DEATH PENALTY FOR 3 U.S. COUP PLOTTERS IN DRC

A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has sentenced 37 people, including some foreigners, to death - for an attempted coup on 19th May. Three US citizens were among those handed capital punishment for trying to overthrow President Félix Tshisekedi. The coup was led by Christain Malanga, a former Congolese army officer and politician with US citizenship. Citizens of Belgium, the UK and Canada - of Congolese origin - were also sentenced to death. Malanga led armed men into the presidential palace in Kinshasa, the capital, after attacking parliamentary speaker Vital Kamerhe's home. Malanga and five others were killed by security forces. 51 men were detained. Their trial started on 7th June at the Ndolo military prison. 14 men were acquitted. DR Congo lifted a 21-year ban on the death penalty just two months before the botched power grab. Defence lawyers say they will appeal the death sentences.

Continued... East Africa consumes nearly 200,000 barrels of refined petroleum products daily, presenting an opportunity for Uganda to fill its treasury with much-needed cash and reduce its energy-import bill. However, the project has not come without controversy. Conservationists claim it has negatively impacted ecosystems and displaced more than 120,000 people from their land in Uganda and Tanzania. The project's proponents point to hypocrisy from Western conservationists, arguing that the West pushes green policies on Africa that it happily flouts itself. Take coal, for instance: when Africans produce it, it’s harmful stuff we should all stop using; but when there’s an energy crisis in Europe, suddenly it’s fine again.

What are your thoughts? Leave your comments below.

RUTO CAUGHT IN A LIE

Kenya’s president William Ruto - in an interview with broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) during his two-day visit to Germany - claimed 250,000 young Kenyans could expect to get jobs in Germany. But he was quickly fact-checked by the German interior ministry, which tweeted that Ruto’s claim was false and that the new labour and migration deal signed between Berlin and Nairobi “does not include any numbers or quotas of skilled workers who will have the opportunity to work in Germany.”

The migration deal, signed with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, states that skilled workers from Kenya can apply to live and work in Germany. It also facilitates the repatriation of Kenyans who failed their asylum requests and therefore don't have the right to stay in Germany.

It's not the first time Ruto has been caught lying.

Continued... The ‘flying president’ tried to excuse splashing out 1.5-million dollars on a private jet for his recent state visit to the US by claiming that, overall, it was cheaper than using the national carrier Kenya Airways. But people did the maths and called him out: if Ruto and four of his top officials had booked first-class return tickets ($4,500 a pop) and if the rest of his 30-strong entourage had flown economy ($1,300 each), that would have come to $61,500. And if we add a hotel bill of $600 per person (covering three days), the total price of his state visit could have been around $82,500.

Or there’s the fact that - bowing to pressure from nationwide protests - he dismissed his cabinet and promised to install fresh faces. Yet his new ‘unity’ government of 11 included six old faces he’d just ‘dismissed.’

What is your level of trust in Ruto, on a scale of 1 to 10?

CLINTON: ARMING AFGHAN MUJAHIDEEN WAS WORTH IT

In 2009, Hillary Clinton - then US Secretary of State - said that arming the Mujahideen to fight the Soviet Union in Afghanistan “wasn’t a bad investment.” That’s because, she claims, it helped bring on the collapse of the USSR.

Of course, this also led to the rise of the Taliban, which the US then went on to fight for 20 years in a campaign that ended in defeat and a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The Soviet collapse also threw millions into poverty and saw the rise of an oligarch class that captured key industries and robbed the country’s wealth.

Washington has also destabilised countries in Africa with its self-interested meddling.

For example, in Somalia, terror group al-Shabaab emerged from the power vacuum left by the removal of the Islamic Courts Union, which controlled Mogadishu until it was ousted by US-backed Ethiopian forces.

Continued... Many refugees in Sweden come from conflict-ridden countries such as Syria and Afghanistan - with Africa mainly represented by Somalis, Eritreans and Ethiopian. Experts believe that financial incentives are unlikely to outweigh the challenges these individuals would face in their home nations. It also goes against international laws on refoulment, as the refugees have no guarantees of safety upon return.

Some experts and organisations argue that the funds would be better used on integration programmes, helping refugees learn the language, find jobs and build a future in Sweden. The increased repatriation grant is viewed by many as part of Sweden’s growing trend towards stricter immigration and asylum policies, reflecting a broader European shift towards curbing migration amid rising right-wing and populist movements.

Even though today, neocolonialism ensures that the Global South continues to be drained for the benefit of Western societies, many in Europe don't see the irony - that historically, Europeans were the ones who invaded and exploited the Global South.

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SCHOOLS WON’T TEACH YOU HOW TO TAKE POWER BACK

The education system in America has long suffered from racial inequality. According to the Adequacy and Fairness of State School Finance System Study schools in predominately Black neighborhoods are reportedly more likely to be underfunded - resulting in fewer resources, larger class sizes and the hiring of less experienced teachers.

Black students are also victims of discriminatory disciplinary practices - being more likely than their White peers to be suspended or expelled for the same behaviors, contributing to the ‘school-to-prison pipeline’ according to a report by the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) - that’s is, the tendency of minors from underprivileged backgrounds to end up, disproportionately, incarcerated because of harsh school and municipal policies.

Continued... In this clip, pan-Africanist historian John Henrik Clarke (1915 - 1998) claims the US public school system is anti-Black by design: the oppressors fear they might lose their grip on power if too many Black students flourish.

This week's dose of Wednesday wisdom is from a 1963 Malcolm X speech, in which he distinguished between the 'House Negro’ and the 'Field Negro.'

He said that the House Negro identified with his master and believed they were alike because 'he ate the same food as master ate, and wore his same clothes, and he could talk just like his master.'

Over six decades later, Malcolm X's words ring true. We continue to witness some Africans—leaders, journalists and ordinary citizens alike—willing to betray the fight against colonialism, neocolonialism and imperialism, doing the bidding of their Western masters for a few pennies and privileges. They don't want the master's property burnt down.

However, as Malcolm X (1925-65) noted, Field Negroes pray 'for a strong wind to come along' when the master's house is burning. In this speech, he declared, 'I'm a Field Negro!'

What do you make of Malcolm X's distinction? Let us know in the comments.

VISA RACISM

In this clip, European traveller and vlogger Sara Della Santa (@saradella.santa - Instagram) sheds light on the misconception that Europe is superior to Africa.

The reality is that everything that Europe and the world covet is found within Africa's borders. She urges Africans to reclaim control of their continent and fully embrace their immense wealth and potential.

She also highlights the frustrating inequality and hypocrisy of global travel.

While Western travellers can freely explore Africa, many Africans are denied the same freedom due to restrictive visa policies. This injustice is stark, especially when young Africans, like their European counterparts, simply wish to experience the world without the intention of staying abroad.

Please share your thoughts on the disparity in global travel and on how Africans can reclaim control of their resources and future.

Video Credit: @Africawebtv1 (YouTube)

SCOTTISH TRADE UNIONIST'S REMARKS RING TRUE FOR AFRICANS

For us at African Stream, Scottish trade unionist Jimmy Reid's remarks about freedoms of the press and speech are particularly relevant, given three social media platforms banned our accounts earlier this week. We got de-platformed after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused us—without providing evidence—of giving a voice to Kremlin propagandists.

Governments claim everyone has rights and freedoms. However, upon closer examination, according to Reid, rights and freedoms prove to be abstract.

Video credit: Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2 on X)

Continued... According to international law, a Malian farmer has the same legal rights and access to justice as Nestlé CEO Ulf Mark Schneider. However, when Malians lost a lawsuit against food companies Nestlé and Cargill over allegations they were trafficked as children, not paid for their work, threatened with starvation if they did not work, and forced to live in squalor. In theory they had a strong case but in reality companies like companies Nestlé and Cargill were always going to come out on top, and they did.


Over in Nigeria, rural villagers in the Niger River Delta are allegedly equal to the executives running oil companies Shell and Chevron. But who do you think has the upper hand in the courtroom?

Legally, African Stream has the same rights to freedom of speech and the press as the New York Times, CNN and the BBC. However, our ban from Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, show that free speech and freedom of the press, both enshrined in the United Nations' 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights are only real when you don't speak truth to power.

Under capitalism, most of our freedoms are abstract because, while we have the same legal rights as those who run the imperialist global order, we do not have the resources to fight to maintain these so-called freedoms.

Ugandan dictator Idi Amin infamously said, 'There is freedom of speech, but I cannot guarantee freedom after speech.' Sounds like US Secretary of State Antony Blinken might agree with his sentiments.