LOOTED ARTEFACTS USED TO REINFORCE WHITE SUPREMACY

The British Museum houses around 73,000 African objects from the Benin, Dahomey and Ashanti Kingdoms (in present-day Nigeria, Benin and Ghana, respectively). In this video, Weyni Tesfai (@planbacktoafrica) reminds us that the continued display of colonial loot in Western museums is a form of violence. Furthermore, by juxtaposing ‘primitive’ African items with the ‘advances’ of Western culture, it reinforces false White-supremacist narratives. Over the years, European authorities have spuriously argued that they cannot in good conscience return artefacts because they cannot determine the legitimate owners or be sure the items will be looked after appropriately - as if it were for them to decide.

Video credit: @planbacktoafrica (Instagram)

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ALL EYES ON CONGO AS M23 TAKES OVER SAKE TOWN

All eyes on Congo! That’s the message from African Stream Editor-in-Chief Ahmed Kaballo (@ahmedkaballo on X) as the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group intensifies its destructive campaign in the mineral-rich eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), running people out of towns on the way to Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province and home to 2 million people.

In this passionate appeal, Kaballo calls on the world, especially Pan-Africanists, to stand up for the Congolese people who for decades have endured the brunt of the brutal military campaign that Rwanda wages through M23 on behalf of the mineral-hungry imperialists in Western capitals.

Kaballo also appealed to musicians who have in the recent past performed in Rwanda at state-organised concerts, acts that whitewash the country’s crimes in the DRC.

Continued……On 21 January, M23 took the town of Minova. Less than 48 hours later, the town of Sake, about 20 kilometres from Goma, also fell to the rebels. Goma is now home to more than 1 million people displaced by the M23 insurgency. More than 8 million Congolese have been displaced as a consequence of a 30-year resource war.

The DRC holds the world’s largest reserves of critical minerals such as cobalt, coltan, and many others that are essential for the green transition. According to UN reports, since taking over the coltan mining region of Rubaya in 2024, M23 has generated an estimated $800,000 per month by imposing a production ‘tax.’ 

Despite Rwanda’s repeated denials about backing M23, a June 2024 report by a group of UN experts detailed Kigali’s ‘de facto control’ of M23. Using authenticated drone footage and testimonies of captured fighters, they determined Rwanda’s involvement went beyond only material support, with 3,000 to 4,000 Rwandan soldiers involved in the M23 offensive as of May 2024.
War crimes, such as the forced recruitment of children into different armed groups and sexual violence against women, are prevalent. According to the UN, more than 113,000 cases of s*xual violence were reported in 2023.

The nearly three-decade war had already k*lled more than 6 million people by 2010.

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/thousands-uprooted-congo-m23-rebels-near-goma-major-advance-2025-01-23/

https://www.voanews.com/a/i-wanted-to-scream-conflict-in-congo-drives-sexual-assault-of-displaced-women-/7325934.html

https://phr.org/our-work/resources/massive-influx-of-cases-sexual-violence-drc/

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

https://gsphub.eu/country-info/Democratic%20Republic%20of%20Congo

https://www.nrc.no/news/2024/february/dr-congo-fighting-puts-goma-at-risk-of-lockdown-threatening-humanitarian-support-for-millions

https://www.caritas.org/2010/02/six-million-dead-in-congos-war

https://www.iom.int/news/record-high-displacement-drc-nearly-7-million

https://worldrelief.org/blog-displacement-crisis-dr-congo/#:~:text=Millions%20of%20Congolese%20are%20Internally,%2C%20Rwanda%2C%20Zambia%20and%20Tanzania

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While on the campaign trail, Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama criticised now-former President Nana Akufo-Addo’s closeness to Western states. Akufo-Addo advocated for French troops to remain in West Africa, which would have worked against the newly-established anti-imperialist bloc known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

Mahama, 66, stated that under his leadership, he would seek to build stronger ties with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, Ghana’s three neighbouring states in Africa’s arid Sahel region that ousted Western-aligned leaders and announced their exit from the Western-backed regional bloc, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to establish a confederation among themselves. The AES states will officially depart ECOWAS by the end of January.

Continued…….. Merely weeks since his inauguration, Mahama seems to be keeping his word. On 21 January, he appointed retired Army Commander Larry Gbevlo-Lartey as Ghana’s special envoy to the AES. Appointing Gbevlo-Lartey, Ghana’s former national security coordinator and the African Union chairperson’s former special representative in charge of counter-terrorism cooperation, is a significant step that recognises the AES’ sovereignty and strengthens ties between the Sahel and Ghana.

Is Ghana moving toward better and friendlier relations with the AES? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Sources:

https://westafricaweekly.com/ghana-president-mahama-appoints-special-envoy-to-aes-strengthens-ties-amid-tension-with-ecowas/

https://archives.au.int/handle/123456789/6425

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N5iTO_Avdw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvMaSnnwt_Y

https://www.dailysabah.com/opinion/op-ed/alliance-of-sahel-states-and-a-new-era-for-west-africa

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Among the 26 executive orders that US President Donald Trump issued during his first few days in the White House is the removal of Joe Biden-era sanctions on violent, expansionist Zi*nist-settler groups in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs).

Trump’s pro-Zi*nist views are already public knowledge. However, another factor could be behind giving free rein to settler gangs to expand the illegal settlements.

Just days before Trump was sworn in for his second stint in the White House, his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, a real estate investor who served as a senior adviser during the first Trump presidency, doubled his stake in Phoenix Financial, the biggest Israeli insurance and financial firm with business interests in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Israeli regulators approved the deal to increase Kushner’s Affinity Fund’s holding in Phoenix Financial from 4.95 per cent to 9.9 per cent, making it the biggest shareholder.

Continued……. Phoenix Financial’s tentacles in the OPTs include financing and insuring construction projects and providing financial services to the settlements’ local governance bodies. It also owns an 80 per cent stake in the Ramot neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem.

The firm’s subsidiary has participated in the bidding process for constructing and operating a light rail line connecting settlements in East Jerusalem with the city’s western areas.

The Zi*nist settlements are in contravention of international law. According to Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, it is illegal for an occupying power to ‘deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.’

With Israel now accusing the East African country of Eritrea of aiding Iran, it would serve our people well to pay attention to the Zi*nist expansionist project.

Sources:

https://jacobin.com/2025/01/kushner-cease-fire-israel-settlements

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/kushner-affinity-gets-nod-double-135411193.html?guccounter=1

https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-jared-kushner-set-to-become-biggest-shareholder-in-phoenix-1001499509

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/10/1155861

https://www.whoprofits.org/companies/company/7348?the-phoenix-holdings

https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/04/17/west-bank-israel-responsible-rising-settler-violence

https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/documents/atrocity-crimes/Doc.33_GC-IV-EN.pdf

KWAME TURE ON AFRICAN WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP IN STRUGGLE

In this clip, All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (@aaprp on X) co-founder Kwame Ture (1941-98) reminds us that African women have consistently stood on the frontlines of resistance and leadership, both on the continent and in the diaspora.

For instance, Queen Amanirenas of Kush resisted Roman expansion by fighting Julius Caesar's army in 30 BC. Much later, in the 17th century, Angola’s Queen Nzinga Mbande (1583-1663) waged a war against Portuguese settler colonialists. In Ghana, Yaa Asantewaa (circa 1840-1921) led the resistance against the British. Meanwhile, the Dahomey Amazons, an all-female regiment in Benin, fiercely defended their kingdom.

Continued……By the same token, modern women have also questioned and stood up to oppressive powers. In the United States, for example, 77-year-old Black Liberation Army member Assata Shakur and civil rights activist Rosa Parks (1913-2005) played immeasurable roles in fighting for the rights of Black people against white supremacy. Meanwhile, 75-year-old Malawian human rights activist Joyce Banda and Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai (1940-2011) shattered gender barriers, empowering many communities.

Throughout history, African women have indeed been at the forefront of our people’s fight for liberation, as Ture said, whether on the continent or beyond. Their continued contributions to the struggle must be recognised and valued.

Sources:

https://www.history.com/news/african-female-warriors

https://www.africanlibraryproject.org/african-women-whove-made-history/

https://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-rights-history-project/articles-and-essays/women-in-the-civil-rights-movement/

UNITED STATES SHOULDN’T DEFINE WHO A TERRORIST IS

Does the United States have the right to define who a terrorist is? In this video clip, podcaster Penuel, known as ‘The Black Pen,’ and Zimbabwe Anti-Sanctions Movement chairperson Rutendo Matinyarare discussed the hypocrisy.

In Hollywood blockbusters, bomb-dropping, gun-wielding villains are often portrayed as Arabs or Muslims, while criminals tend to be played by Africans. This racial profiling is also evident in the US system, as the white ruling elite has established rules of profiling under the pretence of protecting domestic security. In 2017, an FBI report referred to activists as part of a ‘Black Identity Extremist’ movement. Authorities have slapped domestic terrorism charges on activists participating in street protests.

@matinyarare (X) concluded by stating that a country that exterminated an Indigenous community to create a ‘white world’ is, in fact, a terrorist itself.

Video credit: @godpenuel (X) / @konvo_za (YouTube)

CHAPPELLE: TRUMP LIED ABOUT HAITIANS IN SPRINGFIELD

In his 18 January stand-up monologue on NBC’s ‘Saturday Night Live,’ comedian Dave Chappelle (@DaveChappelle on X) set the record straight on the subject of migrants using the wit he’s famous for. He began by pointing out the irony in how foreigners are vilified but welcomed when their assistance is needed. Chappelle cited Canadian and Mexican firefighters arriving in the US to aid in quelling fires that had displaced over 100,000 people in the Los Angeles area, as of 13 January.

Continued……Then, Chappelle highlighted the treatment of immigrants in the US, with a commentary on US President Donald Trump and his camp’s widely circulated false remarks on Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, ‘eating pets’. In an effort to counter the false narrative, the comedian chose to eat at a Haitian restaurant, using his celebrity status to show people they are safe. He further noted that Haitians have boosted Springfield’s economy.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said Haitian migrants ‘came to Springfield to work,’ filling a labour gap that is expected to continue rising. According to 2023 data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), immigrants make up 19 per cent of the US workforce and participate at higher rates than native-born workers.

The US is a country that was built on and continues to rely on enslaved and migrant labour. Discrediting their contributions with stereotypes is part of a ruling class effort to keep the plantation dynamic in place.

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THE MOST IMPORTANT DOCUMENTARY OF OUR TIME?

Is ‘Soundtrack to a Coup d’État’ the most important documentary of 2024? For Africans who understand the necessity of Pan-African unity, it just might be. 

Director Johan Gilmonprez’s film explores the role of the CIA and the US State Department in the assassination of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s first prime minister, the renowned Pan-Africanist Patrice Lumumba (1925-61). The film also examines US State Department-funded cultural programming, such as their now-infamous ‘jazz ambassadors’ programme that dispatched US-based Black jazz artists worldwide, including to Congo. They may not have known that the US touted their performances as cover for destructive regime-change operations.

In this video, Jared Ball (@imixwhatilike on X), a professor, Pan-African organiser with @aaprp, and host and member of Black Liberation Media (@BLM_edia on X), breaks down why this film is a must-watch.

Continued…. Let us know what you took away from watching ‘Soundtrack to a Coup d’État’!

Sources:

https://revsoc21.uk/2025/01/03/review-soundtrack-to-a-coup-detat/

‘White Malice’ by Susan Williams