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.

Continued…….. Bolsen urges Westerners to reconsider their tired argument, as it only serves to expose the violent, exploitative systems that underpin the wealth of the Global North.

Video Credit: @MiddleNation_ (X)

Sources:

1. https://medium.com/notes-and-theories/the-wests-embarrassing-complex-of-superiority-3fbf00b8bc2f

2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/eurocentrism#:~:text=Eurocentrism%20is%20defined%20as%20the,and%20representing%20progress%20and%20development.

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YqBXqjYfMc

4. https://www.iom.int/news/world-must-not-ignore-dr-congos-worsening-humanitarian-crisis-iom

HOW SACRED STOOL SCARED BRITISH RULE

Here’s one African treasure the British could never get their thieving hands on. The Golden Stool is a sacred bit of furniture that’s been revered by the Ashanti people of Ghana for centuries. They believed it gave them special powers when fighting the colonial Brits. So much so, the British governor made it his mission to find it. Luckily, locals kept it safely hidden and it remains a central part of Ashanti culture today.
Fair to say, without that hidy-hole, The Golden Stool would have ended up in some British museum.
Anyway, let’s celebrate the fact it hasn’t!
It’s an amazing story. Enjoy.

HUMAN ZOOS

Belgium is being forced to cough up compensation for stealing mixed-race children from African mothers in their colony in Congo. Here’s another thing it should make amends for - organising human zoos. The last was held in Brussels in 1958.

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ILLEGAL MINERS TERRORISE SOUTH AFRICAN RESIDENTS

An estimated 2,000 illegal artisanal miners in South Africa - known locally as Zama Zamara - will be spending their Christmas underground in a disused mining shaft in the town of Stilfontein, following a police crackdown. For weeks, officers have surrounded the entrances to the mineshaft and prevented food from entering in a bid to force the Zama Zamas out.

The situation highlights the illegal-mining crisis that has bedevilled South Africa. The huge job losses in the country’s mining sector and widespread poverty have seen the illicit sector boom. And that’s also led to a boom in violent crime, as gangs vie for control of abandoned mines across the country.

Continued………Residents of one slum near Joburg have been pleading with the authorities to do more amid a surge in rapes and murders - blamed on illegal mining gangs. It’s led to a debate about what the root cause of this violence is: is it pure criminality or the lack of opportunity most face? Let us know your views on the issue in the replies.