Continued...
His evidence for this, is Columbus' own admission, as noted by Spanish clergyman and writer Bartolomé de Las Casas' writings recounting his 1498 voyage with Columbus, that 'there had come to Española from the south and south-east, a Black people who have the tops of their spears made of a metal which they call guanin, of which he [Columbus] had sent samples to the Sovereigns to have them assayed, when it was found that of 32 parts, 18 were of gold, six of silver and eight of copper.'

Here, Sertima elaborates on how the names these Black people used for their spears can be linked to sounds from West Africa.

Why do you think Christopher Columbus is still credited with the 'discovery' of the Americas?

Sources:

They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America (1976)

https://www.americanjourneys.org/AJ_PDF/AJ-066.pdf

http://shipsofdiscovery.org/columbus-the-age-of-exploration/columbus-lost-ships/1498-2

Sources:

https://www.wnyc.org/story/250329-marcus-garvey-20th-century-pan-africanist/
https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/black-star-line-1919-1923/#:~:text=Edgar%20Hoover%2C%20sent%20a%20black,after%20appeals%2C%20imprisoned%20in%201925.
https://ghana.for91days.com/black-star/
https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20231006/marcus-garvey-story-part-iii

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/25/the-us-invaded-the-island-of-grenada-40-years-ago-the-legacy-of-revolution-lives-on
https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/grenada-marks-40-years-since-the-assassination-of-revolutionary-leader-maurice-bishop/
https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/amr320022003en.pdf

https://www.twn.my/noscript2/resurgence/2013/278/cover01.htm#:~:text=The%20two%20dominant%20groups%20were,based%20on%20gradual%20economic%20cooperation.
https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/colonial-borders-in-africa-improper-design-and-its-impact-on-african-borderland-communities

https://unia-aclgovernment.com/history/the-negro-world/
https://marcusgarveymuseum.com/index.php/history/the-negro-world
https://spyscape.com/article/5-surprising-facts-about-the-fbis-first-african-american-agent

HAS KAMALA HARRIS MADE ABOLITIONISTS EMPIRE APOLOGISTS?

Black US voters have traditionally backed Democrat candidates for the presidency, and the 2024 election has the added factor of a possible first woman of colour getting the top job. Could the hope of better lives for Black people under her leadership be the reason why progressive African voices are not speaking out against US imperialist policies now that she leads the ticket?

During a recent appearance on the Breakfast Club (Power 105.1 FM), Green Party vice-presidential nominee Butch Ware says formerly vocal abolitionists (activists against prison industrial complex and racial capitalism and imperialism) have gone mute since Kamala Harris became the Democratic Party's presidential nominee.

Video credit: @Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM

Continued... During a lively debate on the show, journalist Angela Rye responded with optimism on why abolitionists have become quiet, since Harris became the DNC presidential candidate saying, “Could it be that she is someone who listens to voices on all sides?"

Sources: https://www.forbes.com/sites/stratfor/2017/02/09/the-modern-day-abolitionist-movement/

https://www.amacad.org/publication/daedalus/two-worlds-race-revisited-meditation-race-age-obama

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/01/barack-obama-race-relations-213493/

https://isreview.org/issue/100/black-awakening-obamas-america/index.html

https://revistia.org/files/articles/ejss_v6_i1_23/Vukelic.pdf

https://www.ft.com/content/8c7032b4-b9d9-49ae-8e49-75fb23e59f02

https://powerinplaceproject.com/news/2020/6/19/the-2020-abolitionist-movement-a-new-road-to-liberation

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/black-men-voting-battle-frustration/story?id=111185925

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/06/us/politics/biden-trump-black-voters-poll-democrats.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stratfor/2017/02/09/the-modern-day-abolitionist-movement/

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/23/untouchables-wall-street-prosecutions-obama

https://jacobin.com/2021/06/barack-obama-ezra-klein-nyt-wall-street-bailouts

Our proverb this week is from Sudan. Parents often want seemingly contradictory things for their children - for example, for them to stay close to home and family (roots), but also to go out into the world and succeed (wings). A good upbringing and strong family bonds are the perfect foundation from which to reach new heights.

'ITALIAN LEATHER'? NO, IT'S NIGERIAN!

Africans have denounced Western luxury fashion brands for exploiting the continent's resources, craftsmanship, and cultural heritage, having not provided returns and credited the respective communities.

Isa, a Hausa man residing in New York, took to TikTok to pat his lawyer sister's back for taking luxury fashion brands to court on behalf of the Nigerian leather manufacturers producing leather for them. Instead of getting credit, the final products using their leather were marketed abroad as 'Italian Leather.' After winning the case, fashion houses, rather than stamping their leather goods with ‘Nigerian leather,’ began using ‘Genuine Leather.’

Many brands have drawn inspiration from African cultures, using traditional patterns and designs in their collections without proper attribution or compensation. Other top brands, such as Gucci, Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton, also have been called out.

Credit: @isa_bako (TikTok)

Sources:

https://the49thstreet.com/made-in-italy-or-made-in-nigeria-the-ruse-behind-italian-leather

https://www.fashionghana.com/site/truth-about-italian-leather

https://marieclaire.ng/exploring-nigerias-rich-leather-tradition-history-craftsmanship-and-market-potential

ANOTHER CASE OF RACIAL PROFILING BY UK COPS?

Northamptonshire Police in the UK have been accused of using excessive force in the arrest of a Black university student named Santino on 8th August. A video posted by him on his X account (@Santino1o) shows CCTV footage of a police officer in plain clothes chasing him before pinning him down. Shortly after, other policemen arrive on the scene and help to handcuff him. Santino claims he was injured in the encounter and that the rough treatment continued at the police station. He says that he was helping a homeless man, but the police, suspecting him of being a drug dealer, pursued and arrested him.

The incident has reignited discussion about police conduct and treatment of minorities.

Video credits: @theshadesborogh and @Santino1o

Continued... Santino's experience comes in the wake of anti-immigrant riots that rocked the UK in late July and early August. Black and Asian UK residents were attacked and racially abused by anti-immigration mobs, while some had their property and businesses vandalised.

What’s your reaction to Santino’s experience? Let us know.

Sources:

https://uknip.co.uk/news/uk/midlands/police-face-criticism-over-alleged-excessive-force-against-university-student/

https://tscnewschannel.com/2024/09/10/police-face-criticism-over-alleged-excessive-force-against-university-student/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/28/far-right-activists-filmed-hassling-asylum-seekers-in-hotels

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/aug/06/some-threatened-to-kill-us-asylum-seekers-left-fearful-by-far-right-mobs

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg55we5n3xo

https://medium.com/@Reg_Left_Media/quilliam-imploding-but-still-no-answers-44a139bcfc98

https://5pillarsuk.com/2018/11/09/academic-rubbishes-quilliam-grooming-gangs-report/

https://medium.com/@Reg_Left_Media/sajid-javid-maajid-nawaz-quite-probably-the-worst-piece-of-research-ive-ever-read-c751e313ff58

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/dec/15/child-sexual-abuse-gangs-white-men-home-office-report

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-65174096

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/944206/Group-based_CSE_Paper.pdf

RAPAPORT MOCKS LEBANESE VICTIMS OF ISRAELI TERRORISM

Many have denounced once-relevant, pro-Israel US actor and comedian Michael Rapaport for mocking an unprecedented attack involving exploding pagers and walkie-talkies.

The explosions over 17-18 September in Lebanon k*lled 37 people (including two children) and injured 3,250 (with 200 critically injured).

While Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for the attacks, unnamed Israeli officials told the Washington Post that the explosions 'marked the culmination of a multi-year investment in penetrating Hezbollah's communications, logistics and procurement structures.'

Western security sources allegedly told Reuters that Israel's secretive military intelligence Unit 8200 was involved.

Video credit: @MichaelRapaport (X)

Continued... During an 18 September visit to the Ramat David Air Force base in northern Israel, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant seemed to hint at Israel's involvement, saying, 'We are at the beginning of a new era in this war, and we need to adapt ourselves.'

According to the BBC, an unnamed British Army munitions expert said the pagers and walkie-talkies could have contained fake electronic components holding between 10 grams and 20 grams of military-grade high explosives.

UN human rights experts have condemned the attack in Lebanon, describing it as a 'terrifying violation of international law.'

Legal scholar Lama Fakih, the Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, pointed out that the use of an explosive device whose exact location could not be known is 'unlawfully indiscriminate' and a 'booby trap.'

Israel is a signatory to Article 7(2) of the Amended Protocol II of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, added to an international law on the use of conventional weapons in 1996.

The pager attack has sparked fears of a wider regional war in West Asia. Israel's bombed southern Lebanon on 20 September, k*lling at least seven women and three children, as well as two senior Hezbollah officials. In response, Hezbollah retaliated the next day by launching missiles into northern Israel.

Sources

Sources
Right to r*pe
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/9/everything-is-legitimate-israeli-leaders-defend-soldiers-accused-of-rape

Blockade of aid trucks
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-right-wing-settler-attacks-gaza-aid-whos-behind-them-whos-suffering/

Bombing aid trucks
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/gaza-aid-convoy-deaths-al-rashid-israel-idf-hamas-rcna141497

Israeli involvement in pager attacks
https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/17/middleeast/lebanon-hezbollah-pagers-explosions-intl/index.html

Frustration with situation in north
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/israelis-in-north-worried-but-used-to-hezbollah-threat

Hezbollah raison d'etre
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/26/five-questions-answered-why-were-israel-hezbollah-attacking-each-other