African Stream

Since the return of Donald Trump to the White House in January, there has been an upsurge in right-wing propaganda against the government of South Africa - from claims that Pretoria is discriminating against White people to allegations it’s perpetrating a 'genocide' against them. The Trump administration has not been an innocent bystander: the president himself and his sidekick, Elon Musk, have been leading the attack from the front. South Africa-based right-wing organisations such as AfriForum and Solidarity have also played a central role in this campaign against the country they call their home. In this video, we react to an interview with Ernst Roets, the deputy leader of AfriForum, by US right-wing podcaster Tucker Carlson - and expose the misinformation the pair peddle

Join @AuthenticAfrican CEO Joe Hotagua, @AfricanStream journalist Inem Richardson, and special guest Maud-Salomé Ekila Bofunda—Congolese journalist, Pan-Africanist, and spokesperson for Urgences Panafricanistes—for a critical deep dive into Africa’s most urgent issues.In this livestream, we’ll explore the ongoing crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo and give you key updates from the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) — Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.

For some, Israel’s attacks in West Asia and the Syrian government takeover are none of Africa’s business. Apart from the fact that solidarity is not transactional, events in Palestine carry a warning of precisely what the current global order thinks of the global majority: We are disposable. Additionally, Africa could have been where Z*onists established the state of Israel had the early-20th century plan gone through in what is now Uganda and Kenya, not to mention Israel is also playing an increasingly nefarious role in our continent through tech espionage, arms sales and resource-extraction at shockingly low prices. We recently sat down with special guest @mariamtheugandan (IG), whose real name is Mariam Nakyobe, who has been linking the struggles in Africa and Palestine. As always, please share your thoughts.

While more than 60% of the world's cobalt (used to power smartphones, laptops and e-cars) comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the country remains one of the world's poorest, with over 73% of Congolese people living on less than $2.15 a day. A three-decade mineral war has fuelled the destruction of the DRC, with little accountability - despite mounting evidence that Western-backed neighbour Rwanda is the prime gateway for the ‘blood minerals’ trade. In the latest escalation of the proxy war, the M23 rebel group's offensive to seize the eastern regional capital of Goma k*lled nearly 3,000 people (UN) and displaced at least 500,000 in January alone. The rebels’ operations are widely reported as being largely controlled by the Rwanda Defence Forces, which also fund, arm and provide military personnel for M23. Join us for Episode 18 of our Pan-African Attitude Podcast, as we peel back the layers of why the gen*cide in Congo has largely been forgotten, despite displacing over 7-million people in the last 30 years, with approximately 6 million k*lled between 1998 and 2010.

Editor-in-Chief Ahmed Kaballo sat down with his father, Sidgi Kaballo, who is an economist, academic and Central Committee member of Sudan's Communist Party, to discuss the proxy war in Sudan. In this insightful interview, Sidgi Kaballo, who spent seven months inside Sudan from the onset of the war, walked us through his two-fold experience. He relayed his experience as a civilian witnessing the war first-hand, including his encounters with the United Arab Emirates-backed Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group that ransacked his home, stole his car and injured his arm. The second perspective Kaballo provided is that of an intellectual and political analyst who understands the root causes of the war, explaining who is backing both sides, and why neither warring party is the 'good guy.'

There is a pretty straight line from colonial exploitation to modern-day neocolonialism. Few African countries process their own raw materials - rather, the value is added elsewhere, and the finished products reimported, much to the benefit of foreign-owned companies. Multinational companies hold enormous economic and political power in post-independence African countries, a colonial hangover that’s seen them take part in illicit capital flight, pay low royalties and low rates of tax, provide little in the way of local employment and spur the destruction of local industries. When Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, announced that Nigeria would be moving up the value chain and that he would be building a 20-billion dollar, 650,000-barrels-a-day refinery that would meet domestic needs and export to the rest of Africa, ending the country’s age-old reliance on global oil giants, local importers and state regulators - who for decades have lived comfortably in those giants’ pockets - lost it. Efforts to sabotage the project, the largest single-train refinery in the world, which began operations in January of 2023, got underway. The Dangote refinery, which represents a threat to the West’s lucrative refinery-products market share, has been struggling to acquire enough feedstock of Nigerian crude. Some of Europe’s largest refineries, like Shell and TotalEnergies, are owned by International Oil Companies (IOCs), and have for decades had a stranglehold on Nigeria’s oil industry. They essentially refused to sell crude to the Dangote refinery, insisting on a $6 premium above market price - forcing it to source crude from Brazil and the United States at a higher price. It appears the objective is to ensure the Dangote refinery fails, guaranteeing that Nigeria continues to export raw crude and import refined products, making it dependent on IOCs, as it has been for decades. African Stream’s Erick Gavala takes a deep dive into this high-stakes showdown. Your reactions in the comments are appreciated.

Britain’s racist underbelly was revealed to the world two weeks ago, when far-right riots spread across England and Northern Ireland - in response to misinformation about the identity of a triple child murder suspect, falsely claimed to be a Muslim asylum seeker. This led to over a week of racially-motivated violence, arson, looting and attacks on mosques and refugee hotels. In this video, we react to those events - discussing some of the problems with how parts of the media covered them, and arguing that only a strong Africa will ensure safety for the diaspora. Listen in and feel free to join the convo in the comments.

The UK is in crisis right now, with Black and Brown people attacked on the street, hotels housing asylum seekers set alight and attacked, Muslim women being attacked with acid and even graves of Muslims being attacked by mobs of the far-right. Oh, and we forgot to mention a small child on the streets of Belfast in the Occupied North of Ireland is heard shouting “P*kis out” “P*kis out” as she walks down the street while the mother of the child smiles. How did this happen? How did the UK turn into a place of programs against ethnic minorities? We break this all down with legendary hip-hop rapper and journalist @lowkey.

Venezuela has long been subject to foreign interference and meddling in its political process ever since socialist president Hugo Chavez came to power on 2 February 1999. There have been several coups, one in 2002 against Hugo Chavez and one in 2019 against the incumbent president Nicolas Maduro. Maduro's supporters argue that this is also happening again today, with U.S.-backed opposition forces refusing to recognise the results of the elections and trying to overthrow Maurdo's government and replace it with opposition leader Edmundo González. Opposition supporters argue that the election was stolen and that Maduro is holding on to power illegally, with the U.S. government agreeing with this position and recognising Edmundo González Urrutia as the winner of Venezuela's presidential election and, therefore, the country's new president. On today's episode of Pan-African Attitude, we break all this down with two guests who were recently in Venezuela to observe the elections and another Venezuelan guest who lives in Venezuela.

Four Africans who grew up in the US/Canada recently travelled together around Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to meet with grassroots organisations and ministries in the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) - to figure out what is going on and what the mood is in the Sahel region. The Thomas Sankara Centre organised the delegation in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, together with the Coalition for the Elimination of Imperialism in Africa based in the diaspora.

Join African Stream’s discussion with investigative reporter Max Blumenthal on the power and scourge of misinformation in the mainstream media. He’s been smeared by major outlets over his coverage of the October 7th attacks against Israelis, while we’ve faced unfounded claims of peddling falsehoods by NBC. It referenced an Onyx Impact report that doesn’t even mention African Stream in its executive summary released to the public. We dive into the malicious world of mass media which has pushed so much misinformation that public trust in it has sunk to all time lows. Don’t miss it.

For this episode, we will examine the war in Sudan—what many call a proxy war—and how we got into this mess. Sudan is facing horror “beyond imagination” 25.6 million people are projected to face acute food insecurity or worse. But according to, the outgoing UN aid chief, Martin Griffiths, 750,000 people are under imminent threat of famine and with conditions in danger of worsening even further. That, on top of thousands of people killed. Conservative estimates say the conflict has killed at least 15,500 people, while some estimates are as high as 150,000 and counting. We are joined by a special guest today to help us understand how we got into this message. Dr. Juma Kunda is a professor of peace and development and a dedicated Pan-Africanist activist known for his significant involvement in the peace process in Sudan.

Join us for our 11th episode of Pan-African Attitude podcast. We discuss the second week since Kenyans poured onto the streets protesting against the IMF-backed Finance Bill. We host two participants, Booker Omole, Vice Chair the Communist Party of Kenya and Wanjira Wanjiru, a co-founder of the Mathare Social Justice Center, who you might remember from 'We Lose Our Fear We Lose Our Power'. They are active community organisers, with a wealth of knowledge on the implication of imperialist financial institutions on the vulnerable and will help us break down recent events.

Conflict has been simmering in eastern Congo since the mid-1990s in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, exploding into two wars that left millions of people dead. The fighting, which intensified in late 2021 and involved dozens of armed groups, long-running ethnic tensions and at least five national armies, has now reached a peak not seen in at least a decade. African Stream is hosting two guests; Kambale Musavuli from the Center for Research on the Congo-Kinshasa and Claude Gatebuke, a Rwandan genocide survivor and human rights activist to discuss the long-standing crisis.

The world is on the brink of war, following an uneasy, punctuated peace 79 years ago with the end of WW2. Decades of indirect confrontation between Middle Eastern bitter foes Israel and Iran culminated in a 14th April Iranian retaliation to Israel's bombing of its consulate in Syria on April 1st that killed 16 people. Israel is mulling over a response but had initially stated that Iran crossed a red line and must be responded to in kind. In a rejoinder Iran warned Israel of a harsher response. The West has rallied behind Israel, unwilling to criticize the countless international law violations it has committed not just against Iran, but against the ongoing bombardments in Gaza. However, Iran does not stand alone, it has powerful allies in Russia and China. Africa is caught in the middle once again. We are joined by an Iranian-American couple, Dr. Setareh Sadeqi and Christopher Weaver, to help make sense of just how dire the situation is and what it means for Africa. We hope you are as excited as we are and learn something by the end of our discussion. As always, let us know what you think.

Brutal armed conflict has ravaged the eastern region of the Democratic of Congo since the late 1990s. Millions have been killed and displaced, with some blaming the West’s desire to get its hands on the country’s resources. It’s argued they work with neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda, to support rebels in DRC who extract minerals then sold on international markets.Despite mounting evidence, Rwanda denies involvement. It says it’s being scapegoated by Kinshasa for its own failure to secure the volatile region. The debate on Kigali's alleged complicity has also spilt to the public arena. In this episode of Pan-African Attitude, African Stream gets the views of Pan-African scholar PLO Lumumba, and activist and artist Chakabars.

It's been more than three decades of unrelenting violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's mineral-rich east. So much so that the UN recently raised the alarm about 'grave violations' against children in the conflict-ravaged country.Since January, paramilitary attacks have not only left many dozens dead and hundreds of thousands internally displaced. Reports are also mounting of armed groups maiming, recruiting or murdering children, suggesting that the youngest Congolese are paying the highest price of the long-running conflict. Since 1996, almost 7 million Congolese have been internally displaced—the second-highest figure in the world after Sudan—while 6 million people have been killed. About 1 million Congolese have fled the country.However, in the face of this, an African-run project, 'I Heart Africa,' provides a sanctuary for some of those children. The group, which puts African concerns first, has built a small community called Lumumba Village.African Stream recently hosted Pan-African activist and I Heart Africa Co-Founder Chakabars and I Heart Africa's General Manager and Congo Director Olivia Mundabi. The project's directors visited our Nairobi studio to discuss the Congo crisis and how Africans should provide African solutions to crises on the continent.

Muammar Gaddafi's spokesperson during NATO's bombardment of Libya, Moussa Ibrahim, joined us for a special podcast to discuss the 13th anniversary of the Western-backed Libya War. This is a story of how a former playground for imperial powers took back its sovereignty, the process of nation building, and betrayal of the revolution in an event that saw the West turn what was once Africa's highest ranking country in HDI terms into a country of open slave markets.

African Stream sat down with Ezayi Jules, a Haitian from the organisation MOLEGHAF (National Movement for Liberty and Equality of Haitians for Fraternity) - to discuss the recent events surrounding the Caribbean island. In particular, we talked about the Kenyan government's push to deploy police officers on a US-funded (and US-proposed) security mission to Port-au-Prince. Analysing the geopolitical dynamics behind that push, Ezayi connected Haiti’s present woes to the aftermath of its liberation from slavery - arguing that the nation is still being punished for taking freedom into its own hands. He urges Africans interested in contributing towards Haiti's liberation to act today. We learned a lot. Let us know your reaction to what he has to say.

British-Iraqi rapper, and journalist Lowkey joined us for a special episode of Pan African Attitude Ep. 5. We will be discussing the Israel lobby, South Africa's case at the ICJ, Israel's threat to Africa and of course Galloway's stunning victory in Rochdale and what lessons we can learn as Africans and anti-imperialists.

In 2018-2019, the people of Sudan took to the streets to fight for their democratic rights and demand that longtime Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir step down from power. He was then removed in a coup orchestrated by the joint efforts of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary. But what initially looked like a victory for the people soon spiralled into a power struggle between the SAF and RSF that turned into a devastating civil war and a proxy war between regional powers in the region.The Sudanese Army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, controls most of the industries in Sudan, while the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, aka Hemdeti, control the goldmines, but both sides want total supremacy over Sudan - and especially over the capital, Khartoum.The fighting has displaced more than 7.8 million people internally, while 2 million have fled the country. Some 20.3 million face acute food insecurity. Critical infrastructure has been destroyed, and on top of the humanitarian emergency, there are reports of mass rapes and genocidal violence. In the Darfur region, the RSF and allied Arab militia are accused of committing atrocities against the Masalit people. The war has also overshadowed a pre-existing conflict in the Nuba mountains.Despite the enormity of the tragedy unfolding in Sudan, the conflict and its consequences have largely been ignored by global news outlets.We invited two Sudanese guests to discuss the pressing emergencies in their country. Kamal Ramadan (aka ‘General KD’) is an artist from the Nuba mountains who highlights the challenges in this region and the role of art and music during this war, especially in reaching out to young people, who form the majority of the combatants. Mosaab Baba, meanwhile, is a researcher and consultant from Ayin Network. He has been working with Sudanese civil society since the 2000s, even during the conflict, to try and find an amicable solution and peaceful transition of power.They gave us their take on the war, its genesis and what steps need to be taken to put a permanent end to hostilities. They bring some great insights to the table.

African Stream has reacted to videos of Donald Trump, King Charles, Elon Musk, among others, but the one that took the cake was our reaction to CNN's expert on the coup in Niger.Shortly after July 26 it was evident that the overthrow of Western-aligned president Mohamed Bazoum by the military had popular support. For Nigeriens, here at last was a chance to kick out the exploitative French - and their influence - from their motherland.CNN brought on Washington DC think-tanker and former State Department employee Aneliese Bernard to explain France's (and the West's) dwindling fortunes in Niger. Trying to make sense of it all, she said that the capital Niamey was populated by the elite, whose differences with the president may have contributed to his downfall. No mention of how France has greatly benefited at the expense of Niger, which is one of the poorest countries in the world with a per capita income of $ 628 (IMF).CNN's host Zain Asher then echoed the West's fear of an awakened continent when she wondered why Nigeriens were happy to be rid of a 'democratically elected' leader who is 'trusted by the West'.It's a dangerous time for humanity when mainstream media believes its own propaganda, especially about Africa. It's even more dangerous when people believe what these 'experts' say about the continent.

Violence has escalated in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between M23 militants and the DRC army. Unfortunately, rockets and bombs have landed on universities, markets and villages, killing some civilians while others run for their lives. Many fear the conflict and the humanitarian crisis will cycle out of control as Goma, North Kivu province's largest city—home to 2 million people—might fall to the so-called rebels. African Stream hosted two guests from Friends of the Congo and the Center for Research on the Congo-Kinshasa to unpack the situation.

There's a new wave of people of African descent being given platforms to say stuff some White people want to say but won’t, for fear of being called racist.And here’s a perfect example.Senegal-born entrepreneur, Magatte Wade, reckons Africans should stop blaming their economic struggles on their colonial past. And she was happy to make her case to right-wing commentator Jordan Peterson who just nods in agreement. Excuse me? How can our colonial and neo-colonial history be completely ignored? We break down the stupidity of her argument and highlight a new worrying trend.

Kenya's plan to deploy police officers to Haiti does not enjoy support among ordinary people. So, you can imagine African Stream's surprise at seeing a group of Kenyans donning 'Africa4Haiti' T-shirts at a 24 January event dubbed 'Hands Off Haiti.'The group's inability to articulate reasons for supporting the Haiti mission confirmed our suspicion that they were a crowd-for-hire lot. The phenomenon is not unique to Kenya, as African Stream Assistant Operations Manager Clinton Nzala attests from his experience in Zambia.The lobby group's 'Chief Inspiration Officer' later presented his case on a popular Nairobi-based radio programme. We got a good laugh out of that.Watch our reaction to this experience and join the conversation by leaving us with a comment.

With the Kenyan High Court ruling Kenya's deployment of police to Haiti as unconstitutional and the president's insistence that the mission must happen, African Stream hosted two community organizer's to delve into the topic. The two were also part of Hands Off Haiti, an event that took place in opposition to the deployment. We dissect the origins of Haiti's crisis, the current state, the actors involved and more. Please have a watch and we'd love for you to get into the conversation.

The United Nations Security Council vote on 2 October has opened a new era of occupation in Haiti. Popular debates have sprung up, speculating whether or not the latest "peacekeeping" mission, spearheaded by Kenya and funded by the United States, will be effective. However, African Stream host Salifu Mack says history shows US interests in Haiti have always resulted in the exact opposite of "peace." For more information about the history of occupation in Haiti, check out the many resources made available by the @blackallianceforpeace. Let us know your thoughts on the UNSC vote to occupy Haiti.