Continued……. When the Portuguese first arrived in Africa in 1418, they came initially for trade and to spread Christianity, but it soon turned into a land grab to extract our resources for as little as possible whilst trading our people as slaves. Conversions to Christianity were used early on as a diversion only for religion to be imposed on the masses over time.

The late South African Bishop Desmond Tutu described the process best when he said: 'When the missionaries came to Africa, they had the Bible and we had the land. They said, 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them, we had the Bible, and they had the land.'

For many online, this clip symbolises how many of us have not learned from our history. Or is this just another case of the internet overthinking stuff?

Let us know in the comments.

BREAD REVOLUTIONS -THE TAX INGREDIENT

Bread is at the heart of politics across the world. It represents labour, life and livelihoods. Ruling classes down the ages have always offered ‘bread and circuses’ to keep a lid on mass discontent over unpopular policies. Kenya’s President William Ruto seems to have skipped a lesson on keeping citizens pacified when he attempted to ram through unpopular IMF-backed tax hikes, including a proposed 16% hike on bread. The IMF had warned Ruto’s administration that implementing steep tax hikes would spark civil unrest but urged the president to push ahead anyway. It set off a series of violent protests in which police officers reportedly killed more than 60. Ruto relented and declined to sign the bill. However, parts of the bill are reportedly being sneaked in.

Continued……African Stream’s Erick Gavala brushed up on his baking skills and takes us on a journey - from the oven to street protests, where much of history is fermented.

Written by @kenneth_kaigua and presented by @erickgavala

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce77ld43lngo

https://nation.africa/kenya/blogs-opinion/editorials/sneaking-in-high-taxes-a-betrayal-of-citizens-4810086

https://nation.africa/kenya/business/imf-told-state-to-ignore-anti-tax-protests-4672248#story

https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/11/06/kenya-security-forces-abducted-killed-protesters

https://reliefweb.int/report/kenya/kenya-security-forces-abducted-killed-protesters

ANTONY BLINKEN KNOWS WE DON’T WORK FOR RUSSIA

In 2024, African Stream was banned from YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, even Gmail and Google Drive after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused us of being Kremlin propagandists. But what if he doesn’t believe his own claims, especially since he provided no proof to validate them? In this video clip from our ‘Africa’s End of Year Review’ livestream, journalist Inem Richardson states that Blinken most likely knows that African Stream is not Russian-funded. However, claiming that we’re Russian propagandists, puppets and parrots, sounds a lot better than stating outright that the US State Department opposes Pan-African ideas. She also points out that the targeting of Pan-African media is nothing new. Over 100-years ago the then-famous Negro World newspaper run by Marcus Garvey’s United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) was also heavily targeted by imperialist powers.

The full video is on https://x.com/african_stream.

The Pentagon recently failed its 7th audit in a row, failing to account for $824 billion in defence expenditure.

Could one reason be its covert operations in Africa, supposedly to fight terrorism? Yet, terrorism in Africa grew exponentially after the start of US military operations on the continent.

According to a report by the Pentagon’s Africa Center for Strategic Studies, the number of Africans killed by terrorists jumped by an astonishing 100,000% in the last 2 decades since the US embarked on the Global War on Terror in 2001. The report adds that since then, the US has been providing billions of dollars in security assistance, training thousands of African military personnel, setting up military outposts, deploying special service troops on secret missions, creating proxy forces, launching drone strikes, and engaging in ground combat with militants in Africa.

Continued…….. In 2023, fatalities from terrorism in Africa soared to “a record level of lethal violence,” says the Center - 23,322 (versus 19,412 in 2022). Compare that with the 23 deaths blamed on terrorism in 2002-2003.

The two main theatres of US operations, the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, have seen large increases in civilian deaths. The al-Shabaab insurgency in Somalia claimed 7,643 lives in 2023.

With 29 bases across our continent and millions of dollars spent, is AFRICOM (United States Africa Command) - launched in 2007 - good for Africa’s security? Or is it a magnet for malign forces?

Sources:

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/africa-terrorism/

https://breakingdefense.com/2024/11/pentagon-fails-7th-audit-in-a-row-eyes-passing-grade-by-2028/

https://www.twz.com/8008/a-guide-to-the-pentagons-shadowy-network-of-bases-in-africa

https://theintercept.com/2020/02/27/africa-us-military-bases-africom/

SAHEL STATES LEADING AFRICA’S DECOLONISATION

Guinea’s first president and Pan-Africanist leader, Ahmed Sékou Touré (1922-84), championed the revolutionary idea that Africa should ‘liquidate all dependence complex’ by striving to achieve ‘real’ and ‘complete’ ‘independence,’ for imperialism cannot survive in countries that are culturally, socially, ideologically, politically and economically independent.

Touré, we are sure, would agree with the analysis of our panel in this video that Africa can only realise real democracy by gaining total independence from domination by former colonial powers and modern-day imperialists. The Sahel trio of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, who bravely kicked out the French military from their soil with the support of the country’s populace, are an inspiring example of decolonisation in action. Not to mention Niger booted US troops, too. These states are moving to reclaim their sovereignty and control over their natural resources.

Continued………. As our man, William Sakawa, notes, the East African state of Kenya espouses Western-style democratic values. But is Kenya genuinely democratic if its leaders ignore the wishes of its citizens, such as when thousands rushed into the streets to denounce International Monetary Fund-backed tax hikes? Has Kenya gained independence from Britain, given the British military maintains a base in Nanyuki, where its troops commit atrocities against the local communities?

Subscribe to our X handle @african_stream and watch the entire discussion that we posted a few days ago. We are also on BlueSky, Patreon, Rumble and Telegram.

Sources:

https://www.jstor.org/stable/532497

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7ve6y735djo

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/02/thousands-rally-in-niger-seeking-withdrawal-of-french-troops

FANCY A BANANA BEER?

Let’s make banana beer. Africans were using locally available crops to brew beer long before Europeans introduced their own techniques, but East Africans stand out in this respect. Their traditional beer is made with bananas. We travelled to Rwanda to find out how urwagwa - a local blend of crushed bananas - is made.

‘LIBERATE AFRICA LIBERATE MANKIND’

Mukasa Dada’s well known for his role popularising the slogan “Black Power.”
He did it alongside Kwame Ture as a youth organiser in the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).
That may have been a few years back, but he hasn’t stopped preaching the message.
In this clip, Dada talks at the recent Socialist Horizon conference in Atlanta, GA, USA.
From civil rights to anti-capitalism and anti-imperialism, many SNCC veterans like him have lived their lives fighting to build Pan-Africanism, which they define as “one united socialist Africa.”
His flair for public speaking has earned him the nickname “The Reverend”.
Listening to this, you’ll understand why.

NGO IMPERIALISM: TOOLS OF REGIME CHANGE

Aid organisations are generally thought of as good things. Humanity in action, as it were. But dig a little deeper, and it soon becomes clear that the primary purpose of some of the NGOs and humanitarian groups operating around the world today is not helping people - rather, it’s political: they are tools of regime change and Western-interest protection.

RUTO'S HAITI FAILURE EXPLAINED

The situation in Haiti reflects deep-seated global inequalities perpetuated by imperialist interests and systemic exploitation. Despite Haiti's challenges being in large part due to subjugation and political interference, figures such as Kenyan President William Ruto adopt positions that align with Western powers - all the while obscuring their culpability through progressive rhetoric. Ruto's involvement in Haiti, including deploying Kenyan police officers under the guise of a pan-African security mission, highlights how African leaders can be complicit in furthering imperialist agendas.

Continued…….. Ironically, Ruto's alignment with Western interests has not yielded tangible benefits, as Kenya's treasury foots the bill for an underfunded and ineffective mission while Haitian problems, such as gang violence and state collapse, persist unabated.


The destabilisation of Haiti parallels cases like Sudan, where Western-backed factions perpetuate conflict. The flow of arms into Haiti from the US, unchecked by Washington, suggests a deliberate perpetuation of instability, while NGOs exacerbate local problems rather than resolving them. Haiti's plight, rooted in centuries of exploitation, is emblematic of a global system where imperialist powers extract resources, destabilise governments and suppress progressive leaders, leaving nations in perpetual cycles of suffering and dependence.

SLAVERY, CHACHAÇA & JACK DANIEL’S

Jack Daniel’s whiskey might sound as American as it gets, but it owes much to Africans from the Congo-Angola region - as does Brazil’s most popular alcoholic beverage, cachaça. Both are made from sugarcane - which, of course, was farmed in plantations worked by slaves. And it was a formerly enslaved African who taught a certain Jack Daniel how to distil whiskey. Our video dives deeper.

THE AFRICAN QUEEN WHO DEFEATED THE BRITISH IN JAMAICA

This is the story of the legendary Queen Nanny of the Maroons. An African woman born in present-day Ghana, kidnapped and sold into slavery in Jamaica, she became a symbol of resistance, unity and power on the island.

She built an autonomous community of emancipated Africans, mounted raids to free others and was successful in defeating British colonials who were forced into a peace treaty with her community after nearly two decades of war.

She is a reminder of the African roots, pride and strength of African people, who did not submit to slavery but instead fought for their freedom until the end. This is also another example of women who played a pivotal role in anti-colonial struggles around the world.

Does she inspire you?

U.S. ECONOMIST: ‘EUROPEAN INVADERS WERE THE SAVAGES’

The typical Western movie or novel portrays Indigenous peoples as violent, bloodthirsty savages who posed an ever-present threat to the European colonialists who invaded their land. On the other hand, these pieces present European settlers as noble victims who are on Indigenous lands for noble purposes. History books and museums do no better in conveying the truth, as history is still mostly told through the European settlers’ lenses.

In this clip, Richard Wolff (@profwolff on X), a renowned economist and author, asked who the actual savage is between those who invaded other people’s land and the dispossessed peoples.

Video credit: @RobinsonErhardt (X)

WORLD HERITAGE STATUS FOR AMAZIGH STORES?

Morocco is seeking World Heritage status for its ancient Amazigh granaries - found mainly in and around Agadir. Back in the day, these storehouses functioned as early forms of banking vault. People would keep everything from silver and documents to wheat and spices in them. And unlike today’s banks, visiting them is a delight!

ORANIA: THE WHITE ONLY TOWN IN SOUTH AFRICA

2024 marked three decades since the fall of the apartheid system in South Africa. You might think whites-only settlements are a thing of the past in South Africa. But, even post-apartheid, they still exist. Welcome - or rather not - to Orania.

In August 2024, British seven-time Formula-1 champion Lewis Hamilton, speaking at the Dutch Grand Prix, said it was high time that African locations were added to the 24-race calendar.

It’s been over two decades since an African country hosted the F1 Grand Prix - that was in Kyalami, South Africa, in 1993. There’s been unconfirmed speculation that South Africa might host another F1 race - and Rwanda has officially made a bid to host the Grand Prix.

Hamilton highlighted the touristic appeal of our continent, noting that “people who haven’t been there don’t realise how beautiful the place is, how vast it is.” He also said that most people are unaware of what other countries are doing to hold Africa back. The racer added that Africa should stop being a mere resource-extraction hub.

Continued……. Sources:

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/13225722/lewis-hamilton-mercedes-f1-driver-says-formula-1-cannot-continue-to-ignore-africa-amid-rwanda-grand-prix-talks#

https://www.independent.co.uk/f1/f1-lewis-hamilton-south-africa-kyalami-rwanda-b2629721.html

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1285081705860930

THE WESTERN SUPERIORITY COMPLEX

In a striking critique, Shaeed Bolsen (@shahidkbolsen on X), founder of @MiddleNation_, challenged the Western narrative of superiority based on material wealth.

He noted that the West prides itself on its technological advances and ‘nice things,’ but this argument rings hollow for much of the Global South. Bolsen reminds those in the Global North that the resources extracted from Africa, Asia and Latin America are required to build sought-after technologies. It’s our minerals, our labour and our lands.

Just in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, foreign states, militias and corporations have been fighting it out to access the country’s estimated $24 trillion in untapped mineral reserves over the past three decades. It has come at a cost of at least 6 million dead Congolese and 7 million internally displaced people.