AfricanStream

A depressingly familiar scene, this video shows two White men hurling abuse at Muslim women in the US. What makes this more shocking, is that one of the abusers is a faculty member at Arizona State University. Jonathan Yudelman, who’s wearing a blue T-shirt, is now being investigated by the college. You can see him screaming at a woman with a head scarf near the campus on April 5th at a pro-Israel demonstration. We can’t confirm the identity of the second guy in the video, although he’s been named on social media as Sammy Ben. It’s claimed he’s a US citizen who fought alongside Israeli forces as a reserve during the assault on Gaza. It’s a sickening clip, but it’s not isolated. Since October 2023, there have been similar attacks where Israeli-supporting mobs target ethnic minorities for their real or perceived support of Palestinians. In this clip, you’ll also hear the thugs tell the Muslim women to ‘go back to Jihad’. It reflects a mentality among right-wingers that non-White individuals do not belong in the US or the West. It’s not uncommon to hear Black people being told to 'go back to Africa' whenever they stand up to racism. As for Yudelman, the post-doctorate research scholar has been placed on leave pending the university’s probe. The Council on American-Islamic Relations is demanding he’s sacked and arrested.

Longtime imperialist countries like the United States and the United Kingdom are at a loss as Sahelian countries like Burkina Faso turn away from the Western camp. Recently, the two powers, the US and the UK, denounced Burkina Faso’s government in light of a Human Rights Watch report accusing the Burkinabe army of massacring 223 civilians. But the people of Burkina Faso are not buying it. On Friday, May 3rd, they rushed to the embassy of the United States, where they rallied in support of Ibrahim Traoré and the Burkinabe government. “We have come to deliver a message to the Americans to put an end to these accusations against our armed forces, who are defending the country at the cost of their lives,” stated Mahamadou Ouedraogo of the Burkind Faangf Meenga (Liberation) Federation of Pan-Africanists, which organised the protest. The people of Burkina Faso and neighbouring Sahel states Mali and Niger are increasingly fed up with media attacks on their countries and the governments that they work tirelessly to defend.

African people’s contributions to the fight for a more just and humane world have shaped and added dimensions to the global class struggle. In this 1996 clip, the late revolutionary Pan-Africanist and founding member of @aaprp (or @aaprpinternational), Kwame Ture (1941-98), highlighted a unique feature of the African fight for liberation: Mass-based parties. While fighting for a unified and socialist Africa, we have formed organisations that have set aside the vanguardism of revolutionary movements in other parts of the world in favour of mass-based political structures. Vanguard parties require a small group of well-trained people providing leadership to build a mass movement. These parties tend to have a small membership, as a result. Mass parties, on the other hand, allow members of any rank to have an equal say, but can move slower. In search of concrete examples of what Ture speaks of, one may look to the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cabo Verde (PAIGC), which liberated Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde through a mass-led armed struggle. One could also look to the Mozambican Liberation Front (FRELIMO), the National Liberation Front (FLN) of Algeria or the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF). And, today, we see our people pouring out into the streets of Ouagadougou, Bamako, Niamey and other Sahelian cities to defend the anti-imperialist revolutionary process. We see thousands of Haitian people protesting, organising and fighting, year after year for their liberation. Rarely do we see a minority of our people leading successful liberation movements. Perhaps this speaks to a democratic worldview and approach to our fight. As Ture points out, we must join organisations and come together worldwide to defend our collective interests as African peoples everywhere. What are your thoughts?

Europe should be Africa’s best trading partner due to its geographic proximity, according to DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi. However, it’s the arrogance of Western leaders that’s destroying any hope of meaningful relations. During this interview with French TV station LCI, Tshisekedi says the West likes to preach on human rights (which it obliterated during 400-years of colonialism). And it’s why many African nations now choose to do business with Beijing and Moscow. It sums up the continent’s international relations, and we’re seeing it play out in the Sahel. Russia has signed security and economic deals with Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali after the French were kicked out. Do you agree with the DR Congo leader?

On 22 April, African Stream hosted two experts to discuss the crisis in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In this clip from the whole conversation, Rwandan gen*cide survivor Claude Gatebuke (@shinani1), co-author of 'Survivors Uncensored,' unpacked Rwanda's role in inflaming the conflict for three decades. Kigali invaded the eastern region of DRC twice in the late 1990s to allegedly flush out what it claimed were Hutu militia accused of perpetrating the 1994 Rwanda Gen*cide. And, now, the presence of between 120 to 140 externally-funded militia groups in the DRC's east complicates the long-running conflict. According to a December 2023 UN report, Rwanda supports the M23 militia group with cash and arms. Unfortunately, about 6 million Congolese have lost their lives since the mid-1990s, and more than 6 million are internally displaced. For example, on 3 May, alleged M23 and Rwandan army bombs k*lled 12 people—including children—in displacement camps near Goma. Watch the entire episode on our YouTube channel.

In this 2 May video, a group of hecklers from a fraternity at the University of Mississippi, known by the byname, ‘Ole Miss,’ jeered and made monkey noises at a Black woman in a group of about 30 students demonstrating in solidarity with Palestine. The mostly white counter-protesters, some donning outfits featuring the US flag’s red, white and blue stars and stripes, also reportedly chanted ‘Lizzo,’ the name of a rapper and singer, and chanted, ‘F*ck you, fat *ss.’ The student who made monkey noises has been removed from his fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, according to its 5 May statement. Republican Congressperson Mike Collins of Mississippi made headlines after he endorsed the counter-protesters on social media platform X, posting the video with the comment, ‘Ole Miss taking care of business.’ The Associated Press has tallied more than 2,400 arrests on 46 US university or college campuses since 17 April. However, nobody was arrested during the 2 May counter-demonstration at the University of Mississippi, where hecklers outnumbered Palestine supporters who were calling for an end to Israel’s 6-month bombardment and escalated siege of Gaza. Video Credit: Stacey J. Spiehler

South Africans have just marked three decades since apartheid officially ended. But while the collapse of that oppressive system no doubt improved the lives of the country’s indigenous Black population, there are concerns that the racist regime’s economic structures remain mostly intact - and continue to deny Black people opportunities to fully participate in the country’s economy. In this clip from 2016, Pan-African politician and leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters party Julius Malema explains how this was no accident, but rather a result of the terms of the agreements that leaders of the-then liberation movement and now-ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC) reached with White capitalists in the run-up to the end of apartheid. Is this how you see it?

A secret language of enslaved Africans in the United States has survived since the 18th century. Tutnese, also known as Tut, was developed in order to teach literacy during the era of chattel slavery. In linguistic genealogy, it is referred to as ‘cant,’ a family of languages designed intentionally to exclude or mislead observers, in this case, White-settler colonialists, enslavers and their acolytes. It was for this reason that the Tut language remained clandestine. Throughout the United States, harshly enforced anti-literacy laws targeting enslaved, and sometimes free, African-descendants remained on the books for well over a century (between 1740 and 1867). Why? Effective, widespread and cohesive communication and literacy skills among African people meant increased chances of organised rebellion against the status quo - precisely what White society feared. In effect, Tutnese was developed as a means of communication and education to ensure the safety of Black people from their enemies (and, hopefully, successful rebellions against tyranny). Even up until the 1970s, many Black families were encouraged to keep the language a secret. Teaching Tutnese publicly is heavily discouraged due to its historical development. It is unknown how many people actually speak the language today. However, researchers have found Tutnese spoken among African-descendant people in Canada, Mexico and even West Asia. When it comes to the traditions of African people, do you believe that more gatekeeping is necessary? Or do you believe in a culture of mass organisation with closed-door secrecy among ourselves to move forward?

The facts are as follows: On 28 September 1958, France held a constitutional referendum in the country and its colonies. The question was as follows: 'Do you approve of the Constitution offered by the Government of the Republic?' Countries that voted 'yes' joined the 'French community,' a status that would come with continued French military and economic domination. Countries that voted no were issued immediate sovereignty from formal French rule. While many African leaders at the time waged national campaigns to join the French community, only Guinea's Ahmed Sékou Touré voted no. He famously declared, 'We prefer liberty in poverty to slavery in riches.' However, it was not his decision alone. Guinean people turned out 85.5 per cent to vote 95 per cent against the constitution. Then France launched Operation Persil to destabilise the country and try to turn citizens against Sékou Touré. Before the campaign, French nationals destroyed much of Guinea's infrastructure on their way out. During the campaign, France deployed spies to counterfeit the new Guinean currency and encourage revolt. At the time, Pan-African leader of Mali, Modibo Keïta, voted to remain a part of the French community. France said those who voted against the constitution would achieve independence separately from the other African states. Keïta identified this as a Balkanisation tactic and attempted to instead form a Pan-African entity with Senegal known as the Mali Federation. Within two years of independence, Keïta would withdraw from the 'French community,' expelling French troops, closing the French military base in 1961, and creating a sovereign currency in 1962. Today, 12 former French colonies in Africa use the CFA franc currency, as does former Portuguese colony Guinea Bissau and former Spanish colony Equatorial Guinea. After a coup overthrew Keïta, Mali re-adopted the CFA franc. Guinea is the only former French colony in West Africa with a sovereign currency. Let us know what you think of Arikana Chihombori-Quao, the African Union's former permanent representative to the United States, breaking it down in this clip.

Dream Betrayed? South Africa's 30 Years of 'Democracy' | Our Doc From S.A On April 27th 1994, there was excitement across South Africa as millions of South Africans queued up outside polling stations to participate in the country’s first democratic election, in which citizens of all races were allowed to participate. It was more than just an election. Many saw it as the final nail into the coffin of a system that had oppressed Black South Africans since 1652 when Dutch colonialist Jan Van Riebeck arrived at the shores of modern-day South Africa. As widely expected, the African National Congress (ANC), the country’s most prominent liberation movement, convincingly won the election. After decades of bloody struggle, the ANC finally transitioned from a liberation movement to the country’s new rulers. Hopefulness was in the air, free at last, or so they thought! Three decades later, many are asking if that transition delivered and met the hopes and aspirations of the masses who stood in the long queues outside voting booths in 1994. African Stream has been on the ground in South Africa, examining the country’s painful past and the long road to freedom and how its indigenous population feel three decades after the end of apartheid. Please watch and give us your thoughts in the comments.

In this video, African Stream’s editor-in-chief Ahmed Kaballo tries to make sense of the indifference shown to the suffering of the Congolese people. He argues that history shapes current perceptions and responses to atrocities. King Leopold's atrocities in Congo in the late 19th century, which k*lled an estimated 10-million people, set a precedent that allowed subsequent mass k*llings in Africa to receive less attention and condemnation. Because Leopold got away with the Congo atrocities, it made it easier for the world to ignore the around 6-million Congolese people k*lled in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Colonial figures responsible for mass African deaths are not properly recognised or condemned - even within Africa - thanks to Western biases regarding how history is framed and taught. Compare, for example, the legacy of brutal figures like H*tler, whom many Africans unhesitatingly recognise as the embodiment of evil, even though he did not commit violence against Africans on the scale seen in the Congo. Do you agree that history has desensitised the former colonial powers to African suffering today?

Israeli historian and political scientist Ilan Pappé expounds in this video clip on the history of Gaza, a melting pot of culture, commerce and religion. Gaza City became prominent because of an ancient coastal trade route—the Via Maris—connecting modern-day Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Iraq and Turkey. In 1948, settler-colonial forces, backed by the United Kingdom, displaced 750,000 Palestinians the day after the state of Israel was established. Palestinians call that event the 'Nakba' ('catastrophe' in Arabic). While neighbouring countries welcomed Palestinian refugees, Egypt closed its borders. That forced the newly established Israeli state to give back 2 per cent of historic Palestine, dubbing the 41-kilometre enclave the 'Gaza Strip.' Israel has now turned the Gaza Strip into the world's biggest open-air prison, blockading more than 2 million Palestinians since 2007 by cutting power, restricting food intake and imports, and arbitrarily closing borders. Israel declared a total blockade after the 7 October escalation, cutting water, electricity and food supplies to the enclave in violation of the Geneva Conventions that prohibit collective punishment of civilian populations. Since 7 October, Israeli forces have killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened a ground invasion of the strip's southern city of Rafah, where 1.5 million Palestinians have taken refuge on the border with Egypt.

Several hundred protesters gathered on 3 May outside the US embassy in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, expressing anger and discontent with Washington for recently criticising the African state's military leadership. A joint statement by the United States and Britain on 29 April expressed 'grave concern' over a Human Rights Watch report that military forces killed hundreds of civilians in February in the country's north. The government has denied the allegation. Waving Burkinabé, Russian and North Korean flags, protesters accused the US of a double standard, pointing to about 500,000 people killed in the US war on Iraq and US financial and military support for Israel's onslaught in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians. Burkina Faso's military government, which seized power in a 2022 coup, has further defied the West by embracing Russia as a partner to secure the border zones where armed militants had controlled territory.

The US has pointed the finger at Rwanda - after two deadly strikes on refugee camps in neighboring DRC. The bombings took place at Mugunga and Lac Vert on Friday, with dozens who’d fled the violence in the war-torn east killed - mostly women and children. Washington alleges Rwanda’s military, in collaboration with the M23 rebel group, committed these atrocities, although Kigali strongly denies this and blames other groups fighting alongside the DRC’s military. The US, and wider West, condemns Rwanda for backing the M23 group, but has taken no significant actions, while US corporations allegedly continue to profit from the illegal mining of Congolese resources, which are laundered through Rwanda. Countries such as the UK continue to provide substantial aid and investment to Rwanda, and there have been few sanctions on Rwandan officials, raising questions about the West’s commitment to addressing the decades-long conflict in Congo. What do you think? Should the West wield its stick or are we actually better off finding an African solution to the murderous campaign in DRC?

Here’s a quick reminder from PLO Lumumba that the abominable European slave trade was perpetrated not just by the dominant states there but even by what he calls “now very quiet” powers - like the Danes and the Norwegians. PLO also makes the point that - while the Europeans may have initially come to Africa in search of trade - they soon realised that, amid a growing need for labour back home, the African human being was the most profitable ‘commodity’.

For centuries, the European mind has perceived Africans and Africa as uncivilised and backward, as expressed in the poem, 'The White Man’s Burden.' White supremacy was used to justify slavery and colonisation. However, much of African culture and history tells a different story. We are a mighty and intelligent people, whether we trace our roots to Egypt, or to the Dogon astral people of Mali or elsewhere on this vast continent. Human rights activist and lawyer Brian Kagoro weighs in during this clip from the 10th National Security Symposium, jointly organized in May by the Rwanda Defence Force Command and Staff College as well as the University of Rwanda. The theme was 'Foreign Interference in Africa: The Enduring Destabilising Factor.' So, let us know: How can we build up Africa, regardless of how others view us? Jot your thoughts below.

In this bizarre and heated interaction, Leanne Manas (@leannemanas), a white South African TV presenter, asked South African-based Zimbabwean political activist Rutendo Matinyarare (@matinyarare) why he does not want to ‘go home.’ The exchange occurred on 19 December 2018 during a live TV programme (@SABCnewsonline) reflecting on the legacy of Zimbabwe’s first post-independence leader, Robert Mugabe. Matinyarare highlighted that, despite the challenges Western sanctions have caused, Zimbabwe was on the rise, owing to its immense natural resources. Manas responded to this by saying that if the country had such great resources, Matinyarare should leave South Africa and return to Zimbabwe, a line that right-wing xenophobes commonly use. However, the Zimbabwean activist was equal to the task and quickly reminded the anchor that her ancestors had migrated from Europe to South Africa. Further, African Stream takes a Pan-Africanist perspective, which acknowledges that European colonisers created the borders of African states and that Matinyarare, as an African, has the right to live in any part of the continent. Matinyarare, leader of the Zimbabwe Anti-Sanctions Movement, recently posted this video on his X (formerly Twitter) account, saying five years after this fiery interview, the US lifted two-decade-long sanctions. Zimbabwean Vice President Constantino Chiwenga had said last year that US and EU sanctions have cost the landlocked southern African country more than $150 billion. However, after removing the 2003 sanctions, the US imposed new restrictions on Zimbabwean officials and entities in March. What do you make of this exchange? Let us know in the comments.

In East Africa, locals often refer to White visitors from Europe and the US as ‘mzungu’ - and it occasionally prompts concern among non-Swahili speakers that it could be derogatory. But as our Ethiopian sister Weyni Tesfai here explains, the word is no slur. She says it originated in the 19th century, when European explorers landed on the continent. Among them was Scotsman David Livingstone, who was looking for the source of the river Nile. Locals on the island of Zanzibar wondered about this visitor, who seemed to be ‘spinning’ (Swahili ‘zunguka’), or wandering, around the area in search of something. Hence was formed ‘mzungu’ - meaning one who spins around or wanders. Since then, ‘mzungu’ has evolved to mean any White person. Do you know any interesting African word etymologies? Please share in the comments.

Cost of living-hit Nigerians have been facing petrol-price hikes amid widespread fuel shortages in the country, which have led to long queues at gas stations. And yet Nigeria’s got oodles of oil. An attempt by the Tinubu government to stimulate the private-sector oil market by cutting subsidies for state firms has failed, and promises to put the country’s refineries into action are sounding increasingly hollow. African Stream’s Nigeria correspondent Poloum David reports from Abuja.

Palestinian children can be seen playing in the rubble in Gaza. They’ve created a makeshift swing from collapsed power lines. A moment captured by Gaza press photographer Mariam Dagga. Over 13,000 youngsters have been killed by Israel’s bombardment since October. That’s higher than from four years of global conflict, according to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). Images like these vividly remind us of the desperate human cost. Amid the chaos, little boys and girls are finding a semblance of peace and joy. Perhaps a small chance to relive their childhood robbed by war. Back in February, UNICEF estimated the conflict has orphaned 17,000 children. That figure is now likely way higher with the number of Palestinians killed topping 34,000. We’ve noticed some people on social media have questioned this footage, based on the fact some of the children are Black. FYI Afro-Palestinians make up around one per cent of the Gaza Strip’s population. You can read more about their history here: https://www.voice-online.co.uk/news/world-news/2024/04/15/afro-palestinians-the-untold-story-of-a-community-caught-in-gazas-crossfire/

Ashanti King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II presided over a colourful ceremony on 1 May to mark the return of looted royal artefacts. One hundred and fifty years after the British colonial war against the Ashanti people in what is now Ghana, 32 royal items of gold and silver have been placed on display at the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti region. The return of the treasures is part of two three-year agreements between two British museums and the Asantehene, or king of the Asante kingdom.

George Mpanga, better known by his stage name George the Poet, is a UK-based African spoken-word artist, poet, rapper and podcast host. For @georgethepoet’s achievements, the British Empire chose to award him Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE), which the 33-year-old rejected in 2019 because of how the empire treated his homeland, Uganda, and other colonial holdings. In this 30 April interview with the UK’s Channel 4, George the Poet said all Global South people should question what the British Empire stands for and reject such awards. He also spoke about how British politics has morphed into displaying indifference toward the working class, which may have more to do with the evolution of capitalism than a breakdown of ethics.

The word Karen is often used to described self-entitled White women, who abuse Black men. However, the racist phenomenon was around long before it became an internet meme. One such example is the shocking case of 14-year-old Emmett Till who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955. He was tortured and killed after being wrongly accused of whistling at White woman, Carolyn Bryant, in her family’s grocery store. His case galvanised the rising civil rights movement, but also highlighted the emergence of what we call ‘Karens’ today. It’s deep-rooted behaviour that’s been around for decades.

In this clip from our round table with Congo activist Chakabars, he compares how the West has totally ignored the ongoing genocide in DRC with how it rallied to stump up a billion dollars in just 24 hours after Paris’ iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral burnt down. Obviously cultural preservation is a wonderful and important thing, but you’d have thought human life is - or rather, millions of human lives are - a more urgent priority. If this discussion piques your interest, the full round table is on our YouTube channel. As always, your input in the comments is appreciated.

Throughout the ‘80s, during the height of the AIDS scare, the US banned first Haitians and then Africans from donating blood. Back then, Black immigrants along with gay and bisexual men, haemophiliacs and users of hypodermic needles were all deemed by The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as high risk when it came to transmitting HIV. In response, tens of thousands of Haitian and African immigrants took to the streets in protest - leading, eventually, to the reversal of the FDA’s decision. It’s a reminder of the institutional racism our people have had to combat, but also an inspiration - collective action works. In what struggle today do you want to see more collective action?