🔅 A Grammy Win After Fierce Debate
Trump vs S. Africa & Redefining GDP
Good Morning from Luanda, Angola!
Tems Bags Another Grammy, But One Afrobeats Debate Raged Fierce
Tems has done it again. The Nigerian singer beat out heavyweights like Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Yemi Alade to take home the Best African Music Performance Grammy for Love Me Jeje.
In an emotional acceptance speech, she clutched her chest, laughed at her own breathlessness, and threw in a joke: "I do work out but it’s not showing up right now." The audience ate it up.
It’s a big moment for Tems—her second Grammy after winning Best Melodic Rap Performance last year for her feature on Future’s Wait For U. She also made history as the first Nigerian artist to clinch two Grammys, a feat even her biggest contemporaries haven’t matched.
But beyond Tems’ moment of glory, the category itself is drawing scrutiny...
Should an American Be in the "Best African" Category?
One of this year’s nominees was... Chris Brown. Yes, the American R&B singer, who made the cut thanks to Sensational, an Afrobeats-inspired track featuring Nigerian stars Davido and Lojay.
This raised eyebrows: Should non-Africans be allowed in a category meant to highlight African music?
Grammy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. doesn’t see a problem. “Music is about inclusivity. If we start deciding who can or can't make a certain type of music, we lose the essence of creativity.”
Afrobeats Dominance: A Problem or Just Facts?
Another point of contention? The category’s Afrobeats-heavy lineup.
Out of five nominees this year, all but one were Nigerian. South Africa’s amapiano scene—currently racking up billions of streams—was nowhere to be found.
Some say it’s just a numbers game. But others argue that the Grammys need to do more to recognize Africa’s diverse soundscape. Maybe that means separate categories for Afrobeats, amapiano, and other genres in the future?
Tems’ Meteoric Rise Continues
None of this controversy takes away from Tems’ incredible journey.
From self-producing her debut single Mr Rebel in 2018 to international stardom in just six years, she’s racked up eight Grammy nominations, BET and NAACP Image Awards, and a feature on Wizkid’s Essence—the song that made the world sit up and notice Afrobeats.
Even Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu joined the celebrations, saying she’s bringing "pride" to the country.
With Love Me Jeje already clocking 125 million Spotify streams, Tems is proving she’s not just an Afrobeats darling—she’s a global powerhouse.
Trump vs. South Africa: The Land Debate, White Fears, and Reality Check
In a move that triggered both political drama and public confusion, former President Donald Trump recently threatened to cut off crucial funding to South Africa, citing what he claimed were “land confiscations” and human rights violations targeting “certain classes of people.” Although many details remain hazy, the firestorm revolves around a newly passed law in South Africa designed to correct centuries of racial inequalities in land ownership—an issue that has sparked heated arguments among citizens, political parties, and foreign allies alike.
1. How It All Began: Trump’s Tweet and Ramaphosa’s Response
On Sunday, Trump declared—without providing specifics—that land in South Africa was being forcibly seized, and certain people were “treated very badly.” As a result, he warned that the U.S. would halt aid until it could investigate.
President Cyril Ramaphosa wasted no time defending his government’s position. On Monday, he underscored that the new law is not about indiscriminate land grabs, but about addressing a historical wrong.
2. The Historical Context: A Colonial Legacy
The idea of forcibly taking land, ironically, is far from new in South Africa. Beginning with British colonization, Indigenous Black communities were pushed into underdeveloped reserves while prime farmland was handed to white settlers. This pattern entrenched under apartheid policies, particularly after 1950, when legislation effectively allowed the white-led government to annex over 80% of the land.
When the African National Congress (ANC) took power in the early 1990s, it pursued a “willing buyer, willing seller” system to gradually redistribute land. Critics, however, found this approach agonizingly slow and alleged that white landowners refused to part with property at fair prices.
3. The New Law: Expropriation in the Public Interest
Passed with much debate, the Expropriation Act takes aim at drastically uneven land ownership. Whites, who make up around 8% of the population, still hold about 75% of the freehold farmland, while Black citizens—about 80% of the population—own a mere 4%. The law allows the state to take land “in the public interest,” in rare cases without compensating the owner.
Key Point: The law forbids arbitrary seizure. State officials must first attempt an agreement with owners. The process must be justified as beneficial to the public interest—often signifying programs to restore historically dispossessed communities.
Despite these legal safeguards, many critics worry about potential pitfalls. One vocal opponent is the Democratic Alliance (DA), a major coalition partner that frames land expropriation as unconstitutional. They claim it violates property rights and might scare off foreign investors.
4. US-South Africa Ties: Aid, Trade, and Tension
Washington’s current pledge to South Africa stands around $440 million, with $315 million of that going directly to HIV/AIDS work under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). While $440 million is not trivial, Ramaphosa says that figure accounts for just 17% of South Africa’s total HIV/AIDS budget, making it vitally important but not all-encompassing.
Even more significant than direct aid is trade. Roughly one-quarter of South Africa’s $15 billion in U.S.-bound exports benefit from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a program granting preferential tariffs to dozens of sub-Saharan nations. If the United States opted to suspend or limit AGOA benefits, the impact could be huge—potentially disrupting billions of dollars’ worth of exports.
5. The “White Genocide” Myth: Fear vs. Fact
Trump’s alarming remarks echo a narrative sometimes heard in right-wing circles about white farmers facing genocide in South Africa. High-profile figures such as Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa, have at times claimed that land expropriation equates to an attempt to kill or drive out white people.
6. The Path Ahead
Currently, no land has been expropriated under the new law. But the global attention, fueled by Trump’s statements, reveals how fractious and intense the land conversation has become. On one side stand those who regard it as a redress for centuries of exploitation. On the other stand critics, local and international, who warn that property rights and business confidence hang in the balance.
Africa Wants to Redefine Their GDP—But Will Creditors Buy It?
Africa’s got money—it just doesn’t show up on the balance sheet. At least, that’s the argument the African Development Bank (AfDB) will be pushing at every major summit this year. The plan? Convince the world that the continent’s vast natural wealth—its forests, mangroves, biodiversity, and mineral reserves—should be factored into GDP calculations.
Why? Because a GDP boost could, in theory, make Africa look like a safer bet to investors, lower its sky-high borrowing costs, and prevent the kind of debt crises that have plagued the continent for decades. AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina is making the case loud and clear: “It will be on the agenda at every single step—G7, G20... It is time to begin to change the valuation of African economies.”
The numbers tell a compelling story: Africa’s official GDP in 2018 was $2.5 trillion, but the AfDB estimates its “natural capital” was worth $6.2 trillion. That’s a huge disparity, and if those untapped assets were recognized, debt-to-GDP ratios would shrink—at least on paper.
But will financial markets play along? That’s the billion-dollar question.
Investors aren’t exactly throwing cheap credit at Africa, given that countries like Kenya and Nigeria had to offer 10% interest rates on dollar bonds last year while the U.S. and Europe secured sub-5% rates.
The push is already gaining political steam: South Africa, currently holding the G20 presidency, will have to juggle this issue in upcoming finance meetings. Kenya’s President William Ruto and Congo’s Denis Sassou Nguesso have been vocal supporters, while China—Africa’s biggest lender—is fully on board, calling for a reassessment of GDP that includes “green wealth.”
Still, rich nations and financial institutions haven’t exactly leapt to endorse the idea. The World Bank has been publishing reports on natural capital for two decades, but so far, that hasn’t translated into cheaper loans for Africa.
At the heart of this debate is an existential problem: Africa’s natural wealth is massive, but monetizing it remains a challenge. Carbon credits? Not lucrative enough. Global commitments to climate finance? Still weak. And until investors see real cash flow from the continent’s forests and mineral reserves, recalibrated GDP might not be enough to turn the borrowing tide.
For now, Africa is making the case that its wealth is more than just numbers on a spreadsheet. But whether the global financial system will rewrite its rules remains to be seen.
Food for Thought
“The strength of a fi sh is in the water.”
— Mozambique Proverb