Media is too big
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BUJU BANTON: 'IDGAF ABOUT POLITICAL PARTIES'
It seems African people's problems are similar the world over.
In this clip from a recent 'Drink Champs' episode, legendary reggae artist Buju Banton proposed government leaders are, in a nutshell, CEOs, answering first and foremost to their 'board members,' which could be his way of saying corporate interests. Banton isn't too far off as we witness Africa's continued economic subjugation. Institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank have more say in how our governments run than we do. That's why these governments approve austerity measures, market liberalisation and privatisation despite being wildly unpopular.
In the face of this uneven relationship, Banton (@bujubanton on X) lamented the complacency of many Caribbean leaders and the masses. 'I think they put something in our water over the years.'
Video credit: @revolttv
It seems African people's problems are similar the world over.
In this clip from a recent 'Drink Champs' episode, legendary reggae artist Buju Banton proposed government leaders are, in a nutshell, CEOs, answering first and foremost to their 'board members,' which could be his way of saying corporate interests. Banton isn't too far off as we witness Africa's continued economic subjugation. Institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank have more say in how our governments run than we do. That's why these governments approve austerity measures, market liberalisation and privatisation despite being wildly unpopular.
In the face of this uneven relationship, Banton (@bujubanton on X) lamented the complacency of many Caribbean leaders and the masses. 'I think they put something in our water over the years.'
Video credit: @revolttv
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Continued... He also cited a similar struggle in Kenya, where mass protests erupted in June against an IMF-backed finance bill. Sustained pressure on and off the streets, including the mainly youthful protesters exposing government corruption, forced the president to send the bill back to Parliament for withdrawal, lending credence to Banton's insistence that the people should hold leaders' feet to the fire when they don't serve the people.
Have a watch, and let us know what you think.
Sources:
IMF is the boss, not the people
https://nation.africa/kenya/business/imf-told-state-to-ignore-anti-tax-protests-4672248
Have a watch, and let us know what you think.
Sources:
IMF is the boss, not the people
https://nation.africa/kenya/business/imf-told-state-to-ignore-anti-tax-protests-4672248
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Media is too big
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BLACK CELEBS MUST HIRE BLACK PEOPLE - NFL'S JIM BROWN
In a powerful statement, NFL legend Jim Brown (@jimbrown) critiqued the role of modern Black celebrities, calling them a ‘1984 Uncle Tom.'
He calls out how many Black professional athletes secure lucrative contracts while being represented by white professionals, neglecting to uplift Black lawyers, accountants and managers. Brown suggested doing so would help build sustainable development within Black communities.
While we don't know if Brown was speaking of Pan-Africanism or about surviving within the US capitalist system, his words remind us of the responsibility that comes with fame and wealth, and the importance of using influence to uplift our people.
In a powerful statement, NFL legend Jim Brown (@jimbrown) critiqued the role of modern Black celebrities, calling them a ‘1984 Uncle Tom.'
He calls out how many Black professional athletes secure lucrative contracts while being represented by white professionals, neglecting to uplift Black lawyers, accountants and managers. Brown suggested doing so would help build sustainable development within Black communities.
While we don't know if Brown was speaking of Pan-Africanism or about surviving within the US capitalist system, his words remind us of the responsibility that comes with fame and wealth, and the importance of using influence to uplift our people.
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African Stream
BLACK CELEBS MUST HIRE BLACK PEOPLE - NFL'S JIM BROWN In a powerful statement, NFL legend Jim Brown (@jimbrown) critiqued the role of modern Black celebrities, calling them a ‘1984 Uncle Tom.' He calls out how many Black professional athletes secure lucrative…
Sources:
https://people.com/celebrity/black-celebrities-who-give-back/
https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/other-sources/article/?id=15198162&noscript=Black-Celebs-Who-Give-Back-To-Community-And-Powerful-Causes
https://www.adweek.com/creativity/new-narrative-brands-black-community/.
https://amp.theguardian.com/music/2016/nov/10/rap-black-lives-matter-lil-wayne-vic-mensa-beyonce-asap-rocky
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43970903.amp
https://people.com/celebrity/black-celebrities-who-give-back/
https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/other-sources/article/?id=15198162&noscript=Black-Celebs-Who-Give-Back-To-Community-And-Powerful-Causes
https://www.adweek.com/creativity/new-narrative-brands-black-community/.
https://amp.theguardian.com/music/2016/nov/10/rap-black-lives-matter-lil-wayne-vic-mensa-beyonce-asap-rocky
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43970903.amp
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Media is too big
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U.S. DENIES PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD
Do you remember when African Stream reposted a video earlier this year of Dr. Ruha Benjamin (@ruha9) telling a class of US university graduates that Black faces in high places are not going to save us?
'Just look at the Black woman's hand, ambassador at the UN, voting against a ceasefire in Gaza.' Benjamin was talking about US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield. And, boy, did the ambassador prove Benjamin right once again.
At a recent event held by the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, Thomas-Greenfield said Palestine does not qualify for statehood at the United Nations. Her job as US ambassador is to uphold and defend US imperial interests worldwide, which includes protecting its ally, Israel, as it continues its 76-year occupation of Palestine. As Benjamin made clear, the Blackness and womanness of a US civil servant do nothing to change the reality of her role.
Video credit: @cfr_org
Do you remember when African Stream reposted a video earlier this year of Dr. Ruha Benjamin (@ruha9) telling a class of US university graduates that Black faces in high places are not going to save us?
'Just look at the Black woman's hand, ambassador at the UN, voting against a ceasefire in Gaza.' Benjamin was talking about US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield. And, boy, did the ambassador prove Benjamin right once again.
At a recent event held by the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, Thomas-Greenfield said Palestine does not qualify for statehood at the United Nations. Her job as US ambassador is to uphold and defend US imperial interests worldwide, which includes protecting its ally, Israel, as it continues its 76-year occupation of Palestine. As Benjamin made clear, the Blackness and womanness of a US civil servant do nothing to change the reality of her role.
Video credit: @cfr_org
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Continued... As for the Palestinian state, it is recognised by more than 75 per cent of UN member states, with the majority being African, Asian and Latin American countries. In 2024, Spain, Ireland, and Norway became the first European countries to recognise Palestine's statehood. In June of this year, experts at the United Nations insisted that every UN member should formally recognise Palestine.
Might the United States of America end up as the last country on earth, besides Israel, to recognise the Palestinian state? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_12_E3LAeg
https://x.com/FGaitho237/status/1779594163001938061/video/1
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/06/un-experts-urge-all-states-recognise-state-palestine
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240528-145-countries-now-recognise-a-palestinian-state
Might the United States of America end up as the last country on earth, besides Israel, to recognise the Palestinian state? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_12_E3LAeg
https://x.com/FGaitho237/status/1779594163001938061/video/1
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/06/un-experts-urge-all-states-recognise-state-palestine
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240528-145-countries-now-recognise-a-palestinian-state
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Media is too big
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AKALA: DON'T BLAME RELIGION FOR INDIVIDUAL CRIMES
International media is quick to condemn an entire religion for the crimes of an individual, especially when the perpetrator is a Black, Brown or Muslim. That's according to Akala, a British rapper and activist, in a 2016 episode of UK-based Not For the Radio.
He argues Europeans' crimes are whitewashed, citing the example of Norwegian Anders Breivik, who shot and k*lled 77 people at a Norwegian summer youth camp in 2011. Akala (@akalamusic) said the media did not describe Breivik as a white nationalist Christian t*rrorist, but as a 'lone wolf.'
Video credit: @notfortheradio
International media is quick to condemn an entire religion for the crimes of an individual, especially when the perpetrator is a Black, Brown or Muslim. That's according to Akala, a British rapper and activist, in a 2016 episode of UK-based Not For the Radio.
He argues Europeans' crimes are whitewashed, citing the example of Norwegian Anders Breivik, who shot and k*lled 77 people at a Norwegian summer youth camp in 2011. Akala (@akalamusic) said the media did not describe Breivik as a white nationalist Christian t*rrorist, but as a 'lone wolf.'
Video credit: @notfortheradio
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Continued... Yet, when Seifeddine Rezgui k*lled 38 mostly European tourists at a Tunisian resort in 2015, Tunisian authorities cracked down on mosques for supposedly radicalising the youth, blaming Islamists for breeding terrorists in the North African country. However, the core issue for Tunisian youth is economic and political disenfranchisement due to decades of mismanagement. A sad reality that sparked the Arab Spring uprisings was when 26-year-old Tunisian Mohamed Bouazizi set himself ablaze in 2010 to protest government corruption.
Do you agree with Akala's assessment? Let us know.
Sources:
https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/coup-in-tunisia-is-democracy-lost/
https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/06/29/418490363/after-slaughter-of-tourists-tunisia-cracks-down-on-islamists
https://www.smh.com.au/world/tunisia-terror-attack-the-radical-mosques-that-bred-gunman-seifeddine-rezgui-20150629-gi073c.html
https://www.dw.com/en/tunisia-to-close-80-mosques-following-terror-attack/a-18544478
https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/what-makes-lone-wolfe-terrorists-245316
https://mena.fes.de/blog/e/the-tunisian-youth-in-a-whirlwind-of-uncertainty.html
https://www.arab-reform.net/publication/tunisia-youth-take-a-stand-for-against-the-presidents-decisions-and-watch-in-limbo/
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305008679_'Lone_Wolf_Terrorism'_The_Case_of_Anders_Breivik
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/mar/08/one-of-us-review-compelling-anders-breivik
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68310127
https://www.crisisgroup.org/global/exploiting-disorder-al-qaeda-and-islamic-state
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/06/tunisia-sousse-isis-democracy/397169/
Do you agree with Akala's assessment? Let us know.
Sources:
https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/coup-in-tunisia-is-democracy-lost/
https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/06/29/418490363/after-slaughter-of-tourists-tunisia-cracks-down-on-islamists
https://www.smh.com.au/world/tunisia-terror-attack-the-radical-mosques-that-bred-gunman-seifeddine-rezgui-20150629-gi073c.html
https://www.dw.com/en/tunisia-to-close-80-mosques-following-terror-attack/a-18544478
https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/what-makes-lone-wolfe-terrorists-245316
https://mena.fes.de/blog/e/the-tunisian-youth-in-a-whirlwind-of-uncertainty.html
https://www.arab-reform.net/publication/tunisia-youth-take-a-stand-for-against-the-presidents-decisions-and-watch-in-limbo/
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305008679_'Lone_Wolf_Terrorism'_The_Case_of_Anders_Breivik
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/mar/08/one-of-us-review-compelling-anders-breivik
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68310127
https://www.crisisgroup.org/global/exploiting-disorder-al-qaeda-and-islamic-state
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/06/tunisia-sousse-isis-democracy/397169/
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From happenings at the UN to the repatriation of fallen anti-apartheid fighters in Zimbabwe, here’s our weekly photo dump.
1. Port-Au-Prince, Haiti - Kenyan president William Ruto visits Haiti to evaluate the success of the Kenyan police force deployed to help fight gangs in the country.
2. Guet Ndar, Senegal - Amid a spike in migration to Europe, 30 bodies are discovered on a capsized boat off the coast of Dakar.
3. New York, United States - DRC’s president, Felix Tshisekedi, calls for sanctions against Rwanda for “destabilising his country.”
4. New York, United States - Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva greets South African president Cyril Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
1. Port-Au-Prince, Haiti - Kenyan president William Ruto visits Haiti to evaluate the success of the Kenyan police force deployed to help fight gangs in the country.
2. Guet Ndar, Senegal - Amid a spike in migration to Europe, 30 bodies are discovered on a capsized boat off the coast of Dakar.
3. New York, United States - DRC’s president, Felix Tshisekedi, calls for sanctions against Rwanda for “destabilising his country.”
4. New York, United States - Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva greets South African president Cyril Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
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5. Harare, Zimbabwe - A former combatant with the Azania People's Liberation Army carries a box with the remains of one of 16 former South African freedom fighters who were buried in Zimbabwe during the struggle against the apartheid regime. The bodies of the fallen heroes will now be repatriated back to South Africa.
6. Gedaref, Sudan - Displaced Sudanese queue for food aid at a camp as the country still suffers from the largest humanitarian crises in the world.
7. New York, United States - people protest for the release of 42 Democracy Hub members who were arrested and detained in Ghana during Ghanaian president Nana Akufo-Addo’s UN address.
6. Gedaref, Sudan - Displaced Sudanese queue for food aid at a camp as the country still suffers from the largest humanitarian crises in the world.
7. New York, United States - people protest for the release of 42 Democracy Hub members who were arrested and detained in Ghana during Ghanaian president Nana Akufo-Addo’s UN address.
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African Stream
5. Harare, Zimbabwe - A former combatant with the Azania People's Liberation Army carries a box with the remains of one of 16 former South African freedom fighters who were buried in Zimbabwe during the struggle against the apartheid regime. The bodies of…
Sources:
https://reports.unocha.org/en/country/sudan/
https://www.ghanacelebrities.com/2024/09/26/ghanaians-in-new-york-protest-against-akufo-addo-following-un-general-assembly-address/
https://www.herald.co.zw/remains-of-16-sa-struggle-stalwarts-repatriated/
https://apnews.com/article/un-security-council-expansion-africa-us-54d1a31c24229b40a2103e08f36e52b9
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c30lmpgvvvqo
https://www.africanews.com/2024/09/26/congos-president-tshisekedi-calls-for-sanctions-against-rwanda/
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyljem2xpdo
https://reports.unocha.org/en/country/sudan/
https://www.ghanacelebrities.com/2024/09/26/ghanaians-in-new-york-protest-against-akufo-addo-following-un-general-assembly-address/
https://www.herald.co.zw/remains-of-16-sa-struggle-stalwarts-repatriated/
https://apnews.com/article/un-security-council-expansion-africa-us-54d1a31c24229b40a2103e08f36e52b9
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c30lmpgvvvqo
https://www.africanews.com/2024/09/26/congos-president-tshisekedi-calls-for-sanctions-against-rwanda/
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyljem2xpdo
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AFRICA LEADERS ON GAZA
At the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, African leaders gave special attention to Israel's 11-month military onslaught in the Gaza Strip, which has k*lled more than 41,000 and as many as 186,000 as of early July, according to the Lancet medical journal.
In this video, we see leaders from Angola, Comoros, Namibia, Nigeria and Zimbabwe calling for an end to Israel's 76-year occupation of Palestine. Senegal and South Africa's leaders also made similar pleas.
Many Africans see ourselves in the Palestinian people, as we both have experienced European colonialism, settler-colonialism and imperialism.
In July, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion that Israel's occupation of the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem violates international law and it called for Israeli settlers to evacuate immediately.
At the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, African leaders gave special attention to Israel's 11-month military onslaught in the Gaza Strip, which has k*lled more than 41,000 and as many as 186,000 as of early July, according to the Lancet medical journal.
In this video, we see leaders from Angola, Comoros, Namibia, Nigeria and Zimbabwe calling for an end to Israel's 76-year occupation of Palestine. Senegal and South Africa's leaders also made similar pleas.
Many Africans see ourselves in the Palestinian people, as we both have experienced European colonialism, settler-colonialism and imperialism.
In July, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion that Israel's occupation of the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem violates international law and it called for Israeli settlers to evacuate immediately.
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