Continued........A group of 20 non-governmental organisations met in Geneva, Switzerland, in April for a UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (PFPAD) to seek ways of recovering the money paid by Haiti, which they referred to as a ransom.  Jemima Pierre, a professor of global race at the University of British Columbia, estimates the ransom could be as high as $200 billion or more, taking into account 200 years of interest since 1825.

In his UN speech, interim president Leblanc Fils reminded the world that the bicentenary of "history's greatest heist" (in the words of Marlene Daut, a scholar at the University of Virginia) is around the corner, and now would be a good time for the UN to ensure justice is done.

What do you think?

SOURCES:

https://www.gu.se/en/news/haitian-revolution-shows-that-human-rights-do-not-protect-against-inequality#:~:text=The%20origins%20of%20human%20rights,for%20these%20ideas%20and%20institutions.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/05/23/world/haiti-france-ransom

https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/louisiana-purchase-treaty#:~:text=In%20this%20transaction%20with%20France,size%2C%20expanding%20the%20nation%20westward.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/18/haiti-france-reparations

https://www.bankingonsolidarity.org/citibank-and-haitians-a-violent-history/

https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2021/10/05/1042518732/-the-greatest-heist-in-history-how-haiti-was-forced-to-pay-reparations-for-freed

https://jacobin.com/2017/01/haiti-reparations-france-slavery-colonialism-debt/

https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/09/14/haiti-crisis-intervention-gangs-colonialism-france-us-history-monetary-policy/

A WORLD FREE OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN


Actress Viola Davis - who starred in The Woman King - uses her voice to champion women’s rights, drawing on her own experiences growing up to highlight the profoundly negative impact of violence against women. In this clip, she shares her insights into, as well as some disturbing stats on, violence against women.

In the devastating war in Congo, women are bearing a heavy burden. According to MSF, near the city of Goma, North Kivu, around 48 women a day report having been victims of sexual violence - most, within the last 72 hours. Those who manage to escape often seek refuge in makeshift tent camps lacking proper facilities and security, leaving them vulnerable to further assault. According to a UNICEF report, sexual violence in Congo surged by 37% in the first three months of 2023 compared with the previous year, with over 38,000 cases of gender-based violence reported in North Kivu alone in 2022.

Continued.......Sudan’s civil war has also seen widespread sexual violence against women and girls, with a Human Rights Watch report detailing cases amounting to ‘war crimes’ in the Khartoum region, involving victims as young as nine and as old as 60.

In Gaza, over 41,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have suffered the consequences of the conflict.

Davis emphasises that creating a world free of violence against women starts with love, a crucial element missing from every ongoing war in Africa and the world at large.

Video credit: @violadavis and @keringfoundation

SOURCES:

https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/07/28/sudan-widespread-sexual-violence-capital

https://www.msf.org/msf-survey-shows-scale-violence-against-displaced-women-eastern-drc

https://reliefweb.int/report/democratic-republic-congo/alarming-numbers-sexual-violence-victims-camps-around-goma

https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-calls-urgent-action-respond-alarming-levels-increasing-sexual-violence-0#:~:text=Reports%20of%20gender%2Dbased%20violence,2022%20in%20North%20Kivu%20alone

https://www.africanews.com/2023/05/10/drc-around-goma-48-victims-of-sexual-violence-per-day//

GOOGLE BANS AFRICAN STREAM

Gmail has become the latest instrument of tech giant Google to censor African Stream. On 1 October, the multinational US corporation locked us out of its Workspace application, causing us to lose access to two years of email messages and files stored in the giant's cloud-based storage facilities.

Like other technology and social media platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and Threads, all of which have given us the boot in the last two weeks, Google did not provide any credible reason for banning us other than saying we 'violated Google Workspace policy,' which includes 'sending spam or using the account for any kind of fraud.' We have never at any point engaged in the activities mentioned above.

Of course, we did not expect a reasonable explanation because there is simply none; we can only conclude they took us down based on US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's unsubstantiated allegation on 13 September that we are 'Kremlin propagandists.'

Continued... Is this the rules-based order the US and other Western states passionately discuss? How can Big Tech bow down after one speech by a US official? How is that democratic?

WIKIPEDIA WEAPONISED AGAINST AFRICAN STREAM

Search for ‘African Stream’ on Wikipedia. Notice how the first line immediately alleges that our pan-African, anti-imperialist outlet is a Kremlin proxy? As far back as July, The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal explained that the barrage of media attacks on African Stream from outlets such as NBC was designed to provide a fund of information to be used by Wikipedia. Regarded by many as a reliable source, this Wiki info is then used to shape public perceptions and even fed into AI models.

Since the Max Blumenthal interview, apart from NBC, African Stream has been attacked by the US state-funded Voice of America, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and the Stanford Internet Observatory. No evidence has been provided for any of the allegations pressed.

Continued...
While disappointing, Western hypocrisy and double standards are not surprising. We only need to look at the treatment of figures like Julian Assange and Edward Snowden to realise that US claims of being a bastion of democracy and a defender of media freedom are mere posturing. The empire maintains a tight grip on the views and opinions it will tolerate, silencing any voices - like our own - that challenge its imperialist interests.

Sources:

Wikipedia on African STream
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Stream

VOA article
https://www.voanews.com/a/african-stream-distorts-u-s-military-s-mission-in-somalia/7762717.html

NBC article
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/black-americans-disinformation-election-social-media-rcna157096

Blinken presser
https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-remarks-to-the-press-29/

Stanford article
https://cyber.fsi.stanford.edu/io/news/african-stream

Julian Assange’s treatment
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68282613

Edward Snowden treatment
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-23123964

'FIRST AMENDMENT BLOCKING CONTROL OF FREE SPEECH'

Former US Secretary of State John Kerry has faced heavy criticism for lamenting that the First Amendment right to free speech gets in the way of a so-called 'democracy' where a select few determine policies for millions of people.

Kerry, formerly the US Special Presidential Envoy on Climate (2021-24), made these remarks at the recent World Economic Forum 'Sustainable Development Impact Meetings' on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly in New York.

Kerry proposed a truth arbiter to regulate speech under the pretext of combating 'disinformation,' saying this approach would help so-called democracies (or capitalist dictatorships) convince their populations to accept top-down policies.

Continued......However, it looks to be too late for Kerry's tears. A 2023 Pew research poll found only 16 per cent of US citizens trust their government to do what is right 'just about always,' while a June 2024 Washington Post-Schar School poll in six swing states (those US states whose populations have not voted consistently for Democrats or Republicans) found that 7 in 10 voters don't trust the media to report on politics objectively.

Since softer measures to ensure oligarchic control thus far have not worked, the imperialist establishment has de-platformed independent media outlets like ours, African Stream. In the past two weeks, we have been banned by Meta (Facebook, Instagram and Threads), Google (YouTube and Workspace [email accounts and files]), and TikTok. The bans came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken falsely accused us on 13 September of being 'Kremlin propagandists.'

Your voice matters in strengthening the dam against tyranny flooding the world. Join our Patreon, Rumble, Telegram and X (Twitter) pages to help keep the flame of free speech burning for Africans trying to free our continent and our diaspora kin of colonialism.

Video credit: World Economic Forum (@wef on X)

SOURCES:

https://www.weforum.org/events/sustainable-development-impact-meetings-2024/sessions/it-s-not-easy-trading-green

https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/06/24/public-trust-in-government-1958-2024/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/06/26/new-measure-americans-deep-distrust-media/

https://www.thecrimson.com/column/little-nuances/article/2019/10/22/singh-objective-journalism/

https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/06/24/public-trust-in-government-1958-2024/

https://news.gallup.com/poll/403166/americans-trust-media-remains-near-record-low.aspx

https://newideal.aynrand.org/killing-free-speech-snowflakes-censorship-sit-ins-and-social-media/

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/07/voter-age-biden-trump-2024-election-00150923

GANDHI'S RACIST LEGACY IN AFRICA

Mahatma Gandhi was born on this day back in 1869 and is widely hailed for his fight against British colonial rule in India. But while he’s remembered for fighting for the freedom of his people, the same can’t be said for his attitude towards Blacks. While living in South Africa, he attempted to align with the White ruling class. He campaigned for Indians living there to be treated better than Blacks who he called savages.
It was a callous attempt to gain favour with the ruling authorities. While Gandhi’s achievements are of course celebrated, this sinister chapter in his life should not be forgotten either.

Continued.....The inquiry will also scrutinise allegations that British soldiers have regularly paid for sex with local women, gang-raped women and abused girls as young as 13. Earlier this year, Kenya ran its own public inquiry into allegations of human-rights breaches and abuses of power connected to the BATUK base, to which local community members gave evidence.

The UK Ministry of Defence promised to look into the allegations, including the 2012 murder of Agnes Wanjiru. Her body was discovered in a hotel's septic tank three months after her disappearance. Wanjiru, who was stabbed several times, was last seen in the company of British soldiers. A Kenyan inquest found that one or more British soldiers were responsible for her murder. The hearings marked the culmination of long-winded legal proceedings to try British soldiers under Kenyan law following years of lobbying by civil society groups and after initial pushback from the British government.

Continued.......
No one has ever been prosecuted, despite the suspect being named by several regiment members. UK Defence Secretary John Healey has promised to meet with Wanjiru’s family. According to a UK government website, Britain spends £6.5 million ($8.25 million) annually for its defence partnership with Kenya.

Despite Kenya gaining independence in 1963, Brits still occupy Kenyan land for military and corporate purposes.

SOURCES:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/sep/27/mod-investigate-british-troops-kenya-itv-documentary

https://www.itv.com/presscentre/ep1weekweek-40-2024-sat-28-sep-fri-04-oct/base-british-army-scandal#:~:text=This%20powerful%20documentary%20investigates%20how,top%20of%20the%20UK%20military.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/28/kenya-begins-public-hearings-into-alleged-abuses-by-uk-troops

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jul/19/uk-armed-forces-introduce-ban-on-use-of-sex-workers-abroad

The West African country of Guinea gained independence on this day, 2 October 1958, after 65 years of French rule.

When French President Charles de Gaulle offered the option of greater autonomy under French rule versus complete independence, Ahmed Sékou Touré (1922-84), Guinea’s founding leader said, ‘We prefer poverty in freedom to riches in slavery.’ His message resonated deeply with the people and led to a landslide vote favouring independence.

Continued......Starting his political journey in the labour movement, the plight of the masses influenced Touré’s political leanings. He maintained that fire even as president. With the French gone, Guinea nationalised foreign-owned companies and implemented extensive social reforms aimed at education, healthcare, literacy and infrastructure development. African socialism illuminated the path, emphasising self-reliance, African unity, and the rejection of neocolonial influences. Guinea joined the Non-Aligned Movement made up of countries recently having won independence and seeking to build a path forward together outside of either US or Soviet influence. Such countries were referred to as the Third World, with the US being the First World and the USSR and China being the Second World.

Guinea’s independence was a boon for pan-Africanism, as Touré helped establish the continent-wide Organisation for African Unity, precursor to the African Union, in 1963. Plus, he maintained amicable ties with US-based Pan-Africanists like Malcolm X and Kwame Ture. Then, when the CIA overthrew fellow Pan-African leader Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana, Touré offered Nkrumah refuge and appointed him honorary co-president.

Guinea’s struggle for liberation provides insights as Africa fights to rid itself of neocolonialism. Greater integration, solidarity and self-sufficiency are values of the recent coups in the neighbouring Sahel region, where Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger rose against France, tired of decades of exploitation and occupation.

Happy Independence Day, Guinea!

SOURCES:

First colony to get independence, nationalised foreign-owned companies, helped found the OAU, joined the Non-Aligned Movement, provided Nkrumah's refuge
https://worldhistoryedu.com/life-and-major-accomplishments-of-ahmed-sekou-toure-the-first-president-of-guinea

CIA overthrow of Nkrumah
https://www.liberationnews.org/cia-overthrow-kwame-nkrumah-neocolonialism-west-africa

Toure relations with Malcolm and Stokely
https://face2faceafrica.com/article/ahmed-sekou-toure-biography1

Sahel rises against France
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/31/au-revoir-sahel-did-2023-crush-frances-influence-in-africa