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?

JAMAICA’S BEACH APARTHEID

Next time you plan a trip to Jamaica remember to ask hotels and resorts if they let Jamaicans access their beaches! Yep, that’s right. We break down beach apartheid in the land that gave us Marley and Marcus Garvey! There’s always Airbnb ...

CONFESSION OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN

Ever wonder exactly how the United States subverts democracy and the aspirations of countries?

In this clip, we hear from the horse’s mouth about the array of tools that are used to shape the international landscape to US favour. John Perkins bore witness to his time at a US-based consulting firm, for which he said the US National Security Agency screened him. Decades later, Perkins published an exposé, ‘Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.'

Continued……. The book lays out how individuals are recruited to promote the interests of corporations and Western government agencies in developing countries, at the expense of the people.

Perkins' job involved convincing poor countries' leaders to accept loans for infrastructure and development projects that were often unnecessary and unsustainable. Since recipient countries could not easily pay off these loans, they fell into a cycle of debt and dependency. This allowed the United States and its corporate interests to exert control over these countries, effectively turning them into economic and political vassals.

Let us know what you think of Perkins' explanation.

WHY IS UK QUEEN’S PORTRAIT STILL ALL OVER AFRICA?

And could we have the queen’s portrait somehow ‘looming’ behind C.

Pan-African activist Arikana Chihombori-Quao tells a funny story here about getting to her hotel room in Ghana, only to find a portrait of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II staring down onto her bed. She says she had to have it taken down for the night to make sure her dreams weren’t affected. Quipping aside, though, she makes a serious point: Why do representatives of our former exploiters still bedeck spaces all over the continent and not our own icons? Why wasn’t there a tremendous Ghanaian chief or king on that hotel room wall instead?

Video credits: Africa Web TV

IRAN-CONTRA: HOW THE CIA BIRTHED THE CRACK EPIDEMIC

Join African Stream as we unravel the real-life drama that mirrors the gripping tales of a popular TV series like “Snowfall.” It’s the story of the Iran-Contra scandal and its devastating impact on African communities in the United States.

African Stream host Salifu Mack explores how the webs of covert US operations in Nicaragua and Iran, as well as cocaine smuggling, pummelled Black neighbourhoods in the United States. Africans have yet to recover from the resulting drug addictions and incarcerations of the 1980s and 1990s.

WARNING: This video contains violent scenes of the U.S. “war on drugs.”

Let us know what you think in the comments.

AFRICAN STREAM IN ERITREA VIDEO BLOG PART 1

There are not many countries in the world as demonised as Eritrea, which sits in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa. Western media often call it the North Korea of Africa and write negative article after negative article about Eritrea without ever setting foot in the country.

African Stream was invited to participate in a consultation about reforms to Eritrea's legal system in May of 2023. We took the opportunity to explore Asmara and taste some of the country's world-famous coffee with locals and friends from the conference.

Here is part 1 of our video diary. Let us know what you think and if the images match up with what you imagined.

The Brits like to say that a leopard can’t change its spots - suggesting that a flawed character can’t be changed. But this African proverb about leopards and their spots has a more noble interpretation: if you have true character, you can weather any storm. We respect our leopards, and our proverb illustrates that.

WIKILEAKS: THE AFRICAN ANGLE

Julian Assange was freed on June 25 after accepting a deal that saw him plead guilty to a conspiracy charge in exchange for his freedom. He had spent five years in what has been dubbed 'Britain's Guantanamo,' aka the maximum-security Belmarsh Prison.

His actual 'crime,' many would argue, was lifting the lid on US wrongdoings - by publishing a trove of diplomatic cables that implicate Washington in atrocities and alleged war crimes. Many of these relate directly to Africa.

Here's a reminder of Assange's key revelations concerning American foul play on the African continent - and why his freedom is essential.

Let us know your reactions to his revelations in the comments.

OTA BENGA: THE BOY EXHIBITED IN A HUMAN ZOO

How Western colonisers practised barbarism in the name of science. The Tragic story of Ota Benga.

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AFRICA’S CARBON TIME BOMB

30-billion tonnes of Carbon dioxide are trapped under one giant area of African peatlands - and could spell environmental disaster if nothing’s done. The Congo Basin is an invaluable treasure not just for the six countries that host the bulk of the forest—Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo—but for Africa and the world. Without an intact Congo Basin, efforts to mitigate global warming and its many extreme side effects will fall short

But the rescue plan is very expensive - so who should pay?

ANCIENT WONDERS OF NIGER

Hear the word Niger these days, and you’ll think of revolutionary coups, uranium, and giving ECOWAS, France and the U.S the boot...
This time, though, we want you to think beautiful lost desert city
That’s right, hidden in the Saharan landscape is a pre-colonial African gem.
Despite the country's troubles, please take a moment to enjoy our tour of Ksars of Djado.

DON’T TELL US HOW TO SPEAK!

Just as any two living creatures have a common ancestor in the tree of life, so any two languages have a common tongue from which they ultimately derived. Scientists currently believe that the world’s 6,000 modern languages, from English to Mandarin, can all be traced back to a ‘mother tongue’ - an ancestral language spoken in Africa 50,000 to 70,000 years ago. Differently put: all languages are descended from primordial African!

This makes it all the more galling that Africans who visit, work or live outside of the continent are often taunted and laughed at because sometimes they don’t pronounce English words ‘properly’ - even though these words are ‘deviations’ (however far removed) from African-language words.

The continent’s turbulent history of colonisation is the reason for the use of European languages in African schools, commerce and governments today.

Continued……However, something that is overlooked is that most Africans are accustomed to speaking multiple languages, perhaps three or more, throughout the course of a single day.

That’s one reason Africans pronounce certain words with an accent - they can speak other languages fluently enough for those languages to interfere with their English.

In this clip, Anna Mwalagho (@mamaafricaanna) - an African storyteller living in the United States - gives a passionate defence of the uniqueness of African accents, arguing that this diversity is something to celebrate and be proud of.

Hit like if you agree.

Video Credit: @mamaafricaanna (IG)

THE MOTHER OF ALL KARENS

Everyone is familiar with the term “Karen,” but have you heard of the mother of all Karens? Her name is Karen Blixen.

She was a Danish writer and aristocrat who ‘owned’ a 6,000-acre coffee farm at the foot of the Ngong Hills in colonial-era Kenya. A small army of servants toiled and attended to her needs. The land actually belonged to the local Maasai, who’d been forcibly removed from it to make room for colonials like herself.

Her writings were infused with racism and a White-saviour complex. Yet Nairobi still honours her by having a suburb named after her - one that still has a whiff of colonial exclusivity and snobbishness.

African Stream takes you to the place where it all started.