Pambazuka News 689: International crimes, elite disasters and the BRICS bank
Pambazuka News 689: International crimes, elite disasters and the BRICS bank
How should one describe the U.S.-Israeli relationship? “Co-conspirators”? “Co-dependents”? “Frenemies”? “The corporate media in the United States and other western nations ignore, minimize or tell outright lies about the ongoing massacre” of Palestinians, but surely the Israeli media would do the same for the U.S. How about “Co-enablers in War Crimes”?
The continued detention of a prominent human rights defender highlights worsening repression of state critics ahead of elections next year, an issue that has received wide condemnation even from the UN
Eritrea’s remarkable success in combating HIV/AIDS is founded upon a multisectoral approach that involves the targeting of harmful societal behaviors and traditions like banning child marriage and female genital cutting
The African Union-appointed commission set up to investigate the current conflict in South Sudan has been a virtual paper tiger to date. The commission needs to provide unflinching recommendations aimed at stabilizing the country’s social, political, economic and military situations.
Two groups of people deeply affected by the genocide are rarely mentioned in the news or the academic literature: the Batwa and children conceived through rape during the genocide
The goal of the Pre-congress meeting is to mobilize Pan African organizations and activists in North America to organize and engage in the process leading up to the 8th Pan African Congress to be held in Ghana in November
Pambazuka News 685: Poisoned chalices: Foreign investment, humanitarian intervention and aid
Pambazuka News 685: Poisoned chalices: Foreign investment, humanitarian intervention and aid
As the U.S. tightens its military grip on Africa, “it is absolutely imperative that we embark on a massive educational campaign with our folks that will expose the real intentions of the U.S. on the continent and worldwide.” There is nothing “humanitarian” about U.S. intentions. “The plan for Africa is being written in the blood of the people in Iraq, Syria and Libya.”
Few are aware that the rainbow nation of South Africa continues to imprison freedom fighters who fought against apartheid. Many have languished in South Africa’s jails for years and have been sacrificed on an altar of reconciliation in a so-called “new South Africa.” They should be immediately released
Kenya’s farmers produce enormous wealth for the country yet are largely poor. They must reject the farming model that keeps them perpetually poor, indebted, frustrated into alcoholism, domestic violence and seek trade justice
Corporal punishment is still a popular and lawful method of disciplining children in Zimbabwean schools. But this brutality violates children’s rights and contravenes the Zimbabwean constitution and international conventions. Corporal punishment should be abolished
Who actually rules Somalia? The simple answer is, foreigners with vested interests. And as long as these external actors continue their meddling, regardless of the rhetoric, the Somali state-building project will stagnate
In a democracy worthy the name, no specific belief, conscience, thought, opinion or religion has special legal or societal status.
The people of Iraq are once again on the receiving end of a ‘humanitarian’ war to save them from a situation that the U.S. created with the invasion in 2003 and the ill-fated attempt to dislodge al-Assad from power in Syria.
As a nation, Nigeria doesn’t work. The many crises of the past and current ones provide the evidence. The national conference called to discuss the way forward is yet another failed opportunity. The future of Africa’s giant looks pretty grim
Dan Glazebrook’s volume demonstrates that the infamous imperialism of the past has not disappeared but has instead adopted new strategies to obscure its intentions, such as proxy wars and media-based indoctrination. These tactics must be exposed and imperialist resisted
Much hope is placed on foreign direct investment to deliver development capital for African countries. Yet FDIs are part of the global financial capitalist system, which maintains and reproduces inequality and keeps African states dependent on Western countries and financial institutions
Malawi marks 50 years of independence next Monday. But the country is hardly independent in any meaningful sense. It heavily relies on donor support and international NGOs. It is these foreigners, not the citizens, who are in charge of the country’s governance
China-Africa relations was the subject of a recent debate on Twitter with US-based Kenyan scholar Calestous Juma. Prof Juma blames Africa for its development problems, saying nothing about the West’s imperialist looting and destabilization of African nations, particularly in panic reaction to China’s growing presence.
Margaret Mitchell Armand is a Haitian scholar, poet, artist and trained psycholo-gist. Born in Haiti and raised between Haiti and the US, Margaret's' life and work are framed by her faith in the African religious traditions and a celebration of Haitian Vodou.
Nathan Shamuyarira was a man who dedicated his life to the emancipation and unity of both his native Zimbabwe and the African continent. In various capacities – as activist, politician, academic and professional – he consistently served with his characteristic generosity, incorruptibility and commitment.
Babu’s ideas and organising skills were behind the Zanzibar revolution of 50 years ago. A great pan-Africanist and socialist, his life is an inspiration to all people who dare to resist oppression and imperialism.
Pambazuka News 684: SPECIAL ISSUE: Africa and its Diaspora in migration dynamics
Pambazuka News 684: SPECIAL ISSUE: Africa and its Diaspora in migration dynamics
The effects of climate change and the ways that it will lead to increases in migration are both myriad and complex. The issue is: how to assist those who will be displaced by the effects of climate change and not leave them to fall into the gaps of the legal systems we have erected
The experiences of African-Canadian youth are dissimilar from those of their parents who migrated to Canada. Such youth possess multiple ethnic and racial labels to identify themselves whilst facing discrimination in Canada
How African migrants in the two regions are treated is determined by a number of factors, which should be examined for comprehensive understanding, including the domestic political and economic conditions in the host state, relations between neighbouring countries and the sending state, and relations between the migrants and the local population
European powers imposed the nation-state on Africa through colonialism. But even after African independencies, mainstream discourses and government policies have amplified the idea that sedentariness and the state are the only acceptable mode of modernity. Migration is portrayed as a menace to the societies where the migrants wish to settle
The present political and economic configuration of the planet is a perfect catalyst for illegal migration. When wealth and power is concentrated in the hands of a few monopolists cornered in one part or negligible parts of the earth, we can only expect that the deprived majority would strive by all means to access the oases.
Thousands of migrants every year attempt to flee conflict, misrule and poverty in African countries to seek a better life in Europe. European nations, this writer argues, should tighten enforcement of immigration laws and work closely with African governments to stop this exodus
Would it not be both accurate and fair to acknowledge, and to designate, that there exists more than one ‘African diaspora’?
The huge refugee camps of Dadaab in northern Kenya, the largest in the world, are a living testimonial to the failure of the international system in dealing with the victims of forced migration.
Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), particularly in the eastern Kivu provinces, can be traced to its convoluted history of migration, citizenship and property rights.
Europe has transformed itself into a fortress, with anti-immigration legislation a centrepiece of foreign and domestic policy. Stringent visa regimes, among other restrictions, simply disqualify many aspiring migrants, forcing them to take ever more desperate measures.
This special issue of Pambazuka News shows that the question of migration is entangled with complex political, economic, legal, social, cultural issues. One cannot address this issue from an African perspective without thinking about the violence and pillage rampant on the continent over the past several centuries
Migration from Africa has historically been a male-dominated phenomenon, but the pattern has changed significantly in recent decades. African women are leaving their countries of birth to create new lives elsewhere. Economic opportunities are primarily available in childcare, domestic and sex work. These trends should be of special interest to those in the policy-making spaces who are concerned about the wellbeing of female migrants
‘Global NATO and the catastrophic failure in Libya’ by Horace Campbell
DATE AND TIME: Friday, 27 June, 2014 at 5.00pm
VENUE: The Professional Centre, Parliament Rd, Nairobi
‘Meticulously researched and documented, Horace Campbell’s analysis convincingly connects the dots between NATO’s botched criminal operation in Libya, the global capitalist crisis, and the Western project for the recolonization of Africa. An essential handbook for Pan-Africanists and for the international peace and justice movement’. Norman Girvan, Professor Emeritus, University of the West Indies.
A regular and long-time contributor to Pambazuka News, Horace Campbell holds a joint professorship in the Department of African American Studies and the Department of Political Science at Syracuse University.
Pambazuka News 683: Deadly myths, forgotten soldiers and buccaneers
Pambazuka News 683: Deadly myths, forgotten soldiers and buccaneers
In Nigeria, as in other parts of Africa, politicians seem to think that public office is an opportunity to pamper themselves, their families and cronies at public expense. The people must rise up against these predators.
Several countries in West Africa are currently undergoing constitutional review processes. As these processes progress, taking different forms in each country, all involved must remain mindful that the true purpose of a constitution is to uphold the will and the rights of the country’s citizens.
More than a million African soldiers were engaged in this war, some as volunteers while most of them were forcibly conscripted. They fought in Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the Far East. But there contribution remains unacknowledged
Colonial era depiction of the Tutsi as a superior Hamitic race that invaded Rwanda laid the ground for severe ethnic polarisation. This myth resurfaced in the period leading to and during the genocide of 1994
There have been numerous failed attempts to restore collapsed Somalia over the past two decades. A nation-building model that takes into account the society’s nomadic culture and the deeply embedded historical narratives that shape the people’s worldviews stands a chance.
Comrade Nelson ‘Nana’ Mahomo was a founding member of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania and an architect of the Sharpville Uprisings. On 1 June 2014 he passed away. He leaves behind a family, friends, fellow visionaries, a proud history and an as yet unfulfilled vision for Azania.
Africa has long endured the elitist rule of the ‘president for life’, under whose leadership governments have grown grossly unaccountable and corrupt. For the continent to realise effective democracies, presidential term limits must be imposed to ensure the political class is accountable to the citizens.
The selective eulogising of the late Maya Angelou has dealt a blow to the fight for prostitutes' rights.
South Sudan could have a transitional phase following the current crisis. Elections are set for next year, but they could be postponed for three years of transition. Various proposals on the leadership structure during the interim period have been made and are presented here
The ANC has been in power for twenty years. Whilst there have been some achievements, high unemployment, income inequalities, service delivery protests demonstrate that the promissory note of better life for the working class has been bypassed. A neoliberal democracy has benefitted a black elite and its white minority counterpart
The South African City of Tshwane has neglected the interests of its small traders, who are being subjected to police brutality and theft of their wares by the officers
Once again the process of authenticating the tomb of Sankara ends in a denial of justice. The reality of Burkina Faso is that Blaise Campaore is the sole and veritable judge in this affair. And he panics each time the issue comes up, afraid that he himself might be charged, just as he panics at the idea of being sued for his role in the wars in Liberia, Sierra Leone and la Côte d’Ivoire.
Ebiem’s discourse on the catastrophe that is Nigeria is an urgent reminder to the world of the responsibilities of the state in society and the dire consequences that could occur if there were any doubts or erosions on the salient features of these roles
The lessons of the struggles waged by General Baker and his comrades must be taken into consideration in the present battle in the US over jobs, income, pensions and public assets
Pambazuka News 682: Not yet free: Chains of imperialism still bind Africa
Pambazuka News 682: Not yet free: Chains of imperialism still bind Africa
Angelou’s contributions to literature and social movements will remain as an inspiration to today’s youth as well as future generations.
Following institutionalized discrimination against homosexuals in various African countries, a debate focusing on the human security implications of this is vital. Discrimination, arrests and violence towards real or perceived homosexuals negatively affect security, health care, the economy, human development and democracy.
Patrick Bond addresses questions raised by Yash Tandon in regards to the role of the BRICS in Africa and in the current configuration of the neoliberal international capitalist order. The challenge is for critics of BRICS to strategise with the world’s progressive forces to build a genuine anti-imperialist movement
Capitalism is based on the philosophy that man is inherently evil and selfish. But solidarity economies suggest something different: that we are human, we cooperate with one another, we love, we struggle for the love of humanity, and that the future of our planet, our life, is based on our having a culture of brotherhood, sisterhood, collaboration, cooperation. It is an economy of love.
The novel goes beyond the prevailing narratives of terrorist behaviour and delves into the thought processes of a terrorist, giving us unique insights into the ‘mind’ of a terrorist.
If enacted in its present form, the Mining Bill 2014 will place huge powers over the mining industry in the hands of the Cabinet Secretary, complicate bureaucracy and especially deny people in mining areas any meaningful voice, which is against the constitutional requirement of popular participation
Meriam Ibrahim Yahya is incarcerated and shackled in Sudan'sOmdurman Women’s Prison. Her twenty-month old child is with her, and she recently gave birth in prison to her second child. Charged with apostasy last month month, she faces flogging and then death by hanging.
African independence has not resulted in better quality of life for the majority of the continent’s people. Lots of opportunities have been lost to address the problems that are already well known. A new mindset among the leadership class is necessary
Through the exploitation of loopholes in the tax system, under a veil of proprietary confidentiality, the diamond industry is systematically short-changing the citizens of South Africa.
Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria has a long legacy of supporting the studies of economically disadvantaged students. As the university increases its tuition fees, an alumnus implores management to reconsider the additional fees and to maintain the legacy of OAU.
Rwanda’s diplomatic missions abroad are used by the regime in Kigali to coordinate assassination plots targeting President Kagame’s critics. That is what taxpayers are paying for. Meanwhile much of the ‘international community’ is busy applauding this tyrant
Afrika today stands plagued by Western imperialism and neo-colonialism, with her wealth routinely plundered and her countries politically and socially divided. Black people globally must unite and resist this, putting aside their petty cultural, political and ideological differences.
Jamaica’s national consciousness needs to be liberated from false and harmful narratives created by others, especially the US. And one of those false narratives is about the public life and contribution of former Prime Minister Michael Manley
There are real worries about the state of Kenya's governance. President Kenyatta is reversing all the progress that has been made. But keen watchers are not surprised. His rise to power was the triumph of colonial-minded conservatives over progressive forces.
The abhorrent abduction and abuse of Nigerian girls by the Boko Haram terrorist group highlights the violence and other horrendous violations that girls face in Africa and around the world. As we mark the Day of the African Child on 16 June, Equality Now says that no efforts should be spared to ensure girls live secure and happy lives
Pambazuka News 687: Big brother, the BRICS and blanket immunity
Pambazuka News 687: Big brother, the BRICS and blanket immunity
The special issue on the DRC seeks to expose not only the realities of war that continue to have a traumatic and tragic impact on the lives of those directly affected, but also to address the complex realities and issues that the Congolese have faced in the past since the assassination of its valiant leader, Patrice Lumumba
Use your experience as a human rights campaign strategist to respond to some of our most critical campaigning issues. Working with the global Individuals at Risk Team, you will lead our work on behalf of Individuals at Risk (IAR) in Sub-Saharan Africa, assessing changing situations and reacting quickly to emerging priorities, capitalising on your political judgement and inspiring worldwide action within days.
Numerous Palestinian civil society organisations are calling on people and nations of the world to demand and end to the orgy of brutal violence conducted by the Israeli government in Gaza. Without international pressure, Israel will continue the massacres
Eradicating violence and discrimination against women in Zimbabwe is an arduous task that demands hands-on training and mobilization in the rural areas where the violence is most prevalent. Not by a well-meaning Western NGO, mind you, but by the women themselves.
Two members of civil society were attacked and wounded by goons hired by the Presbyterian Church of East Africa last Saturday when they visited Kibagare wetland where PCEA has begun construction of luxury apartments. Now civil society wants the PCEA leadership to stop the destruction of the wetland
Two organizations allege that deliberate actions by the State of Michigan through its Governor Rick Snyder and majority right-wing legislative bodies are calculated and well-planned to foster the disempowerment of the African American people
Many reputable organisations have over the years demonstrated that the EPAs are against the fundamental developmental needs of the economies of West Africa. The EPAs will lead to the collapse of the domestic manufacturing and other productive sectors due to undue pressure from the subsidized goods from Europe and loss of revenue from trade taxes
The cases of two women who were arrested for protesting against the demolition of their homes were dismissed last week. It is a positive sign, but the struggles of the shack-dwellers against state neglect and violence continue
Afro-Uruguayans have contributed to the construction of Uruguay as a consequence of enslavement. They have set up important organisations such as Mundo Afro to lobby the national government to recognise its black minority as an equal member of the national community
Countries in the South have jumped on the biometric bandwagon, including South Africa, in spite of the many red flags about the technology. Citizens need to be aware that the ID cards allow governments to carry out surveillance of people considered to be a threat to the interests of the ruling classes
Should little children be allowed to stay with their mothers in prison or they should be separated? This is a difficult question, but there are some suggestions on what should be done for the best interests of the child
Leaders who fail to follow the law must be accountable for their actions before courts of law. But the Protocol adopted by African leaders on 4 July turned this basic legal principle on its head.
Thinking about the problem of climate change in Africa from the angle of low-carbon economy can be useful as it addresses environmental, economic and technological matters of development all at the same time
Mangaliso Robert Sobukwe is not as well known as he should. The founding president of the radical Pan African Congress, Sobukwe was the single most potent threat to apartheid. Without the fire in his breast and the unshakable conviction of his mind, it is unlikely that apartheid would have collapsed when it did.
Extraordinary rendition violates every rule in the human rights book. The process invariably involves forceful abduction, detained incommunicado for an extended period, interrogation and torture
With Africa firmly integrated into the international financial order, there is almost no potential within the existing political arrangements for substantial advancements in the socio-economic status of workers, farmers and youth.