Page 31 - Demo

LeadershipISSUE 39 | JULY 2025 31What will happen to all those millions of Africans who have anchored their entire lives on a system that is neither built by their homegrown businesses, nor their governments, nor even controlled by them? Are you telling me that the Africa of 1.6 billion people, that is, if you include Africans across the globe, cannot come together to build social media platforms for their people?The point remains that, if you don%u2019t own the narrative or the system that powers your country, then it%u2019s not your country. It belongs to the one who built and owns the systemic infrastructure that powers your nation, and they can turn it off when you decide not to agree to what they want. It%u2019s not rocket science. The other day, I listened to PM Netanyahu of Israel saying that the Israeli military has systems that can hack into any system in the world. I will assume he means every system of the world, irrespective of whether they are the so-called developed or the so-called underdeveloped. What does that tell you? If you don%u2019t build it, you don%u2019t control it. And if you don%u2019t control it, just like the experience of the guy whose post I shared at the beginning of this article, your entire system can be shut down, and you won%u2019t even receive any apologies for it.What happened to African Stream?Just the other day, our friend, Tet Kofi in the UK, tagged our Facebook page on a post. The post was made by the CEO of Africa Stream, it says: %u201cThis is, sadly, a farewell to you, our loyal followers and supporters. Under relentless attack, we%u2019ve made the painful decision to shut down African Stream%u2014a platform that many of you%u2019ve come to trust and love. This decision was not made lightly.The smear by then%u2013US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on September 13, 2024, labelling African Stream %u201cKremlin propagandists%u201d%u2014triggered a wave of censorship. Within days, YouTube, Meta, Google, and TikTok removed our accounts, and we were demonetised on X. These actions shattered our ability to survive financially. Personal accounts were restricted. What followed was a daily uphill battle. Now, we%u2019re left with only one path: closure.%u201d%u201cRefusing to play by their rules led to NBC saying we spread %u2018disinformation%u2019 without providing a single example of what %u2018disinformation%u2019 we shared. Voice of America condemned us for reporting a fact: since the George W. Bush administration, every US president has authorised drone strikes on Somalia. As we responded to every smear piece, we just grew bigger and stronger until, finally, those in positions of power realised the smears weren%u2019t working, and the rest is history. We will cease posting as of July 1, 2025, except for a few remaining documentaries from Liberia and Mali.%u201dThe above is what happens when Africa does not own platforms where Africans can be free to be Africans.