TWO KITES REACTION: HUMANISING GLOBAL SOUTH VICTIMS

With much of what passes as music, especially hip-hop, glorifying inter-communal killings, drug use and abuse of women and vulnerable groups, UK rapper Lowkey’s recent track Two Kites is a breath of fresh air. 

In this video, we react to part of his new album, Soundtrack to the Struggle 3 - noting how he humanises victims of conflict in a manner largely missing from the mainstream’s narrative around the Global South.

The story @Lowkey0nline (X) tells here reminds us that war victims are more than just numbers. They are teachers, students and loved ones with dreams and relationships. Two Kites also shows audiences the emotional resilience that persists in these harsh realities.

You can find more African Stream content on Bluesky, Patreon, Rumble, Telegram, and X.

TOXIC U.S. PESTERING NIGERIA TO GO GMO

Another day, another revelation about how the US will not let African nations determine their own policies.

A new investigative report reveals how activists against pesticides and GMOs in Nigeria are being smeared with the help of dollars stumped up by Washington - much to the delight of US agrochemical giants such as the health-scandal-embroiled Monsanto.

Having been at the receiving end of a US State Department smear campaign ourselves, we can only relate too well with what the activists targeted are going through. But it ultimately affects every Nigerian, as President Tinubu has already given the green light to GMO crops in his country - despite stiff opposition.

Sources:

https://x.com/GRVlagos/status/1868379150366679327

SANKARA THE ANTI-DEBT ICON

On Thomas Sankara’s birthday, we look back at one of the legendary speeches regarding foreign aid from the pan-African icon and former leader of Burkina Faso. He advocated self-sufficiency, the elimination of the entire continent’s debt, and not relying on aid, which always comes with strings attached. Burkina Faso’s Captain Ibrahim Traore is trying to keep Sankara’s legacy alive, but only with the support of the people will that dream be fulfilled.

AFRICA'S INDEPENDENCE-ERA SELL-OUTS

Africa got flag independence, while the colonisers retained the tools of power - such as control of Africa's economies via chokehold institutions like the World Bank and IMF.

For this to work, they needed compliant Africans - collaborators willing to take out true African heroes like Thomas Sankara and Patrice Lumumba.

In this report, African Stream’s William Sakawa looks at four of the worst offenders among African leaders when it comes to serving foreign interests at the expense of their own people - including DR Congo's Mobutu and Kenya's Kenyatta.

Who do you think the biggest traitor was?

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS: S. AFRICA’S CRAZY COALITION GOVT!

2024 was a year of elections. Voters in more than 60 countries went to the polls. Some incumbents hung on to power, while others got the boot.

One of the countries where elections took place on our continent was South Africa, where the ruling African National Congress (ANC) lost its majority for the first time since coming to power in 1994, after the fall of the apartheid regime.

Its failure to secure a majority saw the former liberation movement go into coalition with other political parties - including, astonishingly, with its longtime nemesis, the rightwing Democratic Alliance (DA).

The political marriage between the ANC and the DA has led to fears that the country is falling into the hands of pro-Western interests. This can only further delay efforts to emancipate the nation fully and improve the welfare of the majority-Black population, which has yet to see any social or economic mobility worth writing home about.

Continued……That’s the topic that we delve into in this extract from our bumper end-of-year review discussion. What do you think about the ANC's political gamble?

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TRIES BLEACHING AWAY RACISM, AGAIN

Like others before him, Dominican Republic Minister of Foreign Affairs Roberto Álvarez Gil tried whitewashing his country’s historical identity in an April 2024 interview with @aljazeera. 

‘Unlike Haiti, unlike the United States and unlike most [Caribbean Community] CARICOM countries, the Dominican Republic is mestizo or mulatto,’ according to Gil, which apparently frees the island from racism. It’s a hard sell not only because the Dominican Republic has deported tens of thousands of Haitians back to their half of the Hispaniola island amidst political instability due to foreign interventions, but it fails to address what happened to Gil’s compatriot, former Major League Baseball slugger Sammy Sosa. Responding to comments about his new complexion, several shades lighter than his former self, Sosa said, ‘I do whatever I want.’ 

African Stream’s William Sakawa unpacks the contradiction. Take a look and let us know what you think in the comments.

CHICK-FIL-A VS. POPEYES: WHAT'S IN THE CHICKEN? PT. 1

Brother Nuri Muhammad (@brothernuri on X, @nurimuhammad on IG), a prominent figure within the Nation of Islam and an author, activist, mentor, life coach and entrepreneur, breaks down why many Black people in the United States are emotionally attached to fast-food restaurants, like Chick-fil-A and Popeyes.

In this August 2023 clip, the minister explained that the chemical composition of these companies’ products acts as addictive substances and destroys our health. 

What do you think of Muhammad’s remarks? Let us know in the comments.

Video credit: @ineverknewtv (YouTube)

SOMALIA & CUBA’S ROCKY RELATIONSHIP

The presidents of Cuba and Somalia were all smiles at the COP 28 summit in Dubai. They met on the sidelines as if old-time friends. But it wasn’t always like that. For decades, the relationship between their countries was on the rocks over geopolitics.

But things have been patched up, their interests have married again, and a win-win future is being promised.

Let us know your thoughts below.

Bee stings hurt, but imagine life without honey. This week’s proverb reminds us that overreacting can be self-defeating.

WHO IS DAN GETLER?

Israeli businessman Dan Gertler is a prominent figure in the exploitation and control of mineral resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), reportedly earning about $200,000 daily from his operations there. Allegations suggest that his profits contribute to the construction of apartheid-like walls in the West Bank. Gertler’s family has a legacy of diamond exploitation in Africa dating back to the colonial era, and he has continued this tradition. His business expanded significantly due to questionable deals made with the former ruling Kabila dynasty in the DRC.

Continued……In December 2017 and June 2018, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on Gertler and more than 30 of his companies, accusing him of leveraging his close ties with former Congo President Joseph Kabila to secure highly profitable mining contracts. However, the US administration considered easing these sanctions to allow Gertler an opportunity to sell his interests and exit Africa, purportedly to demonstrate that its enforcement actions can be effective.

So, who is Dan Gertler? Wambura Mwai from African Stream provides an overview of what you need to know.

PENTA-CON? THE PENTAGON’S MEGA CORRUPTION

Imagine this: $10,000 for a toilet seat cover. $90,000 for a bag of insulator joints. These expenditures illustrate the staggering reality of corruption at the Pentagon, leading to seven consecutive failed audits. Comedian and commentator Jon Stewart doesn’t hold back as he confronts US Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, pointing out the astronomical levels of corruption that have left US military personnel applying for food stamps (government benefits), despite the department’s $850-billion budget.

@jonstewart (X) rightfully calls a spade a spade, noting that ‘corruption’ is the word that defines the Pentagon’s failed audit. Yet, conversations and headlines around the audit—for the most part—have not been as quick to describe it with the same vigour they do when speaking of misgovernance in the Global South.

Continued……Here, we analyse these contradictions and highlight why the US Department of Defense is accountable to US taxpayers and the rest of the world, subject to US political machinations and economic exploitation. We also discuss the US-style two-party system that’s driven chiefly by big money from donors like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which spent over $100 million in the 2024 US elections. African elections have been going the way of the corrupt US political system, where candidates with the fattest wallets lubricate their way into power by buying advertisements and obtaining favourable news coverage.

For a more in-depth look at this issue, please watch the full video on our X handle @african_stream and remember to subscribe for more Pan-Africanist content.

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BRITISH MIGRANT PLANS TO BREAK UP SOUTH AFRICA

A British migrant campaigning to separate Western Cape from the rest of South Africa says he wants to create the equivalent of an ‘Israel for the Jews’.

Phil Craig heads the Referendum Party and in this clip doesn’t hold back outlining his dream of the province having its own hard borders, police and military. As far as he’s concerned, he’s appealing to people with ‘Western values’ who want to live in the ‘Western world’. He also says it’s necessary because people in the Afrikaans community are ‘vulnerable’.

Western Cape is the second-richest province in South Africa, and White people make up 16 per cent of its population.

Continued……. Craig wants to pressure its Democratic Alliance (DA)-led provincial government to hold a referendum on the issue. So far, the DA has rejected the idea, but he continues to push his divisive views.

The Economic Freedom Fighters party has labelled him a ‘White supremacist’ who’s ‘running the dog of imperialism’. A petition to get Mr Craig deported has nearly 45,000 signatures at change.org. After watching this clip, you may want to sign it.