Africa endorses nominees for 2025 election of AU Commission chair
The process has begun for the February 2025 election of a new African Union Commission chairperson. According to the commission, the consideration for nominees will be made based on vision statements outlining how candidates intend to advance the “transformative agenda of the African Union.” Nominees will also be considered based on their game plan for addressing existing and emerging...
The importance of exploring the cultural history of Islam in the Motherland
In W.E.B. DuBois’ 1939 book, “Black Folks Then and Now,” the prolific author, scholar, and convener of Pan African Congresses explains the substance of the continent of Africa during pre-colonial times and during the heyday of global imperialism. While on my many trips to Egypt and Sudan, my last time in 2021 having spent two months living in the capital...
Ethiopia’s woes and America’s hidden hand
Dubious U.S. meddling in Africa is being played out in Ethiopia as bloodshed and mayhem have gripped the Horn of Africa country since November 2020. The conflict depicted as a civil war is layered, nuanced, and further complicated by American involvement under the pretext of making peace. President Joe Biden is beefing up U.S. military personnel by sending 1,000 National Guard...
Macron’s Anti-Islam Platform And France’s Presidential Race
Anti-Islamic comments made by French president Emmanuel Macron and a speech he made offer previews of his rhetoric in preparation for a presidential election that is two years away. “Islam is a religion that is in crisis all over the world today, we are not just seeing this in our country,” he said during a speech introducing a law to...
Cash-strapped African countries face pain from foreign interest obligations
(GIN)—Foreign investors who plied African countries with huge loans despite obvious difficulties for repayment got some bad news recently. The government of Zambia announced it missed a Nov. 13 deadline to repay $42.5 million in interest to Eurobond holders after the investors rejected a six-month delay sought by Zambia to pay up. This could set a precedent, lenders fear. Zambia has...
Brazil: ‘Racialized’ police killings, evidence reforms are needed, say experts
Following the killings of at least 23 Brazilians during police raids and checks, UN-appointed independent human rights experts called for urgent reforms against “racialized police brutality.” “We have repeatedly raised our concerns about the excessive and lethal use of force used by Brazilian law enforcement officials and the disproportionate impact on Brazilians of African descent,” the three experts said in...
W. Africa’s legendary Dahomey female warriors
No story about Africa’s kingdom of Dahomey, now the Republic of Benin, would be complete without chronicling the history of their fearless female warriors. In fact, in the history of the world these fearless women warriors called “Agojie” or Dahomey Amazons by the French literally left European colonialists “shaking in theirs boots.” The Agojie warriors are called the only documented frontline...
Zimbabwe opposition expels MP over policy differences
HARARE, Zimbabwe (PANA)–Zimbabwe’s main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party Nov. 23 expelled a rebel MP, accusing him of deviating from the party’s principles. Party spokesman Paul Nyathi said Munyaradzi Gwisai, MDC legislator for Highfield constituency in Harare, had been expelled with immediate effect. The move follows a series of incidents in which Mr. Gwisai, who is...
South Africa Seeks Legal Change To Allow Taking Of White-Owned Land
GINNEWS (GIN)–President Jacob Zuma finally addressed the long-unresolved matter of land reform, a demand of thousands of Black landless people whose properties were confiscated in the apartheid era. In his State of the Nation address, President Zuma pledged to break up White ownership of business and land to reduce inequality. He called on parliament to change South Africa's constitution to allow...
Ethiopian lawmakers remove Tigray group from terror list
NAIROBI, Kenya—Ethiopian lawmakers have removed the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front from the country’s list of designated terror groups more than four months after a peace agreement ended a conflict that killed hundreds of thousands of people. The March 22 decision highlights the improving relations between federal officials and Tigray regional ones and moves the region closer to the establishment of an interim...