Continued…….. Countries such as China and Cuba provided material support and training to the rebels. Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, the Argentine revolutionary who won a place in history for his role during the Cuban revolution, travelled with other Cuban militants in the Congo to fight alongside the Congolese guerillas.

Women also played a key role in the rebellion, with one scholar estimating women made up as much as 25 to 30 per cent of Kwilu rebels. Léonie Abo, now 80 years old, stands out as a combattant who fought alongside her husband, Pierre Mulele.

Ultimately, internal disorganisation, low morale, and competing factions within the rebel forces crushed both the Simba and Kwilu rebellions. Some say various imperialist forces also worked together to thwart a revolution and prop up reactionaries.

Nevertheless, Mulele, like Lumumba, remains a hero in the Democratic Republic of the Congo today.

TUPAC SPEAKS UP FOR PRE-TEEN MUM

Rapper Tupac Shakur (1971-1996) may have passed away at a young age, but his songs reveal a profound political and social awareness that surpassed his years.

At the age of just 20, Tupac released the impactful track Brenda’s Got a Baby, which tells the heartbreaking story of a 12-year-old girl who abandoned her baby boy in a garbage chute in New York City. While filming the crime movie ‘Juice’ in Harlem, he came across a newspaper article detailing the tragic circumstances of the girl’s life.

This young girl had lost her family nine years prior when they succumbed to toxic carbon monoxide poisoning after using their oven for heat. She ended up living with a great-aunt and later became pregnant by a second cousin, managing to keep it a secret until she gave birth alone.

Continued……With his roots in a community-oriented background, being the son of Black Panther member Afeni Shakur (1947-2016), Tupac recognised the significance of the girl’s story, deeming it more important than the film he was working on at the time. Frustrated by the mainstream media’s lack of urgency in covering the story, he decided to take action in the way he knew best. He wrote about ‘Brenda’ (a pseudonym) and eventually recorded the song with his friend Money B from Digital Underground. The music video for Brenda’s Got a Baby was released in 1992 and received widespread praise.

According to UNICEF, around 13% of adolescent girls and young women worldwide give birth before the age of 18. African adolescent girls face heightened risks of unplanned pregnancies due to early marriage, abuse and rape. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) reports that girls under 18 in Africa are twice as likely to die during childbirth compared to those over 20.

As Tupac powerfully stated, if we don’t advocate for our sisters, who will?

Sources:

https://rockthebells.com/articles/brendas-got-a-baby-tupac-true-story/

https://www.kqed.org/arts/13927810/brendas-got-a-baby-tupac-shakur-ethel-love

https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-health/adolescent-health/

https://esaro.unfpa.org/en/topics/adolescent-pregnancy

IS FRANCE ‘NEO-COLONISING’ NIGERIA?

Nigeria sits smack in the middle of Françafrique, a French sphere of political, economic and military influence over ex-colonies in West and Central Africa.

Content creator The Merc (@_the_merc on Instagram and X) is waving a big red flag, claiming that Paris is now looking for similar sway over Abuja. He points to a 300-million-euro multi-sector deal, branding it a smokescreen for France’s true intentions towards Nigeria.

It’s not hard to see why Macron & Co. are keen to plant the French flag in Nigeria. The Sahel trio of anti-imperialist nations - Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger - have kicked out the French military, slashed French media influence, started nationalising their natural resources and formed an alliance to collaborate on defence, the economy and foreign policy. They’ve also quit regional bloc ECOWAS, which France was using to try and exercise control over the defiant three.

Continued………For a bit of context, Tinubu is itching for French backing to rescue Nigeria from its worst economic slump in ages, while Macron is on the lookout for a buddy to help mend France’s bruised reputation in Africa.

So, do you think Nigerians will soon be brushing up on their French, or will Tinubu’s cozy relationship with Macron fizzle out faster than a soda left open?

Video credit: @The Merc

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpq9x94gj2no

https://wadr.org/nigeria-and-france-sign-a-300-million-euro-deal-to-finance-critical-sectors/

https://www.euractiv.com/section/africa/news/france-grants-full-support-to-ecowas-deployment-of-regional-military-force/

https://africacheck.org/fact-checks/meta-programme-fact-checks/us-france-deny-plans-military-bases-nigeria-nigerian

https://ecfr.eu/article/why-france-should-close-its-permanent-military-bases-in-africa/

HAITI’S CRISIS DEEPENS DESPITE KENYAN-LED MISSION

On 25 June 2024, the first group of Kenya’s police arrived in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince on a UN-authorised and US-backed Multinational Security Support Mission. More police reinforcements from Kenya and other countries were allegedly supposed to assist Haitian police in quelling surging gang violence in the predominantly Black Caribbean country.

Despite widespread objection back in Kenya, as well as from Haitians, the Kenyan police force has operated in Haiti for more than six months without progress.

Continued……Now, a 13 January joint investigation by The New Humanitarian (@newhumanitarian on X) and Kenya’s Nation newspaper (@nationafrica on X) reveals Haiti is worse off today than a year ago, and that the Kenyan police bit off way more than they could chew when Kenyan President William Ruto hastily agreed to dispatch his fellow citizens.

Sources:

https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/01/1158781

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/23/un-publishes-new-death-toll-of-two-hundred-seven-for-recent-massacre-in-haitis-capital

https://www.president.go.ke/kenya-and-haiti-sign-agreement-on-the-deployment-of-1000-police-officers/

https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/103673-new-report-shows-kenya-police-underfunded

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/25/kenyan-police-contingent-arrives-in-haiti-as-protests-roil-nairobi

https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/investigations/2025/01/13/haiti-depth-why-kenya-led-security-mission-floundering
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BE PROUD OF YOUR AFRICAN ANCESTRY

In this clip from the Honest Bunch Podcast on Glitch Africa Studios, child-abuse activist Praise Fowowe spoke about why it’s important to teach future generations about their African ancestry so they can be unfazed in the face of racism.  

@praisefowowe (X) recounted a time when he was introduced as ‘Black man’ in an all-white meeting. He responded with a history of his ancestors of the Benin Kingdom, a highly advanced civilisation with innovations in urban planning and architecture, including street lighting and well-organised road networks, long before many Western cities achieved similar advancements. 

Continued…….. Knowing about these historical accomplishments helps children stand with grace rather than bitterness in the face of discrimination and racism by reminding them of the greatness from which they descend.

Video credit: @glitchafricastu (X)

Sources:

1. http://revealinghistories.org.uk/colonialism-and-the-expansion-of-empires/articles/the-empire-of-benin-and-its-cultural-heritage.html#:~:text=The%20social%20structure%20was%20complex,well%20as%20its%20central%20city.

2. https://www.artshelp.com/the-walls-of-benin-the-forgotten-structural-wonder/

3. https://effiongp.msu.domains/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Benin-Walls.pdf

4. https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/kingdom-benin/

5. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/jan/14/children-family-histories-tales

WAS THERE A PLOT TO WIPE OUT BLACK S. AFRICANS WITH HIV?

For decades, the Southern African region has been the epicentre of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Most of the countries in the region have HIV prevalence rates of over 10% - versus a global prevalence rate of 0.8%. For instance, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 18.8% of South Africans between the ages of 15 and 49 were HIV positive as of 2024. The figure for neighbouring eSwatini is even worse - at 25.9%.

For a long time, scientists and policymakers have been baffled as to why the region is more affected by the virus than other parts of the world. Many theories have emerged regarding what could be behind this high prevalence rate. One of the most shocking - seen by some as a conspiracy - is the claim that White supremacist forces deliberately spread HIV among Black South Africans during the apartheid era.

In this video, African Stream’s Clinton Nzala takes a closer look into this jaw-dropping allegation.

Continued…….. Sources:

https://newafricanmagazine.com/18285/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/27/south-african-intelligence-officers-spread-aids-black-communities

https://www.unodc.org/newsletter/en/perspectives/no02/page005.html#:~:text=With%20a%20national%20HIV%20prevalence,:%20Zapiro/Mail%20and%20Guardian.

IBRAHIM TRAORÉ: WE MUST DECOLONISE THE MIND

On 13 January, Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traoré reminded his compatriots that one of the crucial steps toward combating imperialism is decolonising the mind, the most difficult part of the struggle. 

Traoré called out the West’s hypocrisy in deciding who is a t*rrorist based on their interests. South African freedom fighter Nelson Mandela was a US designated t*rrorist until 2008, 14 years after he was elected president. Meanwhile, the US celebrates Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa (formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani), the new Syrian leader who fought for and led regional affiliates of terror groups Al-Qa*da and IS*S.

Continued……. Former coloniser France wags its fingers at the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) confederation, an anti-imperialist Pan-African bloc comprising Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, for a supposed lack of democracy. Yet, in a move largely viewed as undemocratic, French President Emmanuel Macron refused to install as prime minister Lucie Castets, a candidate selected by a coalition of left parties that won the most seats in recent parliamentary elections.

Africa needs something different, and that difference has finally arrived with the AES, which is charting a path toward sovereignty, self-determination and Pan-African unity.

As Traoré stated, Africa must wake up!

Video credit: Radiodiffusion Télévision du Burkina
(@rtburkina on X)

Sources:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/27/macron-has-blocked-left-wing-choice-for-french-pm-what-happens-next

https://jacobin.com/2024/10/republicans-democrats-sponsors-2024-election

https://www.mintpressnews.com/from-terrorist-to-freedom-fighter-how-the-west-rebranded-al-qaedas-jolani-as-syrias-woke-new-leader/288820/

https://saiia.org.za/research/they-once-called-mandela-a-terrorist/

https://www.ecchr.eu/en/publication/my-terrorists-your-terrorists/

EUROPEAN COLONISATION UNDERDEVELOPED AFRICA

Guyanese historian Walter Rodney’s book, ‘How Europe Underdeveloped Africa’ (1972) examines the wealth disparity between the West and much of the world, highlighting how the former has extensively exploited the latter. This illuminating work sheds light on the impact of European colonialism in Africa, the effects of which can be seen today in corrupt African governments aligned with the West. Meanwhile, the masses lack adequate infrastructure, jobs, and access to food, medicines and fuel.