RACIAL SEGREGATION IN CUBA: BEFORE AND AFTER THE REVOLUTION

Was the Cuban revolution positive for Black people in Cuba? We explore that question in this video, recorded from when African Stream spoke directly to Rolando Julio Rensoli Medina, who leads many of the country's government-supported, anti-racist educational initiatives.

This week, 9-13 December, Cuba hosts a special conference in honour of the UN’s Decade of Afro-descendants programme. The conference will explore government-led anti-racist initiatives and African cultural contributions to Cuba's national identity. Rensoli Medina will play an active role in the events to unfold.

When a delegation from the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)—comprised of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger—visited Cuba last month, Rensoli Medina explained the Cuban revolution was a deathblow to the racial segregation that existed on the island during the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista (1901-73) when the country was a neo-colony of the United States.

Continued……He said Black Cubans could not go to every hotel, restaurant, social club or beach before the revolution.

As early as 1959, Fidel Castro (1926-2016) denounced racism and clarified that while all workers have a shared class struggle, Black Cubans have an extra layer of oppression as both proletariat and racialised people.

Some critics of the Cuban revolution say that the government does not acknowledge the vestiges of racial prejudice or discrimination. This sentiment is primarily in response to a statement Castro made in the early 1960s, when he proclaimed that the revolution had ended racism. However, Castro apologised in 2000, retracted his statement, and acknowledged that work still needed to be done. Today, Rensoli Medina's work demonstrates that the Cuban government is making efforts to rectify the racism that still exists. 

Rensoli Medina can be followed on Facebook: facebook.com/rolandojulio.rensolimedina. This is the YouTube playlist of one of his organisations, Color Cubano: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_JTlBag_eLUbaU-mcfXBTLT-5t2OT8b-. This is the Facebook page of another one of his organisations, Comisión Aponte: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100072321090594

Sources:

https://www.plenglish.com/news/2024/11/29/cuba-to-host-international-event-on-afro-descendants

https://pulitzercenter.org/projects/we-are-not-hidden-race-cuba

https://www.cetri.be/Revolutionary-Racism-Afro‑Cubans?lang=fr#:~:text=Three%20years%20into%20his%20rule,egalitarian%20society%20officially%20ended%20racism

For Wednesday’s Wisdom this week, we remember the words of great Congolese pan-African revolutionary Patrice Lumumba (1925-61). They’re as relevant as ever, with his home country hooking up to the so-called Lobito Corridor - a rail road, backed by US and EU investments, that will facilitate the transportation of minerals out of DRC to Western markets.

Concerns have been raised over whether the rail road will improve the conditions of Congolese people. It’s feared things could actually get worse for them - while the West continues to benefit from the nation’s resources and cheap, slave-like labour.

The Congo is the world’s richest country in terms of natural resources, with its vast untapped raw minerals valued at $24 trillion. Despite this, one out of every six people living in extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa lives in Congo, where 73.5% of the population earns less than $2.15 a day, according to the World Bank.

Continued……Lumumba, who served as the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo before he was assassinated in a US-backed plot is famous for saying that independence is only symbolic if it does not translate into actual economic prosperity.

Sources:

https://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/lumumba/1960/08/31.htm

https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/patrice-lumumba-executed/

https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/drc/overview

It’s happening… French troops are starting to leave another African country after being shown the door. It’s expected the contingent will be fully out of Chad within a few weeks.

Sources:

https://apnews.com/article/france-chad-military-withdrawal-mirage-fighter-jets-6d98f486f122e0792b66397633aca3a8

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/10/france-begins-military-withdrawal-from-chad-as-influence-in-africa-wanes

https://www.reuters.com/world/france-begins-withdrawal-chad-says-french-army-2024-12-10/

BOXER FLOYD MAYWEATHER ROUGHED UP IN LONDON

Boxer Floyd Mayweather faced a hostile crowd while shopping in London’s upscale Hatton Gardens. The 47-year-old attracted attention from a group of men who confronted him over his pro-Israel stance and support for Israel’s bombardment in Gaza. A chaotic scene unfolded as approximately ten individuals approached Floyd, attempting to land punches. His security team intervened and managed to escort the boxer away before the situation escalated further.

This incident follows Mayweather's announcement of the Mayweather Israel Initiative, which aims to support orphans in Israel.

Continued……The boxer is facing a backlash over his pro-Israel position. He has publicly expressed strong support for Israel, calling it a “home away from home.” Mayweather has also visited the region and held meetings with Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Additionally, he's also been seen breaking bread with the Israeli Defense Forces and hosting a barbecue for them.

Video credit: @happypunch (Instagram)

ISRAELI SPITS ON 7-YEAR-OLD ETHIOPIAN

A 14-year-old Israeli boy in the resort town of Eilat caused a storm on social media after uploading a disturbing video of himself spitting into the face of and saying the N-word to a 7-year-old Ethiopian boy. The clip went viral after Israeli social activist and journalist Daniel Amram (@danielamram6 on IG and @danielamram3 on X) shared it. 

Reports say an enraged mob beat up the accused, with police arresting both him and the mob on 6 December. The Ethiopian boy's mother says he now fears playing outdoors and walking alone to school. 

Continued……The incident highlights the harsh reality of racism African immigrants face in Israel. In a 2012 survey, 52 per cent of Israeli Jews agreed with an outrageous statement by Knesset member Miri Regev that African migrants are ‘a cancer in the body’ of [Israel]. The Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) Peace Index survey also found that 33 per cent condone anti-migrant violence.

Video credits: @danielamram2 (YouTube), 13 חדשות, @middleeastmnt (X)

Sources:

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2514241/israeli-tiktoker-sparks-outrage-after-spitting-on-ethiopian-boys-face-in-disturbing-video

https://www.timesofisrael.com/most-israeli-jews-agree-africans-are-a-cancer/

https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/being-black-and-jewish-ethiopians-bear-brunt-israeli-state-racism

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDNXUOIS7gv/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhOhd-SkSvg

GHANA POLITICIAN: 'AFRICAN LEADERS ARE DEMOLITION CREW'

Africa’s sorry predicament is not an accident, and its leaders play an integral role in subjugating the continent to the former colonial masters, according to Ghanaian politician Kofi Wayo in this interview that dates to between 2001 and 2009 with Ghanaian journalist David Ampofo (@DavidAmpofo_ on X).

Upon flag independence, the push for sovereignty and development fronted a threat to the imperial powers, which relied on African labour and resources for centuries. Counter-revolutionary movements overthrew progressive leaders like Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah (1909-72) and buried initiatives like nationalisation in favour of handing Africa to multinational corporations through privatisation. The result? Poverty amidst a wealth of natural resources.

Continued…. Patriotism is also lacking. While Europeans pillage the world to improve their homes, African elites serve European and US imperialism at the expense of their home countries. Resources to build schools and roads get diverted to offshore tax havens in countries like the United Kingdom and Switzerland.

Video credit: @timewithdavid (David Ampofo on YouTube)

Sources
Africa and neocolonialism
https://www.rt.com/africa/585928-africa-fight-against-neocolonialism/

Ghana and IMF SAP’s
https://www.e-ir.info/2015/03/01/conditional-development-ghana-crippled-by-structural-adjustment-programmes/

African elite unpatriotic
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-51000-7_8

Tax havens
https://taxjustice.net/press/tax-haven-ranking-uk-protects-itself-while-keeping-world-defenceless-to-british-tax-havens

Another deadly illness - whose identity is unclear - has broken out in the Congo. The country was already in the grip of the viral mpox disease. Here’s what we know about DRC’s latest health crisis.

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/unknown-disease-kills-143-southwest-congo-local-authorities-say-2024-12-03/

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/mysterious-disease-congo-kills-dozens-rcna182804

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/congo-mystery-flu-like-disease-deaths-investigation/

https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-scales-efforts-protect-children-mpox-outbreak-democratic-republic-congo

https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2024-DON546

MOZAMBIQUE POST-ELECTION DEATH TOLL RISES

Two months into protests following a disputed presidential election, NGO Plataforma Eleitoral Decide estimates police detained over 3,400 people and caused 90 deaths and 293 gunshot injuries in the southern African state of Mozambique.

On 7 December, protesters surrounded two power plants, forcing Mozambican authorities to cut off power to southern Mozambique and shutting off a 300-megawatt supply to Zambia, limiting power to under seven hours daily. 

Continued……The national electoral body had declared ruling party FRELIMO (Front for the Liberation of Mozambique) candidate Daniel Chapo the winner in the 9 October poll with more than 70 per cent of the vote, while Venâncio Mondlane of PODEMOS (Mozambican Development Optimist Party) came in second with 20 per cent. Mondlane, now exiled in South Africa, and his party initially called for protests.

Video credits: @FreeMozambique (X), @allafrica (X), @bernardkavuli (X)

Sources

https://www.europapress.es/internacional/noticia-ong-eleva-90-muertos-represion-protestas-opositoras-mozambique-20241207214852.html?utm_campaign=smartclip_social&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter

If needed, translate into English
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/mozambiques-post-presidential-election-protests-continue-with-20-more-injured-2-state-buildings-set-on-fire/3417647

https://x.com/SensoCrtico1/status/1864978610790240452

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/mozambiques-post-presidential-election-protests-continue-with-20-more-injured-2-state-buildings-set-on-fire/3417647

https://www.news24.com/fin24/international/protest-driven-mozambique-power-cuts-spill-over-to-zambia-20241208

https://www.zambiamonitor.com/zambia-loses-300mw-of-power-imports-from-mozambique-zesco-restores-load-shedding-to-below-seven-hours/

https://www.europapress.es/internacional/noticia-ong-eleva-90-muertos-represion-protestas-opositoras-mozambique-20241207214852.html?utm_campaign=smartclip_social&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/10/24/mozambique-ruling-party-declared-winner-of-election-amid-fraud-claims

For some, the West Asian events are none of Africa’s business. For more than a year, Israel has killed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, giving rise to horrifying statistics such as Gaza having the highest number of child amputees per capita. Why should Africa care? Apart from the fact that solidarity is not transactional, events in Palestine carry a warning of precisely what the current global order thinks of Black and Brown lives: disposable. Additionally, Palestine’s current state could have been Africa had the plan to create Israel in what is now Uganda and Kenya gone through, not to mention Israel is also playing a nefarious role in our continent, and it is getting more ambitious by the day.

Join us for a live discussion with special guest Mariamtheugandan, who is vocal about issues in Africa and Palestine. As always, please share your thoughts, and we will read them during the live show.

AFRICAN STREAM VISITS THOMAS SANKARA PLAZA IN NIGER

Last month, African Stream had the opportunity to visit the new Thomas Sankara Plaza in Niamey, Niger, that many Pan-Africanists worldwide have been raving about. 

While we had covered the plaza’s inauguration on 15 October, the date of Sankara's assassination, we were able this time to see it first-hand and speak with Nigeriens and Burkinabé about what it means.

This move is just one of many in honour of revolutionary Pan-Africanist and socialist figures within the Sahel. Niger’s government recently honoured Djibo Bakary (1922-98), the great Nigerien socialist and Pan-Africanist leader whom African Stream produced a video about, by changing the name of Charles de Gaulle Avenue (in honour of a French coloniser) to Djibo Bakary Avenue.

Continued……. However, the changes in Niger are more than just symbolic. With Niger expelling French and US military forces and ending French mining giant Orano's contract, Niger is forging a path toward sovereignty that we suspect would make assassinated Burkina Faso President Thomas Sankara (1949-87) proud.

Over 100 people have been killed and hundreds injured by a Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) airstrike on a market in Kabkabiya, North Darfur, on 9 December. The town is about 180 km west of Darfur's capital El Fasher, which has been under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary since May. According to a group of pro-democracy lawyers, "the airstrike took place on the town's weekly market day, for which residents from various nearby villages had gathered to shop, resulting in the death of more than 100 people, with hundreds injured, including women and children."

Civilians in numerous areas of Darfur are under attack. The same group of lawyers reportedly claims that, on the same day, "three neighbourhoods were hit with barrel bombs in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur." Meanwhile, Save The Children says “no place is safe now for children sheltering from ongoing conflict in North Darfur” - after the RSF shelled the large Zamzam refugee camp there.

Continued……. As the SAF and the UAE-backed RSF wrestle for control over territories, it’s the Sudanese people en masse that are suffering the brunt of the proxy-war that began in April 2023. The RSF faces the largest number of allegations of genocidal violence, but the SAF is also implicated in atrocities against civilians - as the Kabkabiya market strike would seem to confirm.

Darfur has witnessed atrocities against its population in all previous wars in Sudan - predominantly carried out by the Janjaweed militia on behalf of the Sudanese government. Today’s RSF consists primarily of former Janjaweed fighters and, prior to the current war, the paramilitary and the Sudanese army - now at odds - were allies who colluded in the systematic ethnic cleansing of Darfur's non-Arab populace.

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/10/airstrike-north-darfur-market-kills-people-sudan

https://www.newarab.com/news/air-strike-north-darfur-market-kills-more-100

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/16/sudan-unrest-what-is-the-rapid-support-forces

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9wlp15400eo

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-army-air-strikes-kills-over-100-north-darfur-market