cc. For Glen Ford, it is hard to believe that a generation ago, the Congressional Black Caucus was known as "the conscience of the congress, a political and moral high ground long deserted by the current CBC, which has utterly collapsed under Israel-lobby pressure for the second time in three years. Yet, today, all but two Black lawmakers voted either "Yes" or "Present" on a Resolution that absolved Israel for its crimes against humanity in Gaza - placing all blame on Hamas. Glen Ford further argues that by hypocritically turning their backs both on Black public opinion and on the work of Dr. King, , the CBC has put itself "out of the anti-war business," and well outside the mainstream of Black opinion on the Israel-Palestine question.

cc. Barack Obama’s election is a political earthquake, and one whose tremors will be felt strongly in Africa, writes Nii Akuetteh. Under George W. Bush, the rhetorical support for democracy in Africa was not matched by deeds, but Obama will be better able to understand the problems of Africa and push for democracy effectively, the author contends.

cc. Following a spate of arrests of prominent industry figures on charges of alleged indecency and failure to register new films, Carmen McCain, Nazir Ahmed Hausawa and Ahmed Alkanawy discuss the decline of the previously thriving Hausa-language film industry in Kano, Nigeria. Highlighting the authorities’ efforts to crack down on ostensibly illicit and immoral material under the rubric of sharia law, the authors survey the arrests, detentions, fines, and shop closures endured by those involved in the industry.

cc. With the newly formed Congress of the People (COPE) seeking to displace the ANC as South’s Africa leading working-class party, Sanusha Naidu considers new party’s prospects in the upcoming general election. Though arguing that COPE could well make a significant dent in ANC’s existing two-thirds majority in parliament, the author argues that the party still has much to do to differentiate itself from the ANC and convince voters of its sincere concern for South Africa’s disadvantaged masses.

cc. In solidarity with Cuba and the Cuban people, Mwandawiro Mghanga argues that Barack Obama should rescind the US’s continued blockade on the Caribbean country as a demonstration of his commitment to fulfilling his campaign promises of more egalitarian policies towards the world’s poor. Cuba’s successes through socialism and its continued efforts to export healthcare support and education around the world in spite of its own constraints, the author contends, merit recognition in the form of normalised trading and diplomatic relations with its rich neighbour.

cc. In response to Israel’s continued action over Gaza, Kali Akuno argues for the intensification of the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. In a bid to properly contextualise the current developments, the author contends that events must been seen as part of a longer history of assault on the Palestinian people, a history that will only begin to be put to bed through an international solidarity movement aimed at restoring Palestinian rights.

cc. Highlighting the efforts of the Abahlali baseMjondolo social movement to draw attention to persistent governmental indifference towards the plight of Durban shack dwellers, Toussaint Losier sets the shack fires endured by locals within their broader political context. Directly equating the absence of adequate housing, water and electricity with the early 1990s informal negotiations between the ANC and corporate leaders, the author argues the shack dwellers’ marginalisation to be a direct consequence of South Africa’s post-apartheid neoliberal leanings and the unwillingness of the ANC to make good on its original aims of equitable social redistribution.

cc. Citing the absence of viable political alternatives to ZANU-PF and the MDC, Mphutlane wa Bofelo laments the deadlock continuing to grip Zimbabwe. Considering a broader history of continental political developments and the entrenched dominance of particular parties within post-colonial African states, wa Bofelo discusses what lessons Zimbabwe’s experience offers for a South Africa approaching new general elections.

cc. Decrying the culture of coups serving as transition points between two dictators, Kofi Akosah-Sarpong traces the current crisis in Guinea to Sekou Toure and the failure of liberation politics to create viable state and economic institutions, choosing instead isolation and authoritarianism. Guinea has to join the rest of Western Africa on the path to democracy, or risk becoming a pariah state.

cc. Mukoma Wa Ngugi reflects on the absence of action by African governments against the Israeli invasion of Gaza and lambasts the divide between African Muslim and non-Muslim populations, calling for a solidarity of action.

cc. On the 18th of December, 2008, a Statement on Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity with the backing of 66 states including six African countries, was read at the General Assembly. The statement reaffirmed “the principle of the universality of human rights amongst other things. But a counter-statement arguing against the statement supported by 60 states including a multitude of African countries.

In this essay that shows the discrepancy between universal human rights and their selective application, Lawrence M. Mute asks: Why did the whole of Anglophone Africa decline to support the Statement? Why did such little empathy flow from many discriminated groups to LGBTI communities? Why would many a group discriminated on grounds of race, disability or gender still find it rational to perpetuate discrimination on homosexuals or lesbians?

In September this year, my cousin Norman died of an HIV related infection. It was very wrong, not too surprising and painful news. Wrong because we live in the era of ARVs and no one need die of HIV related infections. Not surprising, because if you are living with HIV in Zimbabwe where there is an absolute collapse of the health system death is highly likely. Public hospitals are closed, no medicines, private health care and medication too expensive, and besides you need over 200 days of daily queuing for cash to get a 30 day supply of ARVs. Painful, because I hadn’t spoken to him for months and the last time I spoke to him I was so angry with him and my anger had not yet subsided. Angry with him, because firstly I discover he is HIV positive. How can Norman, in his early 30s, well educated, intelligent and a switched on guy be HIV positive? He knew how you get it and how you can prevent yourself from getting it? Where did he slip up? How could he be so stupid!!?

Exploring the growing support for the newly formed Congress of the People (COPE) in much of South Africa, Mphutlane wa Bofelo cautions against people’s unquestioning backing of the party. The author argues that for all the hope it inspires in many South Africans, COPE is likely to be even more unfavourable to social spending than the African National Congress (ANC).

cc. We, black people in the United States, condemn the criminal Israeli attacks on the people of Gaza. We understand that these war crimes are being conducted with the overt material and unapologetic political backing of the government of the United States of America . Most importantly, we have learned the lessons of four centuries of racist oppression in the Western hemisphere; that the liberation struggles of the oppressed must not be divided by language, geography, gender, religion or race; that if they come for Gaza in the morning, they will most certainly come for Harlem at night.

In 1967, Dr Martin Luther King Jr spoke out against the US war in Vietnam. He called out the US as ‘the greatest purveyor of violence in the world’. For speaking this truth, Dr King was condemned by the rulers of the US and their loyal servants in the mass media, who arrogantly and condescendingly told him that the Vietnamese war had nothing to do with the black struggle for equality. Dr. King refused to be intimidated.

The stand taken by former US congresswoman and Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney in escorting the humanitarian supplies being taken by ship to break the Gaza siege is another example of black people's support. Her response after the ‘Dignity’ was rammed by an Israeli military boat was not to cower but to ‘organize’.

In the spirit of all those who have fought in our centuries-long river of struggle, we will fight by all means necessary to ensure that this genocidal attack on and blockade of the Palestinian people is ended. We demand that:
- Our elected officials, in particular, the Congressional Black Caucus, stand in opposition to the Israeli assault
- Sanctions be brought against Israel as they were brought against the racist apartheid regime of South Africa
- Disinvestment in US corporations which support Israel.

* The Blacks Against Genocide Coalition is composed of groups and individuals who have come together in response to the criminal Israeli assault on the Palestinian people. Please read and circulate the statement below. Please let us know if you or your organisation will sign on to it.
* Please send comments to [email protected] or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/

In an article examining the efforts of Angola’s ruling MPLA to harness the media as a tool of social control, Rafael Marques de Morais explores the isolation of alternative media outlets and the regime’s efforts to re-appropriate subversive coverage to its own ends.

Lamenting the greater insecurity and civil unrest provoked by African governments’ excessive spending on defence, Chuma Nwokolo argues that arms stockpiles act as a central obstacle for countries’ development and stability. Emphasising that the practice of supplying African territory with arms remains a throwback to the slavery era, the author highlights the high proportion of GDP spent on arms and the military by particular African governments such as Angola and Eritrea. In a bid to catalyse effective action, Nwokolo calls upon people to support the worldwide .

Emphasising that racialisation is far from simply an event, John Powell explores the history of racial segregation in the United States and the evolution of understandings around racism’s persistence and effects on day-to-day life. Just as racialisation reinvented itself in the shape of the Jim Crow laws following the end of slavery in the 19th century, today’s race-neutral approaches to issues of social and economic inequality can in reality simply compound racial disparities, Powell contends. In an Obama age, the author argues, tackling structural racialisation can only be achieved through ‘targeted universalism’: approaches and policies true to the individual circumstances that different social groups face.

Kenyans for Peace, Truth and Justice (KPTJ) evaluate the state of fundamental freedoms in Kenya, and their verdict is singularly unfavourable. The full statement is a condemnation of the record of the coalition government.

In the midst of the current credit crunch and global economic downturn, John Samuel revisits the context behind the infamous 1930s great depression. The author contends that while the context behind the current financial crisis and that of the early 1930s are not identical, the high concentration of wealth within a few hands remains essentially the same.

Analysing the background to Angola’s legislative elections at the beginning of September, Rafael Marques de Morais considers the wide voting irregularities and social inequalities that allowed José Eduardo dos Santos’s MPLA to tighten its grip on political power. Reviewing the final results of the elections, the author argues that the central challenge for the Angolan electorate is to carve out a path of genuine representation and a new vision of genuine democratic power, all the while maintaining a commitment to non-violent action.