Democracy Now! Audio - Rhiannon Giddens: Full Interview & Performance of New Song, "Walk With Me"

Episode Date: September 24, 2026

Full interview with Pulitzer Prize-winning, two-time Grammy-winning, multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens. Her new album, Hope Is the Thing with Feathers, has just been released. She recently came into the Democracy Now! to talk about her work and perform her song “Wish in Vain” with Dirk Powell.

This is Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org. I'm Amy Goodman. Amnesty International is the liberation of two men deported of the United to Guinea, equatorial, that were detained by the policeia local and translated to a prison

at the beginning of September. Samson Virhane of Eritrea and Ackman Solomon, a solicitant of asylum, gay, originator of Egypt, that lived in Arizona, when was detained by the ICE,

were deported by the government of Trump, a the time that the tribunals in the United

they've had been not over protection. The 11 of September, the police came to

the hotel Bami in the city of Malabo, in Guinea Equatorial, where decenas

of persons with any minkul with that has been under the United as a

part of the opac accordion in the third- countries. It's think that

the two men were taken into the prison for denuncied the

conditions inhumanas that suffer the people deported of the United in the hotel and the amazas

of the officers. Pocos days before a minute obtained by Routers,

was to his arms to a group of deportals into the hotel after that a man

a person who would be a person back a confisable to to be to be

to be aogated. That is Ackman Solomon, describing what was going to what was

a video in a video grabbed before his arrest, after what was led to a prison in

Malabo. Ayer, one of the detainees, a year to confiscated the telephone for a

two two months back to talk to to talk to the hotel, that also is the

chief of them. As I said, no has been a two two years, not had

been to be his people, his family, and his abogas, what to be a way,

a violation of the laws of the the rights of the so that's the officers. So after about 15 or 20 minutes of start They were brought to the interior of the hotel, where me pointed with his arms. Amartillared

his arms, they've got them all right, and me apunted with them with them, saying that me put it on the roadies with the hands in alto. I had to remain in that position during 10 or 15 minutes, while there was chaos in the hotel. We were trying to recuperate

his telephone. No, we were being violentos, no we were causing disturbios, and protestant, just we were exiginging our rights human. We know our rights. That's what we're what we're

and that is what we're going. That is what we're doing, we're doing, and of some way,

they're repeatedly our rights. This all comes as a federal appeals court has rejected

Trump. All this occurred at time that a public of Trump to accelerate the deportation

of third countries. It's possible that said has appellated under the Court Supreme.

Since Trump he has been to do the power, to be in those who are not

their connection. Alacante, a human rights lawyer from Equatorial Guinea.

To Alicante, abogado of Deges Human, of Guinea, Equatorial, and the

director of the organization E.G. Justice. His ultimate for just justice,

it's cameras of torture of a dictator and then he looked at another other side. Alicante us accompanied from Chapel Hill, Carolina, of North. Curiously, in Guinea, equatorial, the Spanish is the idioma principal, is the only country of Spanish in the Africa

sub-Saharanah. Bienvenito to Democracy Now. Tutu Alicante. Abble first of what has occurred with the men's that we've described, and in general, of what is it is this agreement between the United and Guinea Equatorial. How many migrants have been

invited to be Equatorial Guinea. How many migrants have been sent there?

Perfect. Well, look, in principle, much thanks, Emi,

for this opportunity, this conversation. I want to start exponient

a chronology, because probably much people know how much

time we've got this tragedy. A part of November

of the year past 2025, the government of the United commenced to enviated to

immigraters of other countries, the majority of Africa, but also of America Latina and

other places that no had no connection, no nexus with Guinea Equatorial. So,

is that now we've had been for the least 66 immigrants, as I say the

majority of countries like Congo, Cameroon, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Angola, but also

citizens of Cuba, recently a citizen of Brazil and citizens of Georgia. Why are

they've been invited to Guinea Equatorial? It's one of the questions that we do all because the

United knows very the history, the trajectory of violations systematically of the

rights human that in Guinea Equatorial. Guinea Aquatorial has the peculiarity

of to have the president most long-gible of the world. Heva has

since 1979 the President Teodoro Vian. Also, in all

Africa, of be the only country where the is the

president, the he's the vice-president. The his son, he was here in

September when he signed the agreement with the country

to $7 million and I have to precise that these accords, these contracts between countries, are completely confidential, so that neither

us other than we, even the Congress, of the States United, know exactly what says textually this accord. So,

is that 66 people have yeted to Guinea-quatorial, of those which, in violations of the laws international, for the most

the mitad has been, to-wilt to their countries And that the judges of immigration in the States had decided, had been mandated, had been mandated

that this people not could be regressed, de-wilted, where very probably would be able tostos to tortures, to bejations for part of their governments. This is the situation that we have under

hands. I'll talk about the government that he goes about the president of Guinea-E equatorial. the head of Equatorial Guinea. Yeah. Teodor O'Brien, as I said at

principle, but in reality, he was the government from the 1968 when his Tio, Massias, ascended to the power,

the Tosvenile, and in 11 years, the sobrino, Teodoro Vian, he was, he was, Deodor O'Bian, then,

was, and since then is president. It's a government that, as the U.S. The United

knows perfectly because consistently the informs of the Department of State have documented the violations

systematical tortures, desaparations forsososas, matanzas extrajudicial that are in the

prisons of Guinea Equatorial. It's more. In 2004, the Senate

of the United, Carl Levin, who then was the committee of investigations, documented how 700 million

of dollars that were from the petrol of Guinea Equatorial, they were in Ricks Banks in Washington,

D.C. In the 2010, it was the president, the actual vice president,

he brought millions and millions of dollars to the United when when he bought the

property in Malibu for various millions of dollars, So, he bought all the paraphernalia

of Michael Jackson, a lot of coaches, etc. It's a government that's a government that's a person. To show a person

to get a government like the Guinea Equatorial not more than the thing of the thing of extraordinary

that we know we can't to be a person, over all a person innocent that has

been to the United piding asylopating escaping to be, as a slavit, like in the

case of a senior of Mauritania, to get here and to be able to a country where talk about

about where let us talk about where, who knows of what has occurred to this

last group of migrants that were invited to Guine Equatorial, their country,

Equatorial Guinea. The Hotel Bami is an hotel very very near

the airport of Guinea Equatorial. during the the time of COVID is the hotel where they

they're in the time for the time of the quarantine no, what we know

in English quarantine. So, there they were they're and recently and

recently, we've seen that for the most a patient with Ebola

has been in this same hotel. This is an hotel

that is a a brother of the president Teodoro Vian.

So, it has been using to to maintain there to the immigrants in best of the time

what has happened what has been with the Mr. Ahmed Solomon and the sir Sansom Berhani

that now have taken to prison and the rest of the hotel. A despite of

that we know we we're we're we're that this people not can

get to that hotel in the way that is detenida illegally and

not has access to his telephones or not can call to your family or

to the publices in the United or the abogates that we have to them in

Guine, Ecuadorial. So, they're being recluidous, uncommunicated, without access to the exterior.

Of actually, all what has succeeded with Samson and with Ahmed is a cause of that

they're the rights of those deportals Cubans to have a telephone to be

a phone, So, that can be a hotel, but no can be much the fact that this

people are in and are suffering ovehations. Something we have to also we

have to many of the immigrants in this hotel is a sick of or

paces of the chronic. There is a part of people with, V,

there are a person with problems of health and the government not

is is not even to get to a medical if you care.

So, you know a hotel, but no there's a prison where

this people are being recrued. Tutu Alicante, if you

can tell us Tutu Alicante, tell us and how it's the couple Hill,

Carolina of North in Chapel Hill. In Chapel Hill. Sorry. Yes, yes,

well, I'm came to the States in 1994. I'm of an island

that's called Anobon. Anobon is part of Guinea Equatorial. And a cause of

an episode very in the government from the capital envio to the

island of I'm and destroyed houses, and they were people, and carcelar

and tortureded a other people. After of this I mean to the

United thinking in that I'm saying that was a periodista to write

to the situation of my a country. And, I mean, of New Yorksville, Tennessee, University of Tennessee in Knoxville,

or the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. But at getting to the States I did count that what needed my country, more than was a state of the right, it was the empire of the law. So,

I abandoned the idea to make a periodist, and me did a abogado. And it was also the moment in that the companies Americanes of Petroleum, Exomobile, Amarada Heads,

Noble Energy Marathon, they had gone to Guinea Equatorial to exploit the petrol and gas.

Guinea Equatorial before the petrol and gas was one of the countries more of Africa, but of

the world. And at the rise that those U.S. Unitedes inviates in Guinea

in Guinea to produce the petrolio, the night to the morning, Guinea

Equatorial is in the country with the rent per capita, the

capita, GDP per capita, much more higher than Africa, not only of Africa, but of the world. All this petroleum, for a country that thence we had been less than a million abitante, had been sufficient to change the

life of all the people in Guinea Equatorial. But that money served for that the family presidential was in one of the families more rich of the world, today for

and it was a of this injustice, a raise of to see that my brother, Chiquitina, she'd to go to

a hospital with a problem of the and he was in the hospital because

no, there was there was there and there was a hospital where my

was a hospital where no, there was my life had to be a life had to

be a to be to be the justice for the people to the rights human,

tantos economic as as as as civil and political ,

so respect in my country and it's like my

and I did the organization NG Justice that since since

since 2018 2018, well, since 2008 we we've

we've done the things of anti-corruption and things

of rights human with respect to Guinea Equatorial.

And what do? What do you? What now in Guinea Equatorial. Entienten what is

going to the people that are being being sent from the state to EG.

Yes. The people of the people Guinean is very deceptionated with the

States United. I when funded I G Justice was because we thought that the

government of the United a through the Congress or the I would

be interested in promote those values that in the United are still as the United

that basically define in this society the justice accountability the responsibility of our

responsibilities of our leaders those concepts basic and we have seen

a United that has invested in Guinea Equatorial and that has

primed his interests economic, petrolio, gas, when the people

are more than the government is not repriming to the people.

So, this new episode of immigrants being getting to get to get

to Guilla and a criminal Teodor Ongue Ma

Bain, the vice-president whose vions have been been

these in the States in the France, in Switzerland, in Brazil, in South Africa, seeing how the United

does all the possible to give a visit to this year, for that he regrese to States to sign this contract.

No you can't imagine the deception that the people of Guinea Equatorial, that live yeah

more more of 50 years of a dictator, first with Macias, now with Obion.

It's a deception to see that the United that was the first of was a an balsam of the

person, is now for today is cooperating, is in conivency with the government

of the government of the people, and people of other countries in our country.

Tutu Alicante, thank you Tutu Alicante, thanks for to start in our program, abogado specialized

in the rights human of Guinea Equatorial and Director Executive of the

organization Justice, who us who's accompanied from Chapel Hill, Carolina, of the North.

For our interview in English, visit at democracy naw. orgh. I'm Amy

Kuhnman. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.