Continued……Aid as a tool for foreign policy
https://the307.substack.com/p/how-the-ned-and-usaid-are-tools-of
https://amuseonx.substack.com/p/from-foreign-regimes-to-trump-usaids
https://www.counterpunch.org/2020/08/13/teaching-torture-the-death-and-legacy-of-dan-mitrione/

https://chimpreports.com/usaid-freeze-uganda-catches-a-cold/

https://www.minecofin.gov.rw/news-detail/government-and-usaid-sign-commitment-of-frw-605-billion-to-rwandas-development-efforts

FMR GREEK MINISTER TO S. AFRICA: DON'T BEG THE U.S.

Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis (@yanisvaroufakis on X) says South Africa should not cower before the Trump administration in the ongoing rift between Pretoria and Washington.

During an exclusive 25 March interview with South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) International News Editor Sophie Mokoena (@Sophie_Mokoena on X), Varoufakis urged South Africa to take the fallout with the US as an opportunity to reduce dependency on Western markets and aid.

South Africa has been in Trump's crosshairs in recent weeks over what he views as an ‘anti-white’ land reform law that seeks to redress long-standing inequities. In February, Trump cut US financial support to South Africa's HIV/AIDS response programme, and he offered the US as a refuge to South African white settlers.

Continued….. The law seeks to redress the legacy of apartheid-era discriminatory laws that placed the majority of the country's arable land in the hands of the white minority. According to the latest land audit conducted in 2017 by the country's Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, white settlers own at least 72 per cent of arable land despite making up less than 8 per cent of the population, per the 2022 census. The World Bank has also ranked South Africa as the world’s most unequal country. 

On 14 March, Washington sent South Africa's ambassador to the US packing following his remarks that Trump mobilised a 'supremacist instinct' with his ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA) movement that enjoyed the spotlight during his last two runs for US president.

Credit: @sabcnews (YouTube)

Sources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPRZb-h88sI

https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20250207-south-africa-will-not-be-bullied-ramaphosa-says-after-trump-attack

https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-south-africa

https://www.euronews.com/2025/03/25/south-african-president-cyril-ramaphosa-rejects-claims-of-afrikaner-persecution

https://www.gov.za/documents/other/land-audit-report-2017-05-feb-2018

https://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=16716

https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099125003072240961/pdf/P1649270b73f1f0b5093fb0e644d33bc6f1.pdf

GOVERNOR’S MEDICAL TOURISM RIGHTFULLY ANGERS KENYANS

African leaders travelling to the Global North for medical tourism has become all too common. Our elected officials access the best facilities in Europe and the US, while citizens of their countries continue to suffer due to poorly funded health infrastructure.

In recent weeks, Kenyans in Nakuru County filed a petition demanding to know the whereabouts of their governor after her prolonged absence. Susan Kihika is reportedly on an extended maternity leave in the US. Now, some women leaders are trying to re-frame the outcry, saying the public is opposed to women’s empowerment rather than seeking accountability for poor governance.

Here, we examine why Kenyans are angry.

Continued…….Sources

https://nation.africa/kenya/counties/nakuru/where-is-governor-kihika-nakuru-residents-petition-assembly-4972666

https://x.com/SenHamidaK/status/1904525817155055963

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/8/21/muhammadu-buhari-addresses-nation-on-return-from-uk

https://www.socialistnigeria.org/7759/2025/01/08/tinubus-approval-of-20000-foreign-medical-treatment-bullet-proof-suvs-and-other-perks-top-generals-is-an-insult-to-nigerian-workers-and-masses/?doing_wp_cron=1743083223.9668478965759277343750

https://oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/bitstream/handle/10546/620389/bp-taxing-for-more-equal-kenya-061217-en.pdf;jsessionid=F751D670A9FA9AE9E9DDD91720BAF6CC?sequence=1

MOB BEATS GERMAN TOURIST FOR VIOLATING MEXICAN TEMPLE

Locals recently pounded on a German tourist after he illegally climbed 30 metres to the top of the Kukulcán temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Yucatán, Mexico.

On 20 March, Mexican National Guard personnel apprehended the individual, whose identity had not been publicised. As troops escorted him away, locals rained blows on the man for desecrating the sacred temple.

Mexican law punishes temple intruders with a fine ranging from approximately $2,779 to $13,896 or prison time in more severe cases of damage.

Continued……The temple is in the Chichén Itzá complex, a pre-colonial city that 2.5 million tourists visit each year. Built an estimated 1,000 years ago by the Mayan people, the temple was recognised in 2007 as one of the ‘New Seven Wonders of the World.’ A light and shadow phenomenon occurs during the spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, with this year’s event attracting 8,000 to 9,000 people, according to The Yucatan Times.

Foreigners have long disrespected sacred monuments in Africa, too. In 2018, the public was outraged in Egypt after a Danish photographer posted a photo of himself having s*x with a naked woman on top of the Great Pyramid. These violations aren’t just reckless, they reflect a deeper issue: Centuries of ennoscriptment toward our heritage. While Western states impose strict protections on their own cultural sites, Global South sacred spaces are treated as playgrounds for thrill-seekers and collectors.

Video credit: @mexicorojonews (IG)

Sources

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tourist-attacked-locals-climbing-forbidden-205051326.html

https://www.theyucatantimes.com/2025/03/german-tourist-climbs-the-chichen-itza-pyramid-and-is-attacked-by-an-angry-mob 

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/483 

https://www.chichenitza.com 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6476529/Danish-photographer-posts-picture-having-sex-Great-Pyramid.html

Continued….. https://www.arabamerica.com/arab-contributions-to-rural-life-in-spain/

https://blackhistorystudies.com/resources/resources/15-facts-on-the-moors-in-spain/

https://www.iahr.org/library/infor?pid=14110&

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSUTFsZtrww&t=26s

https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/islam-hospitals-bimaristan-pioneered-eye-surgery-music-therapy?

https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/islam-hospitals-bimaristan-pioneered-eye-surgery-music-therapy?

https://www.imperainteriordesign.com/learn-more/dreaming-of-spain-the-timeless-beauty-and-allure-of-moorish-architecture?

WOES OF KENYA’S IMF ADDICTION

Kenya is an IMF loan junkie, and the unpleasant side effects of a missed hit could be about to be felt.

The East African country is facing a $480-million budget shortfall after the Washington-based institution scrapped a review of a $3.6-billion loan deal signed in 2021 that will expire on 1 April. IMF officials visited Nairobi in early March to assess progress on the agreement, only to discover that treasury officials had neglected to meet essential commitments - namely, reducing spending and boosting revenue.

Kenya is trapped in a debt crisis, forcing the government to rely on loans to keep the economy afloat. But IMF loans come with strings attached, including cuts to subsidies that cushion struggling citizens from high prices on essentials such as fuel and steep tax hikes to shore up revenue.

With a debt-to-GDP ratio of 69.9%, Kenya finds itself in a precarious position, grappling with increasing debt obligations while its economy struggles to keep pace with repayments.

Continued….. Kenyans hard-pressed by a cost-of-living crisis protested against IMF-backed tax increase proposals during the 2024 budget cycle, forcing president William Ruto to shelve the lender’s punitive austerity measures.

Now, Nairobi is on the hunt for alternative funding sources to fill the void, all while pursuing a new programme with the IMF. In January, it negotiated a $1.5-billion loan with the United Arab Emirates, which pushed state borrowing beyond the limits set by the IMF.

Critics say relying on handouts is a bad strategy for financing its budget. According to Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Kenya loses a staggering $4.7 billion, or 7.8% of its GDP, to corruption each year.

Might cutting back on lavish spending and tackling corruption be a better way for Kenya to achieve financial independence?

Sources

https://newscentral.africa/kenya-abandons-existing-imf-programme-in-pursuit-of-new-loan-agreement/

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/imf-has-received-formal-request-new-kenya-funding-programme-2025-03-17/

https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/110030-kenya-seeks-new-imf-bailout-after-ditching-ksh1034-billion-loan-review

https://africacheck.org/fact-checks/reports/third-kenyas-budget-stolen-we-checked-former-senators-claim-about-much

https://www.kbc.co.ke/kenya-exploring-new-facility-after-talks-with-imf/

https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/politics/article/2001513909/two-edged-sword-raila-ruto-deal-can-build-destroy-country-at-will#google_vignette

https://www.the-star.co.ke/counties/coast/2024-08-16-kenya-loses-sh608bn-to-corruption-annually-mudavadi

https://www.citizen.digital/news/inside-ruto-raila-power-agreement-and-what-it-means-for-kenya-n358797

https://archive.ph/kA7Qk