CIVIL RIGHTS HERO ASSASSINATED
ON ELECTION DAY 1871

Countless African martyrs have shed their blood to liberate our people. Today's hero is Octavius Valentine Catto (1839-71). Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Catto grew to be a prominent activist, scholar, athlete and military officer.

While raising 11 regiments of 'Colored Troops' for the Union army during the US Civil War, he championed Black self-determination, including helping establish a Black literary and debate society named after Black mathematician Benjamin Banneker called the Banneker Literary Institute and the Pennsylvania Equal Rights League. Catto also started a movement in Philadelphia that led to the passage of an 1867 Pennsylvania law prohibiting racially segregated public transportation. That year, Catto co-founded the city's second Black baseball team, the Philadelphia Pythians.

Continued.....At the age of 32, he was assassinated alongside other Africans on election day, 10 October 1871, as they attempted to vote. Democratic Party operative Frank Kelly shot Catto through the heart. Authorities found him six years later to stand trial. Despite six eyewitness testimonies, an all-white jury acquitted Kelly.

SOURCES

The story of Octavius Catto
https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/octavius-valentine-catto-1839-1871/

Biden on Black vote
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBQ4PAT1hTg

Dems ignore Black issues
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/07/democrats-are-betraying-black-voters/619573

Benjamin Banneker Institute
https://exhibits.temple.edu/s/william-still/page/benjamin-banneker-institute

On 7 October, Burkina Faso's Higher Council of Communications suspended Voice of America (VOA) from broadcasting for three months. This comes after a 19 September programme, during which VOA reporter Bagassi Koura described the 17 September t*rrorist attack on Bamako, Mali, as 'courageous.' In that same interview, Koura claimed Malian Armed Forces did not take any security measures. Burkina Faso's communications council says VOA fabricated casualty statistics, which it claims are designed to crush the morale of Burkinabé and Malian military forces.

Continued........The 17 September terrorist attack in Bamako occurred a day after the first anniversary of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), an anti-imperialist Pan-African regional bloc made up of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. The three AES countries federated in July to share policies. They reject Western military intervention, with all three booting French troops and Niger becoming the first African country to expel US Air Force personnel stationed through the US Africa Command (AFRICOM). In recent months, Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traoré has criticised US imperialism.

Voice of America (VOA) is a US-state media outlet funded by the United States Congress. The US Agency for Global Media oversees US-funded media outlets like Voice of America, stating on its website that the 'long-range interests of the United States are served by communicating directly with the peoples of the world by radio.' VOA targets audiences in 22 Francophone African countries; 13 million people in Eritrea and Ethiopia through the Amharic, Afan Oromo and Tigrinya languages; and 37 million people through English programming in all 54 African countries. It also broadcasts in African languages, such as Fulani, Bambara, Hausa, Swahili, Somali, and others.

SOURCES:

https://burkina24.com/2024/10/07/burkina-faso-le-media-voa-interdit-de-diffusion-pendant-trois-mois/#google_vignette

https://news.1rj.ru/str/sputnik_africa/27042

https://www.usagm.gov/who-we-are/mission/

https://www.usagm.gov/2024/08/26/voa-launches-fulani-language-programming

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/gunfire-heard-several-parts-malis-capital-bamako-reuters-witness-security-source-2024-09-17

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PIWkEkn-7I

https://www.insidevoa.com/p/6580.html

https://www.insidevoa.com/p/6416.html

https://www.insidevoa.com/p/6392.html

https://www.insidevoa.com/p/6422.html

LEBANESE IN AFRICA WORRY FOR RELATIVES BACK HOME

Israeli strikes on Lebanon are causing distress thousands of kilometres away. In West Africa, home to hundreds of thousands of Lebanese expats, the distance from family and loved ones in these distressing times has been a test for the community. Members are organising what aid and assistance they can through social media. And while well integrated into their adopted African nations, their thoughts are now increasingly turned homewards.

SOURES:

Lebanese in W Africa
https://archive.ph/8F60m#selection-809.53-809.81

More diaspora than nationals
https://www.arabamerica.com/a-lebanese-diaspora-with-a-strong-presence-in-west-africa/

How Lebanese have integrated in W Africa
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2017/1/28/everyone-is-hustling-here-the-lebanese-of-nigeria

MALCOLM X ON SELF-DEFENCE

On 11 October 1963, Malcolm X was interviewed at the University of California, Berkeley. When questioned about his stance on self-defence, his remarks emphasised the need for African people to stick together to protect ourselves, as no one else will. A quick look around the African world today reveals that he was right.

Today, we see West African countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger teaming up to defend one another against Western imperialist forces as well as to grow the worldwide pan-African movement. Together, they form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

Nevertheless, most African countries remain relatively divided due to colonial borders. Western Europe and the Western European diaspora in the United States and Canada have the world's strongest mutual defence alliance, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

Continued.......NATO has 32 members spanning from North America to Eastern Europe and non-NATO allies in Africa, South America and beyond. Whenever a country threatens a NATO member, NATO members rush to support.

However, in Africa, when the US bombs countries like Somalia or when t*rrorist attacks happen in northern Nigeria, it is every country for itself. The AES represents an exception to this rule, but they do not have as much support as they need. Shouldn't the entire African continent rush to support Mali's battle against t*rrorism or defend Mozambique from similar growing threats? And what about the struggles of our African brothers and sisters in the diaspora? Shouldn't the African continent support Haiti's struggle against bourgeoisie-backed gang violence and foreign military occupation in the same way Western Europe comes to the side of Canada and the US?

Let us know if you think Malcolm X's point remains relevant in 2024.

SOURCES:

https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_52044.htm

https://www.nato.int/nato-welcome/index.html

https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_84336.htm

https://maliembassy.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/LIPTAKO-GOURMA-Engl___-2.pdf

https://www.ispionline.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Infografica-Fruganti-1-1536x1536.jpg

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/14/what-is-the-history-of-foreign-interventions-in-haiti

LARGEST EXPAT GROUP IN EACH
AFRICAN NATION

You hear a lot in the Western media about Africans migrating abroad, but what about foreigners moving to Africa? In this clip, we’re shown which non-African nationalities form the biggest expat communities in each African country. It’s an interesting picture. In some places, it corresponds to who the former coloniser was, in others not. A lot of the migration from China, India and Lebanon is driven by business, trade and investment. The tourism sector and multinationals also attract many expats. Does anything surprise you in this map?

Video Credit: @drewdurnil (Instagram)SOURCES:https://www.statista.com/statistics/1237618/international-migrants-in-africa-by-country/#:~:text=South%20Africa%20had%20the%20highest,in%20Africa%2C%20with%207.68%20million

https://www.caglobalhr.com/post/live-and-work-in-africa-the-best-countries-for-expats

https://www.worldbank.org/

As the United States panics about supposed Russian influence and interference in the 5 November presidential election, it has no qualms about financing and overseeing elections in the central African country of Gabon. 

After a 1 October meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Gabonese Transition President Brice Oligui Nguema, USAID announced a $5 million grant to support Gabon's transition process and it will 'provide technical assistance to strengthen election administration and voter education.' Sounds like foreign interference in African countries does not set off alarm bells when the US is involved.

Gabonese took to the streets cheering when, on 30 August 2023, Brice Oligui Nguema seized power in a military coup d’état ousting staunch French ally Ali Bongo. However, the Western press reported favourably on Nguema's power grab. It turns out he is Ali Bongo's cousin. Some believe this coup keeps Gabon in the hands of the Bongo family dynasty.

Continued…….The United States, however, says Gabon has a bright future and has promised to collaborate with the country in the areas of economic and social development, maritime and border security, and environmental conservation and security cooperation.

Let us know what you think.

SOURCES:

https://www.state.gov/secretary-blinkens-meeting-with-gabonese-transition-president-oligui/

https://www.africanews.com/2023/09/01/gabons-opposition-leader-claims-coup-is-a-family-affair/

https://www.africa.com/the-united-states-announces-new-efforts-to-support-democratic-governance-in-gabon-2/

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1VLb6yp51-GDivVPS0cBMU-gOQid1EEAN?usp=sharing

Continued.......The party has, on numerous occasions, opposed the adoption and implementation of Black empowerment policies designed to reverse the economic marginalisation of Black people.

For instance, the DA is against the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Act, a policy designed by the ANC to increase the participation of Black South Africans in the economy. The party has also pushed for freezes on any increases to the minimum wage, a position that, if implemented, will most affect Black people, as they form the bulk of people in minimum-wage jobs.

The foreign policies of the two parties are also on opposite sides of the political spectrum. They disagree on almost every issue, ranging from the war in Ukraine and the Israeli onslaught on Gaza to the question of which economic bloc South Africa should work with.

Continued....The differences in policy positions have resulted in the two parties constantly clashing during their first hundred days together in a government that many see as a marriage of convenience put together to protect the interests of the country's capitalist class. Here are some areas where the two 'bedfellows' do not see eye to eye.

SOURCES:

https://www.politicsweb.co.za/politics/anc-in-full-support-of-sas-case-against-israel-in-
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/south-african-parliament-passes-motion-to-close-israeli-embassy/3060928
https://www.palestinechronicle.com/zionist-semantics-in-south-africa-democratic-alliance-leopard-will-not-change-its-spots-on-palestine/
and the Non-Aligned Movement while the DA prefers working with the West
https://www.da.org.za/2023/08/iran-and-saudi-arabias-admission-creates-a-brics-where-south-africa-does-not-belong
https://www.da.org.za/2023/10/anc-government-blows-r180-million-on-brics-talk-shop

Continued.....https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/5/south-africas-opposition-leader-goes-to-ukraine-for-fact-finding

https://www.da.org.za/2023/02/exercise-mosi-ii-south-africa-will-be-the-useful-idiot

https://www.politicsweb.co.za/politics/nmw-hike-will-deepen-sas-unemployment-crisis--da
https://www.da.org.za/2024/09/a-national-minimum-wage-hike-will-deepen-south-africas-unemployment-crisis
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/south

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd9d979k211o

https://www.da.org.za/2024/09/bela-da-continues-to-prepare-for-court-action

https://mg.co.za/politics/2024-09-13-da-rejects-ramaphosas-proposal-of-a-bela-bill-consultation-period/


https://www.da.org.za/2024/05/da-files-public-service-commission-complaint-against-nhi

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1030v3p1r8o

EUROPE LECTURES AFRICA ON HUMAN RIGHTS?

Europe has no moral right to lecture Africa on human rights, given European colonialists' crimes, which include slavery, g*nocide and theft of treasures. That's the view of Dr Arikana Chihombori-Quao, former African Union Ambassador to the United States. She delivered these remarks at the National Action Network Convention 2023, held 12-15 April 2023, in New York.

One of the most gruesome colonial crimes occurred in the Congo, where Belgian King Leopold II's colonial government massacred an estimated 10 million to 15 million Congolese from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Belgian colonial authorities later executed the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) 's first prime minister and visionary Pan-Africanist, Patrice Lumumba (1925-61). They dissolved his body in acid, leaving a tooth, which was repatriated 61 years later in 2022.