MOROCCO COZIES UP TO FORMER COLONIAL POWER

On 28 October, France's President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Morocco for a three-day state visit, the first in six years.

The trip came after Macron decided to back Rabat's claim of sovereignty over Western Sahara, a territory that the United Nations considers a 'non-self-governing territory.' Morocco annexed Western Sahara after Spain ended colonial rule in 1975. The move triggered a 16-year war with the Polisario Front, a liberation organisation representing the region's indigenous Sahrawi people, who demand the right to self-determination. A UN-backed ceasefire brokered in 1991 collapsed in 2020. Morocco has rejected UN efforts to hold a referendum to determine the territory's final governance status.

For decades, successive French governments attempted to stay neutral. However, in February 2024, Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne declared Paris backed Morocco's 'autonomy plan' for Western Sahara.

Continued…….. That decision was confirmed in a letter Macron addressed to Moroccan King Mohammed VI, on 30 July, joining the US, Israel and Spain, all of whom have backed Morocco's claim in recent years.

Macron's move angered Morocco's neighbour Algeria, which has supported the Sahrawi people for decades. It described France's decision as the 'result of a dubious political calculation.'

Some sectors have attributed France and other Western states' move to back Morocco's decision to normalise ties with Israel in 2020 under the so-called Abraham Accords, a product of US President Donald Trump's administration. Those accords have not been reversed under his successor, Joe Biden.

Economic reasons may have motivated Paris' change of heart. Among the deals signed during Macron's trip to Rabat include one that will give French mining firms access to Western Sahara's gigantic phosphate reserves. According to the US Geological Survey, Western Sahara holds some of the world's largest phosphate reserves, a key ingredient in fertiliser manufacturing. Its coastline is also rich in fish and has been the target of European fishing companies for decades.

SOURCES:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/tens-of-thousands-of-moroccans-protest-ties-with-israel-on-eve-of-oct-7-anniversary

https://www.euronews.com/2024/10/28/macron-visiting-morocco-amid-new-honeymoon-over-western-sahara-pivot

https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/france-morocco-western-sahara/

https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2023/mcs2023-phosphate.pdf

https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n02/249/87/pdf/n0224987.pdf

https://wsrw.org/en/news/the-fishing-industry

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/frances-president-visiting-morocco-after-western-sahara-change-115207597

https://www.africanews.com/2023/01/24/burkina-faso-to-expell-french-troops

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2577152/world

https://www.voanews.com/a/france-shifts-western-sahara-stance-seeking-closer-ties-with-morocco/7725520.html

https://www.un.org/dppa/decolonization/en/nsgt/western-sahara

https://minurso.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/sg_report_on_the_situation_concerning_western_sahara_1_october_2024.pdf

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/17/israel-recognises-western-sahara-as-part-of-morocco

https://www.atalayar.com/en/articulo/politics/spanish-government-reaffirms-its-support-for-moroccos-sahara-plan/20240213161157196831.html

https://www.reuters.com/world/algeria-slams-france-recognising-wsahara-autonomy-within-moroccan-sovereignty-2024-07-25/

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/07/31/france-faces-algeria-s-wrath-after-concessions-to-morocco-over-western-sahara_6705956_4.html

https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20241007-algeria-s-tebboune-refuses-france-visit-in-snub-to-former-colonial-ruler-accusation-genocide

https://www.newarab.com/opinion/israel-morocco-western-sahara-price-normalisation

https://www.trtworld.com/africa/massive-rally-in-rabat-protests-moroccos-ties-with-genocidal-israel-16951023

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/10/25/thousands-across-morocco-hit-the-streets-for-palestine-and-an-end-to-normalization

https://www.trtworld.com/africa/massive-rally-in-rabat-protests-moroccos-ties-with-genocidal-israel-16951023

https://www.africanews.com/2023/02/02/morocco-demonstrations-against-normalised-relations-with-israel

https://www.timesofisrael.com/tens-of-thousands-of-moroccans-protest-ties-with-israel-on-eve-of-oct-7-anniversary

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14115273

https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/11/1077672

RAMAPHOSA AT BRICS: 'WE MUST STOP THE K*LLING IN GAZA, SUDAN'

At the 16th BRICS summit that concluded on 24 October in the Russian city of Kazan, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa reiterated his country’s commitment to the Palestinian people, whom Israel has launched a military onslaught and escalated siege since 8 October. 

In his moving speech, Ramaphosa said the world cannot continue to sit by and watch the slaughter of innocent people. Ramaphosa also remarked on the plight of the people of Sudan, trapped between two warring forces backed by foreign powers, the Congolese, who have been forced to flee in the millions amidst an almost 20-year war over resources exacerbated by foreign powers and militias.

In January, Pretoria made history by taking Israel to the International Court of Justice for failing to uphold its commitment under the 1948 UN G*nocide Convention.

Continued.....Since 7 October, Israel has indiscriminately bombed the Gaza Strip, a 25-mile-long enclave of more than 2 million people, k*lling 43,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. However, according to the Lancet medical journal, the death toll as of early July may have already topped 186,000. Plus, University of Edinburgh global health chair Devi Sridhar estimated deaths at 335,000 in September.

Video credit: @SABCNews

SOURCES:

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/at-brics-south-african-president-calls-for-peaceful-resolution-to-all-disputes/3373234

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241025-at-brics-south-africas-stance-on-palestine-welcomed-president/

'HOPE YOUR BEEPER DOESN'T GOES OFF' - CNN GUEST

CNN guest Ryan Girdusky, a political consultant and writer, was escorted off the set following a racist remark in a heated exchange with fellow panellist Mehdi Hasan. When Hasan claimed he’s used to harassment because he supports Palestine, Ryan wished Hasan’s beeper wouldn't go off, which others on the set took to refer to Israel allegedly detonating pagers across Lebanon and Syria a few weeks ago.

For Girdusky to comfortably make the remark required years of normalising the dehumanisation of Palestinians. CNN, like many major media outlets, is complicit with its coverage depicting Israel as the innocent actor merely allowing Jews to return to a Biblical home while showing Palestinians as savage barbarians.

Continued……Plus, Islamophobia amplified following the September 11, 2001 attacks, with Muslims and anyone who appeared to be Muslim (a racialisation of the religion’s adherents) depicted in racist Oriental stereotypes of savagery. This then justified increasing policing of Muslim communities around the world and Western interventions and occupations, such as in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Somalia and other places.

Video credit: @CNN @abbydphillip

Sources
Mainstream media dehumanization of Palestinians
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-how-media-language-manipulated-justify-killing-palestinians-and-used-dehumanise-them

https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/editorial/2023/10/23/media-coverage-israel-and-gaza-double-standards

Islamophobia following 9/11
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/09/10019797/islamophobia-after-911-september-11-hate-crimes

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/09/politics/islamophobia-september-11-race-deconstructed-newsletter/index.html

Orientalism and empire building
https://theconversation.com/orientalism-edward-saids-groundbreaking-book-explained-197429

THIERRY HENRY IN SOLIDARITY WITH MARTINIQUE & GUADELOUPE

Former Arsenal and France national team striker Thierry Henry recently expressed his heartfelt support for the people of the French Caribbean colony of Martinique following protests against the high cost of living. 

‘Life is expensive in Martinique and Guadeloupe,’ he said during the CBS Sports Golazo Network, where he analyses football. ‘Enough is enough... Lower the prices because people can’t live and they earn less also.’

Henry, whose mother is from Martinique and whose father is from the nearby archipelago of Guadeloupe, called on the French government to take immediate action to address the high cost of living. The median income on both islands is less than half of mainland France’s. Meanwhile, Martinique residents pay more than 40 per cent more for food than the imperial core, according to 2022 French statistics.

Protests also broke out over food prices in September in the French Pacific-Ocean colony of New Caledonia.

Continued……. News reports say Martinique’s government officials, importers and distributors have signed a protocol to reduce essential goods' prices by an average of 20 per cent and boost local production. 

France colonised Martinique and Guadeloupe in 1635, making both island countries French ‘overseas departments’ in 1946. This designation is not only an extension of France's colonial legacy but also imposes an ambiguous status with a locally elected government that reports to the national government in Paris. However, few enjoy a quality of life comparable to that of mainland France.

Video credit: @CBSSportsGolazo (X)

SOURCES:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thierry-Henry

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/police-clash-with-protesters-french-island-martinique-2024-10-25/
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2004/oct/03/newsstory.sport1

https://apnews.com/article/martinique-violent-protests-a877760da839735fa92030e1435bdfb4

https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/7649202#:~:text=n%C2%B0%2063-,En%20Martinique%2C%20les%20produits%20alimentaires%20sont%2040%20%25%20plus,chers%20qu%27en%20France%20m%C3%A9tropolitaine&text=En%202022%2C%20l%27%C3%A9cart%20de,France%20m%C3%A9tropolitaine%20atteint%20%2B14%20%25

https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/7649202#:~:text=n%C2%B0%2063-,En%20Martinique%2C%20les%20produits%20alimentaires%20sont%2040%20%25%20plus,chers%20qu%27en%20France%20m%C3%A9tropolitaine&text=En%202022%2C%20l%27%C3%A9cart%20de,France%20m%C3%A9tropolitaine%20atteint%20%2B14%20%25

https://www.insee.fr/en/statistiques/7758862?geo=REG-01

https://www.insee.fr/en/statistiques/7758862?geo=REG-02

https://timeular.com/average-salary/france

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/armed-activists-launch-new-protests-martinique-high-living-115070810

https://www.britannica.com/place/Martinique/History

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-20259685

https://www.britannica.com/place/Guadeloupe/History

Today's Wednesday Wisdom feature the poignant words of Robert Sobukwe (1924-78), anti-apartheid freedom fighter and founder of Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), reiterating that being pro-Africa or Pan-African, is not in opposition to any ethnic group or country as Africa is the cradle of humanity. Therefore, to be pro-Africa is to be pro-humanity.

As some of you know, on 13 September, the US State Department accused African Stream of showcasing 'Kremlin propagandists' because we are 'secretly run' by Russian-state TV network RT. Shortly afterwards, YouTube, Meta, TikTok, Stripe, and Google banned or suspended us. The imperial state's black-or-white perspective surmises Africans on the continent have no good reason to speak about oppression at the hands of Western powers or about the oppression our kin face in the diaspora unless we are aligned with Western foe Russia.

Continued.......Indeed, since the early 20th century, the West has lodged an anti-communist, anti-Soviet and anti-Russia narrative against freedom-seeking Africans.

As Pan-Africanists, we draw inspiration from our predecessors, who taught us through their experiences that the oppressors have never handed out freedom and human dignity. Yet, we march on, aware that human freedom worldwide is tied to African liberation because, in Sobukwe's words, 'Africa and humanity are inseparable.'

Sobukwe was initially part of South Africa's African National Congress (ANC) before founding the PAC. However, he began to criticise the ANC for allowing itself to be dominated by what he termed 'liberal-left-multi-racialist' policies. It is hard to argue with his assessment today as the ANC is in a coalition with the white-dominated neo-liberal, pro-Israel Democratic Alliance.

Rest in power, Robert Sobukwe, a true visionary and revolutionary for the African struggle for self-determination.

SOURCES:

https://www.sahistory.org.za/archive/robert-sobukwe-speech-university-fort-hare-president-students-representative-council-21

https://x.com/african_stream/status/1836781485191217614

https://x.com/african_stream/status/1836083984863813703" to "https://www.sahistory.org.za/archive/robert-sobukwe-speech-university-fort-hare-president-students-representative-council-21

https://x.com/african_stream/status/1836781485191217614

https://x.com/african_stream/status/1836083984863813703

https://x.com/african_stream/status/1841191588757676107

https://x.com/african_stream/status/1838668637902696687

https://x.com/african_stream/status/1837257171903692857

https://southafrica-info.com/history/robert-sobukwe-one-race-human-race/

https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/robert-sobukwe

'WESTERN LOANS WE CAN NEVER PAY'

For decades, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan programmes have forced Global South countries to impose austerity policies that have led governments to lay off workers, impose wage freezes and reduce public spending to repay IMF loans. Countries find themselves in a so-called ‘debt trap,’ where they must borrow more to service existing debt instead of providing for their populations.

In this clip, former African Union Ambassador to the US Arikana Chihombori-Quao highlighted the stark disparity in lending terms for African and Western countries. While the IMF and other Western lending institutions offer favourable low-interest rates on dollar loans to their Western ‘friends,’ African nations endure harsh conditions. Some have referred to this situation as ‘financial apartheid,’ with Chihombori-Quao saying the truth about these inequalities is coming to light.