Last week, the government of Ghana made history by granting citizenship to 524 Afro-descendants, as part of the “Beyond the Return,” program aimed at reconnecting the diaspora with their ancestral roots. This is part of Ghana’s attempt to market itself as a mecca for African descendants in the diaspora to visit and return back to the continent. Over five centuries, millions of Africans were taken into slavery from the shores of the continent, many passing through the Elmina Castle (Reclaiming African History: Elmina Castle – West Africa’s Oldest Slave Fort) in Ghana. Granting citizenship in an African country to these Afro-descendants is a major step in embracing our brothers and sisters of the diaspora and recognizing and acknowledging that all of Mama Africa’s offspring are needed and welcome. During the citizenship ceremony, President Akufo-Addo of Ghana told all present, “Your presence here is already making a difference… “You are human bridges connecting us to both sides of the Atlantic.” … “Your ancestors left these shores under tragic and inhumane circumstances. Today, we reclaim that connection by welcoming you as part of our Ghanaian family,”
Quoting icons of Pan-Africanism, including Marcus Garvey and Peter Tosh, the President underscored the shared heritage that unites all people of African descent. “Africa is your home, and Ghana welcomes you with open arms. This is not just a ceremony—it is a powerful affirmation of our collective identity and destiny,” he concluded.
Poster commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Thiaroye Massacre (Source: Seneplus.com)
Five days from the celebration commemorating 80 years since the Thiaroye: A French Massacre in Senegal, French parliamentarians called on Tuesday 26 November for the establishment of a commission of inquiry to shed light on the bloody chapter in the French colonial history in Senegal that is the Thiaroye Massacre. If the commission receives the green light, then the work will start in March 2025, when they could then summon and hear historians, descendants of the victims of the massacre, and more. As a refresher, on the night of 30 November to 1 December 1944, African soldiers who had who had fought alongside French people to liberate France of the Nazi menace, were shot by Frenchmen, for asking for their pay in Thiaroye, thus the Thiaroye massacre !
An Australian mining company, Resolute Mining, has agreed to pay Mali’s government $160 millions to settle a tax dispute. The company was operating in Mali and had significant back taxes it was refusing to pay. As we have seen before, many of these multinationals operate in many African countries, particularly French-speaking ones, without paying any taxes to local governments. This is an ongoing issue in many countries, where the multinationals operate freely, and pay taxes in their home countries, thus giving almost nothing to local governments and as we saw in the case of Niger, paying almost nothing for the resources. The Malian government arrested the British boss of Resolute Mining, Terry Holohan, and his 2 collaborators for 10days at the end of which Holohan agreed to pay $80 millions immediately, and the remainder over some time. The Western media are in uproar about this, stating that Malians have used blackmail, and unorthodox methods. Quick question: What happens in Western countries, when someone does not pay taxes? Just ask Lauryn Hill or Wesley Snipes or Robert T. Brockman, to name a few … they will tell you that they ended up in jail! So why should it be different in Africa? Why is it okay for these multinationals to operate in our countries with carte blanche? Should they not be held to the same standards?
An Australian mining company, Resolute Mining, says it will pay Mali’s military government $160m (£126m) to settle a tax dispute, after the company’s British boss and two other staff were unexpectedly detained 10 days ago.
Reports say Terry Holohan and his colleagues were arrested while travelling to the capital city, Bamako, … Resolute, which owns a gold mine in Mali, said on Sunday it would pay $80m immediately from existing cash reserves, and the rest in the coming months.
Mali is one of Africa’s top gold producers.…
Part of the conditions for their release were that they must sign the memorandum of understanding and complete the initial payment, …
… Since taking power in a coup in 2021, Mali’s junta has sought to reconfigure its political and trade relationships with international partners.
Last year, President Col Assimi Goïta signed into law a new mining code increasing the maximum stake for state and local investors from 20% to 35%.
France is the biggest electricity seller in the world, and this because of Niger who contributes up to 15% (probably more – they don’t want to tell us). Niger is the third uranium provider of the European Union. At one point, France was paying Niger 0.80 Euro/kg of uranium, while paying Canada 200 Euro/kg for the exact same quality; and this has been going on for decades! Is this not pillaging a country?
Map of Niger
Orano, previously known as Areva, has been in Niger for over 70 years. Yet in 70 years, they have not built a single school, roads, or even hospital for the locals (Mali and Niger end Long-Standing Tax Treaties with France). These French companies have similar behaviors in all of their previous colonies, in Cameroon for example, Safacam has been there 130 years, but the road there is impracticable – they can grab everything, without even giving simple things like roads to the locals! Moreover, many do not pay taxes in the local countries, but back to their home countries. Such contempt! How are the locals supposed to develop themselves? And then if one adds the FCFA scheme (The 11 Components of the French Colonial Tax in Africa) and it is game over!
Well, good riddance to bad rubbish… goodbye to Orano. The French thought that by having the Benin-Niger border closed via ECOWAS sanctions, that Niger, a landlocked country, will suffocate. When Benin realized that their sanction was affecting their own economy via the Benin port, given that Niger’s exports were no longer going through Benin, they back-pedaled trying to bring Niger in. However, it has been proven via intelligence, that there are French military bases in Benin and so Niger has refused to reopen their border with Benin. They have reopened all other borders with neighboring countries but Benin. Recall that Benin also tried to stop Niger oil going through the Niger-Benin Oil pipeline (at 1950 km, it is the longest oil pipeline in Africa) on Benin territory, until the Chinese government gave Talon a small tap on the back questioning his poor judgement to stop crude oil, forcing Talon to reopen the tap for oil.
To learn more, please check out RFI, and VOA. Excerpts below are from the VOA.
=====
NIAMEY, NIGER — Niger’s military junta is disputing a decision by French nuclear fuel firm Orano to halt uranium production, according to a document from a state partner in the venture seen Friday by Agence France-Presse.
Orano announced last month that it was stopping production as of Thursday, owing to what it termed increasingly difficult operating conditions in the country and financial issues.
… The French lamented the withdrawal by the junta in June of a permit for one of the largest uranium deposits in the world, Imouraren, and the impossibility of exporting the raw material with Niger’s border with Benin closed for what Niamey says are security reasons.
“Despite its status as a co-shareholder, Sopamin was not consulted on this serious decision” to halt production, the company, which has operated for half a century in the country’s north, said in a document dated Thursday.
The Nigerien firm complained that the decision “lacks transparency” and “violates a number of principles and practices essential to governance and commitments between stakeholders.”
… The ruling [government], which took power last year in a July coup, says it will revamp rules regulating the mining of raw materials by foreign companies in what is the world’s seventh-largest uranium producer.
… In September, Niger’s Council of Ministers adopted a draft decree creating a state entity, “Timersoi National Uranium Company,” abbreviated to TNUC
Official portrait of President Donald J. Trump, Friday, October 6, 2017. (Official White House photo by Shealah Craighead)
This past Tuesday, November 5 2024, Donald Trump made an amazing and spectacular comeback to the highest office of the American nation, winning both the electoral and popular votes by a landslide, with the Republican party taking both the House and the Senate. In essence, he was given a mandate by the people. His victory, unlike what mainstream media had promised, was a real red tsunami (MMs should be sued for blatantly lying and taking sides in elections). Overall, many Africans rejoice because as it is well-recorded, Trump is the only American president in recent years who has not started a war. In the warmongering climate in which the world currently is, with fears of a third world war, this position offers a great appeal to many Africans. Relationships between countries are not love affairs, but business deals, and Africans need to remember what they stand for and seek benefits for themselves. Congratulations to the new president of the United States, and best wishes. Africans need to take advantage of the upcoming 4 years of a new establishment to enable policies that will strengthen them economically, politically, and socially.
There is no doubt that Donald Trump’s victory will have great impacts on Africa. There are many areas that will be affected by this change; but we will focus on two key ones. 1) The economy: what will happen to the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), and is it any good? What will happen to the significant American deals in Africa such as the Lobito Railway construction meant to go through Angola, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), contract which had been won initially by China? or other deals across the continent?; 2) Geopolitical dynamics: what will be Trump’s take on Africa this time around, particularly as it pertains to the slap taken in recent years by France in the Sahel or the closure of the American base in Niger and the countries of the AES federation, or the wars in Sudan and DRC, or Russia’s growth in Africa, or China’s deals on the continent? Will America continue its expansionist vision? Only time will tell.
Messages have come from all corners of Africa, congratulating Donald Trump for his victory. Excerpts below are from The Africa Report.
=====
Flag of Egypt
… Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, … was quick to congratulate Trump… “Egypt and the US have always presented a model of cooperation and succeeded together in achieving the common interests of the two friendly countries, which we look forward to continuing in these critical circumstances that the world is going through,” said Sisi in a statement early Wednesday.
… The South African president [Cyril Ramaphosa] looks forward to “continuing the close and mutually beneficial partnership between our two nations across all domains of our cooperation.” In the global arena, said: “South Africa looks forward to our presidency of the G20 in 2025, where we will work closely with the US who will succeed us in the G20 presidency in 2026.”
Flag of South Africa
… Earlier, Clayson Monyela, South Africa’s head of public diplomacy, took to X to respond to a user’s assertion that Kamala Harris would be better for South Africa than Trump. “Historically relations between South Africa and the US thrive under a Republican White House,” he wrote, adding that during Trump’s first term, he appointed a woman born in South Africa as the US Ambassador to South Africa. “She was brilliant and helped to enhance the strong and mutually beneficial ties between our two nations.”
Flag and map of Nigeria
… Nigerian President Bola Tinubu in a statement expressed “heartfelt” congratulations to the US president-elect, seeking to strengthen the ties between the two countries “amid the complex challenges and opportunities of the contemporary world”. Tinubu said: “Together, we can foster economic cooperation, promote peace and address global challenges that affect our citizens.” … “Given his experience as the 45th president of the US from 2017 to 2021, his return to the White House as the 47th president will usher in an era of earnest, beneficial and reciprocal economic and development partnerships between Africa and the US.”
Flag of Kenya
Kenya’s William Ruto has been slower to congratulate Trump than his impeached deputy Rigathi Gachagua, who congratulated the American leader for “one of the greatest political come-backs of our generation”. He wrote on X: “Your victory is clear proof that resilience and a never-say-die attitude will always TRUMP obstacles on the path to your destiny.” … President Ruto has since congratulated in a statement, celebrating the “longstanding partnership with the United States spanning over 60 years, grounded in our shared values of democracy, development and mutual respect”.
Flag of Ethiopia
… it was no surprise to see Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed among the first African leaders to congratulate Trump on his victory.
… Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa congratulated Trump, saying, “The world needs more leaders who speak for the people”.
The DRC’s Félix Tshisekedi, whose controversial first-term victory was waved through by the first Trump administration, congratulated Trump, “in the name of the Congolese people, for his great victory”, saying he was ready to work together.
In November 2023, while on his first visit to Kenya as a monarch, King Charles gave one of those empty speeches in which he acknowledged the past atrocities committed by Great Britain and its colonial legacy. He said there were ‘no excuses‘ for it, yet did not apologize! He told guests that “the wrongdoings of the past are a cause of the greatest sorrow and the deepest regret.” (No Apology from King Charles III in Kenya). This year, at the Commonwealth Summit which took place last week in in Samoa, the leaders of the Commonwealth somehow expected an apology from the King of Great Britain about slavery, the part that Great Britain played in the slave trade, and possible reparations. Has anything changed in a year? It would seem that these Commonwealth leaders had not paid attention to the King’s visit to Kenya, or maybe they thought it was going to be different? If King Charles III had not apologized for the atrocities committed by the British during the colonial era in Kenya, what made them think that he was going to apologize for slavery? or that they could now talk about reparations?
The back of a slave
This year, the King of the British made another empty speech at the Commonwealth Summit, telling everyone how the “most painful aspects of our past continue to resonate“, as if we did not know, for our ancestors were on the receiving end, their pains still resonate with us. He added, “None of us can change the past. But we can commit, with all our hearts, to learning its lessons and to finding creative ways to right inequalities that endure.” What does this even mean? What is Britain going to commit to, with all its heart? Learning its lessons? Which lessons? What lessons can one learn when one’s coffers have been filled to the brim from others’ pain? What lessons can one learn when because of the slave trade, one has become one of the richest empires in the world? Those lessons are definitely different from the ones the enslaved and the victims have learned. From this, it is clear that the British monarch is truly mocking us!
Below is an excerpt from the BBC telling us, why King Charles III cannot quite apologize for slavery!
=====
The “most painful aspects of our past continue to resonate“, King Charles III said this week to Commonwealth leaders in Samoa, as arguments about reparations and apologies over the slave trade rumbled once again.
That’s become an occupational hazard for the Royal Family, as it can’t shake off questions about the long shadow of historic links to slavery.
It’s even more pointed in a forum such as the Commonwealth summit, with leaders representing some of the countries most affected by the legacy of colonialism and slavery.
But even if the King had a personal belief that there should be a symbolic apology or a commitment to reparations, he wouldn’t have been able to deliver it [as if he could think otherwise, when his family and entire kingdom has benefited from it]. Monarchs speak on the advice of ministers – and on a question of such political sensitivity, his speeches will have to stay within the boundaries of government policy. In other words, he has to stick to the script.
… “None of us can change the past,” the King said diplomatically, neatly aligning with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s line that we “can’t change our history”.
… As head of state, the King is the symbolic focus of calls for such redress, whether that’s financial reparations or some other ways addressing of historic wrongs. That’s not going to go away.
That’s awkward but he’ll take that in his stride, as it’s a political decision that he can’t change and reparations for the past seem unlikely when current UK budgets are under intense stress. [their coffers were filled from your pain, now that you ask for something, their budgets are under stress].
But there’s also the more complicated question of how much the monarchy, as both a family and an institution, might have a closer responsibility.
For example, the Royal African Company, founded in the 17th Century under royal patronage, has been claimed as transporting more enslaved people from Africa across the Atlantic than any other company.
But history, like people, can be full of contradictions. When it came to Britain’s pioneering efforts to abolish slavery, in the early 19th Century, research by historian Prof Suzanne Schwarz found the Royal Family itself was divided. The nephew of George III, the Duke of Gloucester, was one of the most important campaigners to abolish slavery – a tireless opponent of the cruel trade and a supporter of the Royal Navy’s efforts to intercept slave ships. But before the royals feel the clouds lifting, George III’s son, the future William IV, was one of the most enthusiastic defenders of slavery.
Last week, Vladimir Putin of Russia hosted the 16th edition of the annual BRICS summit which took place from October 22-24 in the city of Kazan in Russia. This was the largest gathering of world leaders in Russia in decades. The aim of the alliance is to foster a more equitable and inclusive global order, challenging the economic and political monopoly of the West.
BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The group started in 2006, and Brazil, Russia, India and China convened for the first BRIC summit in 2009. South Africa joined a year later, in 2010.
BRICS (Source: RussiasPivotToAsia.com)
In 2023, BRICS extended invitations to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates after these countries applied for membership. Saudi Arabia has yet to formally join, but the others have.
Presidents of many countries in the world were present at the meeting, and even the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was in attendance. BRICS’ evolution from an economic concept to a geopolitical force has been remarkable. The expanded members now collectively represent 44.3 % of the world’s population, 29.5 % of the land mass, and 30.8 % of the global gross domestic product (GDP) (49.7 % of global GDP in purchasing power parity, or PPP, terms).
BRICS flags
We will highlight below the key takeaways of the BRICS summit for Africa. There were a lot of takeaways in general, but our focus will be on Africa. Our wish is that African representatives could, when attending these summits, join as ‘ONE’ and not several. At the recent China-Africa meeting which took place in September 4 – 6, 2024, some African countries asked for more debt, like Kenya, while others asked for balanced trade, technology transfer, investment in manufacturing to boost job creation, like South Africa. This will create imbalanced partnerships which will be a disadvantage for neighboring African countries and then affect Africa as a whole later (this will be a subject for another day).
Key Takeaways for Africa
As pointed out above, Egypt and Ethiopia joined as new BRICS members, while Nigeria and Algeria participated as partner countries.
De-dollarization: this is a global shift which has occurred mildly before, but more significantly since the start of the Ukraine conflict which saw Europe and the US impose sanctions on Russia in hope of asphyxiating Russia, but which instead forced Russia to deal in local currencies and other leaders such as China and India to do likewise. This shift is more important for African countries, particularly the ones which are still part of the FCFA (that slave currency) block.
Energy and Technology partnerships between Russia, China and African countries to enhance energy projects and digital infrastructure.
Economic collaboration with the New Development Bank (NDB) which aims to fund infrastructure projects across Africa, offering an alternative to the shark Western financial institutions.
Balanced diplomacy: for too long, Africans have had only one way of thinking with the Western world. Now with the BRICS, Africans hope for a more balanced relationships to benefit and ensure sustainable development for our nations.
The trial against Charles Onana opened up yesterday, Oct. 7th, in Paris, France, and he is being accused of complicity in contesting the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Under French law, it is an offence to deny or “minimize” the fact of any genocide that is officially recognized by France. Mr Onana’s trial will be “historic, since there is not yet any case law strictly speaking related to Rwanda” on questions of Holocaust denial, as Camille Lesaffre, campaign manager for NGO Survie, one of the organizations which brought the case forward, told AFP.
Charles Onana
Friends, please rise in support of the Franco-Cameroonian author and journalist Charles Onana. Onana has been among those who have questioned the narrative of the Rwandan genocide of 1994 (NOT whether it happened or not) and by extension the Congolese genocide which has been ongoing for almost 3 decades and been swept under the rug. Thanks to his constant hammering, and his books, many now know that there is an ongoing genocide in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and more importantly that, these massacres have been going on for the past 30 years, and above all that Congo’s destabilization is coming from Rwanda, which serves as a pawn for foreign powers who want a part in the enormous resources of the DRC.
“Rwanda, la Verite sur l’Operation Turquoise” de Charles Onana
I have listened to Onana on several occasions and have read several of his books: nowhere does he question the Rwanda genocide or its happening; he is not a negationist. As his lawyer, Emmanuel Pire, told the AFP news agency, his book published 5 years ago, was “the work of a political scientist based on 10 years of research to understand the mechanisms of the genocide before, during and after”. Over the past 25 years, Onana has meticulously documented and questioned first the narrative about the place of France in the Rwandan genocide via its Operation Turquoise (Rwanda, la vérité sur l’opération Turquoise : Quand les archives parlent enfin). On April 6, 1994, the airplane transporting 2 sitting presidents, presidents Juvénal Habyarimana of Rwanda and Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi was shot in mid-air; to date, it has not brought an uproar as to how or why the plane of 2 presidents had been shot down. This is what really triggered Onana’s interest in the region: if it were anywhere in the world, this would have produced an uproar and multitudes of investigations, but somehow, in the case of Africa, it has been total silence. In 2006, a French investigation concluded that Paul Kagame, president of Rwanda, was responsible for the killing, to which Kagame responded that the French were only trying to cover up their part in the genocide. We know that since Sarkozy, France has been playing the kissing game with Rwanda.
“Holocauste au Congo, L’Omerta de la Communaute Internationale” by Charles Onana
In his works, Charles Onana simply demonstrates that since 1994, the world has been witnessing the masked invasion of Congo by militias and troops of Paul Kagame, sponsored by the West. His latest book, “Holocaust in Congo, the International Community’s Omerta” is a true gem. Onana has even brought a case, on October 4, against the president of Rwanda, after receiving death threats.
Over the years, Onana has detailed and stood for the Congolese, and now, thanks to his work, and those of others, people now know that there is a silent genocide in the east of Congo which has been going on for almost 3 decades and whose victims approximate over 10 millions deaths, 500,000 raped women, and yet the world has been silent, even though some like Dr. Denis Mukwege, Nobel Peace Laureate, are being recognized for their work helping the victims of those attacks.
The questions should be: why is there a silence on the genocide of the Congolese people? Why is there a silence on the aggression of troops supported by Rwanda on Congo? How can there be a systematic killing of millions of people in a country, and total silence? Who benefits from this? Then people will talk of the international community as a group which represents the world… NO… the international community only serves the interests of the few who benefit from Congo, the geological scandal that it is, being brought to its knees. Let’s all come out in support of Charles Onana.
Africa is a very rich continent, and one of its most important wealth is its youth… Africa is young, and the West, as seen by many of its generals and politicians, trembles. As Africans, it is our duty to free our continent. We can no longer stay behind while others get fat over our resources. As young Africans, it is our destiny to rise and conquer our freedom; we can no longer live it to others, or think future generations will do it for us… the future is now, if we cannot impact today, we will never change tomorrow.
I saw this speech by Nathanael Minoungou, alias Nael Melerd, a Burkinabe who shared a call to action to all Burkinabe and to all Africans. Time is of the essence. Africa, Rise! Enjoy! I have translated a few lines… For the whole speech, watch his video!
Burkina Faso
“…
The biggest scam of time, the biggest scam of the century, is not to rob a country, but to make a young person believe that he has time ahead of him. A young person does not have time, time is for the old … I hear, “Enjoy your youth because we only live once,” lies and scams, we only die once, we live every day.
… Africa is invincible because of its youth, as long as this youth remains awake and takes its responsibilities … if we cannot defeat you, we must by all means make you waste time, time that you do not even have …
How do you manage to have time, while people call your country poor?
How do you manage to have time while your land is exploited, while Africa is assisted at almost all levels?
How do you manage to have time in the midst of reconquering food sovereignty while the fields are idle in the village due to a lack of able-bodied workers?
How do you manage to have time in the midst of the fight against terrorism when even the elderly are enlisting to defend the homeland?
How do you manage to have time when people work during the day, and at night become watchmen that are called wayiha? … how do you manage to have time?
How do you manage to have time in the middle of rebuilding while you have “made in China” on your t-shirt and underwear?
Capitaine President Ibrahim Traore (Source: sig.gov.bf)
… African youth has not suffered from poverty, … illiteracy, … African youth has rather suffered from a lack of reference points and worthy leaders … until today when these youth can finally turn to you, Comrade President Captain Ibrahim Traore … From now on, everything has changed, because everything has become urgent, because everything has happened quickly, and because Africa is proud!
That is why, if you are the Captain, know that from now on, all the young people in this room, in uniform or not, are now soldiers engaged at the front for the sovereignty of Africa! … If you accept the sacrifice, stand on your feet ! ATTENTION!“
Every September we celebrate the lives of some of Africa’s great leaders who were either born or assassinated during that month, Ruben Um Nyobe, Agostinho Neto, Amilcar Cabral, Kwame Nkrumah, Gamal Abdel Nasser, and Steve Biko. I found this quote in Steve Biko’s book I Write What I Like p.32, by Sekou Touré, the Guinean leader who said NO to the France of General De Gaulle (Guinea: the country who dared say ‘NO’ to France). This quote by Sekou Touré is so on point, as it matches the revolutionary spirit that should be found in each African who fights to free his land. Each one of us is needed for the revolution, but we cannot just be bystanders, but need to add our hands to the fight. African leaders need to fashion the revolution with the people, if they want to free their lands.
“To take part in the African revolution, it is not enough to write a revolutionary song; you must fashion the revolution with the people. And if you fashion it with the people, the songs will come by themselves and of themselves.
In order to achieve real action you must yourself be a living part of Africa and of her thought; you must be an element of that popular energy which is entirely called forth for the freeing, the progress and the happiness of Africa. There is no place outside that fight for the artist or for the intellectual who is not himself concerned with, and completely at one with the people in the great battle of Africa and of suffering humanity.”
Quoting icons of Pan-Africanism, including Marcus Garvey and Peter Tosh, the President underscored the shared heritage that unites all people of African descent. “Africa is your home, and Ghana welcomes you with open arms. This is not just a ceremony—it is a powerful affirmation of our collective identity and destiny,” he concluded.
African Heritage 