Speaker 1: For Africa Report with Crystal Odison.
Speaker 2: Let's catch up now its stories from the continent. We
Speaker 2: think you need to pay attention to Crystal. Ordison joins us.
Speaker 2: There's a little bit of feedback there in the background, Crystal,
Speaker 2: so just manage that we can hear some feedback and
Speaker 2: people in the background. I'm not sure what's going on.
Speaker 1: It's not me, it's the team.
Speaker 2: Ah okay, we've just got to be careful on our side.
Speaker 2: I'm looking at the team. They're all nodding furiously. I
Speaker 2: think that's been sorted, Thank you, Crystal. Let's start with Ethiopia.
Speaker 2: They're saying the Grand Renaissance Mega Dam project on the
Speaker 2: Nile is now complete. There's still some concerns. Of course,
Speaker 2: we know that Egypt and Sudan were worried about whether
Speaker 2: they would then have limited access to the Nile River.
Speaker 2: Talk to me, what's the latest.
Speaker 1: Yes, Bunghani. So we've been talking about this for the
Speaker 1: past few years and the Ifyopian Prime minister see the
Speaker 1: dam is now finally completed, and we still see that
Speaker 1: Egypt and Sudan are still unhappy about the dam project. Now,
Speaker 1: Ethiopia went ahead with this project and it already started
Speaker 1: producing electricity. It costs about four billion dollars. It began
Speaker 1: in twenty eleven despite major objections from Ethiopia and Sudan.
Speaker 1: Now it's built on the banks of the Blue Nile,
Speaker 1: which is near the Sudanese border, and it's been producing
Speaker 1: power since twenty twenty two, and we see it's expected
Speaker 1: to eventually produce around six thousand megawatt electricity for Ethiopia,
Speaker 1: which is going to be double their current electricity output. Now,
Speaker 1: for Ethiopia, it's a major game changer. Only half of
Speaker 1: its population have access to electricity, and the Ethiopians believe
Speaker 1: strongly this is going to be economically change. But we
Speaker 1: know that Sudan and Egypt they still unhappy because for
Speaker 1: Egypt they rely on the now for about ninety percent
Speaker 1: of their needs in terms of agriculture. Ethiopia still believes, look,
Speaker 1: you know, there's more than enough water for everyone and
Speaker 1: so therefore there's no need to panic. But I don't
Speaker 1: think it's the end of it, because Egypt said, you know,
Speaker 1: they're still not going to just accept that all of
Speaker 1: this is happening. But the reality is Pungani the dam
Speaker 1: is completed, you know, it's starting to produce electricity, and
Speaker 1: one wonders, you know, how then do you start out
Speaker 1: do you challenge just because we know at some point
Speaker 1: there was even talk of a water war breaking out
Speaker 1: because Egypt was so angry about the dam continuing. But
Speaker 1: now it's complete. It's Africa's largest basically a hydro electricity project.
Speaker 1: Given that Ethiopia is Africa's second most populous population, certainly
Speaker 1: this dam is a game changer for them.
Speaker 2: So I would argue that there's noa oh, I don't know.
Speaker 2: Consequence of the assassination of the founding leader of the
Speaker 2: Democratic Republic of Congo, Patrice Lumuba. Then really the disasters
Speaker 2: war we have seen over recent decades in that country.
Speaker 2: Now a celebration of the centenary of his birth.
Speaker 1: So yes, Spunghani, I think you're so you're so right.
Speaker 1: I mean, patris La Mumba is, you know, is the
Speaker 1: hero and yet he was assassinated at the height of
Speaker 1: his of his leadership, and you know, it's really an
Speaker 1: assassination that shocked not only Congo Africa, but also the world.
Speaker 1: And so this past week the DOS he celebrated that
Speaker 1: anniversary of his birth. Now he was born in nineteen
Speaker 1: twenty five in the Belgian Congo and actually spent time
Speaker 1: in prison where he became very politically active, and that's
Speaker 1: when he started challenging the you know, Belgian the former
Speaker 1: colony and in fact a speech in front of the
Speaker 1: Belgian king he basically challenged the colonial rule. And because
Speaker 1: of that and because of his stance, you know, he
Speaker 1: was targeted by Western intelligence agency. So eventually, sadly Bungani
Speaker 1: was killed in nineteen sixty one by several police officers
Speaker 1: and now in fact, at the same time, ironically in Belgium,
Speaker 1: one of the last men to actually have you know,
Speaker 1: through various processes that his daughter Julia has taken on
Speaker 1: in Belgium. He is the ninety two year olds, they says,
Speaker 1: the last survivor of the ten conspirators, and he's going
Speaker 1: to stand trial and so it's going to be interesting
Speaker 1: to see what's happening on that because his daughter, Julia
Speaker 1: la Mumbo has been traveling the world and who's been
Speaker 1: you know, really asking the questions who killed her father?
Speaker 1: Why was he killed in such a brutal way? We
Speaker 1: know La Mumba was just killed in the most brutal
Speaker 1: way ever and so one well, I think, of course
Speaker 1: for the family and those Congolese are hoping that there's
Speaker 1: some truth that will come out from this Belgian police
Speaker 1: officer into the nature of his killing. And ultimately there's
Speaker 1: been reports. We know that the Belgian and the CIA,
Speaker 1: they were involved in it, but hopefully some more truths
Speaker 1: for it. But at least in the DRC celebration of
Speaker 1: the great Patricia Mumba.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean he did, as you say, lead the
Speaker 2: country's first elected government, austed within months and then assassinated
Speaker 2: of course in nineteen sixty one. And the gruesome way
Speaker 2: in which they even disposed of his body, which was
Speaker 2: dissolved in acid after his execution, but that gold crowned
Speaker 2: tooth recovered and returned to his family in twenty twenty two.
Speaker 2: It's really the only thing they ever got of the
Speaker 2: remains of Patrice Lumumba. But I think it remains a
Speaker 2: powerful anti colonial resistance figure around the world. I would
Speaker 2: argue there was a fantastic film called Lumumba that came out,
Speaker 2: I think around nineteen ninety seven, and it really is
Speaker 2: one of those that should be required viewing for anybody
Speaker 2: who's interested in African history, who's interested in African leadership
Speaker 2: and really the anti colonial resistance struggle. Thank you, Crystal