Continued......Let us know what you think of Wise's enlightening speech.

Photo credit for 1980s hip-hop street scene: @joeconzo on IG

SOURCES:

https://court.rchp.com/history/racial-bias-in-mass-media/the-secret-meeting-that-changed-rap-music-and-destroyed-a-generation

https://www.prisonpolicy.org/research/race_and_ethnicity

AFRICAN CULTURE INFLUENCED EUROPEAN ARTS

In this clip from 1968, poet and civil rights activist Dr. Maya Angelou shares valuable insights during one of her episodes of the series "Blacks, Blues, and Black." She discusses how African culture and art have significantly influenced European arts since the early 1900s, highlighting the importance of Africa's rich cultural history.

Dr. Angelou uses the ancient city of Timbuktu as an example, it was an intellectual and spiritual capital and a center for the spread of Islam throughout Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries. She notes that scholars from around the world traveled to Timbuktu to study at its renowned university, a hub for those seeking knowledge. Several hundred thousand priceless manunoscripts still exist from this period.

Additionally, she points out that famous artists like Picasso found inspiration in ancient sculptures from Benin and Nigeria. Undeniably,
Africa is the blueprint. Do you agree?

Video credit 1968 called Blacks, Blues, Black series

BIBI TITI MOHAMED: HEROINE OR TRAITOR?

On this day in 2000, one of the key players in securing Tanzania's freedom from the British died. Bibi Titi Mohamed - then living as an exile in South Africa - was 74.

Together with Julius Nyerere, she pioneered her country's independence.  Many call her the mother of the nation and remember her as a heroic freedom fighter who fought for women's equality, education and empowerment. 

But others felt that she betrayed the struggle when she turned against Nyerere. She, alongside other politicians, was charged with secretly planning to stage a coup and assassinate Nyerere. They were accused of seeking help from South Africa's apartheid regime to expel Nyerere - treason charges that she vehemently denied, but which also landed her in prison.

Continued......Continued......
Here’s a look back at her complicated life. Was Bi Titi a hero or villain? Let us know.

SOURCES:

https://www.dw.com/en/bibi-titi-mohamed-tanzanias-mother-of-the-nation/a-52448380

https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/bibi-titi-mohammed-1926-2000/

'I HATE ALL AMERICAN PRESIDENTS'

As millions of US citizens head to the polls to elect a new president, billions of people across the globe—including in Africa—will follow the elections closely because whoever is elected will have worldwide implications.

Many are even debating which candidates would be better for Africa. To help answer this question, here is a clip of Do Keum-Yeun, a South Korean woman who, at a 2017 protest against the installation of a US missile defence system in her village, said she hates 'all American presidents.'

Her sentiments imply that no US leader benefits South Korea, especially the Global South. At African Stream, we believe this should be the guiding principle for all Pan-Africanists and anti-imperialists regarding the US elections in particular and its politics in general. In other words, regardless of who wins the US elections, Africans and people of the Global South will still get the short end of the imperialist stick.

Video credit: @BBC

Continued.......SOURCES:

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-41896202

With voting for the next US president underway today, Blackrock CEO Larry Fink shocked many by saying at a Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association conference held on 21 October in New York that the outcome of the elections makes little difference to the market in the long run. He made a similar statement at the Berlin Global Dialogue 2024 conference on 1 October, mentioning that years of elections have proven him right. He added that BlackRock, the world's largest asset management company with $11.5 trillion in assets—and, by extension, all large financial institutions—engages Republicans and Democrats.

Continued.......Open Secrets, a research group that that tracks the flow of money in the U.S political landscape, reports that 'interest groups spent a staggering $2.2 billion lobbying the federal government during the first half of 2024'. According to a Jacobin analysis, 40 per cent of all political donations come from the 'top 1 per cent of the top 1 per cent.'

Despite a façade that upholds corporate social responsibility, corporate giants' and ordinary people's interests often conflict. Therefore, if election outcomes are inconsequential to the former, what might the latter be investing in when queuing up at polls to vote for their preferred candidate?

SOURCES:

https://www.livemint.com/market/stock-market-news/us-election-2024-blackrock-ceo-larry-fink-no-big-impact-on-market-donald-trump-vs-kamala-harris-battle-11729566429493.html

https://events.sifma.org/annual

https://thefsforum.co.uk/knowledge-hub/tactic/blackrock-tops-2024-asset-management-brand-ranking

https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/blackrock-hits-record-high-115-trillion-assets-market-rally-etf-boost-2024-10-11

https://www.voronoiapp.com/markets/-The-Rise-of-BlackRock-The-Worlds-Largest-Asset-Manager-1806

https://www.euronews.com/business/2024/11/05/signs-of-trump-trade-unwinding-ahead-of-the-us-election

https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2024/08/record-breaking-federal-lobbying-tops-2-billion-first-half-2024

https://www.ft.com/content/48fe5ade-55f1-4482-b565-e74479f3db2b

https://jacobin.com/2024/10/republicans-democrats-sponsors-2024-election

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/11/04/trump-vs-harris-fundraising-race-harris-outraised-trump-3-to-1-with-last-pre-election-report/

WALL STREET REAL WINNER OF
2024 U.S. ELECTION!

What would be the main difference between a Harris-victory and a Trump-victory? According to Larry Fink, CEO of the world's largest investment company Black Rock, the answer is: nothing. At least if you operate on Wall Street, that is. In his own words: "I'm tired of hearing this is the biggest election in your lifetime, the reality is, over time, it doesn't matter."

Now that Fink, who controls one of the most powerful companies on the planet, has let the cat out the bag, corporate media are scrambling to insist that he is mistaken or misguided.

Black Rock works with both the Biden-Harris administration and with Donald Trump. Trump's campaign-finance forms prove that he has invested in Black Rock. The current deputy secretary of the treasury appointed by Joe Biden, Adewale Adeyemo, worked previously as the senior adviser at Black Rock and served as Larry Fink's chief of staff.

Continued......Michael Pyle, who is Kamala Harris' chief economic adviser, used to work as an investment strategist for Black Rock.

So it seems that the real winner of the 2024 US presidential election will in fact be Wall Street. And the loser, of course, won’t be Trump or Harris - but America’s working-class.

In this clip, journalist and US policy analyst Ben Norton digs deeper into the Black Rock boss’s recent remarks about the election.

SOURCES:

https://www.niskanencenter.org/why-foreign-policy-is-still-bipartisan/

https://www.allsides.com/blog/heres-where-democrats-and-republicans-agree-foreign-policy

https://www.wtwco.com/en-hk/news/2024/10/worlds-largest-investment-managers-see-assets-hit-dollar-128-trillion-in-return-to-growth

https://archive.ph/xiAAa

https://www.ft.com/content/48fe5ade-55f1-4482-b565-e74479f3db2b

https://archive.ph/xiAAa#selection-2251.177-2251.186

NEITHER TRUMP NOR HARRIS GOOD FOR AFRICANS

With polling underway in the US, the Black vote could prove decisive. Both Democrats and Republicans have tried to woo our brothers and sisters in America, in a race that’s billed to be one of the tightest yet. Unfortunately, Black voters face a conundrum, as neither party really has their interests at heart.

While Trump is openly racist, Harris is widely seen as part of the imperalist establishment. She’s been compared to Obama: the Black vote was crucial to his first victory, yet he deeply disappointed many by prioritising bailouts for the banks that caused the 2008 financial crisis over support for the hardest-hit (including Black) communities.

Topics such as reparations and the prison-industrial complex have gone largely unaddressed in this cycle of electioneering.

Continued.....For Africa, too, there’s little optimism about either outcome in the 2024 US presidential race. Red and blue administrations alike have beefed up America’s military presence on our continent. The argument that Uncle Sam is providing essential security is for the birds, as stats show terrorism has only spiked in places like the Sahel, where America’s intervened.

Whatever happens on 5 November, it will be business as usual in US-Africa relations, and for the oppressors of the stateside diaspora.

SOurces:
Two party duopoly
https://secondratedemocracy.com/the-two-party-duopoly/

How Obama sold out African Americans
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/12/how-barack-obama-failed-black-americans/511358/

Kamala Cheney endorsement
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/06/dick-cheney-vote-kamala-harris-liz-cheney-00177784

Benin to send cops to Haiti
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/benin-offers-2000-troops-haiti-force-us-ambassador-2024-02-26/

Ghana fearmongering about Russians in Burkina
https://www.ft.com/content/8ff6b17e-a782-4345-9f0f-853d037fe63c

Terrorism getting worse despite Western presence
https://theintercept.com/2023/04/02/us-military-counterterrorism-niger/

African debt and the share owed to multilateral institutions like World Bank
https://data.one.org/topics/african-debt/

PROTESTERS SEIZE TRUCKS OVER MOZAMBIQUE'S ELECTION

Protesters reportedly seized trucks on the busy N4 highway in Mozambique, bringing traffic to a standstill as tension continues to run high over the disputed 9 October elections in which the election body declared ruling-party candidate Daniel Chapo the winner.

That is among many feats protesters have reportedly undertaken.

The running battles between protesters and security forces have led the latter to k*ll at least 11 people, according to Human Rights Watch.

Continued........According to the National Electoral Commission (CNE), Chapo of the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) amassed 70.6 per cent of votes, beating his closest challenger, Venancio Mondlane, who garnered 20 per cent.

However, Mondlane, who ran on the ticket of the Partido Optimista pelo Desenvolvimento de Moçambique (PODEMOS or Optimist Party for the Development of Mozambique in English) has rejected the results, saying they are fraudulent, asking his supporters to take to the streets in protest.

Demonstrations have been held in most parts of the country nearly daily, bringing business to a standstill, especially in the major urban centres.

SOURCES:

https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/10/29/mozambique-post-election-protests-violently-repressed

https://clubofmozambique.com/news/mozambique-elections-mondlane-protesters-stirred-to-vandalism-violence-theft-minister-tells-diplomats-270069/

https://www.voanews.com/a/clashes-in-mozambique-as-police-disperse-election-protests/7848911.html

https://clubofmozambique.com/news/mozambican-protesters-blockade-main-road-link-with-south-africa-bloomberg-270067/
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/10/24/mozambique-ruling-party-declared-winner-of-election-amid-fraud-claims
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/gunmen-kill-two-mozambique-opposition-figures-ahead-election-protests-2024-10-19/
https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20241104-mozambique-opposition-chief-says-he-escaped-assassination-attempt

REMINDING AMBER ROSE OF TRUMP'S RACISM

Former President Trump has declared victory and is set to be the next US president, securing a second term nearly four years after he left Washington. Regardless of who occupies the White House, no US presidential candidate seemed to have a bonafide or even hint of a Black People's Agenda. However, in the run-up to the election at the Republican National Convention, American TV personality Amber Rose spoke in support of Trump's bid. Her mind-boggling speech claimed that Trump is not a racist and will save America's new generation of babies! Well, don't take her word for it. During his previous presidential term, Trump was quoted referring to Haiti and African countries as ‘sh*thole countries,’ he claimed that Haitian immigrants ‘all have AIDS' and that Nigerian immigrants should 'go back to their huts.’ More recently, during a televised debate, he referred to labour-intensive, low-wage gigs as 'Black jobs.'

Continued......African Stream's Ahmed Ghoneim (@ahmed.ghoneim.official) has a reality check for Amber Rose in this bumper edition of Africa in 90. He runs through a host of cases that leave little doubt that Donald is America's racist-in-chief.

TRUMP NOT SORRY FOR WANTING INNOCENT BLACK TEENS DEAD

All indicators show that Donald Trump is set to return to the White House for a second stint in January of next year after emerging victorious over his Democrat rival Kamala Harris in the 5 November elections.

Trump gave a victory speech from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida after projections indicated that he was on course to win the critical battleground states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia.

Because of how the outgoing Joe Biden administration has treated people in the Global South - from enabling Israeli war crimes in Palestine, to placing unilateral sanctions on progressive African leaders, to curtailing pan-African independent media outlets such as our own - many might be tempted to celebrate the Trump victory over the Democrats.

However, the reality is that Trump is no better.

Continued.....The businessman-cum-politician is known for his controversial statements, and Africans, in particular, have been on the receiving end of some of Trump's most derogatory vitriol - for example, his branding Haiti and African nations 'sh*thole countries.' He's pledged to curb immigration from countries he deems beneath America's dignity.

In this clip, we get a taste of Trump's deep disrespect for and devaluation of Black lives. You hear him expressing hate for a group Black and Latino teenagers - the so-called Central Park Five - who were falsely accused of assault and rape in 1989. At the time, he took out full-page ads in several newspapers to advocate for the death penalty - in the hope that it would be applied to them. The accused each served between five and thirteen years after a jury convicted them, based on a confession they said was obtained through coercion by the police - before being exonerated in 2002 when the actual attacker confessed. His DNA matched that found at the crime scene.

However, despite the confession and DNA evidence clearing the Five of the crime, Trump still insists that they were guilty and that New York City's 2014 decision to pay them $41 million to settle their case for wrongful imprisonment was a 'disgrace.' In 2019, when asked if he would be willing to apologise to the men for calling for their execution, Trump said he would not do that.

It is not hard to guess why Trump was so determined to label the men guilty despite the legal system (ultimately) saying otherwise.

This is the mentality that Trump will take with him to the White House and highlights why we stated that we had no horse in this presidential race months ago, as none of the two parties have our people's best interests at heart.

The US portrays itself as the most democratic nation in the world, placing itself on a pedestal as the supreme example for the rest of the world to emulate. It acts as the self-appointed judge of which nations are democratic, intervening in those countries it sees as falling short.

Our words of wisdom this Wednesday are widely attributed to anti-colonial freedom fighter and first president of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere (1922-99). They pierce right through America's facade of a two party-state, which presents the illusion of choice to Americans.

Let us know if you agree with his assessment.

Continued........SOURCES:

https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/measures/severe_housing_problems

https://missionrollcall.org/veteran-voices/articles/the-state-of-veteran-homelessness-2024

https://www.kff.org/health-costs/issue-brief/americans-challenges-with-health-care-costs

https://www.citizen.org/news/big-pharma-is-ripping-off-america

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jun/16/us-prisons-jail-private-healthcare-companies-profit

https://www.damemagazine.com/2023/03/06/america-propaganda-disinformation

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/magazine/saint-or-not-nyerere-led-an-exemplary-life--1357580

https://www.jstor.org/stable/3518297

https://thecorbynproject.com/us-briefing/

NIGERIAN CHILDREN FACE DEATH PENALTY

On 1 November, dozens of children detained during August’s #EndBadGovernance protests against the cost-of-living crisis in Nigeria were arraigned for charges punishable by death, sparking global outrage and condemnation. 

Accused of treason, destruction of property, public disturbance, and inciting a military coup, the children appeared malnourished and unkempt after three months in detention—far beyond the mandatory 48-hour holding period—with four children collapsing in court and required urgent medical care. 

In August, Nigerians took to the streets to oppose President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic reforms, which included removing fuel subsidies and devaluing the Naira, a move the International Monetary Fund advised. These policies triggered 30 per cent inflation, making necessities— like food—difficult for many Nigerians to afford. The government and the United Nations recently predicted that 33 million Nigerians will be food insecure next year, a one-third rise.