AFRICA NOW

Entries categorized as ‘Past Shows’

The Hearts of Darkness: How White Writers Created The Racist Image of Africa

May 14, 2008 · No Comments

The Hearts of Darkness: How White Writers Created The Racist Image of Africa is the latest book by Ugandan-born author Milton Allimadi that explores in thoroughly-researched detail, the roots of the current negative perceptions of Africans. In the book he chronicles the beginnings of images of Black people that serve to assist a system of white dominance, such as Blackness and beastiality; savages, tribal, uncivilized, etc. He is the Editor in Chief of the New York City-based The Black Star News, a weekly investigative newspaper with targeting primarily African Diaspora readers. The newspaper was founded in 1997 by Mr. Allimadi and the paper’s motto is “Speaking Truth To Empower,” by covering news significant to its target readers that are often ignored by the major corporate newspapers.

During his research for the book, Allimadi discovered documents –correspondences between New York Times reporters sent to Africa from the 1950s to the 1990s and editors here in New York—that details some of the racist attitudes towards Africa and even exposes some concoctions published in The New York Times to perpetuate the racist characterizations of Africa.

Mr. Allimadi has lectured about the topic at Columbia University, Syracuse University, Pace University, The New School University, The London School of Economics, and at numerous book stores around the country.

please note, this show was recorded during WPFW’s fund drive and call in contributions are not currently being accepted. Please visit www.WPFW.org to support the station.

Categories: Past Shows

Africa & The American President

February 18, 2008 · 1 Comment

This week on Africa Now we examine President George W. Bush’s second trip to the Africa African Contintent. President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush are on a six-day visit to Ghana, Benin, Rwanada, Liberia, Tanzania to highlight the Administration’s legacy on health, education, and economic development. In a speech before he left President Bush stated that his Administration has “revolutionized the way we approach development” by ending what he called “paternalism.”

But many activists in the US and on the continent are challenging this contention—suggesting that perhaps Mr. Bush’s legacy is not one of ending “paternalism” but of expanding unilateralism and militarism in US-Africa relations.

What is the reality of Bush’s legacy? We will examine the good sides and the bad sides beyond the mainstream headlines on a wide range of initiatives including the AFRICOM (the planned US military Command on the continent), Debt Cancellation, the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), The Millienium Challenge Account, The Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the administration response to crises in Kenya, Darfur and Chad and of course the U.S. growing interest in African Oil. We’ll also talk about the next administration and what we might see out of a Hillary Clinton, Barrack Obama, or John McCain presidency.

GUESTS:

• Emira Woods is the Co-Director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies.
• Roxanne Lawson is the Director of Africa Policy for TransAfrica Forum.

Categories: AFRICOM · AGOA · Millenium Challenge Account · PEPFAR · Past Shows

Tinariwen & Vieux Farka Toure: Festival In The Desert

November 11, 2007 · No Comments

Last Thursday, November 8, at George Washington’s Lisner Auditorium, a Festival in the Desert took place. And while it didn’t feature the sands of the Sahara, it did feature the sounds of that desert region in Northern Africa. The Festival in the Desert blew into town with two critically-acclaimed musicians from the musically rich country of Mali: Touareg guitar heroes Tinariwen, a band whose electrified incarnation of the music of the Sahara nomads have made them global cultural ambassadors of the Touareg people, and (seconding the bill was ) Vieux Farka Toure, the 26 year old guitar virtuoso and son of the godfather of Mali blues, Ali Farka Toure, easily one of the greatest African musicians who ever lived.

Africa Now caught up with Tinariwen and Vieux Farka Toure for exclusive interviews before their electrifying performances at Lisner Auditorium to talk about the worldwide popularity of Malian Music, the independence struggles of the Touareg peoples of the Sahara, and how a new generation of Malian musicians are building on the towering legacy of their predecessors.

GUESTS:
Abdullah Ag Husseini, vocalist and guitarist of Tinariwen. Tinariwen’s latest record Aman Iman, available on Independiente
Vieux Farka Toure. Vieux’s latest record Vieux Farka Toure is available on Modiba Records.

HOST(S): Akenji Ndumu

SPECIAL THANKS to Sameer Dossani and Francoise Champey for arranging and translating the interviews.

Thanks to Sameer Dossani, line producer of this week’s program, Joia Jefferson Nuri, our senior producer, Warren Turner, our engineer and Ron Pinchback, WPFW General Manager.

Categories: Past Shows
Tagged: , Ali Farka Toure, Mali, Music, Tinariwen, Touareg, Vieux Farka Toure

JULY 15 ‘07 - Darfur Peace Meeting in Tripoli & Firestone Updates

July 15, 2007 · No Comments

The United Nations and the African Union have begun meeting in Tripoli to evaluate the peace process in Darfur, the war-torn Sudanese region burdened by fragmented rebel groups and competing initiatives.

The meeting is aimed at unifying competing peace plans and set the stage for negotiations to end a conflict that has killed an estimated 200 000 people in more than four years.

The meeting is being held amid hopes of a breakthrough to end the conflict after the African Union secured a commitment from a rebel chief to take part in talks to create a “final and lasting peace.”

Joining us to discuss the Sudan meetings in Tripoli and the African America response to the situation in Darfur is Nii Akuetteh, Executive Director of Africa Action.

ALSO

For the first time in its 81 years in Liberia the Firestone Tire company has allowed a Union election. The United Steele Workers of America were among the international observers. Our guest today, Mr. Michael Zielinski was in the delegation.

In a press conference he reminded us of the horrid conditions of the Firestone plantation in Liberia. He said, “Firestone has all the it needs to build high schools, colleges, bigger hospitals, transportation for workers and their children, but has failed, only because they want to have uneducated workforce who will not ask them of their rights.”

Host: Akenji Ndumu

Guests:

Nii Akuetteh, Executive Director of Africa Action

Mike Zelinski, United Steel Workers of America

Emira Woods, Co-Director of Foreign Policy in Focus

Categories: Past Shows

JULY 8 ‘07 - U.S. Social Forum Review

July 8, 2007 · No Comments

The First Ever United States Social Forum took place from June 27 to July 1 in Atlanta, GA. The event, billed as “more than a conference, more than a networking bonanza, more than a reaction to war and repression” was seen as a major step towards building a progressive movement for justice in the United States.

Joining us today is Sameer Dossani, Director of the 50 Years Is Enough Network. Sameer attended the Forum in Atlanta and also served on the National Planning Committee of the USSF, the group that helped put the whole thing together.

Also with us is Rosa Lozano from the FMLN and the DC Committed for immigrant rights.

Categories: Past Shows

JULY 1 ‘07 - The Power of African Music

July 1, 2007 · No Comments

Tonight we have a very special program. Each week we feature powerful interviews with leaders in the struggle to empower the African continent. Tonight we will focus on the powerful music that emanates from the Africa and proves to be the soundtrack for the political and economic movements. We are going to interweave the music with news and an exploration of some of the websites that can inform you about the victories and struggles in Africa.

Host: Akenji Ndumu

Tonight’s Playlist:

Categories: Past Shows

JUNE 25 ‘07 - The U.S. Farm Bill & Justice for African Farmers

June 24, 2007 · No Comments

9 pm EST, WPFW 89.3 FM, Washington DC

This Week on Africa Now! We’ll spend the full hour focused on
Agriculture & Food. The US congress is currently considering the Farm
Bill, which annually directs $16.5 billion in funding to commodity
subsidies to help US agribusiness destroy the livelihood of small
farmers in Africa. Meanwhile, the Gates and Rockefeller Foundations and
others are supporting a new “green revolution” and USAID is spending
millions on food aid–without ever addressing real food security and
support for small farmers. We’ll be joined by policy experts and
activists from the US and Africa to really dig into this discussion on
what would justice on agriculture look like?

Guests:

Mhizha Chifamba, Washington Office on Africa

Elisabeth Pixley Fink, Student Trade Justice Campaign

Categories: Past Shows

JUNE 17 ‘07 - Poet Omekongo Dibinga & U.S. Social Forum Preview

June 17, 2007 · No Comments

Joining us now is Omékongo Dibinga. Born in Boston, Massachusetts to Congolese parents exiled for their role in aiding in the liberation of the Congo, he is the founder & CEO of Free Your Mind Publishing. As a widely published spoken word artist, poet, actor, and activist, Omekongo focuses on bridge-building programs between young Africans throughout the Diaspora.

Guest: Omékongo Dibinga

The United States Social Forum, to be held from June 27 to July 1 in Atlanta, Georgia, will be the largest gathering of progressive activists, cultural workers, intellectual and organizers in the US in decades.

Like the World Social Forum, which took place in Nairobi, Kenya earlier this year, the USSF has been developed as an open platform to vision and articulate alternatives to the present economic and political system, where the interests of corporations are place above those of workers’ and human rights, national and Indigenous sovereignty.

Aimed at consolidating grassroots people’s movements of resistance in the United States, organizers see the USSF as an important opportunity to galvanize our movements and develop some level of convergence. But what does the USSF have to do with Africa?

Guests: Nunu Kidane, Executive Director of the Priority Africa Network

Glory Kilanko, Director of Women Watch Africa;

Sameer Dossani, Director of the 50 Years Is Enough Network.

Host: Akenji Ndumu

Categories: Past Shows

06.10 - Mukoma wa Ngugi, author of Hurling Words at Consciousness

June 10, 2007 · No Comments

This Sunday, June 10th is your last opportunity to support WPFW’s Spring 2007 Pledge Drive; a chance to support the station and the radio show Africa Now!, one of the nation’s premier programs focused solely on the issues of the African continent.
This week join us in a conversation with Kenyan poet, activist and scholar, Mukoma wa Ngugi, author of Hurling Words at Consciousness (Africa World Press, 2006) and Conversing with Africa: Politics of Change (Kimaathi Publishing House, 2003). He is a political columnist for the BBC Focus on Magazine and his essays have appeared in the Mail and Guardian,
Kenya’s Sunday Nation, ZMag and others.

The station monitors your support by the number of pledges received during the pledge drive. Show you support for Africa Now! by pledging during the program on June 10th from 9:00pm-10:00pm by calling 1-800- 222-9739 or 202-588-9739. Listeners can also pledge on line at www.wpfw.org.

(more…)

Categories: Past Shows

06.03 - Abderrahmane Sissako’s new film ‘Bamako’. Support WPFW and get tickets to the premiere!

June 3, 2007 · No Comments

Listen LIVE online [Sunday, June 3rd 2007, 8pm EST]

It’s time again for the WPFW fund drive! And tonight on Africa Now! with your host Akenji Ndumu, we bring you political education and entertainment. Actor and activist Danny Glover’s new production company Louveture Films, a company that partners with progressive filmmakers around the world to produce films of historical relevance and social purpose, will be premiering their latest offering on June 15 in Washington DC. The filmmakers is award winning Mauritanian/Malian film director Abderrahmane Sissako. The film is Bamako.