This week’s Wednesday Wisdom from the late author and thinker Maya Angelou (1928-2014) reminds us of the significance of history when trying to shape our future.

Angelou implied in her famous statement that detaching a people from their roots can result in identity crises, as is the case of the descendants of Africans kidnapped and forced into slavery in the Americas. Furthermore, not knowing our true history can make us susceptible to the oppressor’s narratives about us.

For example, Africans who have internalised that they are inferior to Europeans may try to bleach their skin, an epidemic in many parts of the continent and beyond, or distance themselves from Africa.

Arguably, liberation begins with mental decolonisation, as it is from this that complete liberation can come to fruition. Understanding African history, where we have been and our current reality are required to know where we are heading.

source:

https://www.nytimes.com/1972/04/16/archives/-for-years-we-hated-ourselves.html

THE BRITISH MUSEUM FEELS LIKE ‘HOME’ FOR AFRICANS

This hilarious meme couldn’t be any more accurate!

As Africans, the British museum would feel right at home seeing as it houses stolen artefacts from the motherland during slavery and colonisation. African countries have been campaigning for the items to be returned.

The British Museum in London houses around 73,000 African objects from the Benin kingdom in Nigeria, the Dahomey Kingdom in Benin to the Ashanti kingdom in Ghana. Over the years, European authorities have said they cannot return artefacts because they cannot determine the true owner and that they cannot trust the items will be properly managed.

Last year, the Ashanti Kingdom in Ghana got back some of its gold and silver artefacts looted during during the 19th-century Anglo-Asante War.

In 2023, the British Museum sought the public’s help in recovering 1,500 artefacts that thieves stole over the years. Talk about irony!

French President Emmanuel Macron has faced backlash for saying former African colonies that have booted French troops or have announced plans to do so should express gratitude to Paris for assisting in combating Islamist terrorists. 

‘I think someone forgot to say thank you,’ Macron said during an address on 6 January at an annual conference with French ambassadors in Paris. He dismissed that African states had forced the former colonial power to withdraw military personnel from the region. A visibly upset Macron continued by asserting that the African states would not be sovereign today if not for the deployment of the French army in Africa’s Sahel region.

Leaders in Chad and Senegal accused Macron of showing contempt and invoking language reminiscent of colonial rhetoric. 

Continued……. Over the years, France’s influence on the continent has declined. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger—three states that ousted Western-aligned leaders in recent years and subsequently formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)—have accused Paris of perpetuating neo-colonialism by maintaining control of former colonies through the use of French currency, occupying territories and exploiting natural resources. The AES members have expelled French troops, while Senegal, Chad and Ivory Coast have ended their security agreements with France.

Source:

https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/africa/2025-01-07-macron-accused-of-contempt-over-africa-remarks

IBRAHIM TRAORÉ ELECTRIFIES CROWD IN GHANA

According to the videos online, there was no mistaking it: the loudest roars of approval during Ghana’s president’s inauguration, John Mahama, were reserved for the visiting Captain Ibrahim Traoré, Burkina Faso’s 36-year-old transitional leader.

What sets Ibrahim Traoré apart from Africa’s elected officials, earning him such admiration and, judging by the raucous welcome in Accra, a glowing endorsement from many Africans?

Ghanaians, weary from years of unfulfilled political promises and a crippling debt crisis, were rallying behind what Traoré symbolises: courageous, decisive leadership and a commitment to prioritising the needs of the people.

Continued……. Since seizing power in a military coup in 2022, Traoré has initiated a groundbreaking decolonisation effort, expelling French influence from the media, military, and mining sectors. In contrast and particularly under former president Nana Akufo-Addo, Ghanaians endured high inflation, a depreciating currency and a high cost of living amid harsh IMF bailout conditions.


Some have likened Traoré to a modern-day Thomas Sankara (1949-1987), Burkina Faso’s assassinated pan-Africanist leader. Alongside Mali’s Assimi Goïta and Niger’s Abdourahamane Tiani, the trio has expelled French military forces, reduced French sway in the media, begun the nationalisation of natural resources, and formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) confederation to unify defence, economic, and foreign policies.

The cheers for Traoré resonate across Africa as millions of citizens express their admiration for leadership that delivers actual results. This is a stark critique of Western-style democracy, where wealthy politicians often buy their way into power with empty promises only to serve the interests of imperialist nations. Ghanaians at the inauguration on Tuesday are hopeful that the newly elected president can also deliver results for the people of Ghana. Only time will tell.
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On this day in 1811, the largest revolt of enslaved people in the United States occurred in modern-day Louisiana.

Sometimes known as the German Coast Uprising, it involved an estimated 500 African people speaking 50 languages enslaved on sugar plantations on the east bank of the Mississippi River, 48 kilometres north of New Orleans.

Charles, an enslaved overseer on a plantation owned by the Deslondes family that fled Haiti in the wake of the 1804 revolution that outlawed slavery on the island, led the uprising.

Continued……. The Haitian revolution served as a source of inspiration for Charles and his co-conspirators. Following months of secretive plotting, Charles led a group of enslaved people from the surrounding plantations toward New Orleans. The group included enslaved people born in the US, the Caribbean, and those newly brought from Africa. They left the plantation with a few guns, pikes, shovels, and other rudimentary tools, but most importantly, with the courage and determination to free themselves from the shackles of slavery.

Along the way, the group torched plantations, sending fear into enslavers’ hearts and sparking hope for enslaved people, many of whom joined the march to freedom. 

As word of the revolt spread, authorities mobilised armed forces and white supremacist militia to put down the uprising. After putting up a fierce and remarkable resistance, authorities captured Charles and others on the morning of 10 January, executing and decapitating most revolters. Authorities displayed the heads on spikes along a 95-kilometre stretch between New Orleans and the banks of the Mississippi as a grotesque warning to other freedom-seeking enslaved people.

However, despite the brutality, the revolt sparked a spirit of resistance among enslaved people and served as a source of inspiration for future rebellions.

Source:

https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/louisianas-slave-revolt/

RWANDA-BACKED REBELS MAKE GAINS IN EAST DRC

Masisi town in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has fallen into the hands of Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. This strategic location in the mineral-rich North Kivu province is the second town to be taken by the militant group in just two days, following their capture of the nearby town of Katale. The latest fighting erupted after peace talks mediated by Angola collapsed in mid-December 2024.

A UN experts’ report from June 2024 says that Rwanda has deployed around 3,000 to 4,000 troops to assist M23, enabling them to seize large areas in eastern Congo. M23 has been linked to the murder and displacement of civilians, leading to a humanitarian crisis in the Great Lakes region.

Continue……. The ongoing resource war in the DRC, which has lasted for three decades, is one of the most significant and devastating conflicts in recent history. It involves over 120 militia groups, many of which are reportedly supported by foreign governments and interests. This conflict has resulted in approximately 6-million deaths, displaced more than 7-million people and led to numerous incidents of sexual violence. The DRC is estimated to have $24 trillion worth of untapped minerals, drawing the attention of powerful foreign actors eager to exploit its resources.

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9wlzg7xn0no

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10089/

https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n24/118/80/pdf/n2411880.pdf

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/29/eastern-drc-at-breaking-point-as-security-humanitarian-crises-worsen

ETHIOPIAN MIGRANT TORTURED AND AUCTIONED IN LIBYA SLAVE MARKET

In this heartbreaking video going viral on social media, 20-year-old Naima Jamal of Ethiopia is the latest migrant to fall prey to Libya’s notorious trafficking gangs.

Naima, tortured and undergoing unimaginable horrors at the hands of her captors, awaits auction at a modern slave market. Her traffickers demand her family pay a $6,000 ransom for her release, a reality for many other migrants captured and sold in slave markets for as little as $400. According to other refugees in Libya, Naima’s family received a video of captors torturing her alongside 50 people.

Continued……The 2011 NATO invasion wreaked havoc in one of Africa’s most prosperous countries, dividing the state into warring regions and opening the door for a human trafficking crisis. Traffickers exploit Black migrants, reducing them to mere commodities in a modern slave market. The once-vivid spotlight on the atrocities occurring in Libya has since dimmed, creating a sense of resignation in the country.

Naima’s case, as well as many other migrants,’ is part of a more significant crisis magnified by systemic failure. We cannot confirm Naima’s status at the moment. Still, this horrific case highlights an urgent need to protect migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Libya.

Video Credit: @dom_lucre

Image Credit: @leo_afrika

Sources:

https://converseer.com/20-year-old-naima-jamal-abducted-in-libya-faces-torture-as-traffickers-demand-6000-ransom

https://www.cnn.com/2017/11/14/africa/libya-migrant-auctions/index.html

HOW U.S. HIJACKED HAITI’S DEMOCRACY

Kenya’s controversial policing mission to Haiti - launched mid-last year at the bidding of the US - has so far failed in its stated goal of bringing the island’s rampant gang problem under control. And while Nairobi claims to be acting out of pan-African solidarity, in reality, it’s providing a Black face for the latest round of imperialist meddling in the Caribbean nation.

It’s a story that goes back decades, with regime-change operations initiated as early as 1919, when American forces killed Charlemagne Masséna Péralte for resisting their invasion of the island. In subsequent years, Washington kept a close eye on Haiti and deposed progressive leaders such as Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who wanted to raise the minimum wage and demanded reparations from France for forcing Port-au-Prince to pay enslavers for their ‘loss’ when Haiti became the world’s first free Black republic. The US also supported the dictatorships of ‘Papa Doc’ Duvalier and his son ‘Baby Doc.’

Continued……The tragic tale spans into the 21st century. We sat down with Haitian academic Dr Jemima Pierre to make sense of exactly how America has maintained control over Haiti’s democratic process, flipping the results when they didn’t go Washington’s way.

NEW GHANA VP’S FIRST GUEST: ISRAEL

On her first day in office, Ghana’s new vice president, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, hosted an Israeli delegation led by Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone Roey Gilad and Israeli Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Sharren Haskel. In an 8 January X post, Opoku-Agyemang expressed a willingness to collaborate with Israel and align priorities on sectors like food security.

Support for Palestine exists in Ghana amidst Israel’s bombardment and siege of Gaza that k*lled an estimated 186,000 civilians as of early July, according to the Lancet medical journal. Meanwhile, Gilad reportedly lamented the Ghanaian government’s lack of support, calling it disproportionate to ordinary Ghanaians' alleged enthusiasm for the settler-colonial state.

Continued……What do you think is behind Ghana’s new vice president cosying up to Israel? Let us know in the comments.

Photo credit: @NJOAgyemang (X)

Sources:

https://hir.harvard.edu/israel-gaza-and-operation-swords-of-iron-interview-with-sharren-haskel-member-of-the-israeli-knesset

https://x.com/NJOAgyemang/status/1877097494708134059/photo/2

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01169-3/fulltext

https://www.instagram.com/p/DB8wnZ2t_Og

https://www.military.africa/2023/10/israeli-artillery-seen-with-rsf-forces

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/01/07/sudan-genocide-rsf-hemedti

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/17/israel-recognises-western-sahara-as-part-of-morocco

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241015-israels-quest-for-strategic-depth-in-the-horn-of-africa-through-somaliland

MOZAMBIQUE PROTESTS: DEATH
TOLL NEARS 300

The violence that broke out after Mozambique's disputed presidential election on 9 October has spilled over into 2025. According to local monitoring group Plataforma_decide, at least 278 people have been killed in the post-vote violence - with more than 3,000 sustaining injuries.

Opposition candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who has been in exile since late October, has just returned to his homeland, setting up a potential showdown between security forces and his supporters.

Mondlane and his supporters have rejected the results announced by the country's electoral body as fraudulent. Despite the official results favouring ruling party candidate Daniel Chapo, the opposition leader insists that he is the rightful winner of the elections. He has vowed to swear himself in as the country's president on 15 January, the same day Chapo will be inaugurated.

Continued……. Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdd681e68qpo
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/23/mozambique-top-court-confirms-ruling-partys-win-in-disputed-election
https://clubofmozambique.com/news/mozambique-number-of-dead-after-maputo-jail-breaks-rises-to-35-332-recaptured-273482/

https://www.news24.com/news24/africa/news/rwanda-closes-embassy-in-maputo-ahead-of-thursdays-planned-protests-20241107

https://clubofmozambique.com/news/mozambique-rwanda-denies-sending-troops-to-maputo-aim-report-270088/

SHOTS FIRED NEAR CHAD PRESIDENTIAL PALACE?

Witnesses claimed to have heard gunfire near the presidential palace in Chad's capital, N'Djamena, on the evening of 8 January.

Videos circulating online showed military activity near the compound, but the origin of the gunfire was unclear. Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah reassured the public via a live Facebook broadcast from the palace, stating that the situation was under control and that soldiers were protecting President Mahamat Déby Itno.

The incident follows recent tensions in Chad, including opposition parties boycotting last week’s parliamentary elections, Chad recently demanding French troops leave the country and ongoing Boko Haram attacks. In October and November 2024, Boko Haram killed 40 and 17 soldiers, respectively.

Continued….. Sources:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/gunshots-are-heard-near-chad-s-presidential-palace-foreign-minister-says-it-s-under-control/ar-BB1r7SXZ

https://x.com/muntagab/status/1877118763289473059

https://fb.watch/w-b36gADRg/

https://fb.watch/w-b36gADRg/

https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20241129-chad-ends-military-cooperation-with-france

REMEMBERING SÉKOU TOURÉ

Guinea’s founding leader, Ahmed Sékou Touré - one of Africa’s leading statesmen of all time - was born on this day (9 January) in 1922.

As a child, he attended a Koranic school - before proceeding to a French technical school in the capital, Conakry, in his teens. However, his stay there was short-lived, as he was expelled less than a year after admission for leading a student protest.

This led him to join the labour market at an early age. His first job was as a clerk at a French-owned company in 1940, before joining the country’s postal and telecommunication services company the following year.

It was there that he announced his arrival in politics. He became a vocal labour activist. In 1945, he founded the country’s first trade union, the Post and Telecommunications Workers’ Union, becoming its first secretary general.