What do Africans see?
Sometimes I am very shocked when I read comments by Africans on some social media posts. The level of ignorance, toxicity and unpatriotic mindsets some Africans dish out will make you want to shut down your social media profiles, pack your bags and just go live on some mountain. But sometimes, you also get to read some amazing stuff that some Africans are doing for their communities or the conversations they are engaging in.
A while back, a firestorm of criticism erupted across Africa following remarks by U.S. General Michael Langley, head of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), accusing Burkina Faso’s President, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, of misusing the country’s gold reserves for personal protection rather than national benefit.
The comments were made during a recent U.S. Senate hearing, where General Langley alleged that Traoré had diverted vital national resources for his own security interests. The statement, swiftly picked up by African media and social platforms, drew sharp backlash from citizens, activists, and commentators across the continent.
Many Africans took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice their outrage, accusing the U.S. of meddling in the sovereign affairs of African nations and displaying double standards in its foreign policy.
This news report titled: US General Wild Accusations Against Captain Ibrahim Traoré Spark Outrage Across Africa was published on April 22, 2025, by The Zimbabwe Mail.
The accusation definitely created a massive response and stirred an outpouring of outrage from Africans all over the world. There were even “Hands off AES!” protests, which saw thousands across Africa rally in solidarity with Burkina Faso and Captain Ibrahim Traoré, denouncing foreign interference and imperialist destabilization.
It’s beautiful to know that more Africans have begun to see how Western imperialism works and how they use their propaganda machine to destabilize nations where their interests are no longer being supported. I have said before that, to the West, a dictator is any leader who does not follow the dictates of the West, while a terrorist is anyone who goes against the interests of the West. This is a typical example of the jungle theory of the survival of the fittest.
And what this means is that, the issue that the US has with Ibrahim Traoré is not that he is using the country’s wealth to protect himself like the US claimed, but that Traoré has been very decisive about pushing out America’s influence in his country, enforcing rapid development in the country, kicking out the French military base in the country, and also because they have not been able to take him out after more than twenty assassination attempts. Imagine more than twenty assassination attempts on just one person and in less than two years of being in power. This alone should make a right-thinking African sit down and evaluate how things have been in Africa and then truly grasp how the fingers that meddle in Africa’s affairs work.
I must also say that while there are many Africans who came out to protest these attacks on President Ibrahim Traoré, there are those who came out to protest against Ibrahim Traore, calling him a dictator. Do you know where this protest took place? In France, by some people who claim to be Africans. But their dark skin does not make them Africans if they cannot open their eyes to see how imperialism has worked in Africa over the years, undermining and keeping Africa in a poverty loop for centuries. They cannot see how the propaganda that killed Patrice Lumumba of Congo, Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso, Muammar Gaddafi of Libya and the host of others who have been killed by the West and their imperial agendas started with such seemingly “harmless” accusations from the West.
Just to inspire some thought, let me throw this out in the open: do you know how much one American Airforce One plane costs or how much it costs for the US president to travel in Airforce One or how much it costs the American tax payer for the security of the American president daily? Let me give you a quick note that I found online.
The Daily Cost of Security for the American President
Protecting the President of the United States is an enormous and costly undertaking—one that involves a complex web of logistics, personnel, and technology operating around the clock. Managed primarily by the U.S. Secret Service, presidential security is designed to ensure the Commander-in-Chief is shielded from any and all threats, whether at the White House, traveling domestically, or visiting foreign nations.
While the exact daily cost varies depending on the President’s schedule, travel plans, and security climate, estimates place the daily cost of presidential security between $1 million and $5 million. This includes personnel salaries, logistics, armored vehicles, counter-surveillance operations, air transportation, and emergency readiness resources.
A major expense in this security apparatus is Air Force One, the iconic aircraft that transports the President. Operating this modified Boeing 747 isn’t cheap—it costs approximately $200,000 to $240,000 per hour to fly. This cost includes fuel, maintenance, onboard security, communications systems, and staffing. A single multi-hour flight for a domestic or international trip can easily run into the millions of dollars. Not to mention the fact that there is currently a plan to get two new Airforce One aircrafts. According to a report on TWZ.com, “The total VC-25B acquisition cost, as documented in the Acquisition Program Baseline, is $5.3B and encompasses all costs associated with fielding the system. The total acquisition cost includes the $3.90B fixed-price contract with Boeing to deliver two presidential, mission-ready aircraft,” she added. “The additional costs beyond the $3.90B are for standard work outside of the Boeing contract scope for two aircraft. These include Government testing, initial spares, support equipment, product support, training, and military facilities construction.”
Additionally, presidential motorcades, which can involve dozens of vehicles and security agents, require advance teams, route lockdowns, and coordination with local law enforcement. Hotel accommodations for staff, secure communications, and portable medical support also add significantly to the bill.
Despite the high price tag, this level of security is considered essential. The role of the President makes him a constant target, and the cost reflects the extreme measures required to ensure national stability and the safety of its highest office.”
All of the above expensive provisions are directly connected to the SECURITY of the president of the United States, his family, staff and all others that work with him.
Talk about the kettle calling the pot black.
Why are they so concerned about Traoré’s security, while it makes sense to them for US presidents to be some of the most protected persons on earth? So, security is a serious thing for the United States’ president, but it’s not for an African president. Such hypocrisy is shameful, and General Langley should hide his head in shame in the very soil where his African ancestors were humiliated and killed. It’s a coward who points at his father’s house with his left finger.
Africans must wake up from the slumber of many centuries, see clearly how the continent is being played by those who think this is still the days of slavery or colonization. But the power to see clearly lies in the ability to come out of the crowd and the noise, remove the veil from one’s eyes, focus on what matters, intentionally take time to see the details in things, and then train your mind not to see things in the way you wish them to be but how they really are. By this simple method, you will strip mysterious things off their mysteries and be able to judge accurately.
The question still remains, what do Africans see in all that is going on in the continent and globally? The answer will tell you if we are going in the right direction or not.
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