AMERICA (SOUNDS LIKE AFRICA MAY BE TOO) FAILED US: it's called strategy
Imagine someone poisons your water, then offers you a bottled drink and says, ‘You’re welcome.’ That’s Putin’s Africa strategy.
Vladimir Putin didn’t "save" Ibrahim Traoré out of the kindness of his cold, cruel, authoritarian heart. Think geopolitical chess. Putin’s been playing since before most of us knew what a pawn was.
🧠 DICTATOR’S PLAYBOOK: STRATEGY OVER SYMPATHY
Putin rose to power not by democratic means but by exploiting Russia’s fledgling democracy, systematically dismantling it piece by piece. He silenced media, banned opposition candidates, and rigged elections - most notably in 2011, when widespread fraud exposed by election watchdog Golos triggered mass protests. The Kremlin’s fear was evident again in 2024 when moderate presidential hopeful Boris Nadezhdin was barred from running due to his anti-war stance, after which he faced government reprisals.
His regime is notorious for eliminating dissenters - through poisonings, mysterious plane crashes, imprisonments, et cetera. The recent sentencing of Grigory Melkonyants, co-chair of Golos, to five years in prison for defending electoral integrity, underscores the lengths Putin will go to suppress opposition.
⚰️ BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS: WHEN BLACK BODIES PAY THE PRICE
Dictators don’t save - they calculate losses. Here’s a Bitter Pill:
• Libya, 2011 - After NATO intervention and Gaddafi’s fall, Black African migrants were scapegoated, lynched, and tortured by rebel forces. No safety, no justice.
• Sudan, 2023 - Russian Wagner mercenaries backed RSF forces while ethnic cleansing targeted Black Africans in Darfur. Putin’s fingerprints. All over it. While this would benefit from additional sourcing, the overall assertions align with established facts.
• Central African Republic - Wagner presence escalated violence, torture, and extrajudicial killings of Black civilians. Putin wasn’t rescuing anyone - he was fueling death for diamonds and influence.
🌍 PUTIN’S AFRICA STRATEGY: FOE (NOT FRIEND)
Russia’s engagement with African nations is less about partnership and more about exploitation. While Putin positions himself as an ally, his actions suggest otherwise. The Kremlin’s propaganda machine, led by figures like Vladimir Solovyov, has even targeted children with shows like “Sandpit,” aiming to instill pro-Russian sentiments from a young age. They've targeted children with militarized messaging, aligning with broader efforts to manipulate historical narratives and suppress dissent. As seen in the arrest of teenagers protesting the war.
🔍 MORE PUTIN AFRICAN EXPLOITS AS STRATEGY
Business, Not Benevolence:
Resource Extraction - Russia’s involvement in gold mines in Sudan and Mali, with Wagner taking a cut in exchange for propping up regimes
Weapon Sales & Military Deals - Russia is now the #1 arms exporter to sub-Saharan Africa. That’s not solidarity... that’s supply for suppression
Debt Diplomacy - Russia forgives some debts, but it’s in exchange for loyalty, votes at the UN, or military base rights
These show a pattern - Putin doesn’t give without calculated gain.
watch our video AMERICA (SOUNDS LIKE AFRICA MAY BE TOO) FAILED US - it's called strategy
🤝 TRUMP & PUTIN: BIRDS OF PREY FLOCK TOGETHER
Criminal Forever Felon Fascist 45’s admiration for authoritarian figures is well-documented. Its infamous “shithole countries” comment, referring to African nations, Haiti, and El Salvador still comes to mind. Illegitimate 47 administration immigration policies welcome White South Africans while denying refugee status to Black and Brown folk fleeing ACTUAL conflict and persecution.
This is selective empathy at best. Underscores broader patterns of racial bias. Yet again re-affirms their preference for policies that align with White nationalist sentiments, goals, and intent.
🧠 DON’T THINK, JUST FOLLOW: HOW IGNORANCE GOES VIRAL
When you stop thinking for yourself, dictators don’t need to censor you - you do it for them.
TikTok, as an apt example, takes over truth - soundbites and edited clips become gospel. Few check context. Many repost as muscle memory. While pro democracy / anti 45 voices are often censored.
Viral savior syndrome - one act (or illusion of one) and boom shaka-laka ... mass amnesia. Forget the poisonings. Forget the war crimes. Forget you're helping them help us kill ourselves.
Echo chambers - folks surround themselves with yes-ma'am content. If it feels good, it must be true, correct? Wrong.
🎭 DECEPTION AS STRATEGY: FROM SUN TZU TO PUTIN
“All warfare is based on deception,” wrote Tzu in The Art of War. Putin, a former KGB officer, embodies this principle. His actions often involve creating or exacerbating crises only to position himself as the solution. He creates chaos, fans it into crisis, then strides in like a hero.
It’s not salvation - it’s setup. It’s plausible any threat to Traoré’ was orchestrated or manipulated to cast Putin in a favorable role - expanding his influence in Africa.
listen to our song It's Called Strategy
🧨 DISINFORMATION IS STRATEGY - ESPECIALLY FOR BLACK FOLK
Russia and Trump both specialize in weaponizing ignorance. And guess who’s been targeted most? Black communities.
Putin ran digital psy-ops designed to confuse, divide, and suppress millions.
📌 RECEIPTS:
The Senate Intelligence Committee confirmed that during the 2016 election, Russia’s troll farm (the Internet Research Agency) created fake Black activist accounts that outperformed real grassroots ones.
Facebook shut down 470 IRA-linked accounts that pushed disinfo targeting Black Americans specifically - with content meant to inflame, confuse, or disillusion.
Many of the fake pages urged people not to vote, saying things like: “We shouldn’t vote for either racist party,” and “The system doesn’t care about us.” That’s not activism - that’s sabotage dressed in kente cloth.
And Trump. Its 2020 campaign used similar tactics - targeting Black voters with dark ads meant to demoralize turnout, not inspire it.
📣 COURTESY WAKE UP CALL: This ain’t new. From COINTELPRO to clickbait cults, they’ve always feared informed Black minds. Putin’s strategy is not “love for Black power.” It’s “divide and conquer,” now with WiFi.
🚨 STRATEGY, NOT SALVATION
Believing Putin’s actions are benevolent is dangerously naive. His track record is replete with strategic manipulations aimed at consolidating power and expanding influence. Similarly, Trump’s policies and rhetoric have consistently marginalized communities of color while favoring White nationalist agendas. Believing Putin acts out of compassion is like believing Trump became anti-racist overnight - that one time, and again that other time, then again ...
For example, Trump loved to brag that it “saved” HBCUs by making their federal funding permanent - so they wouldn’t have to come back every year and ask for it. Sounds generous. Still, while it made that one move look like a win for Black institutions, its intent was to gut affirmative action and dismantle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs nationwide.
It was a setup.
By locking in HBCU funding, Trump created cover to say, “Look, I helped Black colleges - how could I be racist?” Some folks fell for it. That move wasn’t about equity - it was about optics and power. Meanwhile... It backed efforts to kill affirmative action, and it continues to push rollbacks of civil and human rights protections.
Critically assess these actions. Recognize them for what they are: calculated strategies designed to manipulate perceptions and further authoritarian objectives. Don’t be complicit in your own subjugation. Stay informed, stay critical, and resist the allure of false saviors.
Stop. Being. Naive.
Stop. Being. Complicit.
Stop. Being. So. Damn. Eager. For. A. Savior. A Solution. A Symbol.
Maybe Putin likes Traoré. I doubt it.
Maybe Traoré has dictator dreams. Leaning toward doubtful here.
Still, neither possibility excuses shucking your critical thinking obligations.
This ain’t faith. It’s survival. And it starts by asking the hard questions.
🛑 WHAT YOU CAN DO - BECAUSE NAÏVETÉ IS DEADLY
If you’re still wondering, “But what if Putin really does like Traoré?” I need you to do one thing:
Grow. The. Hell. Up.
📣 STOP NEEDING BLACK FIGURES TO BE "SAVED" BY WHITE AUTHORITARIAN DADDY FIGURES
Putin plays chess while we’re playing “don’t hurt my feelings.” This isn’t about whether you personally like him or Traoré. This is about strategy disguised as salvation. It’s happened before. It’s happening now. It’ll happen again unless...
✅ WHAT YOU DO NEXT:
Think like a freedom fighter. Not a fan club member. Look deeper than the headlines. Especially when the source is state-run or suspect.
Share this with that one friend who said “at least Putin did something.” They need you. They need this. We all need each other and this clarity of thought.
Stay sharp. Stay loud. Stay ready. Your voice, your vote, your skepticism - these are weapons. Use them like your life depends on it.
Because it does.