Tensions Escalating in Mali

On February 2, 2022February 2, 2022 By Dr. Y.In Great Moments2 Comments

Tensions are escalating between France and Mali as the French ambassador was expelled from Mali and given 72 hours on Monday to leave the country. How did we get here? In reality, Mali has been in disarray since Libya fell in 2011… and has never recovered since then (“Le Mali en miettes. A qui le tour?” de Chems Eddine Chitour – “Mali in pieces. Who is next?” by Chems Eddine Chitour). France came in to “offer” her support to fight the djihadists in the north of the country. Today, as a result, the country is split into pieces, countless Malians have died, and France is now world producer of gold… mind you that France does not have an ounce of gold on her territory, but rather has been pillaging the mines of Mali, disrupting the peace in the region, and getting the “International community” to support her efforts in the plundering of the golden Mali (Africa is funding Europe!). Remember that Emperor Kankan Musa of the Empire of Mali, which encompassed part of modern-day Mali, distributed so much gold during his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 that it took a decade for the Egyptian economy to recover.

Mali has been in pieces… after the coup that got rid of France’s puppet IBK (Bye Bye IBK: Mali Coup), and the military coup that brought the Colonel Assimi Goita to power. Faced with 80% of its territory occupied by foreign forces and terrorists, and in order to regain the sovereignty of its lands, Mali has sought the partnership of Russia, which France has screamed against – remember The 11 Components of the French Colonial Tax in Africa which denies Africans the right to other military or economic partners without France’s approval? Well, France is angry that Mali has turned to Russia for help in regaining its territory… The time for us being doormats is over France… We have the right to our dignity! We have the right to choose the partners that can help us in our visions, a vision which seeks the well-being of our communities.

Just last week, France’s puppet organization that is ECOWAS (CEDEAO) placed unbelievable sanctions on Mali, closing borders, banking, etc… How can an African organization act in such a way against a sister country, if it is not serving the interest of the enemy?

I live you here with a more recent timeline published on Al-Jazeera. Bear in mind that it is not told from the eyes of a Malian or an African, so it is biased. For the full timeline, please go to Al-Jazeera.

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On August 18, 2020, a group of Malian soldiers led by Colonel Assimi Goïta overthrew elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, who was facing angry protests over the government’s failure to stem the violence. The coup is seen as a blow to French President Emmanuel Macron, who had supported Keïta and sought to improve relations with former colonies in Africa.

On March 30, 2021, in a rare criticism of French forces in Mali, United Nations investigators accused the French military of being responsible for the killing of at least 19 civilians at a wedding party in central Mali in an air raid three months before. France denied the findings, saying its forces targeted an “armed terrorist group” and that it had “numerous reservations about the methodology used” in the UN investigation.

On May 25, Goïta pushed out a civilian-led government appointed to oversee a transition period, plunging the country into further uncertainty. He was named interim president on May 28.

In reaction to the power grab, France suspended its joint military operations with Malian forces on June 3 “awaiting guarantees” that civilians return to positions of power.

Conflict map of Mali with internally displaced populations (blog.amnestyusa.org)

On June 10, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a major “transformation” and drawdown of France’s military presence in the Sahel where about 5,100 soldiers – across Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger – operate under its Barkhane operation [no wonder France can afford to have 35-hour week for its workers, or even confine them forever… their riches come from Africa].

France decided on July 3 to resume its military operation in Mali, as well as its advisory missions.

On September 14, France warned Mali against a deal with Wagner as reports emerged the country’s military government was close to hiring 1,000 mercenaries.

A spokesperson for the Malian defence ministry said his country wanted to “diversify its relationships” on security grounds.

On October 5, Macron called on Mali’s military to restore state authority in large areas of the country. “It’s not the role of the French army to fill in for the ‘non-work’, if I may describe it, of the Malian state,” he told French media. …

Mali’s Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga said on October 8 that he had evidence that France was training “terrorist” groups operating in the country. Maiga said French troops had created an enclave in Kidal, a town in the desert region of northern Mali, and handed it over to a “terrorist group” known as Ansar al-Din, allegedly linked to al-Qaeda.

On December 15, French forces left the city of Timbuktu, marking the scaling down of France’s intervention in northern Mali which had started in 2013 when it helped beat back groups advancing towards Bamako.

France and more than a dozen countries condemned on December 24 the deployment of Wagner mercenaries [i.e. the international community = gang of thieves] – one of the first official acknowledgements by Western capitals of the stationing of fighters from the Russian firm. Mali’s government has denied this, saying the Russian troops are in the country as part of a bilateral agreement.

… On January 7, Russian soldiers were deployed to Timbuktu to train Malian forces at the base vacated earlier by French troops.

On January 9, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) imposed a trade embargo on Mali after the military government postponed elections for up to five years, despite promising to hold a vote by February [ECOWAS = puppet arm of France in Africa].

Two days later, on January 11, France, the United States and the European Union backed the West African bloc’s sanctions [of course… the United Nations of thieves]. With borders closed, the military government branded the sanctions an “extreme … and illegal embargo against our people” and organises mass protests. …

Denmark sent 105 military personnel to Mali on January 18 to join a European special forces mission, known as Takuba, that was set up to help Mali tackle armed groups [see… International Gang of Thieves]. It said its troops had deployed after a “clear invitation” from Mali.

On January 24, the Malian government called on Denmark to “immediately” withdraw its contingent of special forces deployed alongside French and international troops. Denmark’s withdrawal was a headache for France, which had staked much on “Europeanising” its Sahel intervention.

On January 27, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian lashed the [Mali] military transitional cabinet’s “irresponsible” decision, calling it “illegitimate”. And in remarks published on January 30 in the Journal du Dimanche newspaper, the French foreign minister accused the Wagner group of plundering Mali’s resources in exchange for protecting the military government [the pot calling the kettle black]. “Wagner uses the weakness of certain states to implant itself … to reinforce Russia’s influence in Africa,” Le Drian added.

But Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop hit back saying France was not defending democracy and was angry only because “we have hurt their interests” [we have dared go against The 11 Components of the French Colonial Tax in Africa].

On January 31, Mali said it was expelling the French ambassador because of “hostile statements” by French officials.

Thomas Sankara’s Murder Trial on Hold

On January 31, 2022January 31, 2022 By Dr. Y.In Great PeopleLeave a comment

The trial to find Thomas Sankara‘s murderers (Who killed Thomas Sankara? The Trial starts in Burkina Faso) has been halted because of last week’s coup in Burkina Faso which saw the removal of president Roch Kaboré (2022 Burkinabé coup d’état). This adds to the fragility of the entire region, where the métropole (France) is impoverishing and destroying the countries it claims to be helping. As always, the ghostly/nonsensical organization that is ECOWAS (CEDEAO) with its nonsensical rules that only favor the old colonial powers came out with some ‘sanctions’. Below are excerpts from the article on ABC News.

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OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — The long-awaited trial on the killing of Thomas Sankara, Burkina Faso’s influential leftist leader killed more than three decades ago, has been suspended as a result of the West African country’s recent coup.

The trial has been paused until the constitution is reestablished, a lawyer for the prosecution said Monday.

The suspension comes one week after a military junta overthrew President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, suspended the constitution and dissolved the national assembly.

Prosper Farama, one of the lawyers for the Sankara family called the suspension a good thing that would respect everyone’s rights. “We have to be patient until the constitution is reestablished for things to be legal,” he said.

… Fourteen people are being charged for Sankara’s killing, including former President Blaise Compaore, who ousted Sankara in a 1987 coup. Compaore is charged with complicity, undermining state security and concealing corpses, according to military documents seen by The Associated Press. He’s being tried in absentia, as he has been in exile in Ivory Coast since he was toppled in 2014.

… “As young Sankarists, we are very worried about the suspension of the trial,” said Passamde Occean Sawadogo a singer and activist. “We remain vigilant so that nothing can jeoparidze the trial’,” he said.

Description of the Bornu Empire in 1582

On January 27, 2022 By Dr. Y.In Great CivilizationsLeave a comment

As we saw from the description of a Bornu Maï (King) in the 17^th century, the Bornu Empire was a prosperous empire with great kings.

Below is another description, this time of the Bornu Empire in 1582. Immediately, we notice the impressive size of the capital city most likely Ngazargamu, the respect given to the kings, who were treated just like the kings of Timbuktu. It is also good to note the level of education of these kings, as well as their relations with Libya and beyond, Turkey. Lastly, slaves were not traded here, but rather leather. Was this the source of the great Libyan leather?

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The Bornu in 1582, from an Italian Geographer : Giovanni Lorenzo Anania

Then there is Borno on the edge of the Negro river (where there is a large lake formed by the said river [this is most likely the Yobe River also known as Komadugu Yobé River which flows into Lake Chad]). It is an immense city with a lot of traffic, having its own king who is treated with the same ceremonies, both by foreigners and by his own vassals, as those in use among the king of Tungubuto (Timbuktu). We kneel down on our knees, throwing sand on anyone’s head. He is served with great zeal by eunuchs and young girls whom they render sterile with certain potions.

In his correspondence, writing to foreign princes, he uses the Arabic language, as Giovanni di Vesti tells me, a very honorable person, and who was a slave to the son of a great count among the Turks. He himself saw a letter that the king of Borno wrote to the Pasha of Tripoli with great eloquence and art. This prince is so powerful that several times he has raised an army of hundred thousand men against the king of Cabi (Kebbi [in modern day Nigeria]). The blacks, it is said, regard him as an emperor, so great is his power. He owns a multitude of horses which Arabs bring from their country, and they make a great profit by selling them for at least a thousand or seven hundred crowns each. These horses do not stay alive for long, because when the sun enters the sign of Leo, many of them die every year from the extreme heat. Today many Turks arrive, seeking adventure, and many Moors from Barbary, who are their scholars. They are very well paid, because they are few in number, as it happens with all those blacks who are Muslims. And many merchants depart from there every year, carrying so much excellent quality leather that it seems extraordinary in Fizzan (Fezzan [in Libya]). Then they return with big quantities of horses, accompanying the caravans of black merchants.

Edition critique par Dierk Lange

Les Africains, vol. 3, Editions J.A., 1977, p. 57. Translated to English by Dr. Y., Afrolegends.com

Portrait of a “Mai” (King) of Bornu in the 17th century

On January 25, 2022January 25, 2022 By Dr. Y.In Great Civilizations, Great People3 Comments

We can retain without great risk of anachronism the detailed description that a Frenchman – probably a surgeon by the name of Girard held in slavery for a few years in Tripoli – gives in 1685 of the sovereign according to the testimonies he collected in this city.

It is in this case the grandson and fourth successor of Idris Alooma, designated under the name of “Mahi-Hagi-Hali”, that is Mai (Hajj) Ali b. Umar b. Idris, who had reigned, according to D. Lange, from 1639 to 1677.

“Those who have seen this prince agree that he is nice looking well-built, and of rich stature, but he is black : his ordinary clothes are a robe of white or blue linen, with long sleeves, very fine and untied : he wears the white turban like the Turks, and his face is always more than half covered, because the Bornu people are ashamed (take shame) to show their mouths, and which covers their face from the tip of the nose to the bottom of the chin.”

Chronology of the Bornu Kings from 1512 to 1671. – Extract from manuscript number 12220 (Nouvelles acquisitions. Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris) – Reproduced by le Bulletin de la Société de Géographie de Paris, 1849

It is good to note that, two centuries later, the European travelers who visited Bornu described the robe of the king in identical terms. Such permanence clearly indicates that this is not an occasional outfit, but one of the ritual and traditional insignia of power.

Les Africains, vol. 3, Editions J.A., 1977, p. 53. Translated to English by Dr. Y., Afrolegends.com

Africans making Strides in the World of Wine

On January 21, 2022January 21, 2022 By Dr. Y.In Great PeopleLeave a comment

Tinashe Nyamudoka and barrels (Source: jancisrobinson.com)

Have you ever heard of Africans making it into the world of wine? I don’t mean South Africans who have a good history of wine-making, but other countries on the continent? Well, a while back, I had heard about an Ivorian making wines and actually having a vineyard, and now Zimbabweans. As a side story, one of my uncles was once a very pro-eminent wine-taster… I always wondered where he had acquired the taste (given that this is not a tradition for us), but he used to be called upon by the best wineries in France to taste and judge on the quality of their wines. The Guardian had a story about Tinashe Nyamudoka and a new generation of Zimbabweans getting into the wine business. Below are excerpts from that article. Enjoy!

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A bottle of Kumusha Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon

… When he left [Zimbabwe] in 2008, [Tinashe] Nyamudoka had never tasted wine. Now, he ranks among southern Africa’s top sommeliers and has his own wine label with international sales.

“We have a lot going against us as Zimbabweans, and you might think there is nothing good coming out of the country,” says the 36-year-old. “So, for me to be recognised as the [top] sommeliers in the world, being African and Zimbabwean, instils a sense of hope and pride.”

Nyamudoka began his career as a waiter in a Cape Town restaurant, where he learned about the different varieties and tastes of the wines his customers drank. He moved on to become a hotel wine waiter, working alongside some of the city’s leading sommeliers.

After studying his trade [he also has a certificate in wine business management from the University of Cape Town], he won the best wine steward award in a competition for luxury hotels in the Western Cape in 2013.

… His wine label, Kumusha – “home” or “roots” in Zimbabwe’s Shona language – has benefited from his celebrity, producing 200,000 bottles a year, up from 1,200 when it was launched four years ago. “People started embracing it,” he says.

… The eight Kumusha wines – three reds, four whites and a rosé – are all produced in South Africa. They are sold in the US, the Netherlands, Kenya and Zimbabwe – “my exciting market”, he says. This month, he is starting to export his wines to the UK.

“I started this brand from scratch with no aid or financial handouts. It has been pure grit, passion and dedication,” he says. “I want people to understand that you can make it without prejudice.”

…. “There’s been an emergence of black sommeliers in the world as the industry becomes more diverse. We see the hospitality offering in Zimbabwe improving and there will be a need for sommeliers.”

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Being Complicated is Incurable

On January 19, 2022January 19, 2022 By Dr. Y.In Great Legends & TalesLeave a comment

There were once two friends. One was tall, and the other short.

One day, they decided to go to the market. Since they were going through a narrow path, the tall one left the short one behind.

It is because you underestimate me that you leave me behind you, complained the short one.

A bit further, the tall one, trying to satisfy his friend, made him move in front.

It is, to better look at me, and laugh at my short height, growled the other.

They reached the market. The place was full of people. The tall one wanting to correct the errors which had been reproached him, brought his friend back to his sides and the two of them walked hand in hand.

You put us side by side now to show everyone that you are taller than I, growled the short one.
My friend, I think that it is impossible to satisfy a dwarf. You are complicated and it is an incurable disease.

Fables des Montagnes de Patrice Kayo, Collection Les CLES de l’avenir, Editions CLE, Yaounde, p. 38 (1998). Translated to English by Dr. Y., Afrolegends.com

Syllart Records – A Classic from Pépé Kallé & Empire Bakuba

On January 12, 2022 By Dr. Y.In Great Music, Great People2 Comments

On Monday, we talked about Syllart Records: The African Equivalent to Motown Records, a label which owns some of the largest African music catalog in the world. Let us pray it remains so, and they can be remunerated at their right One of African’s legends is incontestably Pépé Kallé. Enjoy this rare pearl of Pépé Kallé and Empire Bakuba… this is one is from the Syllart Records Youtube channel.

Syllart Records: The African Equivalent to Motown Records

On January 10, 2022January 9, 2022 By Dr. Y.In Great Moments, Great Music, Great PeopleLeave a comment

I recently heard about the Syllart Records, a music records label which many considered to be the equivalent of the African continent’s Motown records. The record label leader is Binetou Sylla, the daughter of the founder, the late Senegalese producer Ibrahima Sory Sylla. The label owns the largest African music catalog in the world, spanning the last sixty years of music creation. Its founder, Sylla’s impact on African pop music and its global influence is really wide. Imagine the hard work, the quality, the authenticity, and innovation that went on in his studios! Yet, I had never heard of his name. However, I had heard about some of the artists produced under his label, and danced to their music, such as Ismael Lo, Salif Keïta, Empire Bakuba, Sam Mangwana, Gadji Celi, M’Pongo Love, Tshala Muana, M’bilia Bel, Oumou Sangare, Pépé Kallé, Miriam Makeba, Papa Wemba, or Africando, and so many others.

Syllart Records_Binetou Sylla — Binetou Sylla of Syllart Records (Source: Panafricanspacestation.org.za)

Today, his daughter is working on digitizing all that hard work, and trying to find ways to give rights to the musicians. She says of her father on OkayAfrica, “[My father] preferred to let his work, his music speak for him. He was an ambassador for African music. … [He] excelled at scouting new talent and used Syllart as a launching pad for many who would rise to global stardom.” Enjoy her recent interview to BBC. Check out the Syllart Records YouTube channel.

Proverbe sur les Récompenses de … / Proverb on the Rewards of …

On January 5, 2022 By Dr. Y.In Great WisdomLeave a comment

L’homme qui honore et glorifie Dieu, ne meurt pas de faim (proverbe Mossi – Burkina Faso).

The man who honors and glorifies God, does not die of hunger (Mossi proverb – Burkina Faso).

Happy 2022!

On January 3, 2022January 2, 2022 By Dr. Y.In Great Moments2 Comments

Fellow readers, we are writing here to wish you all a HAPPY 2022! May this new year mark the beginning of new endeavors, the continuation of current ones, and/or the end of old ones. May this new year be filled with health, prosperity, joy, love, happiness, abundance, harmony, and peace! 2021 was quite a year, and many are hoping for something better. Let us turn the 2021 page, and start the 2022 chapter ready to take off for this new year, never losing altitude during this flight, and trusting for better.

The top 5 posts of the year 2021 are listed below: an old-time favorite “My Name” by Magoleng wa Selepe took first place as the most read post of the year. We, at Afrolegends.com, would like to express our profound gratitude for your constant support, as your readership has carried us forward. Keep on visiting, sharing, and commenting. We wish you a full and amazing new year, rich in blessings and greatness. Keep your heads up, and may your year be as beautiful as the petals of this flower! As you can see, everything about this flower is unique, the outer red color and the inner purple which mark a difference that is beautiful to see, thus may 2022 be the beginning of: a new start, a new life, and a new joy! As always, like Agostinho Neto said, “A luta continua … a vitória é certa!”

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