NAMING DRC MINERAL-WAR PROFITEERS

Many often speak of the three-decade-long, Western-backed proxy war over natural resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in vague terms, leaving the public confused about why it’s happening, the players and the funders. 

Moreover, many in the imperialist-backed media frame it as a ‘complex’ war, obscuring that it is a resource war that would not be happening—at least not at its alarming scale—if the DRC wasn’t the world’s most resource-rich country with an estimated $24 trillion of minerals underfoot to power global technological advancements.

In Episode 18 of our ‘Pan-African Attitude’ podcast, African Stream journalist Erick Gavala (@ErickGavala on Instagram) asked Maurice Carney, Friends of the Congo (@congofriends) co-founder and executive director, to break it all down. As you hear in this clip, a wide range of players, from individuals in the Great Lakes region to corporations on other continents, seek financial gain.

Continued……All the while, the war had k*lled more than 6 million Congolese by 2010 and internally displaced over 7 million by 2024, with a shocking 700,000 people displaced in eastern DRC since January.

If you are interested in hearing more, watch the whole episode on our X and Rumble accounts, and on YouTube (search for @ahmedkaballo4170).

Sources

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/17/tech/apple-microsoft-tesla-dell-congo-cobalt-mining/index.html

https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/are-these-tech-companies-complicit-in-human-rights-abuses-of-child-cobalt-miners-in-congo/

https://thehill.com/opinion/international/4829844-ending-africas-longest-and-deadliest-war/

https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/violence-democratic-republic-congo

GREAT FEMALE FIGURES OF AFRICA

The significant contributions and pivotal roles of women in Africa’s liberation struggle are often under-emphasised. Today, on International Women’s Day, we reflect on the rich history of the Kongo Kingdom and honour the extraordinary leadership of two remarkable women - Queen Nzinga and Kimpa Vita. These courageous figures were not just warriors, they were powerful leaders who guided their communities in resisting foreign oppression.

The Kongo Kingdom extended far beyond the borders of present-day DR Congo. Initially, the Portuguese arrived as missionaries, introducing Christianity - but they soon turned into slave traders. In response, King Manikongo rose to defend his people and, following his death, Nzinga and Vita bravely carried on the struggle. This is their inspiring legacy.

Happy International Women’s Day!

Hear Us Roar: https://news.1rj.ru/str/AfricanStream

A HISTORY OF ANTI-HAITIAN DISCRIMINATION IN THE U.S.

Anti-Haitian discrimination in the US has a long history, rooted in events that date back to the Haitian Revolution of 1804. After Haiti became the first Black republic by overthrowing French enslavers, the US refused to recognise the nation until the Civil War, driven by fears that its enslaved population might be inspired to revolt. 

Over time, this initial fear evolved into broader exploitation and economic control, including military occupations and political interference. These actions set the stage for decades of hardship, sparking mass exodus.

Continued……Racist stereotypes have compounded the discrimination against Haitians by linking them with disease and crime, exemplified by derogatory labels used during the early days of the HIV/AIDS crisis and the using public-health laws like Title 42 during the COVID-19 pandemic to turn them away. 

The US created the conditions that have forced Haitians to seek refuge and, to this day, Washington continues to bar Haitians from entering.

SOURCES

https://www.vox.com/politics/371855/trump-vance-springfield-ohio-racist-conspiracy-theories-haitian-immigrants

https://theconversation.com/what-is-temporary-protected-status-a-global-migration-expert-explains-why-the-us-offers-some-foreign-nationals-temporary-protection-240525

https://www.workers.org/2015/08/21241

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/20/world/haiti-wall-street-us-banks.html

https://exhibits.uflib.ufl.edu/HaitianAmericanDream

BLACK POWER BABY!

Kids can soak up knowledge at any age! Rapper and activist Vic Mensa is making sure his son is well-informed and on the right side of history. In this video, he dives into the tale of the Congo - from its independence to the assassination of revolutionary leader Patrice Lumumba and the ongoing, decades-long war fuelled by Western interests in Congolese minerals. Talk about a captivating and cute audience! The future is definitely in the hands of the younger generation!

Video Credit: @vicmensa (Instagram)

REACTION: BLACK PEOPLE ‘NOT NATIVE’ TO SOUTHERN AFRICA?

We have all come across a lot of ridiculous attempts to justify the European colonisation of Africa, from the lie that colonisers helped civilise the continent to exaggerated claims that they increased life expectancy via Western medicine. 

But, just when you think it can’t get any more absurd, it does. For instance, Eric Louw, a South African-born former journalist and academic, now based in Australia, claims Europeans did not steal land from Black people in his country of birth because the Bantu people, who make up the majority of Africa’s Black people, are ‘not indigenous’ to it.

Louw’s claims are the work of a myth that has circulated in South Africa’s right-wing circles since the 19th century.

Continued……The so-called ‘Vacant Land’ theory asserts that European settlers arrived in what is now South Africa almost at the same time as Africans, who were (per the theory) still migrating from central Africa at that point. Therefore, according to these right-wingers, the two groups have equal claim to South Africa’s land.

This theory was also used by the apartheid regime to grab land from Black people, insisting that it didn’t belong to them in the first place. However, archaeological and historical evidence debunks such claims. For instance, artefacts discovered at the Mapungumbwe heritage site in the country’s north show that Bantu societies existed in South Africa as far back as the 9th century.

In this clip, African Stream’s Wambura Mwai explains why this Vacant Land theory could be making a comeback in South African right-wing social-media groups.

Video credit: British-Australian Community (YouTube)

Sources

https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/empty-land-myth#:~:text=The%20Empty%20or%20Vacant%20Land,land%2Downership%20in%20the%20country.
https://theexpeditionproject.com/the-importance-of-mapungubwe/