Black Faces being sponsored to promote Western propaganda in Africa

Pan-African narratives are playing a significant role in fuelling the ongoing renaissance of the African continent and in the struggle against neocolonialism. African nations are revolting against exploitative Western countries like France and strengthening alliances with historical partners such as Russia. In response, the West is attempting to counter these pan-African narratives by recently employing the superficial argument that Russia is “paying African influencers” to portray Russia in a positive light. Ironically, these attempts to undermine the pan-African front of Africa’s ongoing anti-neocolonial struggles represent an old tactic frequently employed by the West: accusing others of engaging in the very actions they themselves are undertaking.

Recognizing that the impact of their manipulative propaganda is diminished when conveyed by ‘white faces,’ they are, as often, nurturing and fronting ‘black faces’ to echo their propaganda disguised as pan Africans. It is evident, from closely observing their propaganda strategies, that the goal of these black faces is to drive a wedge between Africa and its historical allies such as Russia. The West knows that, just as these allies were instrumental in Africa’s triumph during the anti-colonial movements, Africa will once again require their financial and military support for victory and recovery from Western exploitation.

So, rather than introspecting on their exploitative involvement with Africa that has fueled the ongoing resistance, the West is shifting the blame towards Russia. However, recognizing the massive support Russia enjoys and realizing that their anti-Russia propaganda alone cannot diminish this support, they have resorted to the age-old strategy of influencing some Africans to further their agenda.

They identify a young person from an African country, mentor them in a chosen area of public discourse such as (Public Speaking, Journalism, Human rights), manipulate the competitions in that field to promote that young person as exceptional, and then provide them with media coverage and conference attendances to enhance their popularity and credibility. Meanwhile, they take them on foreign trips to Western capitals, secure academic fellowships for them through manipulation in Western institutions, and once they have gained a certain profile, they assign handlers and send them back to Africa armed with ‘talking points,’ in order to counteract ‘natives’ who are daily exposing neocolonial schemes aimed at keeping the continent enslaved.

“You are now a Pan-Africanist!” they tell these young people. Others are baptized, “human rights defenders,” or “activists”, “journalists,” or even, “Political analysts!” From that point onward, those newly baptized as Pan-African, who previously knew nothing about Kwame Nkrumah, edit their Twitter profiles to include “Pan-African” and start tweeting his quotes, all the while echoing anti-Pan African Western talking points. Another who previously identified as a girl or a boy suddenly forgets their gender and becomes a fervent human rights champion, modifying their social media profiles accordingly. Another who didn’t know the location of Russia becomes a self-proclaimed geopolitical analyst, and shamelessly tweets proclaiming that it is the Russians, not the French who are looting Uranium and Gold from Niger, and other African countries.

Do these young people know that they have been recruited to betray their people and their continent? Initially, they are too young and inexperienced to know it. However, eventually, they come to realize it. The problem is that by then, they would have become too accustomed to the perks of visas, per diems, and the allure of exposure and trips to Nuremberg, Washington, Paris, and beyond, making it difficult for them to backtrack and relinquish these luxuries.

As a result, these young Africans become hostages of the West, manipulated to execute the West’s directives, rationalize the West’s aggression, and, most importantly, echo the West’s propaganda talking points. This follows the West’s longstanding script of conquest and dominance, of nurturing local allies and collaborators to do their bidding. They did so during Africa’s struggles against slavery, and during Africa’s struggles against colonization, and are doing the same today in Africa’s struggle against neocolonialism.

“West Good, East Bad”

Today, you will frequently encounter this propagandistic narrative from these donor-influenced young Africans, either directly or indirectly, wherein the West is portrayed as good and the East as bad. This perspective involves presenting colonial powers like the US, Britain, France, and Germany – who historically enslaved us and continue to exploit our resources – as beneficial for Africa, while characterizing those who did not colonize us, and indeed supported and armed the anti-colonial struggles of African nations, as harmful to the continent. They praise Western countries responsible for the killing of pan Africanists such as Kwame Nkrumah, Thomas Sankara, and Patrice Lumumba, and vilify Countries that defended them.

It is irrational, but what can one expect from a certain Namatai Kwekweza in Zimbabwe who is sponsored for weekly trips to Nuremberg and Paris? How will she sustain her newfound glamour if she renegades? Who will buy her the Paris perfumes, German lip gloss, or even the London-styled eyebrows, and bleaching powder for emulating the looks of her American idol, Cardi B?

With such glamor at stake, echoing and parroting Western propaganda talking points becomes a small price to pay, especially when you are young and have grown up watching soap operas while fantasizing about a white man as a husband.

But what exactly are the propaganda narratives they are given to regurgitate?

Neither East nor West!

Recently, the growing awareness throughout Africa of the extensive exploitation of the continent by Western countries, such as France, has made depicting Western nations as benevolent an arduous and nearly impossible task for these donor-funded Africans. For example, how do you convince Nigeriens that France, which is plundering their uranium to light Paris while Niamey remains in darkness, is ‘good’? And that Russia, which is backing their struggle against neocolonialism today, just as it did during the anti-colonial movement, is ‘bad’?

As expected, the handlers of these donor-sponsored Africans have adapted the narrative they are feeding their young parrots, disturbingly by quoting famous Pan-African phrases but decontextualizing them. One prominent example is the declaration that Africa should neither look to the West nor the East. Along this refrain, an attempt is made to draw equivalence of evils between friendly countries from the East, including Russia, with hostile countries from the West such as France.

Generally, these donor-baptized Pan-Africans are instructed to reject the idea of African relations with its historical allies, such as Russia. This is how a certain Namatai Kwekweza from Zimbabwe, after visiting Nuremberg, and perhaps being promised a “white husband” returns as an analyst, in whose widom, France is ‘good’ and Russia ‘bad’ for Africa!

In an attempt to illustrate their folly, they quote or paraphrase Nelson Mandela’s or Kwame Nkrumah’s words to misleadingly suggest that these great African sons were opposed to such alliances. They overlook the fact that it was Mandela himself who maintained close ties with Fidel Castro of Cuba and Arafat of Palestine. Furthermore, their ignorance of history becomes evident as they fail to recognize that Mandela, when questioned about his stance on the countries they are vilifying, essentially set the gold standard for Africa’s alliances, stating:

“Our attitude towards any country is determined by the attitude of that country to our struggle.”

Nelson Mandela

The Correct Line

What is France’s stance toward Niger, for instance? President Macron recently implied that Niger is French “property”, and has indeed refused to withdraw the French military stationed in Niger, despite demands from the current government. Conversely, Russia holds a contrasting viewpoint and has consistently affirmed that the people of Niger possess an inherent right to self-determination. As a consequence of such an attitude, Russian flags are waving alongside Nigeriens flags while French flags are being burned!

Realizing perhaps that the revolt against France is far too strong to be reversed by presenting France as ‘good’, and Russia as ‘bad’, the West has fed the Namatai’s and their ilk, with garbage talking points, particularly aiming to establish equivalence by decontextualizing the pan-African refrain: Neither East nor West” to depict no difference between France and Russia. How foolish! Positive attitudes by Africans towards Russia are not contrary to Pan-African ideals; rather, they build on them in practice. It’s not a matter of East versus West, or of none, but rather about foreign nations’ attitudes towards Africa. This is the correct line, the basis on which Africans mold attitudes towards foreigners, whether they originate from the East or the West!