SCALING THE HISTORY OF BENIN’S AMAZING WALLS

Did you know that in 1010 AD, the largest man-made structure in Africa was located in the Old Benin Kingdom, in present-day Nigeria? The mighty Walls of Benin - in their prime - stretched 16,000 km (beaten only by the Great Wall of China’s 21,000 km!). Alas, this glorious kingdom was destroyed - and looted - by the British. Here’s a quick look at the key history of one of the world’s engineering wonders.

ISRAEL, A HAVEN FOR FLEEING CHILD ABUSERS

Africa was the victim of seven settler-colonial regimes, with Apartheid South Africa being the biggest, followed by Algeria, Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Kenya, Mozambique, Angola and German South-West Africa (Namibia). So, we know a thing or two about why settler colonialism is bad for the native population.

But the latest settler-colonial project in the Middle East is not only making life difficult for Palestinians but also for Israelis, jeopardising their children’s safety by allowing paedophiles from around the world to settle in the so-called Jewish state.

The Jewish Community Watch says that 32 paedophiles in their database have moved from countries around the world to Israel over the past decade. But that is just a drop in the ocean. According to an Israeli paedophile monitoring association, tens of thousands of paedophiles operate in Israel every year, leading to about 100,000 victims annually (you can find the report in The Jerusalem Post).

Continued….. How does this happen?

Well, while Palestinians are being driven out of their homes to make space for Israeli settlers, any person anywhere with a Jewish mother or maternal grandmother or any Jewish convert can move to Israel, claim citizenship and have access to land. Unfortunately, this policy has been abused by criminals, including paedophiles, to escape justice.

Tens of thousands of paedophiles operate in Israel each year, a country where nine out of ten sexual-assault cases get closed without a conviction, according to an annual survey released by the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel.

This CBS News investigation from 2020 breaks down the loophole that allows accused and convicted American paedophiles to escape justice by moving to Israel.

Please watch and let us know your thoughts.

WILL ISRAEL BUILD CANAL TO RIVAL SUEZ THROUGH GAZA?

The Suez Canal - a vital artery for global shipping - has given African nation Egypt significant economic and geopolitical clout. But could a rival canal through Israel give it a run for its money?

Although first tabled 60 years ago by former Israeli prime minister David Ben-Gurion, it became a live possibility again during the Trump-mediated Abraham Accords talks (normalising ties between Israel and some Arab nations).

And now with Tel Aviv turning the Gaza Strip into uninhabitable rubble, some wonder whether the proposed canal might have a shorter, cheaper route to the Mediterranean.

Would the international community turn a blind eye if it meant savings on shipping? African Stream’s Ahmed Ghoneim breaks it all down in 90 seconds.

NAIVASHA: KENYA’S COLONIAL SIN CITY

The World Rally Championship traditionally descends on Kenya every year, when thousands of pleasure-seeking fans head to the main action in Naivasha. As African Stream’s Wambura Mwai finds out, the town’s seedy past may have something to do with the wild parties often accompanying the event.

A Las Vegas in the heart of the Kenya colony, that was Naivasha’s reputation in the heyday of the British Empire. Cocaine-fuelled orgies, wife-swapping parties, crimes of passion and hedonism were standard fare for a group of mostly British aristocrats and adventurers who settled near the Aberdare Mountain Range between the 1920s and 1940s. Their decadent lifestyle earned them the nickname the “Happy Valley set” and is the subject of films and books depicting their antics, such as “White Mischief”.

Have a watch and pile in with your comments.

EPISODE 3: THE ‘WHITE AUSTRALIA’ POLICY

Australia once upheld the ‘White Australia’ policy, a set of immigration laws that discriminated by race until the mid-1970s. The government aimed to maintain a ‘white British’ ideal by excluding non-Europeans, such as Chinese, Pacific Islanders and others. The ‘Dictation Test’ was also used to enforce this policy, allowing immigration officials to deny entry based on language skills, a thinly veiled form of racial discrimination.

African Stream’s Ahmed Ghoneim (@ahmed.ghoneim.official on IG) argues in this episode of ‘Decolonised Minds’ that the government may have abolished the ‘White Australia’ policy, but its exclusionary intent has left a lasting impact.

Continued……. In recent years, Australia has touted its immigration policy as ‘non-discriminatory,’ but glaring inconsistencies remain. For example, former Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton prioritised white South African farmers, citing their hard work and potential contributions. However, young Black South Africans facing violence and Rohingyas fleeing gen*cide in Myanmar have not received similar attention. Australia’s humanitarian efforts in Iraq and Syria have favoured Christian refugees from a region where they are a minority, raising concerns about the true inclusivity of Australia’s immigration policies.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who have lived in Australia for over 65,000 years, make up just 3.8 per cent of the population and face significant socio-economic disadvantages. Unfortunately, Australians overwhelmingly voted against the 2023 referendum aimed at granting greater political rights. Many say this reflects an unwillingness of settlers to reconcile with Australia’s colonial past with the continued marginalisation of the aboriginal peoples.

Continued…….. Sources:

https://www.voanews.com/a/southern-african-countries-in-fresh-bid-to-fight-uk-anti-hunting-bill/7878054.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

https://www.voanews.com/a/botswana-communities-march-against-uk-s-anti-hunting-bill/7524648.html

https://www.voanews.com/a/southern-african-nations-wary-as-uk-s-labor-party-commits-to-hunting-trophy-ban/7653350.html

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/africa/botswana-and-the-europeans-recently-had-a-spat-regarding-elephants-what-was-it-all-about

https://zimbabweland.wordpress.com/2022/04/11/the-trouble-with-elephants-why-limits-on-culling-are-bad-for-conversation

https://metro.co.uk/2024/03/21/botswana-threatens-send-10-000-elephants-hyde-park-trophy-hunting-row-20502931

https://africageographic.com/stories/trophy-hunting-in-botswanas-ng13-we-follow-the-money

https://www.humanesociety.org/belgium-import-trophy-hunting-endangered-species


Tourism creates toxic dependency

https://www.reuters.com/article/business/on-our-knees-kenyas-tourism-revenue-collapses-idUSKBN2401UC/

https://afripoli.org/consuming-africa-the-impact-of-tourism-on-local-african-economies

Report on The Myth of Trophy Hunting as Conservation by Elliott Morley.

https://www.saveafricananimals.org/attachments/article/136/The_%20Myth_of_Trophy_Hunting_as_Conservation.pdf

FRANCE’S WINDRUSH GEN

Most people have heard of the British Windrush generation, but did you know France has its own ‘Windrush scandal’? It is a tale of discrimination and marginalisation that very much mirrors what the British counterparts went through. Let’s dive in.

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CHICK-FIL-A VS. POPEYES: WHAT’S IN THE CHICKEN? PT. 2

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

In part 2 of the video, the minister said these companies are hiding their ingredients from the public, and how the chemicals they are inserting are not only highly addictive but also destroy your immune system.

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

Check out part 1 by scrolling down our page.

Video credit: @ineverknewtv (YouTube)

SIDGI KABALLO: BOTH WARRING PARTIES IN SUDAN ARE NO GOOD

In Episode 17 of the Pan African Attitude podcast, our CEO, Ahmed Kaballo, sits down one-on-one with his father, Sidgi Kaballo. They debate whether or not there is a lesser of two evils, among many other urgent questions surrounding the proxy war in Sudan.

Kaballo Sr., an economist, academic, and Central Committee member of the Sudanese Communist Party, argues that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are two devils and he is reluctant to choose based on the lesser of two evils. He concedes that RSF is worse than the army, but still, neither armed group, whichever emerges victorious from the war, will be accepted by the Sudanese people to lead the country. Kaballo Sr. concludes that Sudan needs a third option, represented by civilian leadership and rule.

Continued……. Ahmed disagrees with his father slightly, saying that in the situation, we have to choose the lesser of two evils because only two forces are fighting, and RSF is the more evil force. If they win, Sudan as a state will be over. So, all Sudanese people have to put their support behind the army at this time.

Despite its historic abuses of power and mass violations of civilian rights, the SAF are emerging as heroes among the Sudanese people in the current war. Hostilities erupted on 15 April 2023 and have raged on since. Until recently, the UAE-backed RSF was accused of most violations against civilians during the proxy war. However, recent events like the SAF’s bombing of a public market in the northern Darfur town of Kabkabiya that killed over 100 people mean neither of the warring parties is innocent of atrocities carried out on the country’s civilian population.

The whole episode of this profoundly insightful conversation is available on our X, Patreon and Rumble platforms.

WHY BURKINA BOOGIES TO CUBAN MUSIC

Burkina nightclubs bounce to the sound of Cuban music. But how did Salsa find its way to West Africa? History, politics and immigration played their part, as Burkinabes fell in love with this iconic sound.

2023 RECAP: OUR REACTION TO
CNN ‘EXPERT’S’ TAKE ON NIGER

When African Stream was kicked off all major social platforms apart from X, formerly known as Twitter, following baseless accusations from the US State Department, many of our videos disappeared, including many of our reaction videos. One of our favorites was after the historic, revolutionary coup that took place Niger and CNN's attempt to paint it as a terrible thing supported by Niamey's political elites.

Shortly after July 26, it was evident that the military overthrow of Western-aligned president Mohamed Bazoum had widespread support. For Nigeriens, here at last was a chance to kick out the exploitative French - and their influence - from their motherland.

CNN brought on Washington DC think-tanker and former State Department employee Aneliese Bernard to explain France's (and the West's) dwindling fortunes in Niger.

Continued….. Trying to make sense of it all, she said that the capital, Niamey, was populated by the elite, whose differences with the president may have contributed to his downfall. No mention of how France has greatly benefited at the expense of Niger, which is one of the poorest countries in the world with a per capita income of $ 628 (IMF).

CNN's host Zain Asher then echoed the West's fear of an awakened continent when she wondered why Nigeriens were happy to be rid of a 'democratically elected' leader who is 'trusted by the West'.

It's a dangerous time for humanity when mainstream media believes its propaganda, especially about Africa. It's even more dangerous when people believe what these 'experts' say about the continent.

Watch the reaction videos on our YouTube channel and help us unmask them.

WHEN GERMANY TURNED AFRICA INTO A LABORATORY

Germany’s genocide in Namibia is slowly attracting the attention long denied it. But the imperialist power also did despicable things in its East African ‘possessions’ that are even less widely known about.

One of its most revered scientists - Robert Koch, who won a Nobel Prize for his work on tuberculosis - used Africans, kept in concentration-like conditions, as guinea pigs for trials of a dangerous experimental drug for sleeping sickness.

While some might put it all down to the ‘bad old past,’ as African Stream’s Clinton Nzala here explains, some things haven’t really changed.

Would you agree?