DR KING ON THE BOOTSTRAP MYTH

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights legend, political philosopher and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, delivered his final speech on 31 March 1968 at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, in the United States. He debunked the myth of the bootstrap philosophy, which says anyone could succeed in the United States by working hard and 'pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps.' Dr. King said this myth overlooked the historical and structural barriers that hinder many Africans in the United States from achieving economic and social equality. He gave examples of how the US government had helped white people advance through policies, such as land grants, subsidies and preferential treatment, while denying the same opportunities to Africans. Dr. King demanded a radical redistribution of economic and political power to address the root causes of racial injustice.

Let us know if his words still apply.

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AFRICAN STREAM FIERCELY DEBATES ISRAEL-PALESTINE

While we vehemently condemned the Israeli bombing of Gaza - the war has still sparked debate in our office.

In this video, African Stream’s CEO Ahmed Kaballo and African Stream’s operation manager Erick Gavala battle out their differences over the Israel - Palestine conflict on camera. It gets heated, but rest assured, the guys are still the best of friends and colleagues. We even debated about doing this and are still questioning if it was the best of ideas. Let us know in the comments what you think. But despite the feisty exchanges between Ahmed Kaballo and Erick Gavala, one thing is always evident. Nothing justifies the current apartheid and suffering the Palestinians are facing.

https://youtu.be/Q96z9agIJFc?si=TPfS8s1eKVeWRt1_

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‘HATS OFF’ TO COLONIALISTS FOR PAUSING WWI?

On Remembrance Sunday in the UK we look back at the time enemies Germany and Britain joined forces midway through WW1 to quash what was perceived as a greater threat - the African uprisings led by John Chilembwe in modern-day Malawi.

🎥 @contentovereverything

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PALESTINE REVEALS WESTERN HYPOCRISY

We Africans have long known that the West’s ‘rules’ go out of the window when dealing with us (think Libya). The same is true for Palestinians, whose oppression by Israel reminds us of the way we have been treated throughout history. Here, in a passionate speech, Palestinian legal scholar Noura Erakat points the finger at Washington - for aiding and abetting Tel Aviv’s catastrophic bombing of Gaza, and making a mockery of the supposed universality of its rules-based order.

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African Stream Facts of the Week.

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SARKOZY ADMITS EUROPE’S BARBARISM

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy admitted in March of this year that Europe is the most brutal, savage and barbaric continent in the world, where the worst wars and crimes have occurred. That is not far-fetched considering Europe's history with Africa, where it has colonized, enslaved, exploited, and killed millions of people.

However, Sarkozy ignores his role in the 2011 military intervention in Libya, which he led with former British Prime Minister David Cameron and former US President Barack Obama. They bombed that African country to overthrow and kill Muammar Gaddafi, the former leader. The intervention in Libya was disguised as a humanitarian mission when, in reality, it was for political and economic reasons.

Continued……This catastrophe ruined the most prosperous and stable country on the continent. Libya had the highest human development index and the lowest poverty rate in Africa. The invasion caused a humanitarian crisis, as hundreds of thousands of Libyans and other Africans fled the violence and chaos. Many were tortured, raped, and sold in detention camps or slave markets. Africans can only agree with Sarkozy’s admission, based on past and recent history, but Sarkozy is not a friend of Africa or Africans. Nevertheless, like most European leaders who commit crimes on the continent, these three former leaders have not been held accountable for the violence brought to Libya.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

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NEW FILM EXAMINES NAMIBIA GENOCIDE

Considered one of the first genocides of the 20th century, what occurred in Namibia isn’t often spoken about. In fact, when people think of ‘the Holocaust,’ the one Germany waged in the southwestern African country in the early 1900s isn’t considered. Yet, the empire unleashed an extermination campaign against the Herero and Nama peoples in Namibia, resulting in more than 90,000 deaths that has caused a ripple effect of transgenerational trauma.

A new German film, ‘Measures of Men,’ attempts to honour the pain of the Namibian people by highlighting the atrocities of the German empire.

Grab some popcorn and let us know what you think of this film.

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CHOMSKY: WHY PALESTINE IS ALONE

US intellectual Noam Chomsky explains the reasons for international indifference to the suffering of Palestinians: Namely, wealth and power. The biggest economic and military power in the world, the United States, is the largest supplier of arms to Israel. It has maintained the Zionist occupation of Palestine has ‘a right to defend itself.'

As the Palestinian death toll climbed to just below 10,000, the US House of Representatives passed a motion on 3 November granting Israel an additional $14 billion in military aid. On two occasions in mid-October, the United States vetoed United Nations Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire in and aid delivery to Gaza.

Continued….However, on 4 November, approximately 300,000 demonstrators—including many Africans in the United States—took the streets of Washington, DC, in the largest march held in solidarity with Palestine in US history.

Chomsky compared the apartheid Palestinians face in their occupied territories with racialised inequality in the United States. White families are about eight times wealthier than their African counterparts. The colonial nature of African people's existence in the United States means they often have limited to no access to decent food, water, housing, healthcare, jobs and education, while being twice as likely as white people to die at the hands of police and five times more likely to serve prison time.

As a country that touts itself as the shining city on the hill and chief defender of democracy, it’s a little ironic, isn’t it? Let us know what you think.

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DON'T FORGET ISRAEL FORCIBLY STERILISED BLACKS

Here’s a reminder of what Israel's done to its Black population. Social media content creator, Andrew Ola, runs through the contraception scandal that saw Tel Aviv sterilise Jewish Ethiopian women without their consent.

They were injected with Depo-Provera which thickens the cervical mucus to prevent pregnancy. And it’s caused long-lasting infertility issues among those who had to take it ten years ago.

Andrew urges all Blacks to remember this, if they’re ‘undecided about what’s going on between Israel and Palestine.'

The current conflict has divided opinion in Africa, with the likes of Kenya, Ghana and DRC taking a pro-Israel stance.

Do you think a post like this will sway opinion?

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KWAME TURE: ZIONISM IS THE BABY CHILD OF IMPERIALISM

Is Zionism really about providing an oppressed people with a sovereign homeland? If so, why does Zionist Israel collaborate with the world's biggest imperialist powers? As All-African People's Revolutionary Party organiser Kwame Ture often explained to audiences in the 1980s and 1990s, Zionist Israel was born out of colonialism, birthed by the biggest imperialist power of its day, the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom held on to Palestine as its colony. When it decided that it was time to expel Jews from Europe, it organized a mass transfer of its Palestine colony into Jewish hands. What is more anti-Semitic than that? No African can respect a state that closely allies with the United Kingdom. And no African can respect a state that is nearly entirely funded by the United States. Ture broke down how and why Zionist Israel is a US proxy state in the Middle East. Let us know what you think.

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MALEMA ON PALESTINE & DRC

During his 9 November visit to Kenya, Economic Freedom Fighters President Julius Malema shared his perspective on Palestine. The South African Pan-Africanist called out the International Criminal Court (ICC) for not issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as they did for Russian President Vladmir Putin because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. According to the latest reports, Israel has killed more than 11,000 Palestinian civilians, including 4,500 children, since the 7 October escalation in the Gaza Strip. Yet, the criminal court has been tight-lipped.

Continued….The ICC, is seen as a symbol of Western imperialism. It has overwhelmingly prosecuted non-white leaders, except for in the case of people like Russian President Vladimir Putin and a handful of other white leaders from Serbia and South Ossetia. Malema added that African countries should sever diplomatic ties with Israel. He highlighted the role international solidarity played in the fight against apartheid in South Africa.

Malema is visiting Kenya to grace the opening of a Pan-African institute, and we'll be sharing developments.

In the meantime, let us know what you think of his comments.

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AFRICA’S LUXURY EXPRESS

Capturing Africa’s charm aboard the world’s most luxurious train.

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ABOLISHED? SLAVERY ALIVE & WELL IN U.S.

It’s widely believed that the US abolished slavery. That’s the point of the 13th Amendment, right? Not quite. There’s a loophole clause that means the state can force criminals to work. That may sound like a just punishment for certain crimes, but stop to consider whom the US disproportionately - and often unjustly - locks up: Africans in America. Like and share our quick explainer if you think this needs more attention and action.

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IMF, WORLD BANK: DEPT-TRAPPING AFRICA

Pan-Africanist scholar PLO Lumumba explains how the IMF and World Bank control Africa. The two institutions provide Africa with aid, which is used as a tool to trap the African continent in constant debt. PLO urges Africa to rescue itself from so-called ‘dead aid’ and build its own economy. He also takes a swipe at the African Development Bank, which, he says, has been captured by non-African shareholders.

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THE ART OF TATTOO IN AFRICA

Today tattoos are seen as a form of beauty - but in African culture it runs a lot deeper than that.
For centuries body art could signify virility or masculinity or even ward off evil spirits.
We get under the skin of their meaning for different cultures from the Dagomba in Northern Ghana, to Suri males in Ethiopia.

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