The U.S. federal government has reopened the murder case of 14-year-old Emmett Till who was brutally murdered in 1955 by two white men after he was accused of wolf-whistling at Carolyn Bryant Donham who was then married to one of Till’s killers.
Till, who was from Chicago and was visiting his family in Money, Mississippi could finally get justice following the receipt of “new information”, the U.S. Justice Department told Congress in a report in March.
The new information is unknown but it follows the publication of a book by historian Timothy B. Tyson, who quotes a white woman, Carolyn Donham, as acknowledging during a 2008 interview that she wasn’t truthful when she testified that Till grabbed her, whistled and made sexual advances at a store in 1955.
The case, which helped inspire the civil rights movement, was reopened after it was closed in 2007 when the authorities said the suspects were dead and a state grand jury didn’t file any new charges.
Till’s killers, Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam, abducted him from his home and was beaten and shot, and his mutilated body was found weighted down with a cotton gin fan in the Tallahatchie River.
This was after then 21 years old Carolyn Bryant claimed that the boy had touched her inappropriately. She testified in 1955 as a prospective defence witness that a “nigger man” she didn’t know took her by the arm.
According to a trial transcript released by the FBI a decade ago, she was asked to describe what the boy told her.
“He said, ‘How about a date, baby?’” she testified. Bryant said she pulled away, and moments later the young man “caught me at the cash register,” grasping her around the waist with both hands and pulling her toward him.
“He said, ‘What’s the matter baby, can’t you take it?’” she testified. Bryant also said he told her “you don’t need to be afraid of me,” claiming that he used an obscenity and mentioned something he had done “with white women before.”
The two white men, who are both dead, were charged with murder but acquitted in just an hour by an all-white Mississippi jury. The two suspects went on to publicly confess to the murder of the young boy in an interview with Look magazine a year after they were exonerated but weren’t retried.
This prompted the pressure from the Till family to open the case in 2004 to charge Carolyn Bryant Donham for aiding and abetting murder and accessory. Donham, who turns 84 this month, lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Emmett Till’s murder was a shock to the world especially after his mother decided to leave the casket open at her son’s funeral for the world to see her son’s body, which was hardly recognizable.
“It is the most infamous civil rights case in the history of this country”: Emmett Till’s murder reopened 63 years after the teenager was killed, due to new information https://t.co/KJRIQKFdMEpic.twitter.com/qjxA7AznqZ
Saharawi Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Salek at AU Summit
Africa has 54 countries but the African Union has 55-member states from the continent. The mysterious state is the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) which is represented by a Sahrawi nationalist movement, the Polisario Front.
However, Western Sahara – 80% of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic – is under the control of Morocco, which has refused to surrender the territory after Spain relinquished its colonial administrative control in 1975.
Western Sahara is bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.
Morocco considers the disputed thin strip of desert flatlands with an estimated population of just over 500,000 as its Southern Provinces and buffer zone with waning support from the United States and France.
Spain left the territory to Morocco and Mauritania after UN resolutions seeking its decolonization. Morocco clinched on to Western Sahara’s control and Mauritania withdrew its interest in 1979 following a four-year guerrilla warfare with the Polisario Front supported by Algeria.
The SADR government, which considers Western Sahara as an occupied territory, is recognized by 40 United Nation states and the African Union. The UN has listed Western Sahara as among the Non-Self-Governing Territories since 1963 following a Moroccan demand after claiming the territory in 1957.
The United Nations has always considered the Polisario Front to be the legitimate representative of Western Sahara and its people while maintaining that they have the right to self-determination.
Since 1991 after a UN-backed ceasefire overseen by the peacekeeping mission MINURSO under the terms of a UN Settlement Plan and referendum originally scheduled for 1992, the fate of Western Sahara has never been decided.
Morocco has stalled the referendum that will give the local population the option to choose between independence or integration with Morocco. They raised issues including qualification to be registered to participate in the referendum since the ethnically Sahrawis are scattered in other countries around Western Sahara.
Also, Morocco has on multiple occasions rejected voter lists presented by the UN based on the Spanish census of 1974. It insisted that each application be scrutinized individually and complained of infiltration despite the list bearing names of Sahrawis in Morocco, Mauritania and Algeria.
The SADR government is currently based in the Sahrawi refugee camps located in the Tindouf Province of western Algeria where it is in exile. It is headquartered in Camp Rabouni, south of Tindouf.
The Moroccan annexation has divided international states into two and the Moroccan government has in the past cut diplomatic ties with countries and organisations that supported the autonomy of Western Sahara.
Morocco had pulled out of the African Union since 1984 under King Hassan II due to the continental body’s support of the independence of Western Sahara. It rejoined in 2017 after King Mohamed VI’s renewed plan to offer autonomy to Western Sahara while keeping it under Moroccan sovereignty instead of independence.
(170131) — ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 31, 2017 (Xinhua) — King Mohammed VI (C) of Morocco addresses the closing ceremony of the 28th African Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, on Jan. 31, 2017. After leaving the pan African organization three decades ago, Morocco rejoined the African Union (AU) on Tuesday during the summit. (Xinhua/Li Baishun)
The occupation has resulted in the displacement of tens of thousands of Sahrawi civilians from the country as Morocco wants to continue reaping from its resources which include valuable phosphates, oil, and fish stocks.
The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic has its government, constitution, culture, military, currency, legislature, capital, national holidays and a people that need their nation back. As Morocco continues to stall the referendum, Sahrawis continue to live in exile awaiting their dream.
This article written by Ismail Akwei was first published on face2faceafrica.com
Kenyan women drivers displayed to the public before the launch of the SGR trains in 2017
It was all pomp and pageantry in May 2017 when Kenya’s president Uhuru Kenyatta flagged off the Madaraka Express to launch the $3.8 billion China-funded Standard Gauge Railway that will shuttle 4000 tonnes of cargo and 1590 passengers between the coastal city of Mombasa to the capital Nairobi.
Little did the president and the country know that they were celebrating the sale of their liberty and dignity to the Chinese consortium China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), which is managing the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) for ten years.
It was all a sham when an eight-woman team was introduced to the public out of the 65 Kenyan and Chinese drivers as those who will take control of the locomotives. They were seen only once in their uniforms in the driver’s seat ahead of the launch and never again.
Thanks to an exposé by The Standard newspaper, the China-trained Kenyan drivers and general Kenyan employees were seen once again at the rear of the trains and at the rear of every department far from their Chinese counterparts.
Kenyans could not sit on the same tables with the Chinese at the staff restaurants, Kenyans could not join staff drop off vans if there is even only one Chinese on board and the Chinese are allowed to smoke and use mobile phones at work but Kenyans will be fired for the same act. These are some of the cases of discrimination some of the Kenyan staff told the newspaper.
“Racism is so real here. There is an unwritten rule of where you need to sit. You cannot just join the Chinese table… You cannot board a van that drops us in the evening even if there’s only one Chinese on board. You will have to wait,” an assistant locomotive driver said.
“They are chain smokers and they do it inside the driver’s cab. We do not have washrooms in the driver’s cab, so some relieve themselves on the track lines,” he added.
In addition, all instructions are in Chinese and Kenyan professionals are forced to clean and collect garbage at the end of the trips among many other embarrassing situations expressed by some of the staff.
“We just sit at the back and watch. There is no actual transfer of skills that is happening here … We cannot even do troubleshooting since everything is in Chinese. The way we see it, the reason they are not open to transferring skills is that they want to remain relevant for a long time,” said an assistant locomotive driver who has been working with the company for over a year.
“We raised these concerns with Mr Maina (Atanas Maina, the Kenya Railways boss), he asked us to be grateful we have a job. At some point he asked us why we left jobs elsewhere to come and work here only to complain,” another locomotive driver explained.
Whoever lied to you that the #SGR created job opportunities for Kenyans Lied to you. No single Kenyan is working in the control room, they are all Chinese where majority of them can't speak English. Some of the writings are in Chinese. @Maskani254@WanjikuRevoltpic.twitter.com/TbZTcSjV0e
Efforts by The Standard to get the management of the company to respond to the allegations, including salary discrepancies and the replacement of Kenyan professionals with Chinese when it’s supposed to be the other way around, proved futile.
“We are still referred to as trainees despite more than one year working in the field. The Chinese whom we work with in the same capacity only need two weeks of the same training and they are graduated to expert level,” a Kenyan staff member said.
“At least four of my colleagues in my department have lost their jobs because of not meeting the Chinese standards. But instead of replacing them with locals as expected, their jobs were taken up by the Chinese,” he added.
Some of the Chinese standards are understanding the Chinese language as notices are written in Mandarin and gadgets are programmed in Chinese. This has left some departments without Kenyans.
“We are being forced to learn the language for fear of being regarded as incompetent. The Chinese who work in the monitoring centre or the watch room where we report faulty vehicles know zero English yet they are key to our work. Worst, No Kenyan is being trained in this section so far,” another Kenyan explained.
After the publication of the expose on Sunday, Kenya’s railway authority said in a statement on Monday that it was carrying out investigations into the allegation of racist discrimination and mistreatment of Kenyans in the company.
Signed by the director of Kenya Railways, Atanas Maina, who himself has been cited in the expose, the statement said the Chinese company has been given up to 72 hours to “submit a report for critical review against what is in the public domain … to independently establish the authenticity of these allegations to inform further actions.”
Before the investigation is even complete, the Kenyan government has denied the claims of racial discrimination and described it as unfounded and ill-intended. The Government Spokesperson Eric Kiraithe said on Wednesday that no formal complaint had been lodged on the matter and unnamed persons who ganged up with “unfriendly forces” will be dismissed, reports local media Capital FM.
He added that more Kenyans will be absorbed into managerial positions by 2020 if the first phase of the project is still on course. This reaction came a day after a non-disclosure agreement form was allegedly given to the Kenyan employees to sign and cease from sharing inside information including pictures to the public.
The government’s reaction is a clear disregard for the well-being of its citizens, disrespect of the role of the media and the rule of law. It is enough that Africans are racially attacked and ridiculed in China and other Asian countries, but very painful for it to happen in African countries and the leaders side with the abusers because of agreements to build infrastructure.
The Arabs are doing it and it is being condemned. Now, our allies, the Chinese, who have pledged to help Africa develop its infrastructure, are showing us their true colours at construction sites and companies in the continent.
We are already dealing with abandoned children fathered by Chinese workers who leave African countries. Now we are being compelled to accept discriminatory acts against Africans as the Kenyan government is implying. At least, they could have completed the investigations before expressing cowardice under false pretences and insulting the media’s integrity.
If you refuse to believe in the pictorial evidence shared by The Standard newspaper, then the fact that there isn’t any Kenyan driving the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) trains since it started operating last year means racist discrimination in the company is real. We all saw the Kenyan women drivers introduced. Are they so incompetent that they can’t drive the trains anymore?
The Kenyan authorities are indeed a disappointment to its people, the African race, rule of law and democracy.
This is how Kenyans feel about the racist discrimination in the rail sector:
Wow! The SGR is just like during slavery in the USA when Africans worked on the construction sites doing all the drudgery jobs while Caucasians walked around and watched over them with firepower. Patriots must liberate Kenya from the despots.
I visited a terminus under construction last year, couldn't believe it was illegal for locals to ride any bike or scooter but only chinese…all boldly printed and posted with stern warning to would be deviants
I have said this several times SGR is just the beginning of Chinese taking over Kenya soon there will be nothing for Kenyans we will be slaves in our own land everything will be going to China and mistreatment will be the norm and normalised. Unless we stand up united and fight.
True Kenyans are blinded by tribalism that even when you tell them facts and issues that will affect their life they can't listen they claim victimisation or pursecution of their own. Kenyans need to be united and fight one frontier.
They should remove Uhuru's picture and put Xi Jinping's instead. It's more fitting.
— K- The Flower of Gaoling (@Kat_Liet) July 11, 2018
Haha and how long will this continue.. Thought we gained independence In 1963🤔
— Annastacia Kuria (@Kuriaannastaci1) July 9, 2018
It is a huge shame to be colonized twice. This must be stopped at all costs. They are even discriminating against our own people and the government is doing nothing about it. What a pity?
sometimes we must be serious..we cannot borrow loans for better living standards of our people..but we end up importing expartriates from other countries
China is taking over Kenya…even at local level..here at the coast we even have fish from China competing with the local…in fact the gambling games found in the magongo changamwe area are spoiling youths…somebody do something in removing these gambling machines.. Plz plz plz
Since when does the slave tell his master who to hire – its their money, technology and equipment – now you want jobs? I sure hope the toilet cleaners are Kenyan… at least we can do that ama?
It is a high time we learn and speak Chinese same way we speak French including other languages. All is not lost. We can beat them in their game. Mashida ni mzuri…
The world’s most popular entertainers are converging in South Africa on December 2, 2018, to celebrate one African man who has led his country to freedom after spending 27 years in prison – Nelson Mandela.
It has been confirmed by the Global Citizen’s Mandela 100 campaign that Oprah Winfrey, Naomi Campbell, Gayle King, Bob Geldof, Tyler Perry and Forest Whitaker will host the Global Citizen Festival at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.
The free and ticketless event is part of the series of global events to celebrate the life of Nelson Mandela as the world celebrates his centenary year.
There is also a star-studded line-up of stars from Europe and the United States who will perform at the event including Beyoncé‚ Jay-Z‚ Ed Sheeran‚ Usher‚ Chris Martin‚ Pharrell Williams‚ Sir Bob Geldof, Eddie Vedder.
The African celebrities to grace the event include Cassper Nyovest, D’banj, Ed Sheeran, Femi Kuti, Sho Madjozi, Tiwa Savage, and Wizkid.
All the stars will campaign to end extreme poverty in honour of Madiba and his legacy. The campaign seeks to mobilise USD $1 billion in new commitments for the world’s poorest, with USD $500 million set to impact the lives of 20 million women and girls worldwide, says Global Citizen.
“These investments will be aimed at ending hunger and increasing access to good nutrition, ending neglected tropical diseases, reducing HIV/AIDS transmission rates, ensuring every child receives a quality education, leveling the law by reforming and repealing sexist laws, providing funding for women’s health and family planning, and ensuring access to clean water and safe sanitation worldwide,” it adds.
Other world leaders including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway and Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana are expected to attend the event.
This article written by Ismail Akwei was first published on face2faceafrica.com
Rwandan president Paul Kagame and South African president Cyril Ramaphosa
South Africa and Rwanda have had strained diplomatic relations since 2014 after failed attempts to assassinate a former Rwandan army chief, General Faustin Nyamwasa Kayumba, who is in exile in South Africa.
General Kayumba is a former ally of Rwandan president Paul Kagame and they fell out in 2010 when he was accused of attempting to overthrow the Rwandan government. The military leader fled to South Africa where he survived a shooting outside his home in Johannesburg the same year.
He was tried in absentia by a military court in Kigali and sentenced to 24 years in prison. General Kayumba later survived two more assassination attempts on his life and the third, which happened in 2014, resulted in a swift diplomatic action by South Africa.
The government, under Jacob Zuma’s leadership, expelled three diplomats from the Rwandan embassy in Pretoria and one from the Burundian embassy suspected of complicity in the assassination attempts on Kayumba.
Rwanda also retaliated by expelling six South African diplomats sparking the over three-year diplomatic row which was softened in March 2018 when South African president Cyril Ramaphosa met Paul Kagame in Kigali during the African Union summit.
The two leaders agreed to normalize relations and tasked their foreign ministers to start the process. However, this process was thwarted after South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, was insulted by the Rwandan government officials.
Rwandan deputy foreign minister Olivier Nduhungirehe tweeted several posts about the minister which were deemed offensive. And the straw that broke the camel’s back was a story reportedly published by a Rwandan military intelligence website that called Sisulu a prostitute. The story was later deleted.
The insults from the Rwandan government officials are reported to be in reaction to a press conference held by Sisulu last month in which she said she had met General Kayumba and that he was ready to negotiate with the Rwandan government, reports Daily Maverick.
According to local media, South Africa’s High Commissioner to Rwanda, George Twala, was instructed to protest to the Rwandan government about the insults and Rwanda’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Vincent Karega, was summoned to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation headquarters in Pretoria to explain the insults.
Sisulu’s spokesperson Ndibhuwo Mabaya confirmed to the Daily Maverick that the normalization of relations has not been suspended as speculated by some government sources.
“The Minister has started the process to normalise and to consult all stakeholders in Government to make sure we are able to finalise this, and the insults and social media posts do not assist.
“When the High Commissioner Twala met with authorities in Kigali, we were promised that the insults will stop and the Deputy Minister will be talked to. We are unable to work and focus whilst being insulted,” Mabaya was quoted by the Daily Maverick.
Other Rwandan officials tweeted their displeasure of introducing negotiation with General Kayumba to the table.
“There have been no discussions so far apart from the meeting of two Heads of State. My counterpart and I were tasked to discuss ways of restoring our relations. This has nothing to do with suspected criminals,” says a tweet quoting the Rwandan foreign minister, Richard Sezibera.
Rwanda wants South Africa to extradite General Kayumba to serve his prison sentence. Meanwhile, Kayumba is actively campaigning against the Rwandan government with the opposition party, Rwanda National Congress, which operates outside Rwanda.
The two countries are yet to officially comment on the fate of the normalization of relations and the insults against the South African International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu.
This article written by Ismail Akwei was first published on face2faceafrica.com
Ismail Akwei 