Demands for the return of stolen gems and artifacts said to belong to the Crown

Petitions and demands from South Africa are growing for the return of the “Great Star of Africa” (also known as the “First Star of Africa”) — the largest clear-cut diamond in the world. It was unearthed in 1905 at a time British mining interests were taking measures to form a unified colonial administration. It was also the year the report of the South African Native Affairs Commission, appointed to provide comprehensive answers to “the native question,” was released. The report proposed territorial separation of Black and white landownership, systematic urban segregation by the creation of Black “locations,” the removal of Black “squatters” from lands stolen by white landlords and the like.

Royal family’s fortune from the slave trade

From the enslavement and deportation of the Irish to British colonies in Oceania and the West Indies to the kidnapping of Africans, the British Crown made much of their vast personal wealth from the human slave trade. Every monarch and their family from Elizabeth Tudor onwards were financiers and beneficiaries of this trade in human flesh.

Remembrance, Revelation, and Reparation: The Trans-Atlantic Slave System and Its Afterlife

March 25 Online Presentation

– A presentation by Dr. Isaac Saney, followed by Q&A –

Friday, March 25, 2022 at 3:30-5:30 pm EST

Organized by the University of Windsor to commemorate the UN International Day of the Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, as part of the University of Windsor’s Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization (EDID) Week.

The Trans-Atlantic Slave System fundamentally altered not only the lives and destinies of millions of Africans and the African continent but also transformed the world. Its boundaries and reach extended into every dimension, facet and interstice of the new global society. Indeed, living in a world created by and through the sufferings and struggles of enslaved Africans presupposes that the creation of a more just and sustainable political, economic, social, and ecological order necessitates not only reckoning with this history but also demanding reparatory justice.

To register click here.

Burkina Faso: Justice for Thomas Sankara

In Burkina Faso, a historic trial is taking shape for the death of iconic leader Thomas Sankara in 1987. But the main defendant and former president, Blaise Compaore, will be absent | Katrin Ginsler

Thomas Sankara’s memory looms large over Burkina Faso

This day. The 1961 massacre of Algerians in Paris: When the media failed the test

Freedom of press of the reactionary ruling classes

In 1961 and for years after, the French and Anglo-American media colluded with the state to cover up the 1961 massacre of Algerians in Paris, ensuring impunity for those responsible for this heinous crime such as the Nazi collaborator Maurice Papon, Prefect of the Paris police. This is an apt time to recall what happened.

Canada continues military intervention in Africa

Miltary airlift to Mali, Africa

July 20, 2021. A CC-177 Globemaster from 429 Transport Squadron departs 8 Wing Trenton for Mali | @RCAF_ARC

By Tony Seed

Behind the camouflage of hysteria to portray the Trudeau government’s deployment of cargo planes to evacuate Afghan collaborators-refugees from Afghanistan as humanitarian, the Canadian Armed Forces continued to fuel the NATO war machine by airlifting materiel support to the French military occupation in the Sahel, via a RCAF CC-177 Globemaster from 429 Squadron.

This day. 45th anniversary of the Soweto uprising

Signal contribution of the courageous South African students | ISAAC SANEY

The famous Soweto uprising of youth and students which began on June 16, 1976, led to a renewed wave of resistance amongst black South Africans.

Originally published on June 16, 2016

On June 16th, 1976 in the African township of Soweto, on the outskirts of Johannesburg, apartheid South African police massacred 176 Black students, wounding more than 700. The Soweto uprising remains to this day the signal contribution of the infinitely courageous South African students’ movement for justice and social transformation everywhere.

What was Africa like before European imperialism?

Bamum architecture (present-day Cameroon)

Henry Ritmo, who lived in Africa, Quora

Since there are so many ways this question could be answered I decided to use pictures. Many of these would be shortly before or shortly after colonization began seeing as the camera was not invented until the late 19th century and colonization in most of Africa started within that period but they come the closest to capturing what pre-colonial Africa looked like.

Significant archives are under threat in Cape Town’s fire. Here’s why they matter so much.

The African Studies collection consists of an astonishing collection of works related to Africa. These range from works published from as long ago as the 1500s through to the present day.

Firemen walk through the burnt out remains of Jagger Library at the University of Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa, April 20, 2021 | REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

A wildfire on the slopes of South Africa’s Table Mountain has wreaked havoc at the University of Cape Town (UCT) campus. Among the sites of historical significance that have been damaged is the Jagger Library. The library houses rare and specialist collections, such as the important African Studies collections. The Conversation Africa’s Nontobeko Mtshali asked UCT academic Shannon Morreira to share her insights on what the loss means for the historical records held by the university.

The New Scramble for Africa

On the occasion of the 136th anniversary of the Berlin Conference, which was opened on November 15, 1884, and continued until it closed on 26 February 1885

By HAKIM ADI

(April 15, 2013) – In 1884 The Times newspaper coined the phrase ‘Scramble for Africa’ to describe the contention between the major European powers for a share of what the Belgian king Leopold contemptuously referred to as  ‘this magnificent African cake.’[1] Britain, France, Belgian, Germany and the other big powers each attempted to carve out their share of the African continent during the infamous Berlin Conference, held over several months in the winter of 1884-1885. They then proceeded to invade and occupy their designated colonies in the period leading up to World War I, without any concern for the fate of the inhabitants of the African continent. That was the era of the so-called ‘civilising mission’ and ‘White man’s burden,’ that provided openly racist justifications for the conquest and partition of almost the entire African continent. It was undoubtedly one of the great crimes against humanity leading to literally millions of deaths of African men, women and children even in a single colony, such as King Leopold’s ironically named Congo Free State.[2]

This Day. France conducted nuclear tests in Algeria 61 years ago but still refuses to apologize

On February 13, 1960 (exactly 61 years ago today), the French conducted their first nuclear test at Reggane in south west Algeria. The first underground test, on May 1, 1962, code-named Beryl, resulted in radioactive vapour escaping through fissure in a rock. Its ill-effects are still felt by the people of Algeria. France has refused to apologize and has also not released archival material about this test as well as others clearly reflecting ill-intent | Mohamed Boukreta

This Day. A reflection on Amílcar Cabral, Portugal and NATO

Amílcar Cabral (1924-1973)

By TONY SEED

Originally published on January 20, 2019 on this blog and Stop Foreign Intervention in Africa , a website organized by activists opposed to foreign intervention in Africa on a military, economic, political and cultural level. 

On January 20, 1973, Amílcar Lopes da Costa Cabral, leader of the national liberation movement in Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde in West Africa, was assassinated, just months before Guinea Bissau won its long independence struggle against Portuguese colonialism.

Guinea-Bissau was once part of the kingdom of Gabu, part of the ancient Mali Empire; parts of this kingdom persisted until the 18th century. Other parts of the territory in the current country were considered by the Portuguese as part of their empire. Portuguese Guinea was known as the Slave Coast, as it was a major area for the exportation of African slaves by Europeans to the western hemisphere.

Flashback: Belgium’s ‘apology’ for assassinating Patrice Lumumba

Patrice Lumumba (July 2, 1925–January 17, 1961)

I only gave voice to words of freedom and brotherhood, words they couldn’t accept. Just words. – Patrice Lumumba

Updated from an article published on this blog on March 22, 2016

Sixty years have passed since the assassination on January 17, 1961 of the first democratically-elected President of the Republic of Congo, Patrice Lumumba. His government sought to give citizens political rights and build a national economy independent of the imperialist system of states. The country’s rich resources were supposed to serve its residents instead of being exploited by foreign concerns. His assassination was carried out by Belgian troops for the CIA.

Paying the debt to Africa: On the 45th anniversary of Cuba’s Operación Carlota

Cuban and Angolan soldiers at the front

By ISAAC SANEY*

First published November 5, 2015

“The Cuban people hold a special place in the hearts of the peoples of Africa. The Cuban internationalists have made a contribution to African independence, freedom and justice, unparalleled for its principled and selfless character…Cubans came to our region as doctors, teachers, soldiers, agricultural experts, but never as colonizers. They have shared the same trenches with us in the struggle against colonialism, underdevelopment, and apartheid.” –Nelson Mandela

UK: Black History Month and contested history

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been speaking a lot about history recently. October has become by tradition “Black History Month” in England and it has become customary for the Prime Minister of the day to make some pronouncement.

Anniversary of the birth of Amílcar Cabral

Born on September 12 in 1924, Amílcar Cabral led the fight to overthrow Portuguese colonialism in Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde.

By Hakim Adi

Amílcar Cabral

Greatness is an attribute best judged by circumstances. In every era, humans have had many apparently insuperable problems to overcome. Those who are great are those who can find solutions to these problems, or who can inspire others to solve them.

Canada’s end run for seat on UN Security Council

Canadian government’s appeasement of U.S. imperialism

By TONY SEED

François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Foreign Affairs, travelled to New York on June 13 ahead of the vote on Canada’s bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council which has roused much concern and opposition at home. He is being deployed, according to Global Affairs, for four days “to engage with various ambassadors and permanent representatives to promote Canada’s commitment to peace and security, climate change, gender equality, economic security and multilateralism.” Champagne’s schmoozing to get votes lubricated with “aid” dollars is the end run for the self-serving, much-hyped bid of the Trudeau Liberals to restore Canada’s tarnished record on the world stage. [1]

May 25 – African Liberation Day 2020

 End the Exploitation of Africa’s Human and Material Resources and Uphold the People’s Right to Be

People of the Republic of the Congo, celebrate independence, July 7, 1960 – one of 17 states in Africa to gain independence that year.

The peoples of Africa and of African descent have a proud history of celebrating African Liberation Day. On this day they mark the victories of their struggles against colonialism and for independence. They pledge to strengthen their unity in the struggle against all exploitation and for the complete liberation of the African continent. Today, at a time the COVID-19 pandemic is raging, TML Weekly condemns attempts of foreign powers to enslave Africa anew and commit new acts of genocide against the African peoples under the signboards of humanitarian aid and progress. It is important as never before to oppose the Eurocentric portrayal of Africa, her peoples, her history and their right to be and to condemn continued acts of genocide.

African Liberation Day: The enduring struggle against colonialism and capitalism

All-Africa Peoples Conference Accra, Ghana 1958.

Pan Africanism Today Secretariat

May 25 is celebrated as African Liberation Day. It is a commemoration of the struggles for liberation from colonialism, and specifically marks a key date in the struggle for Pan-African unity: the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963. Comprising 21 member states, the primary aim of the organization was to support the liberation movements in Africa’s remaining colonies and to coordinate the construction of a new African society free of exploitation.

The ominous jihadis war: From Tripoli to Tripoli

GHASSAN KADI on a potentially huge situation brewing in Libya that barely makes the news

The ‘War on Syria’ is far from being over, and it will continue until all foreign forces illegally present on Syrian soil retreat; either willingly, or defeated.

And even though the American presence in Syria has no clear and realistic political purpose other than wreaking havoc and making it hard for Russia to help reach a decisive victory, in a twist of fate, the focus of the Russo-American conflict in the region may soon move away from Syria.

March 21: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

(London) – Since 1966, March 21 has been designated by the UN General Assembly as International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERD). March 21 was chosen to commemorate the day in 1960 when police opened fire and killed 69 peaceful protestors demonstrating against the so-called “pass laws” imposed by the apartheid regime in South Africa. Those tragic events became known internationally thereafter as the Sharpeville massacre.

Cartels, coalitions and the need for people to take up the work for democratic renewal

Interview with MLPC Leader Anna Di Carlo

Anna Di Carlo

Following the “leaders’ debate” which was staged at the Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec on October 7 by a media consortium with the participation of only 6 of the 21 parties registered with Elections Canada, Renewal Update interviewed the leader of the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada (MLPC) Anna Di Carlo on the debate and related matters of concern. The transcript is posted below.

This Day. 400th Anniversary of US slavery

Four hundred years ago, a Portuguese ship named the São João Bautista traveled across the Atlantic Ocean carrying a load of captive Africans from Angola, in southwestern Africa, to the “New World.” Seized by two English pirate ships, the captive Africans ended up in the British colony of Virginia, founded just 12 years earlier, the first permanent English settlement in North America established by the Virginia Company of London in 1671. Only twenty survived the journey. Jamestown, Virginia soon became one of the main areas for the arrival of enslaved Africans. The sale of the 20 Africans to the owners of tobacco fields began the Atlantic slave trade on which the United States was built.

The man who weaponizes and loses everything

Many news outlets documented that Putin’s Russia weaponizes everything, including humour, health information, giant squids, robotic cockroaches, tedium and postmodernism.

The Englishman who invented the concentration camp

Demonstrations have broken out on Canada to condemn U.S. racist concentration camps. It was in Canada in 1916 that the city of Berlin, Ontario was renamed Kitchener at the height of racist attacks on residents of German origin and Mennonite faith during the height of the first imperialist world war, a consequence of “top down” “war=driven propaganda.” But who was this Kitchener?

The Irish-born inventor of the concentration camp, Horatio Herbert Kitchener.

By NIALL O’DOWD, Irsihcentral

There has been heated discussion on the term “concentration camp” since allegations by Democrats that such camps are soon going to start operating with migrant children in southern U.S. border areas.

War by other means: The violence of North Korean human rights

By CHRISTINE HONG

1. Victors’ Justice?

In February 2014, upon completing a several-month investigation into “human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea [DPRK, or North Korea]” – an investigation initiated in the sixtieth anniversary year of the 1953 Korean War Armistice Agreement that halted combat but did not end the war – the three-member Commission of Inquiry (COI) established by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) concluded that North Korea had committed crimes against humanity. Such “unspeakable atrocities,” in the framing account of Commission chair Michael Kirby, “reveal a totalitarian State [without] parallel in the contemporary world.”[1] Analogies to the “dark abyss” of North Korea, the Australian jurist maintained, could be found only in the brutality of the Third Reich, South African apartheid, and the Khmer Rouge regime.[2] Reproduced in news reports around the world, Kirby’s markedly ahistorical examples may have succeeded in inflaming global public opinion yet they failed to contextualize the issue of North Korean human rights in a way that might generate peaceful structural resolution. Indeed, insofar as the 372-page COI report singularly identified the North Korea government as the problem – both as “a remaining and shameful scourge that afflicts the world today,” in Kirby’s jingoistic phrase, and as the primary obstacle to peace in Korea – the Commission gave new life to the vision of regime change that has animated post-9/11 North Korean human rights campaigns. By recommending that North Korea and its high officials be brought up before the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC), it continued the hostilities of the unresolved Korean War “by means purporting to be judicial.”[3] The urgent question of a long-deferred peace relative to the Korean peninsula, which the Commission incoherently addressed, bedeviled its conclusions, rendering its findings partial, its recommendations in some instances uneasily one-sided, and its premise of impartiality suspect.[4] Moreover, that the COI proceedings and report aligned the United Nations with the United States, South Korea, Japan, and Great Britain while singling out North Korea and, to a far lesser degree, China, for blame performed an unsettling restaging of the Korean War on the agonistic terrain of human rights, suggesting an encrypted “victor’s justice” with regard to an unending war that up to now has had no clear winners.[5]

International Court of Justice rules British occupation of the Chagos Islands illegal

Refusal to uphold international rule of law is a serious matter of concern | Three articles from TML Weekly, John Pilger and Craig Murray

Protest outside British Parliament after a court ruling barring Chagos Islanders from returning to their homeland, October 22, 2008.

TML Weekly welcomes the February 25 ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the Chagos Islands. In a majority decision of 13 to 1, with all the judges from EU countries amongst those finding against the UK, the ICJ ruled that the continued British occupation of the Chagos Islands is illegal and ordered the UK to return the islands to Mauritius “as rapidly as possible.” The islands were seized by the British in 1965 and the people forcibly removed in 1971 to permit the U.S. to build a military base on the island of Diego Garcia. This base plays a criminal role in the U.S. striving for world hegemony.

Cuban ambassador questions Canada’s decision to reduce staff at its embassy in Havana

Statement by Cuban Ambassador to Canada, Josefina Vidal, January 30, 2019

Cuba understands the obligations of the government of Canada to protect its diplomatic personnel posted anywhere in the world and to try to find answers to the health symptoms reported in Cuba, however, it considers that Canada’s decision made public today is incomprehensible.

Cutting Canad’s staff at its Embassy in Cuba and adjusting the mission’s programs are actions that do not help find answers to the health symptoms reported by Canadian diplomats, and which will have an impact on the relations.

Vast network of US bases in Africa

U.S. MILITARY SAYS IT HAS A “LIGHT FOOTPRINT” IN AFRICA. THESE DOCUMENTS SHOW A VAST NETWORK OF BASES. | NICK TURSE

(December 1) – THE U.S. MILITARY has long insisted that it maintains a “light footprint” in Africa, and there have been reports of proposed drawdowns in special operations forces and closures of outposts on the continent, due to a 2017 ambush in Niger and an increasing focus on rivals like China and Russia. But through it all, U.S. Africa Command has fallen short of providing concrete information about its bases on the continent, leaving in question the true scope of the American presence there.

Contributions and Slaughter of Colonial Peoples in World War I

On the occasion of the centenary of the end of World War I, TML Weekly has been producing an excellent series of informative Supplements on the war and related matters of concern. This is the fourth in the series. Click for No. 1 (How the First World War Out); No. 2 (Canada and the First World War); No. 3 (British Movement of Conscientious Objectors); No. 4 (Contributions and Slaughter of Colonial Peoples in World War I);  No. 5 (Steadfast Opposition to the Betrayal of the Workers’ Movement); No. 6 (Poems on the Occasion of the Centenary of the End of World War I – Moments of Quiet Reflection.

Members of Chinese Labour Corps at William Head, outside Victoria, BC, awaiting transport by train across Canada and then by ship to Europe.

• Colonial Peoples’ Resistance in World War One
• Massive Conscription of Indians by the British
• Chinese Labour Corps and Other Non-Combatant Workers from the Colonies