 'invisible blockade.'
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Continued….. The Chilean military launched the coup by bombing the presidential palace. After giving a final address to his people, Allende committed su*cide.
The ensuing military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1915-2006) committed countless human rights violations, k*lling and torturing tens of thousands. Testimonies of helicopter mechanics revealed that the military dropped the corpses of about 400 people out of aeroplanes into the Pacific Ocean. Historians estimate the military tortured 20,000 to 40,000 people inside a stadium before k*lling some.
Overall, during Pinochet's 17-year reign, more than 3,000 people would be disappeared or k*lled, and about 38,000 would become political prisoners thought to have been tortured.
According to Peter Kornbluh, director of the US-based nonprofit Chile Documentation Project at the National Security Archive, the dictatorship received US backing. In 1976, then-US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (1923-2023) told Pinochet, 'You did a great service to the West in overthrowing Allende. We want to support you, not hurt you.'
The ensuing military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1915-2006) committed countless human rights violations, k*lling and torturing tens of thousands. Testimonies of helicopter mechanics revealed that the military dropped the corpses of about 400 people out of aeroplanes into the Pacific Ocean. Historians estimate the military tortured 20,000 to 40,000 people inside a stadium before k*lling some.
Overall, during Pinochet's 17-year reign, more than 3,000 people would be disappeared or k*lled, and about 38,000 would become political prisoners thought to have been tortured.
According to Peter Kornbluh, director of the US-based nonprofit Chile Documentation Project at the National Security Archive, the dictatorship received US backing. In 1976, then-US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (1923-2023) told Pinochet, 'You did a great service to the West in overthrowing Allende. We want to support you, not hurt you.'
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ADANI EYES JKIA
A controversial deal seeking to grant an Indian multinational control over Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Kenya’s biggest, has triggered a strike by workers at the hub. The plan, which only came to light thanks to a whistleblower, would see Adani Holdings operate the airport for 30 years - and invest $1.85 billion into renovating it and building a new runway and terminal.
Critics say a foreign takeover poses a national security threat, owing to the importance of the airport in regional aviation.
A controversial deal seeking to grant an Indian multinational control over Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Kenya’s biggest, has triggered a strike by workers at the hub. The plan, which only came to light thanks to a whistleblower, would see Adani Holdings operate the airport for 30 years - and invest $1.85 billion into renovating it and building a new runway and terminal.
Critics say a foreign takeover poses a national security threat, owing to the importance of the airport in regional aviation.
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Continued….. The striking airport staff are mostly worried about potential job losses and poorer working conditions. This issue has already been raised with Kenya’s High Court - which ordered a temporary halt to the lease deal.
Some also claim Kenya could afford to upgrade the strategic asset itself if it did more to root out government corruption, which according to a 2020 report by ganintegrity, high corruption levels in Kenya penetrate every sector of the economy.
What are your thoughts? Should Kenyans accept their main airport being under the control of a foreign multinational for three decades or should the strikes intensify?
Some also claim Kenya could afford to upgrade the strategic asset itself if it did more to root out government corruption, which according to a 2020 report by ganintegrity, high corruption levels in Kenya penetrate every sector of the economy.
What are your thoughts? Should Kenyans accept their main airport being under the control of a foreign multinational for three decades or should the strikes intensify?
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BODYCAM CAPTURES NFL STAR ARREST
Police have released body-cam footage of the moment American football star Tyreek Hill was arrested just hours before his opening match of the season. It shows the Miami Dolphins player being pulled over, grabbed from his car, slammed to the ground and handcuffed.
Officers stopped him after suspecting he was speeding and yelled at him to keep his window down, something he didn’t do in a timely fashion according to the officers. That’s when the altercation started near the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Sunday.
Two of Mr Hill’s teammates, Calais Campbell and Jonnu Smith, stopped nearby when they saw what was happening. Mr Campbell says he was then handcuffed when he tried to intervene.
Police have released body-cam footage of the moment American football star Tyreek Hill was arrested just hours before his opening match of the season. It shows the Miami Dolphins player being pulled over, grabbed from his car, slammed to the ground and handcuffed.
Officers stopped him after suspecting he was speeding and yelled at him to keep his window down, something he didn’t do in a timely fashion according to the officers. That’s when the altercation started near the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Sunday.
Two of Mr Hill’s teammates, Calais Campbell and Jonnu Smith, stopped nearby when they saw what was happening. Mr Campbell says he was then handcuffed when he tried to intervene.
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Continued……. US media report the incident finished with one officer recognising Hill and more police officers turning up, along with the head of the Miami Dolphins security. Mr Hill is then seen shaking hands with police before walking away.
He went on to score a touchdown in the Dolphins’ 20-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, and celebrated by pretending to be in handcuffs.
After the game, Mr Hill said he hadn’t wound down his window because he didn’t want to be recognised by fans walking past. He also said: ‘I don’t want to bring race into it…What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill? Lord knows what that guy or guys would have done.’
Hill’s lawyers have now called for the officers involved to be fired for ‘aggressive and violent’ conduct. One officer has been placed on administrative duty over the incident while the Miami-Dade force investigates what happened.
Meanwhile, it’s reported Mr Hill’s been cited for careless driving and failing to wear a seatbelt.
The shocking arrest sparked anger on social media, with some asking if it was because he was Black?
According to US civil rights group NAACP, police are five times more likely to stop a Black person without just cause, than a white person.
Video credits Miami-Dade Police Department
He went on to score a touchdown in the Dolphins’ 20-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, and celebrated by pretending to be in handcuffs.
After the game, Mr Hill said he hadn’t wound down his window because he didn’t want to be recognised by fans walking past. He also said: ‘I don’t want to bring race into it…What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill? Lord knows what that guy or guys would have done.’
Hill’s lawyers have now called for the officers involved to be fired for ‘aggressive and violent’ conduct. One officer has been placed on administrative duty over the incident while the Miami-Dade force investigates what happened.
Meanwhile, it’s reported Mr Hill’s been cited for careless driving and failing to wear a seatbelt.
The shocking arrest sparked anger on social media, with some asking if it was because he was Black?
According to US civil rights group NAACP, police are five times more likely to stop a Black person without just cause, than a white person.
Video credits Miami-Dade Police Department
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‘VOTING FOR IMPERIALISM IS LAZY’
The Democratic Party has been trying to appeal to Black communities in the US by referencing hip-hop songs, doing interviews on Black media platforms, and, according to some reports, even changing their accent when speaking to Black people.
In recent years, Republicans have also been trying to appeal to Black voters by claiming immigrants steal jobs, with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump going as far as calling the low-paid positions allegedly under threat as ‘Black jobs.’
Despite these political parties’ attempts to garner votes, a narrative remains that voting rates are low in working-class Black communities because Black people are ignorant, uneducated or too lazy to cast a ballot. A Washington Post-Ipsos survey reported that 62 per cent of Black people planned to vote in November’s presidential election, down from 74 per cent in June 2020. What might account for the drop?
The Democratic Party has been trying to appeal to Black communities in the US by referencing hip-hop songs, doing interviews on Black media platforms, and, according to some reports, even changing their accent when speaking to Black people.
In recent years, Republicans have also been trying to appeal to Black voters by claiming immigrants steal jobs, with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump going as far as calling the low-paid positions allegedly under threat as ‘Black jobs.’
Despite these political parties’ attempts to garner votes, a narrative remains that voting rates are low in working-class Black communities because Black people are ignorant, uneducated or too lazy to cast a ballot. A Washington Post-Ipsos survey reported that 62 per cent of Black people planned to vote in November’s presidential election, down from 74 per cent in June 2020. What might account for the drop?
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Continued….. However, Dedan Wa Waciuri of North Carolina-based community organisation Mapinduzi (@mapinduzi_252 on IG and @weareuziiii on X) argued that neither Republicans nor Democrats work in Black people’s interests. He pointed out that voting activists are the truly lazy ones for limiting their political engagement in our communities to once every four years.
What might be the solution? Perhaps, we can studying the Black Power Movement in the US and the worldwide Pan-African struggle. Then, consider organising for Black liberation and Pan-Africanism, like Mapinduzi.
In the comments, let us know what you think of Waciuri’s message.
Video credit: @bigklfa600 (TikTok) @dedanwaciuri (IG) @waciuri_dedan (X)
What might be the solution? Perhaps, we can studying the Black Power Movement in the US and the worldwide Pan-African struggle. Then, consider organising for Black liberation and Pan-Africanism, like Mapinduzi.
In the comments, let us know what you think of Waciuri’s message.
Video credit: @bigklfa600 (TikTok) @dedanwaciuri (IG) @waciuri_dedan (X)
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DROUGHT PUSHES MALAWI VILLAGERS TO EAT TOXIC YAMS
Villagers in drought-stricken Malawi are resorting to digging up, boiling and eating potentially poisonous wild tubers. An intense dry spell - the worst in 100 years - has destroyed crops, creating a food crisis. Maize production is down 30% on last year, according to the UN’s World Food Programme - with 40% of the population facing a hunger emergency in the country, which largely depends on rain-fed agriculture. To compound matters, Malawi is also in the grip of a severe cholera outbreak. The authorities have now launched a programme to buy and distribute maize, drawing on international aid. The drought has been declared a national emergency. Other countries in the region - such as Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia, which also rely on agriculture - are being hurt by the lack of rain as well, and have also declared drought emergencies.
Villagers in drought-stricken Malawi are resorting to digging up, boiling and eating potentially poisonous wild tubers. An intense dry spell - the worst in 100 years - has destroyed crops, creating a food crisis. Maize production is down 30% on last year, according to the UN’s World Food Programme - with 40% of the population facing a hunger emergency in the country, which largely depends on rain-fed agriculture. To compound matters, Malawi is also in the grip of a severe cholera outbreak. The authorities have now launched a programme to buy and distribute maize, drawing on international aid. The drought has been declared a national emergency. Other countries in the region - such as Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia, which also rely on agriculture - are being hurt by the lack of rain as well, and have also declared drought emergencies.
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Zahi Hawass, archaeologist and former Egyptian minister of antiquities, has launched an online petition calling on Germany to return the famous bust of the ancient Egyptian queen, Nefertiti (circa 1370-circa 1330 BC). The German Oriental Society shipped the painted limestone bust of Pharaoh Akhenaten's great royal wife to Berlin in 1913, a move the Egyptian minister and archaeologist deems illegal. Egyptian authorities have attempted several times to repatriate the artefact.
Debate has long raged about Nefertiti's racial identity. Her name means 'the beautiful one has come forth.' Western media has portrayed her with white skin, such as in the 1961 film, 'Nefertiti, Queen of the Nile.' However, late Senegalese historian and anthropologist Cheikh Anta Diop (1923-86) spearheaded decolonial research to re-establish ancient Egypt's Black African racial, cultural, and political identity.
Debate has long raged about Nefertiti's racial identity. Her name means 'the beautiful one has come forth.' Western media has portrayed her with white skin, such as in the 1961 film, 'Nefertiti, Queen of the Nile.' However, late Senegalese historian and anthropologist Cheikh Anta Diop (1923-86) spearheaded decolonial research to re-establish ancient Egypt's Black African racial, cultural, and political identity.
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Continued……The beauty of the Nefertiti bust still influences fashion, jewellery, and popular culture 3,000 years after the Egyptian queen graced the Nile River Valley.
In a separate petition, Hawass calls for France to return the Dendera Zodiac, a bas-relief from a chapel's ceiling dedicated to the Egyptian god of fertility, Osiris, and for Britain to return the Rosetta Stone, a fragment of a stele (stone monument) inscribed in 196 BC with Egyptian King Ptolemy V's royal decree.
These petitions can be found at hawasszahi.com/repatriation
Let us know in the comments what you think of this effort to repatriate the artefacts.
In a separate petition, Hawass calls for France to return the Dendera Zodiac, a bas-relief from a chapel's ceiling dedicated to the Egyptian god of fertility, Osiris, and for Britain to return the Rosetta Stone, a fragment of a stele (stone monument) inscribed in 196 BC with Egyptian King Ptolemy V's royal decree.
These petitions can be found at hawasszahi.com/repatriation
Let us know in the comments what you think of this effort to repatriate the artefacts.
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AMÍLCAR CABRAL: COLONIAL PORTUGAL’S NIGHTMARE
A hundred years ago today, on this day in 1924, the great revolutionary pan-Africanist Amílcar Lopes Cabral was born. His adopted warrior name was ‘Abdel Djassi.’ Cabral became an icon and a hero of the liberation struggle as leader of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde. The PAIGC (for short) fought an armed struggle against Portuguese colonialism, organising rural farmers in Guinea-Bissau and training them both ideologically and militarily for the fight.
In addition to this, Cabral was also a founding member of The People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), having met Angolan militants such as Agostinho Neto while studying in Portugal.
A hundred years ago today, on this day in 1924, the great revolutionary pan-Africanist Amílcar Lopes Cabral was born. His adopted warrior name was ‘Abdel Djassi.’ Cabral became an icon and a hero of the liberation struggle as leader of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde. The PAIGC (for short) fought an armed struggle against Portuguese colonialism, organising rural farmers in Guinea-Bissau and training them both ideologically and militarily for the fight.
In addition to this, Cabral was also a founding member of The People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), having met Angolan militants such as Agostinho Neto while studying in Portugal.
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