Earlier this summer, we were both at the Harbourfront Centre, on Toronto’s waterfront, watching performers do magic tricks for children and families. One of the performers was dressed as a pirate straight out of Walt Disney films, such as Hook[1] and Pirates of the Caribbean. He had a parrot on his shoulder, long leather boots, and a skull and crossbones hat. While he was introducing himself, he made a point to say he was a good pirate “unlike those nasty pirates out of Somalia.” This performer juxtaposed his pirate character against Somali pirates by creating a good/bad dichotomy. His pirate character represented the mischievous but good-hearted pirate constructed in Disney films. The Somali pirate, on the other hand, represented a threat to the safety of all people.

The revolutionary movement in the Congo is inseparable from an African revolution, which in turn is inseparable from the real global abolition of all class divisions, which are the fundamental divisions of a society that has now spread all over the earth, and from which come all the oppositions between nations and races. Thus, the Congolese movement must be firmly internationalist, and the complete enemy of all exploitation. It must recognize its friends and enemies everywhere in the world upon this sole real criteria, and combat all illusions.

The insurrection in Algeria, beginning in April 2001 and continuing on for several years thereafter, was one of the most significant, but least known, revolts of the past decade. It was centered in, but not limited to, the predominantly Berber region of Kabylia in northeastern Algeria. The uprising was sparked by the murder of a young man being held in police custody, on April 18, 2001.

Militants in the oil-rich Niger Delta said they launched a boat-born assault on an oil pipeline Saturday, breaking a tenuous cease-fire with the government to raise concerns about the nation's ailing and absent president.

Guinea's trade unions are calling for a two day nationwide strike beginning Monday to mourn the killing of unarmed opposition protesters.

The refusnics in Capetown - "There is a price for the occupation!!!!"
Quotations from speeches of the three Israeli refusnics who arrived last week in South Africa for a campaign against Israel and its army. On Tuesday they held a special meeting of a few hundred students (including local Jews) in Cape Town university (UCT). In their speech - which included a harsh attack on Israel - they called on South African students to join the struggle against the occupation and to help the boycott of Israel in the world. The three, Yuval O. (20), Omer G. (20) and Sahar V. (19), summarized the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 1948, pointing out parallels between the decisions of Israeli governments and those of the South African racial apartheid ones.

As stated in our last statement, that because of the international campaigns meant to highlight the struggles of the poor and oppressed masses of our country, the international community is positively responding. As PUDEMO, we wish to welcome the decision by COSATU [Congress of South African Trade Unions] to send a strong delegation into Swaziland on 16 September.

Nearly 700 soldiers from the South African defence force have been sent letters of dismissal following last week's strike action.

Nigeria's largest militant group has said it is to end its ceasefire and resume attacks against Africa's biggest oil and gas industry. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) said the move to end the truce on on September 15 was in response to the government's 60-day amnesty programme. The government has invited fighter groups to hand in their weapons in return for cash, jobs and pardons under the scheme.

In South Africa the state is being confronted by an eruption of self organised popular protest on a scale not seen since the 1980s. This article, from the mainstream press there, gives a much better overview than the articles in the British press that miss the politics of the rebellion.