On August 30, 2023, we all woke up to a coup d’etat in Gabon by the army. The military took over, and cancelled the results of Saturday’s election in which Mr. Ali Bongo was declared winner the night before on August 29, but the opposition led by Albert Ondo Ossa claimed it was a fraudulent election. In an announcement on Gabon’s state TV on Wednesday, the coup leaders said their republican guard chief, General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, had been “unanimously” designated president of a transitional committee to lead the country. Note that Oligui is a cousin of Bongo and used to be the bodyguard of Bongo’s father, the late President Omar Bongo. He was also head of the secret service in 2019 before becoming head of the republican guard.
President Ali Bongo
This coup puts an end to 56 years of the Bongo dynasty. Ali Bongo came to power at the end of his father Omar Bongo‘s 42 years in power from 1967 to 2009. Bongo son, Ali, ruled the country for 14 years, and although he had suffered a stroke in 2018, he was vying for a third term in office during these past elections. After his stroke, television appearances had shown him leaning heavily on a silver-topped cane. He had appeared healthier during the latest election when he was again declared victor – until military officers stepped in. Oil-rich Gabon has been known as the piece de resistance of France in the entire central African region.
Map of Gabon
Many who have heard news of the coup in Gabon, which puts an end to 56 years of one family treacherous rule, popped bottles of champagne, and rightfully so. This coup comes on the heels of the one in Niger last month on 26 July 2023, and we cannot help but rejoice and long for genuine change.Is the wind of change really blowing in Gabon as well? or is it simply France understanding that given the current anti-French climate in Africa, and in order to keep control over their biggest cow in the Francafrique’s chessboard, understanding that the people of Gabon had had enough of Ali Bongo, and not trusting that they could control the opposition guy who had been voted by the people, chose to place their very own puppet instead? After all, the day after controversial elections, if the military is there to defend the democracy of the country as they claimed in their speech, why not have votes recounted? Why not have the election results reversed since the people selected Ossa to lead them? Why hold Bongo and son under house arrest, but release the first lady (who is French), Sylvia Bongo Ondimba, who, as everybody knows has been the one leading the country since her husband’s stroke in 2018? Lastly, the new leader is a cousin of Bongo: are we going to have a similar scenario to David Dacko-Jean-Bedel Bokassa of Central African Republic (CAR)?
Upcoming days will tell us which way this wind is blowing.
To read more, check out this article “A ‘Coup’ in Gabon: Who, What, and Why?” on Al Jazeera.
Hugues Fabrice Zango (Source: The Straits Times, AFP)
Over the past few days, Africans have made us proud at the 2023 World Athletics Championships which took place in Budapest, Hungary. There were so many outstanding contributions, and amazing firsts.
The list starts with our brother Hugues Fabrice Zango of Burkina Faso who dominated the field and took home the gold medal in the men’s triple jump. This is his country’s first gold at the World Championships. Zango has consistently improved over the years from bronze at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, to silver at the Eugene 2022 World Championships, to now gold. When interviewed, he said, “I am proud to be the man who keeps his word. I promised to make history and I did it tonight… We have some troubles in our country now and it is an incredible mission to bring some positive emotions to them.” Keep it up brother, we are so proud of you!
Letsile Tebogo (Source: SportNewsAfrica)
Letsile Tebogo of Botswana made us proud by becoming the first African to win a silver medal at the World Championships ever in the men’s 100 m, and a bronze medal in the 200 m. In events dominated by Americans and Jamaicans, brother Tebogo showed that Africans should not be counted out.
Faith Kipyegon (Source: StarConnectMedia)
We held onto Faith, and Faith Kipyegon of Kenya delivered! There isn’t another athlete as consistently dominant over such a range as Kipyegon. She won gold medals in the women’s 1,500 m and 5,000 m in Budapest, capping a year in which she obliterated world records at 1,500 meters, the mile and 5,000 meters in the span of seven weeks this summer. Her compatriot Beatrice Chebet took silver in the women’s 5000 m; while Jacob Krop took home the bronze medal in the men’s 5000 m. Ethiopia‘s DiribeWelteji took home the silver medal over the women’s 1,500 m distance behind Faith.
Mary Moraa (Source: The Star Kenya)
Kenya Mary Moraa won gold in women’s 800 m defeating favorite Athing Mu of the USA… this has been a long time coming since the Mozambican Maria Mutola, and South African Caster Semenya. Her compatriot Emmanuel Wanyonyi took silver in the men’s 800m.
In the 3000 m steeplechase, the Kenyan women Beatrice Chepkoech and Faith Cherotich took home the silver and bronze medals respectively in the women’s event; while their countryman Abraham Kibiwot took home the bronze in the men’s event. MoroccoSoufiane El Bakkali, the Olympic gold winner over the distance, took home the gold medal in the men’s event, while Ethiopia Lamecha Girma took home the silver.
Ladies Gudaf Tsegay, Letesenbet Gidey, and Ejgayehu Taye of Ethiopia dominated their events to give us a trio winning gold, silver, and bronze medals respectively in the women’s 10,000 m. Their compatriot Selemon Barega won bronze in the men’s 10,000 m. Uganda‘s Joshua Cheptegei dominated the men’s event taking home the gold medal, while Kenya’sDaniel Simiu Ebenyo took silver.
Victor Kiplangat (Source: The Africa)
Ethiopia Amane Beriso Shankule and Gotytom Gebreslase won gold and silver respectively in the women’s marathon; they were followed by Fatima Ezzahra Gardadi of Morocco with the bronze medal. Shankule’s countryman Leul Gebresilase took home bronze in the men’s marathon. Uganda‘s VictorKiplangat was victorious, taking home the gold medal in the men’s marathon.
Big deposits of lithium found in Zimbabwe has made it Africa’s largest lithium reserve. It is no secret that there have been big efforts worldwide to develop renewable energy sources, thus leading to a growing demand for batteries to supply the car industry as there is a push for electric vehicles. Zimbabwe hopes to become one of the world’s largest exporters of lithium. In July of this year, a Chinese mining company completed the $300m construction of a lithium mine in Zimbabwe. Presidential elections which will take place this month will determine the future of Zimbabwe’s resources.
To cash in on the global demand, Zimbabwe last year banned the export of raw lithium ore. In doing so, it joined countries like Indonesia and Chile that are trying to maximize their return on deposits of lithium, cobalt and nickel by requiring miners to invest locally in refining and processing before they can export. Let’s hope that these resources will actually help Zimbabweans and not line up the pockets of Mnangagwa and cronies.
Chinese investors racing to secure lithium supplies could help Zimbabwe rise to become the world’s fifth biggest primary producer of the material that’s vital to battery electric vehicles and the green revolution, mining consultancy CRU said.
The lithium industry in Africa’s top producer has rapidly expanded, buoyed by about $1 billion of investments during the past two years by Chinese companies including Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt (603799.SS), Sinomine Resource Group (002738.SZ), Chengxin Lithium Group (002240.SZ) and Yahua Group (002497.SZ).
… The investments could boost capacity to 192,000 tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) per year of petalite and spodumene in 2027, from 13,000 tons per year LCE in 2022, Cameron Hughes, a battery markets analyst at CRU said in a report.
“These investments will place Zimbabwe as the fifth largest primary producer of lithium by 2025, after Argentina, contributing more than either Canada or Brazil,” Hughes said.
We cannot repeat it enough! All eyes are on Niger, particularly after ECOWAS decided to follow Ouattara who urged for a military intervention, and brought in the African Union with Moussa Faki who authorized the use of military in Niger.
ECOWAS Logo
Can we really be surprised by Ouattara who was installed in Côte d’Ivoire by France’s canons and military joined with the UN? After the ECOWAS meeting last week, Côte d’Ivoire’s president, Alassane Ouattara, said his country would take part in the military operation, along with Nigeria and Benin. “Ivory Coast will provide a battalion and has made all the financial arrangements … We are determined to install Bazoum [prior Niger president and France’s puppet] in his position. Our objective is peace and stability in the sub-region,” Ouattara said on state television. The ECOWAS bloc decided last Friday to deploy a “standby force” aimed at restoring constitutional order in Niger after its Sunday deadline to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum expired. To this, Niger responded by recalling its diplomatic envoy to Côte d’Ivoire.
The African Union (AU) has called for an urgent intervention in Niger to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum to power. In a statement issued in support of resolutions by ECOWAS, AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki (another puppet) said the international community must act to stop an anti-constitutional change in Niger. “The Chairperson calls on the entire international community to unite efforts to save the moral and physical integrity of President Mohamed Bazoum,” Faki’s office said on Friday.
Flag and map of Nigeria
Isn’t it crazy that the AU does not think that the embargo on medical supplies to the whole country of Niger is a problem? Isn’t it surprising that the AU has no voice when it comes to defending Africans from foreign interventions on African soil, but is always on the wrong side of history against Africans?
Now, the newly appointed Niger’s prime minister is in Chad for peace talks. Northern Nigeria’s religious and political leaders are also making considerable efforts for a peaceful resolution of the situation. Similarly, the religious leaders of Togo have asked for a removal of all ECOWAS sanctions against Niger which will then allow for more peaceful talks. Religious and political leaders of Benin and Togo have warned their presidents against any military interventions in Niger, interventions that serve the West. That is why Ouattara had to call on the African Union (AU) trying to find mercenaries from other African countries (not neighboring ones – ECOWAS region) who would not feel so strongly against an intervention in Niger, or have brotherly links that extend beyond borders with the people of Niger.
Flag of Niger
On Sunday night, Niger’s rulers declared they had gathered sufficient evidence to prosecute Bazoum for “high treason and undermining internal and external security“. After all, wasn’t Bazoum working for the West against Niger’s interests? Who knows what sort of back-door deals he made? Then today, Jihadist armed groups have ambushed and attacked a detachment of Niger’s military killing at least 17 Niger soldiers and injuring 20 others near the border with Mali, the country’s Ministry of Defence said.
The situation is very fluid and tense, and requires our entire attention and prayers. Without Niger, France might not have enough electricity this winter (and this will have nothing to do with Ukraine or climate change). Losing Niger is not quite a possibility for France or the West in the region. Niger will be the 4th country in the region and it might not be seen as a good.
Please read the article from the Christian Science Monitor which summarizes the situation well. It ends with, “The putschists’ aim will be to get France and Ecowas to move towards recognizing their de facto regime,” says Mr. Vallet. “[But] France and Ecowas will need to figure out how they can support the Bazoum loyalists if the putschists remain in power and manage to get them reintegrated in any future political process. … This is going to be the condition for their future relationship.” What this article and many fail to recognize is that the era of empty negotiations, or of half governments like France did in Cote d’Ivoire for many years (with Marcoussis I & II, Ouaga, etc) where a legitimate government was forced to share power with military rebels is long gone, as this later led to an un-governable situation and then France installing its puppet Ouattara while bombing the presidential palace… We are no longer negotiating for half territories… we will no longer sit back and negotiate and give away inches upon inches of our territories to satisfy the West.
Yesterday saw new turns in the situation in Niger with the airspace closure, and the rebuffing of the west’s puppet organizations that are the AU, ECOWAS, and the UN by Niger. One thing is for sure, everyone is watching carefully, and no one wants a regional spillover; after all, there are a lot of presidents installed to serve foreign interests in many bordering African countries, and many are starting to sweat. As a side note, the U.S., along with France has about 1,500 troops in Niger and Germany with about 100 (and even Italy) use facilities in that country to “combat jihadi groups” (that the West created to destabilize the entire region). The US with Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Wagner (and thus Russia) is misleading the people of Niger… he told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme, “I think what happened, and what continues to happen in Niger was not instigated by Russia or by Wagner, but… they tried to take advantage of it. … Every single place that this Wagner group has gone, death, destruction and exploitation have followed,” said Mr Blinken. “Insecurity has gone up, not down“. And where the US has gone there has not been insecurity, death, or destruction? It is like the pot calling the kettle black! US Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland flew to Niamey on Monday but was denied permission to meet with current president Abdourahamane Tchiani, coup leader, or with former president Bazoum, who is in detention. Instead, she spoke for two hours with other army officers. “These conversations were extremely frank and at times quite difficult because, again, we’re pushing for a negotiated solution. … They are quite firm in their view of how they want to proceed, and it does not comport with the Constitution of Niger,” Nuland told reporters. So when it serves the West’s interests, the constitution of a country is a valid piece of paper, but when it does not like in Ivory Coast in 2010, it is just toilet paper?
… Despite the international pressure, [Niger] coup leaders have seemed unwilling to back down, and on Sunday night, they closed Niger’s airspace until further notice, citing the threat of military intervention.
“In the face of the threat of intervention that is becoming more apparent … Nigerien airspace is closed effective from today,” a junta representative said in a statement on national television on Sunday evening [when Africans fight for their freedoms, they are called junta; but when in other countries people fight for their people’s freedoms, they are called patriots] .
He said there had been a pre-deployment of forces in two central African countries in preparation for an intervention, but did not give details. “Niger’s armed forces and all our defence and security forces, backed by the unfailing support of our people, are ready to defend the integrity of our territory,” the representative said.
The coup leaders warned any attempt to violate Niger’s airspace would face “an energetic and instant response”.
Ecowas defence officials agreed a possible military action plan, including when and where to strike, if Bazoum was not released and reinstated by the Sunday deadline.
On Monday, an Ecowas spokesperson, Emos Lungu, said the bloc would hold an extraordinary summit to discuss Niger on Thursday at the organisation’s headquarters in Abuja.
However, the bloc’s unity has been shattered by support for the coup leaders from the ruling juntas in Mali and Burkina Faso, both [sanctioned] members of Ecowas, and a pledge to come to Niger’s defence if necessary.
Flag of Burkina Faso
The Malian army said it would send a delegation to Niamey to show solidarity and a military plane from Burkina Faso was reported to have landed in the Niger capital at about 11.20am GMT.
The coup, the seventh in west and central Africa in three years, has rocked the Sahel region, one of the poorest in the world. Given its uranium and oil riches and its pivotal role in a war with Islamist militants, Niger holds great importance for the US, Europe, China and Russia.
… Gen Dominique Trinquand, a former French military representative at the UN, said the junta was “totally isolated” [yeah right! so why is the West afraid of this seemingly “isolated” force?].
He added: “Nigeria, which supplies 70% of Niger’s electricity, has cut the supply. All aid has been cut while Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world.”
On Sunday, Paris announced it was suspending its €482m (£416m) development aid programme to neighbouring Burkina Faso, which – along with Mali – has expressed its support for the junta. [And Burkina Faso told Paris to shove it!]
Last week Niger revoked military cooperation agreements with France, which has between 1,000 and 1,500 troops in the country.
In the Lion King, the song goes as “Can you feel the love tonight?” The recent events in Niger have made us, Africans, sing, “Can you feel the wind of change tonight?” A hurricane is passing through West Africa. It has now landed in Niger! Oh yes! Niger! France is seeing red! Over 1/3 of its uranium is coming from Niger. France, the great country of nuclear energy, has been pillaging Niger, taking over the uranium without so much as building simple roads for Niger people; Niger is still the second poorest country in the world. Did you know that France’s nuclear power is funded by the uranium of Niger? and that Niger gets nothing for it? When Mamadou Tandja, one of the former presidents of Niger asked that the French nuclear company Areva start to pay something to Niger, as Areva had enjoyed a de facto four-decades monopoly in the country, he was deposed in a coup. Remember The 11 Components of the French Colonial Tax in Africa which gives France monopoly over riches, resources and mines, in 15 countries?
Map of Niger
The International community, France and its cronies the EU, US, etc, have all condemned the 26 July 2023 coup in Niger. They are all panicking! Let’s just say that this might be the start of a big world War reminiscent of the cold war. Why do I say that? Remember how the Cold War between the East and the West was not really played on their soils but rather on African, Latin American, and even Asian soils? This is it! The war in Ukraine is too close to Russia, and the West has put too much in trying to, unsuccessfully, asphyxiate Russia. Now their new energy routes are in jeopardy of being cut off! This is an energetic war! The great oil pipeline that was supposed to go from Nigeria all the way to Europe passes through Niger [Europe turns to Africa for Energetic Needs to Reduce Reliance on Russia].
Can you feel the wind of change? Oh yes! It is blowing through the Sahara. The West asked ECOWAS to militarily intervene in Niger, which it at first agreed to (president Tinubu of Nigeria who is presiding over ECOWAS agreed), but the Nigerian senate said that they would emphasize dialogue over military intervention. Algeria, Niger’s northern neighbor, was tapped in, but they too, prefer dialogue. Chad was called in to intervene in Niger, but Chad said “how can I fight my brother?” The military governments in Mali and Burkina Faso told ECOWAS that an armed intervention in Niger would be met with force. Guinea also sided Mali and Burkina Faso. All three countries plus Niger are suspended from ECOWAS, and form part of a military-led belt spanning Africa’s Sahel from Guinea in the west to Sudan in the east. After the destabilization of Libya by NATO (led by France of Sarkozy, and the US), the entire Sahel region has been unstable. After all, why should neighbors be asked to fight neighbors for foreign interests? We are all African brothers, the fact that we were colonized by different powers does not change the fact that we were colonized by foreigners. One colonizer is not better than another, and we cannot continue to fall over stupid divisions. We are all brothers, the enemy is the same (in the eyes of the colonizer, we are all the same anyways). We have been enslaved for far too long. How can a country like Niger with some of the world’s largest deposits of uranium be the second poorest country in the world (In 2021, Niger was the main supplier of uranium to the EU)? How can it be France’s entire backyard? How can France exploit the country, without so much as building roads, or paying for it? France who has no uranium, no gold, yet is top world producer of all these resources, and gets annually $500 billion from Africa [Africa is funding Europe!] while Africans are impoverished! As you think about it, there comes a time when Bob Marley’s prophetic words ring true “You can fool some people sometimes, but you can’t fool all the people all the time… Now [we] see the light… [we will] stand up for [our] rights!” Enough is enough! Niger O Bosso! As Agostinho Neto said, “A luta continua, e la vitoria e certa.” Brothers and sisters, let us all unite for the freedom of Niger, and Africa as a whole.
In1890, George Washington Williams wrote an open letter to King Leopold II about the atrocities being committed in his name in the Congo in the exploitation of rubber: it took the proportions of a genocide, as almost15 million peoplewere maimed or murdered at the hands of King Leopold II. To read the full letter, please consultBlackPast. Below are some excerpts from the letter.
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George Washington Williams, “An Open Letter to His Serene Majesty Leopold II, King of the Belgians and Sovereign of the Independent State of Congo By Colonel, The Honorable Geo. W. Williams, of the United States of America,” 1890
Good and Great Friend,
King Leopold II
I have the honour to submit for your Majesty’s consideration some reflections respecting the Independent State of Congo, based upon a careful study and inspection of the country and character of the personal Government you have established upon the African Continent.
It afforded me great pleasure to avail myself of the opportunity afforded me last year, of visiting your State in Africa; and how thoroughly I have been disenchanted, disappointed and disheartened, it is now my painful duty to make known to your Majesty in plain but respectful language. Every charge which I am about to bring against your Majesty’s personal Government in the Congo has been carefully investigated; a list of competent and veracious witnesses, documents, letters, official records and datahas been faithfully prepared, which will be deposited with Her Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, until such time as an International Commission can be created with power to send for persons and papers, to administer oaths, and attest the truth or falsity of these charges.
Map of Congo by Stanley
… When I arrived in the Congo, I naturally sought for the results of the brilliant programme: “fostering care”, “benevolent enterprise”, an “honest and practical effort” to increase the knowledge of the natives “and secure their welfare”. I had never been able to conceive of Europeans, establishing a government in a tropical country, without building a hospital; and yet from the mouth of the Congo River to its head-waters, here at the seventh cataract, a distance of 1,448 miles, there is not a solitary hospital for Europeans, and only three sheds for sick Africans in the service of the State, not fit to be occupied by a horse [“Afrique 50” The First French Anti-Colonization Documentary]. …
I was anxious to see to what extent the natives had “adopted the fostering care” of your Majesty’s “benevolent enterprise” (?), and I was doomed to bitter disappointment. Instead of the natives of the Congo “adopting the fostering care” of your Majesty’s Government, they everywhere complain that their land has been taken from them by force; that the Government is cruel and arbitrary, and declare that they neither love nor respect the Government and its flag. Your Majesty’s Government has sequestered their land, burned their towns, stolen their property, enslaved their women and children, and committed other crimes too numerous to mention in detail. It is natural that they everywhere shrink from “the fostering care” your Majesty’s Government so eagerly proffers them.
There has been, to my absolute knowledge, no “honest and practical effort made to increase their knowledge and secure their welfare.” Your Majesty’s Government has never spent one franc for educational purposes, nor instituted any practical system of industrialism. Indeed the most unpractical measures have been adopted against the natives in nearly every respect; and in the capital of your Majesty’s Government at Boma there is not a native employed. …
… From these general observations I wish now to pass to specific charges against your Majesty’s Government.
Map of the Congo Free State in 1892
FIRST.—Your Majesty’s Government is deficient in the moral military and financial strength, necessary to govern a territory of 1,508,000 square miles, 7,251 miles of navigation, and 31,694 square miles of lake surface. In the Lower Congo River there is but One post, in the cataract region one. From Leopoldville to N’Gombe, a distance of more than 300 miles, there is not a single soldier or civilian. Not one out of every twenty State-officials know the language of the natives, although they are constantly issuing laws, difficult even for Europeans, and expect the natives to comprehend and obey them. …
SECOND.—Your Majesty’s Government has established nearly fifty posts, consisting of from two to eight mercenary slave-soldiers from the East Coast. … These piratical, buccaneering posts compel the natives to furnish them with fish, goats, fowls, and vegetables at the mouths of their muskets; and whenever the natives refuse to feed these vampires, they report to the main station and white officers come with an expeditionary force and burn away the homes of the natives. These black soldiers, many of whom are slaves, exercise the power of life and death. They are ignorant and cruel, because they do not comprehend the natives; they are imposed upon them by the State. They make no report as to the number of robberies they commit, or the number of lives they take; they are only required to subsist upon the natives and thus relieve your Majesty’s Government of the cost of feeding them. They are the greatest curse the country suffers now.
THIRD.—Your Majesty’s Government is guilty of violating its contracts made with its soldiers, mechanics and workmen, many of whom are subjects of other Governments. Their letters never reach home.
FOURTH.—The Courts of your Majesty’s Government are abortive, unjust, partial and delinquent. I have personally witnessed and examined their clumsy operations. The laws printed and circulated in Europe “for the Protection of the blacks” in the Congo, are a dead letter and a fraud. …
Picture of men holding cut-off hands (image by Alice S. Harris in Baringa 1904)
FIFTH—Your Majesty’s Government is excessively cruel to its prisoners, condemning them, for the slightest offences, to the chain gang, the like of which can not be seen in any other Government in the civilized or uncivilized world. … But the cruelties visited upon soldiers and workmen are not to be compared with the sufferings of the poor natives who, upon the slightest pretext, are thrust into the wretched prisons here in the Upper River. …
SIXTH.—Women are imported into your Majesty’s Government for immoral purposes. They are introduced by two methods, viz., black men are dispatched to the Portuguese coast where they engage these women as mistresses of white men, who pay to the procurer a monthly sum. The other method is by capturing native women and condemning them to seven years’ servitude for some imaginary crime against the State with which the villages of these women are charged. The State then hires these women out to the highest bidder, the officers having the first choice and then the men. Whenever children are born of such relations, the State maintains that the women being its property the child belongs to it also. …
SEVENTH.—Your Majesty’s Government is engaged in trade and commerce, competing with the organised trade companies of Belgium, England, France, Portugal and Holland. It taxes all trading companies and exempts its own goods from export-duty, and makes many of its officers ivory-traders, with the promise of a liberal commission upon all they can buy or get for the State. State soldiers patrol many villages forbidding the natives to trade with any person but a State official, and when the natives refuse to accept the price of the State, their goods are seized by the Government that promised them “protection”. When natives have persisted in trading with the trade-companies the State has punished their independence by burning the villages in the vicinity of the trading houses and driving the natives away.
EIGHTH.—Your Majesty’s Government has violated the General Act of the Conference of Berlin by firing upon native canoes; by confiscating the property of natives; by intimidating native traders, and preventing them from trading with white trading companies; by quartering troops in native villages when there is no war; … by permitting the natives to carry on the slave- trade, and by engaging in the wholesale and retail slave-trade itself.
NINTH.—-Your Majesty’s Government has been, and is now, guilty of waging unjust and cruel wars against natives, with the hope of securing slaves and women, to minister to the behests of the officers of your Government. In such slave-hunting raids one village is armed by the State against the other, and the force thus secured is incorporated with the regular troops. …
TENTH.—Your Majesty’s Government is engaged in the slave-trade, wholesale and retail. It buys and sells and steals slaves. … The labour force at the stations of your Majesty’s Government in the Upper River is composed of slaves of all ages and both sexes.
ELEVENTH.—Your Majesty’s Government has concluded a contract with the Arab Governor at this place for the establishment of a line of military posts from the Seventh Cataract to Lake Tanganyika territory to which your Majesty has no more legal claim, than I have to be Commander-in-Chief of the Belgian army. …
Henry Morton Stanley, whose exploration of the Congo region at Leopold’s invitation led to the establishment of the Congo Free State under personal sovereignty
TWELFTH—The agents of your Majesty’s Government have misrepresented the Congo country and the Congo railway. Mr. H. M. STANLEY, the man who was your chief agent in setting up your authority in this country, has grossly misrepresented the character of the country. Instead of it being fertile and productive it is sterile and unproductive. The natives can scarcely subsist upon the vegetable life produced in some parts of the country. … HENRY M. STANLEY’S name produces a shudder among this simple folk when mentioned; they remember his broken promises, his copious profanity, his hot temper, his heavy blows, his severe and rigorous measures, by which they were mulcted of their lands. His last appearance in the Congo produced a profound sensation among them, … the only thing they found in the wake of his march was misery. …
CONCLUSIONS Against the deceit, fraud, robberies, arson, murder, slave-raiding, and general policy of cruelty of your Majesty’s Government to the natives, stands their record of unexampled patience, long-suffering and forgiving spirit, which put the boasted civilisation and professed religion of your Majesty’s Government to the blush. …
All the crimes perpetrated in the Congo have been done in your name, and you must answer at the bar of Public Sentiment for the misgovernment of a people, whose lives and fortunes were entrusted to you by the august Conference of Berlin, 1884—1 885. I now appeal to the Powers which committed this infant State to your Majesty’s charge, and to the great States which gave it international being; and whose majestic law you have scorned and trampled upon, to call and create an International Commission to investigate the charges herein preferred in the name of Humanity, Commerce, Constitutional Government and Christian Civilisation.
I base this appeal upon the terms of Article 36 of Chapter VII of the General Act of the Conference of Berlin, in which that august assembly of Sovereign States reserved to themselves the right “to introduce into it later and by common accord the modifications or ameliorations, the utility of which may be demonstrated experience”.
Painting of George Washington Williams addressing the Ohio State Legislature. Williams was the first African-American elected to the Ohio State Legislature, serving one term 1880 to 1881 (Source: Ohio Statehouse, Wikipedia)
I appeal to the Belgian people and to their Constitutional Government, so proud of its traditions, replete with the song and story of its champions of human liberty, and so jealous of its present position in the sisterhood of European States—to cleanse itself from the imputation of the crimes with which your Majesty’s personal State of Congo is polluted.
I appeal to Anti-Slavery Societies in all parts of Christendom, to Philanthropists, Christians, Statesmen, and to the great mass of people everywhere, to call upon the Governments of Europe, to hasten the close of the tragedy your Majesty’s unlimited Monarchy is enacting in the Congo.
I appeal to our Heavenly Father, whose service is perfect love, in witness of the purity of my motives and the integrity of my aims; and to history and mankind I appeal for the demonstration and vindication of the truthfulness of the charge I have herein briefly outlined.
And all this upon the word of honour of a gentleman, I subscribe myself your Majesty’s humble and obedient servant,
It is no secret that Aimé Césaire, the father of the Négritude movement, was a prolific author and poet. He published over 100 poems, each one more unique than the other. Césaire was not only responsible for Cahier d’un retour au pays natal, a widely acclaimed masterpiece read throughout schools in Africa today, which documented the 20th-century colonial condition, but he was also an accomplished playwright. In what Césaire describes as his “triptych” of plays, La Tragédie du roi Christophe (The Tragedy of King Christophe, another one read in schools), Une Saison au Congo (A Season in the Congo, another masterpiece), and Une Tempête (The Tempest), he explores a series of related themes, especially the efforts of Blacks—whether in Africa, the United States, or the Caribbean—to resist the powers of colonial domination. Like his poetry and polemical essays, Césaire’s plays explore the paradox of Black identity under French colonial rule.
The poem below “The Woman and The Flame” by Aimé Césaire, Solar Throat Slashed: The Unexpurgated 1948 Edition, is from published by Wesleyan University Press, and translated to English by Clayton Eshleman. Enjoy!
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African Venus, a sculpture by Charles-Henri Joseph Cordier 1851 (Source: Walters Art Museum)
“The Woman and the Flame” by Aimé Césaire
A bit of light that descends the springhead of a gaze twin shadow of the eyelash and the rainbow on a face and round about who goes there angelically ambling Woman the current weather the current weather matters little to me my life is always ahead of a hurricane you are the morning that swoops down on the lamp a night stone between its teeth you are the passage of seabirds as well you who are the wind through the salty ipomeas of consciousness insinuating yourself from another world Woman you are a dragon whose lovely color is dispersed and darkens so as to constitute the inevitable tenor of things I am used to brush fires I am used to ashen bush rats and the bronze ibis of the flame Woman binder of the foresail gorgeous ghost helmet of algae of eucalyptus dawn isn’t it and in the abandon of the ribbands very savory swimmer
Every June30, we commemorate the “independence” of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by posting a speech or letter by its first prime minister Patrice Emery Lumumba. The word independence is placed in quotes because we know that independence cha-cha never really occurred and that many African countries including the DRC are still suffering from the sequels of neo-colonialism.
Patrice Lumumba gave the speech below on December 11, 1958 in Accra, Ghana, at a conference sponsored by Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president who also succumbed to imperialism. In his speech, all the evils that plague Congolese and African societies are cited: Western domination, external domination, balkanization of the Congolese territory (and Africa), and all the ‘ism‘ that undermine the unity of Africa. His speech is still very current today. The speech can be found in its entirety on Blackpast.org.
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Kwame Nkrumah
On December 11, 1958, 34 year old Patrice Lumumba, president of the Congolese National Movement, spoke at the Assembly of African Peoples, an international Pan African Conference sponsored by Kwame Nkrumah, the Prime Minister of newly independent Ghana. His remarks appear below. Two years later Lumumba would become the first Prime Minister of the Congo.
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Our Program of Action
The Congolese National Movement, which we represent at this great conference, is a political movement, founded on October 5, 1958.
This date marks a decisive step for the Congolese people as they move toward emancipation. I am happy to say that the birth of our movement was warmly received by the people for this reason.
The fundamental aim of our movement is to free the Congolese people from the colonialist regime and earn them their independence.
Flag of the Democratic Republic of Congo
We base our action on the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man — rights guaranteed to each and every citizen of humanity by the United Nations Charter — and we are of the opinion that the Congo, as a human society, has the right to join the ranks of free peoples.
We wish to see a modern democratic state established in our country, which will grant its citizens freedom, justice, social peace, tolerance, well-being, and equality, with no discrimination whatsoever.
In a motion we recently transmitted to the minister of the Congo in Brussels, we clearly stipulated — as did many other compatriots of ours — that the Congo could no longer be treated as a colony to be either exploited or settled, and that its attainment of independence was the sine qua non condition of peace.
In our actions aimed at winning the independence of the Congo, we have repeatedly proclaimed that we are against no one, but rather are simply against domination, injustices and abuses, and merely want to free ourselves of the shackles of colonialism and all its consequences.
These injustices and the stupid superiority complex that the colonialists make such a display of, are the causes of the drama of the West in Africa, as is clearly evident from the disturbing reports of the other delegates.
Map of the Democratic Republic of Congo
Along with this struggle for national liberation waged with calm and dignity, our movement opposes, with every power at its command, the balkanization of national territory under any pretext whatsoever.
From all the speeches that have preceded ours, something becomes obvious that is, to say the least, odd, and that all colonized people have noticed: the proverbial patience and good-heartedness that Africans have given proof of for thousands of years, despite persecution, extortions, discrimination, segregation, and tortures of every sort.
The winds of freedom currently blowing across all of Africa have not left the Congolese people indifferent. Political awareness, which until very recently was latent, is now becoming manifest and assuming outward expression, and it will assert itself even more forcefully in the months to come. We are thus assured of the support of the masses and of the success of the efforts we are undertaking.
This historical conference, which puts us in contact with experienced political figures from all the African countries and from all over the world, reveals one thing to us: despite the boundaries that separate us, despite our ethnic differences, we have the same awareness, the same soul plunged day and night in anguish, the same anxious desire to make this African continent a free and happy continent that has rid itself of unrest and of fear and of any sort of colonialist domination.
Lumumba on a USSR commemorative stamp in 1961
We are particularly happy to see that this conference has set as its objective the struggle against all the internal and external factors standing in the way of the emancipation of our respective countries and the unification of Africa.
Among these factors, the most important are colonialism, imperialism, tribalism, and religious separatism, all of which seriously hinder the flowering of a harmonious and fraternal African society.
This is why we passionately cry out with all the delegates:
Down with colonialism and imperialism!
Down with racism and tribalism!
And long live the Congolese nation, long live independent Africa!
At end of 2021, we all screamed when we heard news that the only Ugandan international airport at Entebbe was about to be seized by China to pay the country’s debt. This was avoided at the last minute. Zambia is another matter all together, when talking about Zambia these days, there is no way to avoid the Zambia Sovereign Debt Crisis: in 2020, it was the first country to declare bankruptcy as the pandemic had drawn it to its knees, and it was on the verge of a full Chinese takeover. Can you only imagine the instantaneous gray hairs a president will get after getting elected and finding that not only are the country’s coffers empty, but above all, the country is so deep in debt that it will need a miracle to come out of it? Today, President Hichilema applauded the debt deal, which is a big step forward. However, one cannot help but wonder what sort of deals were made, and how many generations of Zambians will have to pay for it (DRC and Zambia Sign Over Cobalt and Copper Resources Rights to the United States?). At this point, don’t you think former president Edgar Lungu and its cronies deserve to be prosecuted for madly borrowing away Zambians’ future? Below are excerpts from the BBC.
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Map of Zambia
Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema can finally breathe a sigh of relief as the outlines of a deal aimed at lifting his country out of its debt crisis have been unveiled.
In 2020, the copper-rich country became the first African nation to default on its debt payments during the Covid pandemic. It was burdened by loans and high interest rates that severely restricted the government’s ability to invest in critical social programmes and infrastructure development, both crucial for economic growth.
Following months of talks, Zambia has now successfully agreed new repayment terms with its state creditors on up to $6.3bn (£5bn) debt, including over $4bn owed to China.
… Although the details of the deal have not yet been released [as always, populations are kept in the dark, while their future is being signed over], it appears that Zambia will be granted an extended repayment time of over 20 years, including a three-year grace period with interest-only payments.
Experts have praised the government for securing the agreement and are hopeful that this will improve Zambia’s economic situation.
Economist Isaac Mwaipopo, from the think-tank the Centre For Trade Policy and Development, believes it will help inspire investor confidence, but urges the government to follow an economic recovery plan.
“There’s a need to come up with a clear plan in terms of reconstructing the economy, especially that we will still be on an IMF programme [which developing country has ever been helped by the IMF?] for the next three years. It will be very important that sectors are identified which can be strategic for growth, boosting job creation and aiding poverty alleviation.”
… By renegotiating the debt terms, Zambia gains valuable breathing space to stabilise its economy, implement necessary reforms and pursue long-term growth. This newfound flexibility can be redirected toward investment in healthcare, education, infrastructure and social welfare.
African Heritage 