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BARBADOS PM CHANNELS AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY AT UN
In her address at the 79th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley reminded delegates of the African humanist philosophy of ubuntu.
‘Ubuntu’ is a South African Zulu and Xhosa word that roughly translates to 'humanity towards others.' The New World Encyclopedia defines ‘ubuntu’ as ‘embodying all those virtues that maintain harmony and the spirit of sharing among the members of a society.'
Mottley said ubuntu should be used as a guiding principle to carve out a new path of goodwill for the collective prosperity of all nations and all people.
Video credit: United Nations (YouTube)
SOURCES:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUvWnTesK3w
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Ubuntu_(philosophy)
In her address at the 79th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley reminded delegates of the African humanist philosophy of ubuntu.
‘Ubuntu’ is a South African Zulu and Xhosa word that roughly translates to 'humanity towards others.' The New World Encyclopedia defines ‘ubuntu’ as ‘embodying all those virtues that maintain harmony and the spirit of sharing among the members of a society.'
Mottley said ubuntu should be used as a guiding principle to carve out a new path of goodwill for the collective prosperity of all nations and all people.
Video credit: United Nations (YouTube)
SOURCES:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUvWnTesK3w
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Ubuntu_(philosophy)
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THE APPLE AND THE TREE: ELON MUSK'S PRO-APARTHEID GRANDFATHER
Elon Musk's father, Errol Musk, recently told South Africa’s @podcastwithmacg (X) how his ex-wife Maye's father, Joshua N. Haldeman, was a pro-apartheid white Canadian who moved to South Africa to support the Afrikaner regime that took power in 1948.
In his book, ‘The International Conspiracy to Establish a World Dictatorship and the Menace to South Africa’ (1960), Haldeman claimed Black South Africans’ accounts of mistreatment under the white-led apartheid regime were part of a false ploy to brainwash the public. Haldeman abhorred the widely growing opposition to the apartheid regime at the time, claiming, ‘the white man has always developed the country he inhabits to the benefit of all concerned,’ and that African civilisations had ‘built nothing and discovered nothing.’
Elon Musk's father, Errol Musk, recently told South Africa’s @podcastwithmacg (X) how his ex-wife Maye's father, Joshua N. Haldeman, was a pro-apartheid white Canadian who moved to South Africa to support the Afrikaner regime that took power in 1948.
In his book, ‘The International Conspiracy to Establish a World Dictatorship and the Menace to South Africa’ (1960), Haldeman claimed Black South Africans’ accounts of mistreatment under the white-led apartheid regime were part of a false ploy to brainwash the public. Haldeman abhorred the widely growing opposition to the apartheid regime at the time, claiming, ‘the white man has always developed the country he inhabits to the benefit of all concerned,’ and that African civilisations had ‘built nothing and discovered nothing.’
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Continued...........Meanwhile, many have criticised Tesla founder and X owner Elon Musk for promoting narratives that downplay the generational impact of slavery in the Global South. For instance, on 15 October, Musk retweeted a post highlighting the supposed ‘good’ of the British Empire. Adding his perspective to the tweet, he wrote, ‘Not many people these days know that the British Empire was the driving force behind ending the vast majority of global slavery. Slavery or de facto slavery was standard practice throughout the world from the dawn of civilisation until a few hundred years ago. It is even discussed at length in the Bible, for example.’
Such rhetoric not only glosses over slavery’s atrocities and the British empire’s barbaric nature but also overlooks well-documented historical facts, such as the British government's decision to compensate enslavers for the loss of their ‘property’ while the enslaved received nothing. Moreover, after abolishing slavery, Britain colonised territories that now amount to 56 modern countries.
Does the apple truly not fall far from the tree after all? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Video credit: @podcastwithmacg (X)
SOURCES:
https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-world-according-to-elon-musks-grandfather
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH1U5x8LXgs
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/elon-musk-says-british-empire-ended-global-slavery-indians-say-have-some-shame/articleshow/114262071.cms?from=mdr#
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1846211256622968856
Such rhetoric not only glosses over slavery’s atrocities and the British empire’s barbaric nature but also overlooks well-documented historical facts, such as the British government's decision to compensate enslavers for the loss of their ‘property’ while the enslaved received nothing. Moreover, after abolishing slavery, Britain colonised territories that now amount to 56 modern countries.
Does the apple truly not fall far from the tree after all? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Video credit: @podcastwithmacg (X)
SOURCES:
https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-world-according-to-elon-musks-grandfather
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH1U5x8LXgs
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/elon-musk-says-british-empire-ended-global-slavery-indians-say-have-some-shame/articleshow/114262071.cms?from=mdr#
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1846211256622968856
The New Yorker
The World According to Elon Musk’s Grandfather
What happened to antisemitic rants before social media.
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From 1915 to 1934, the United States occupied Haiti under the guise of ensuring stability and protecting it from European interference. However, according to the New York Times, evidence from decades of diplomatic correspondence, financial records and historical analysis reveals a more menacing driver behind the occupation: Wall Street! Specifically, National City Bank, now Citigroup, played a central role in pushing for US intervention in Haiti, driven by the desire to secure financial dominance over the Caribbean state to expand its business beyond US borders.
In 1914, a year before the invasion, National City Bank orchestrated the seizure of $500,000 in gold from Haiti’s treasury. This aggressive financial intervention destabilised Haiti's economy and laid the groundwork for US control. US Marines invaded Haiti seven months later, in 1915, but the occupation primarily served to protect and expand Wall Street's investments.
In 1914, a year before the invasion, National City Bank orchestrated the seizure of $500,000 in gold from Haiti’s treasury. This aggressive financial intervention destabilised Haiti's economy and laid the groundwork for US control. US Marines invaded Haiti seven months later, in 1915, but the occupation primarily served to protect and expand Wall Street's investments.
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Continued.........National City Bank assumed control of Haiti’s central bank and redesigned Haiti’s financial system to benefit US economic interests.
The occupation reshaped Haiti’s economy, transforming it into a tool for Wall Street profiteering. Infrastructure projects during the occupation primarily served US business interests. The occupiers redirected export industries like sugar to benefit US corporations. Meanwhile, much of Haiti’s revenue was funnelled toward debt repayment to US banks, leaving little for national development.
This week’s Facts of the Week lays out this history and dismantles the narrative that US intervention was ever well-meaning. Instead, it was a calculated move to use Haiti as a pawn for Wall Street's imperialist agenda, a stark reminder of the intersection between financial greed and systemic oppression.
The occupation reshaped Haiti’s economy, transforming it into a tool for Wall Street profiteering. Infrastructure projects during the occupation primarily served US business interests. The occupiers redirected export industries like sugar to benefit US corporations. Meanwhile, much of Haiti’s revenue was funnelled toward debt repayment to US banks, leaving little for national development.
This week’s Facts of the Week lays out this history and dismantles the narrative that US intervention was ever well-meaning. Instead, it was a calculated move to use Haiti as a pawn for Wall Street's imperialist agenda, a stark reminder of the intersection between financial greed and systemic oppression.
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Continued...SOURCES
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/20/world/haiti-wall-street-us-banks.html
https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/peter-james-hudson-bankers-and-empire/#:~:text=The%20occupation%20provided%20the%20platform,of%20business%E2%80%9D%20for%20City%20Bank
https://haitiforever.org/windowsonhaiti/am-occup.htm
https://eji.org/news/haitis-forced-payments-to-enslavers-cost-economy-21-billion-the-new-york-times-found/
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/latamcaribbean/2018/04/12/banking-on-a-shithole-us-led-racial-capitalism-in-haiti-began-long-before-trump/
https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/files/glb_cap_crbn_prsm/files/hudson_rhr_national_city_haiti.pdf?m=1458224302#:~:text=Under%20Stillman%2C%20National%20City%20Bank,%2C%20most%20importantly%2C%20Standard%20Oil.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/20/world/haiti-wall-street-us-banks.html
https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/peter-james-hudson-bankers-and-empire/#:~:text=The%20occupation%20provided%20the%20platform,of%20business%E2%80%9D%20for%20City%20Bank
https://haitiforever.org/windowsonhaiti/am-occup.htm
https://eji.org/news/haitis-forced-payments-to-enslavers-cost-economy-21-billion-the-new-york-times-found/
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/latamcaribbean/2018/04/12/banking-on-a-shithole-us-led-racial-capitalism-in-haiti-began-long-before-trump/
https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/files/glb_cap_crbn_prsm/files/hudson_rhr_national_city_haiti.pdf?m=1458224302#:~:text=Under%20Stillman%2C%20National%20City%20Bank,%2C%20most%20importantly%2C%20Standard%20Oil.
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BIDEN PARDONS SON TWO MONTHS AFTER EXECUTION OF BLACK PRISONER
Two months after pleas to pardon a Black prisoner, Marcellus Williams, in a case with contradictions went unheeded, US President Joe Biden granted his son, Hunter, a ‘full and unconditional pardon’ for offences committed between 1 January 2014 and 1 December 2024.
Biden had previously stated he would not pardon his son, emphasising respect for the judicial process. However, in his 1 December statement, Biden cited political interference as a factor.
Hunter Biden faced a 12 December sentencing for federal gun charges after lying on a firearms application about his addiction and a 16 December sentencing for tax evasion, with prison sentences totalling up to 42 years.
Two months after pleas to pardon a Black prisoner, Marcellus Williams, in a case with contradictions went unheeded, US President Joe Biden granted his son, Hunter, a ‘full and unconditional pardon’ for offences committed between 1 January 2014 and 1 December 2024.
Biden had previously stated he would not pardon his son, emphasising respect for the judicial process. However, in his 1 December statement, Biden cited political interference as a factor.
Hunter Biden faced a 12 December sentencing for federal gun charges after lying on a firearms application about his addiction and a 16 December sentencing for tax evasion, with prison sentences totalling up to 42 years.
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Continued.........Williams was executed on 24 September despite evidence casting doubt on his guilt and opposition from the victim's family. The prosecution allegedly incentivised informants who testified. After dismissing six prospective Black jurors, the almost all-white jury contained only one Black juror. Meanwhile, DNA evidence on the murder weapon did not match Williams.
Legal efforts to commute his sentence were unsuccessful, with the Missouri Supreme Court rejecting a motion for life without parole, and the US Supreme Court declining to intervene. His case aligns with broader systemic disparities, as a 2022 report by the National Registry of Exonerations found Black people are significantly more likely to be wrongfully convicted of murder in the US.
What would the reaction from the West be if an African president granted his son a pardon? Does the difference in how Marcellus Williams and Hunter Biden have been treated relate to proximity to power? Let us know what you think.
Legal efforts to commute his sentence were unsuccessful, with the Missouri Supreme Court rejecting a motion for life without parole, and the US Supreme Court declining to intervene. His case aligns with broader systemic disparities, as a 2022 report by the National Registry of Exonerations found Black people are significantly more likely to be wrongfully convicted of murder in the US.
What would the reaction from the West be if an African president granted his son a pardon? Does the difference in how Marcellus Williams and Hunter Biden have been treated relate to proximity to power? Let us know what you think.
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Continued.......Sources:
Hunter pardoned
https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/president-biden-pardons-his-son-hunter-biden/ar-AA1v5xZv
Marcellus Executed
https://innocenceproject.org/who-is-marcellus-williams-man-facing-execution-in-missouri-despite-dna-evidence-supporting-innocence/
Black people more likely to be wrongfully convicted
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/report-black-people-7-5-times-more-likely-to-be-wrongfully-convicted-of-murder-than-whites-risk-even-greater-if-victim-was-white
Hunter pardoned
https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/president-biden-pardons-his-son-hunter-biden/ar-AA1v5xZv
Marcellus Executed
https://innocenceproject.org/who-is-marcellus-williams-man-facing-execution-in-missouri-despite-dna-evidence-supporting-innocence/
Black people more likely to be wrongfully convicted
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/report-black-people-7-5-times-more-likely-to-be-wrongfully-convicted-of-murder-than-whites-risk-even-greater-if-victim-was-white
MSN
President Biden pardons his son Hunter Biden
Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter Sunday night, a reversal for the president, who repeatedly said he would not use his executive authority to pardon his son or commute his sentence.
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21ST-CENTURY SLAVERY IN THE U.S.
In 1865, the United States formally abolished slavery through a constitutional amendment—but with a significant exception: Forced labour could still be used as punishment for a crime. This loophole has perpetuated a system where, though the whips may be gone, a different form of coercion endures, enforced through the legal and carceral systems.
Inmates, many of whom are disproportionately Black, find themselves trapped in a cycle where they serve the state or private companies under conditions that resemble the very institution slavery was meant to abolish. Major corporations like McDonald's and Wendy's, as well as various government agencies, benefit from the low-cost labour pool.
This arrangement is particularly glaring in Alabama, where 10 predominately Black formerly incarcerated men and women filed in December 2023 a class-action lawsuit in federal court over forced labour.
In 1865, the United States formally abolished slavery through a constitutional amendment—but with a significant exception: Forced labour could still be used as punishment for a crime. This loophole has perpetuated a system where, though the whips may be gone, a different form of coercion endures, enforced through the legal and carceral systems.
Inmates, many of whom are disproportionately Black, find themselves trapped in a cycle where they serve the state or private companies under conditions that resemble the very institution slavery was meant to abolish. Major corporations like McDonald's and Wendy's, as well as various government agencies, benefit from the low-cost labour pool.
This arrangement is particularly glaring in Alabama, where 10 predominately Black formerly incarcerated men and women filed in December 2023 a class-action lawsuit in federal court over forced labour.
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Continued.......Black people make up 38 per cent of incarcerated people despite representing only 12 per cent of the US population. In Alabama, Black people make up 26 per cent of the population while comprising 53.8 per cent of the prison population.
In 2023 alone, one estimate claimed Alabama generated $450 million from prison labour, while inmates working grueling hours often see only a fraction of their earnings.
Alabama's parole practices further reveal how the system ensures a steady supply of prison labour. Though parole board guidelines suggest that 80 per cent of cases should be granted, the state’s actual approval rate is a mere 10 per cent. Some see this discrepancy as a deliberate tactic to maintain a captive labour force, even when some prisoners are deemed safe to reintegrate into the community.
For those behind bars, the pressure to comply with labour demands is immense. Refusal can mean losing any hope of reconnecting with family or securing freedom or being forced to do more labour in prison for free.
Video credit: @moreperfectUS (X)
Sources:
https://x.com/i/status/1832800561382539551
13th amendment and slavery
https://medium.com/fourth-wave/slavery-was-never-abolished-8816e1a8de98
Corporations profiteer of Black prison labour
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/14/1219187249/prisoners-are-suing-alabama-over-forced-labor-calling-it-a-form-of-slavery
Alabama lawsuit
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/14/1219187249/prisoners-are-suing-alabama-over-forced-labor-calling-it-a-form-of-slavery
Alabama prison labour earnings
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/14/1219187249/prisoners-are-suing-alabama-over-forced-labor-calling-it-a-form-of-slavery
Alabama’s problematic parole approval ratings
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/11/1217710630/prison-parole-alabama-redemption-earned-prisoners-release
Consequences of refusal to work
https://x.com/MorePerfectUS/status/1832800561382539551 (5:37 - 5:55)
Black overrepresentation in prison
https://www.science.org/content/article/pandemic-may-have-been-setback-racial-makeup-u-s-prisons
In 2023 alone, one estimate claimed Alabama generated $450 million from prison labour, while inmates working grueling hours often see only a fraction of their earnings.
Alabama's parole practices further reveal how the system ensures a steady supply of prison labour. Though parole board guidelines suggest that 80 per cent of cases should be granted, the state’s actual approval rate is a mere 10 per cent. Some see this discrepancy as a deliberate tactic to maintain a captive labour force, even when some prisoners are deemed safe to reintegrate into the community.
For those behind bars, the pressure to comply with labour demands is immense. Refusal can mean losing any hope of reconnecting with family or securing freedom or being forced to do more labour in prison for free.
Video credit: @moreperfectUS (X)
Sources:
https://x.com/i/status/1832800561382539551
13th amendment and slavery
https://medium.com/fourth-wave/slavery-was-never-abolished-8816e1a8de98
Corporations profiteer of Black prison labour
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/14/1219187249/prisoners-are-suing-alabama-over-forced-labor-calling-it-a-form-of-slavery
Alabama lawsuit
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/14/1219187249/prisoners-are-suing-alabama-over-forced-labor-calling-it-a-form-of-slavery
Alabama prison labour earnings
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/14/1219187249/prisoners-are-suing-alabama-over-forced-labor-calling-it-a-form-of-slavery
Alabama’s problematic parole approval ratings
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/11/1217710630/prison-parole-alabama-redemption-earned-prisoners-release
Consequences of refusal to work
https://x.com/MorePerfectUS/status/1832800561382539551 (5:37 - 5:55)
Black overrepresentation in prison
https://www.science.org/content/article/pandemic-may-have-been-setback-racial-makeup-u-s-prisons
Medium
Slavery Was Never Abolished
How the 13th Amendment guarantees inequality
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AFRICAN HEROES MASSACRED BY FRANCE
Sunday, 1 December, marked the 80th anniversary of the brutal massacre of African soldiers at the French colonial military camp of Thiaroye, Senegal. The soldiers were African men of various ages who had been connoscripted and forced to serve in France's colonial army. They hailed from all over French colonial West and Central Africa and were collectively referred to as the Senegalese Tirailleurs - or sharpshooters.
These African men had just returned from Europe, where they had served on the frontlines of World War II in order to defend France from the spread of Nazism. Upon their return to Africa, they were sent to the Thiaroye camp to receive their wages and then return home to the various parts of the continent from which they came. However, this time round, their wages were delayed - and when they dared to protest about this, the French colonisers opened fire on them, murdering up to 400 African soldiers who’d served them in their own army.
Sunday, 1 December, marked the 80th anniversary of the brutal massacre of African soldiers at the French colonial military camp of Thiaroye, Senegal. The soldiers were African men of various ages who had been connoscripted and forced to serve in France's colonial army. They hailed from all over French colonial West and Central Africa and were collectively referred to as the Senegalese Tirailleurs - or sharpshooters.
These African men had just returned from Europe, where they had served on the frontlines of World War II in order to defend France from the spread of Nazism. Upon their return to Africa, they were sent to the Thiaroye camp to receive their wages and then return home to the various parts of the continent from which they came. However, this time round, their wages were delayed - and when they dared to protest about this, the French colonisers opened fire on them, murdering up to 400 African soldiers who’d served them in their own army.
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Continued.......On this anniversary, for the first time, a French president, Emmanuel Macron, has officially recognised that this massacre occurred - in a letter to the Senegalese president. Perhaps the reason for the change of tune is that countries across Africa are expelling French troops, and France is scrambling to save its image before a revolting population. However, recognition of this historical atrocity is not enough. Africans in former French colonies are calling for the full removal of all French military forces, an end to the neo-colonial CFA franc currency and the closure or nationalisation of the many French-based multinational corporations that have taken over the local economies of the region.
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