THE GROWING SMEAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST AFRICAN STREAM

Many people worldwide have taken issue with several social media platforms banning African Stream after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed African Stream was 'secretly run' by Russian state-owned TV network RT. Despite Blinken not offering evidence for this claim, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and TikTok gave African Stream the boot two weeks ago.

Pascal Lottaz, an Associate Professor for Neutrality Studies at Kyoto University, underscored the hypocrisy and racism at the heart of this decision. The implication is that African people are too stupid to determine whether a media outlet serves African interests or be able to figure out if something is Russian propaganda. Following that logic, it seems Africans are not smart enough to think for ourselves.

Of course, the reality is that what is in Africa's best interest is not what is in the best interests of the US ruling class. So, it must deploy any shoddy pretext to shut down anything promoting African liberation.

Lottaz also pointed out that media sites like The New York Times, CNN, and the BBC are also propaganda. While African Stream has a pro-African bias, the BBC, for example, funded by the British government and has a pro-NATO bias. To give another example, Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc., one of the largest telecommunication companies in the world, owns CNN.

African Stream has never purported to be neutral. We have always stated that we are 'with the lions, not the hunters,' meaning we defend the oppressed and colonised peoples of the world. We are unapologetically pro-African. Every story we publish is at heart the interests of the masses of African people of the continent and the diaspora. Contrary to what the smear campaigners state, we are not 'Kremlin Propagandists' or 'Iran propagandists' we are 'African Propagandists' . We believe Africans always have the right to make decisions concerning our continent. For that, we offer no apologies and will never relent or compromise.

Video credit: @plottaz