Fake AI videos of R. Kelly, pope spread cult of Burkina junta chief
Abidjan, Ivory Coast -- If you believe the viral videos online, R. Kelly and Pope Leo XIV agree on one thing -- that Burkina Faso's junta chief, Captain Ibrahim Traore, is a fantastic leader.
The images are AI-generated propaganda, part of what experts have called a vast disinformation campaign spreading the 'personality cult' of the west African country's strongman.
Beyonce and Justin Bieber are among the other celebrities to have their faces and voices altered through artificial intelligence to shower praise on Traore.
In one video, attributed to R&B star R. Kelly, the lyrics praise Traore, who seized power in a 2022 coup: 'for the love of his people, he risked it all... bullets fly but he don't fall... he's fighting for peace in his motherland.'
Kelly is serving a 30-year-prison sentence in the United States, yet the song generated by artificial intelligence has been viewed more than two million times since it came out in May.
The images have been widely shared on west African social media.
It follows a wave of coups not only in Burkina Faso but also in Mali, Niger and Guinea, while the region is further destabilised by jihadist attacks.
'These are influence and disinformation campaigns aimed at extending the personality cult surrounding Captain Traore to Burkina Faso's English-speaking neighbours,' said an American researcher who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traore
Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traore speaks in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, May 10, 2025. (Angelos Tzortzinis/Pool Photo via AP)
Restoring control
After seizing power in a coup in September 2022, Traore pledged to quickly restore control in Burkina Faso, which has been plagued by violence from jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
Three years later, jihadist attacks have continued, causing thousands more deaths, and have even intensified in recent months.
Several officers accused of attempting to stage a coup have been arrested and comments attributed to then head of US Africa Command General Michael Langley, accusing Traore of using the country's gold reserves for personal protection, sparked anger and protests.
Around that time, a series of videos exalting Traore started mushrooming on social media.
'Information manipulation has become a lever for retaining power and legitimizing the junta's presence,' said a Burkinabe specialist in strategic communication, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons.
'Digital army'
Viral campaigns mixing propaganda and AI-generated content have been shared by activists and English-speaking influencers, notably to denounce Langley and glorify Traore.
While some are riding the wave for their own financial gain, others are working for the junta's cyber propaganda entity called Rapid Communication Intervention Battalions (BIR-C), the Burkinabe source said.
'They truly operate like a digital army,' the source said, adding it was led by US-based activist Ibrahima Maiga, ruling out any 'direct links with foreign Russian influence.'
But the group's anti-imperialist narrative, 'presenting Captain Traore as the one who will save Burkina and Africa from Western neocolonialism... suits Russia, which amplifies it in turn,' the source said.
Russian connections
But the American researcher noted 'some reports have established Russian connections in the recent surge of these disinformation operations', particularly in campaigns targeting Ghana and Nigeria.
'Destabilising the Nigerian government would have significant regional effects,' he warned.
Nigerian journalist Philip Obaji, who specialises in Russian influence operations, agreed, adding that 'media in Burkina and Togo have accepted money from agents linked to Russia to relay these campaigns'.
Meanwhile, Burkina's junta has expelled international press that had been working in the country, while local outlets self-censor in fear of arrest and deployment to the front lines against jihadists -- already a fate for some journalists.
While the Burkinabe diaspora has attempted to fight back against the pro-junta narrative, including promoting jihadists' attack claims, commenting on or sharing posts is considered glorifying terrorism, punishable by one to five years imprisonment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Sun
2 days ago
- Toronto Sun
As Beyonce's Cowboy Carter tour draws to a close, Blue Ivy emerges as a star
Published Jul 26, 2025 • 5 minute read Beyoncé, center left, and her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, perform during halftime of an NFL football game between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Houston. Photo by David J. Phillip / AP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account 'Who they came to see?' Beyonce asks as she performs her 2023 single 'My House' during the Cowboy Carter tour. For many, the answer has been Blue Ivy. Blue Ivy Carter, the Grammy-winning artist's 13-year-old daughter, is more present than ever on stage, and fans are impressed by the growth from her first performance years ago to now. Isabella Kerr, 15, has admired Beyonce for years, but said she attended the Cowboy Carter tour specifically to experience Blue Ivy's moves in person. 'People are saying, 'Oh, she's a mini Beyonce,' but no, I think she's the first Blue. Everything about her when she's on stage is electrifying,' said Kerr. The Cowboy Carter tour concludes Saturday in Las Vegas. The tour's 30 previously stops have fans buzzing that Blue Ivy is well on her way to being a next generation powerhouse. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Blue first graced the stage at 11 years old during her mother's 2023 Renaissance tour, appearing during the legacy-celebrating anthems 'My Power' and 'Black Parade.' Supporters anticipated her performance at each stop. She performed again during 'Beyonce Bowl,' the NFL Christmas Day Halftime Show that was just nominated for four Emmy Awards. She danced alongside the icon as she performed songs from the 'Cowboy Carter' album for the first time. 'Even the difference between the Renaissance Tour and now, you can tell she's really grown in her confidence,' said fan and artist Olivia Ellis. 'You can tell she has a different vibe about her.' On the Cowboy Carter tour, she can almost be mistaken for one of Beyonce's professional dancers. She is on stage for nearly every song and has a solo recreating her mother's choreography from her 2006 'Deja-vu' music video, a nod to the undeniable similarities between the two. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Online videos of Blue display professionalism comparable to her mother's during the Cowboy Carter tour. During a rainy New Jersey stop, she brought out towels to dry her area of the stage before nailing her 'America Has a Problem' choreography. In another unexpected moment during a Chicago show, her earring got caught on Beyonce's hair. Blue remained calm, removed the jewelry and motioned to the singer that it was safe in her hand as they both seamlessly continued. 'It's the family business,' said Kinitra D. Brooks, an academic and author of 'The Lemonade Reader,' a collection that explores the nuances of Beyonce's 2016 visual album, 'Lemonade.' 'She is literally studying under the best person doing it out there today. Why wouldn't she take advantage of that opportunity?' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In 'Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce,' fans were given a behind-the-scenes look at the decision-making process the first time Blue was allowed to perform. Beyonce expressed how nervous she was about her child being in front of thousands of people made her, revealing she initially said no. 'I did not think it was an appropriate place for an 11-year-old on a stadium stage,' she said in the documentary. 'I made a deal with her, and I said, 'If you practice and you show your commitment, I'll let you do one show.'' Blue Ivy fulfilled her end of the deal, and a fan base was formed: the 'Ivy League.' Kerr says Blue's accomplishments inspire her to work harder to achieve her own dreams. 'She worked to be on stage, and look at her now. If I work to what I want to be, I can be killing it like her.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. At last month's Cowboy Carter Paris stop, members of the Beyhive and Ivy League finally got what they had been asking for _ Blue Ivy merchandise. Shirts with the teen's face and the phrase 'Deja Blue' plastered on the front were available for purchase. Prior to that, fans were creating their own custom pieces that highlighted Blue and Beyonce's connection. At the MetLife Stadium show, Ellis wore a custom corset top she painted, showcasing Blue Ivy and her 8-year-old sister, Rumi Carter, on stage with Beyonce during 'Protector,' a track from the 'Cowboy Carter' album that Rumi is featured on. 'I thought that would just be a really fun moment to highlight on a corset,' she said. 'It's just really cool to see her as a mom because we've all grown up with Beyonce, and now it's like her show is kind of like a family affair.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Blue Ivy's confidence and professionalism are not only a testament to her hard work, but Beyonce's motherhood. Mother-daughter duos around the globe filled stadium seats, excited to watch Beyonce and her daughter display their strong bond for the world to see. In many cases, the mothers have been Beyonce fans for years and are excited for their daughters to grow up with Blue Ivy, a high-flyer for their generation. Tanazha Baylis took her now 11-year-old daughter, Aria Brown, to the Renaissance tour, where she did not miss a beat dancing along to Blue Ivy's 'My Power' choreography. Brown was so determined to attend the Cowboy Carter Tour that she started selling popular toys, such as slime and Squishmallows, and saving her money. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'She literally was like, 'Mom, I don't know what you're going to do, but I have to go to this concert,'' said Baylis. 'I just had to make it happen after that.' Brown became a Beyonce fan after participating in a dance recital with a theme centered around the superstar's career throughout the years. Baylis, who says she has always been a big fan, is happy to share these experiences with her daughter. 'It just showed her a cool mom and daughter, and it's just something that she can do as well. Beyonce is a little older but, with seeing Blue there, it made it tangible for her.' Although there is no solid answer for what the future holds for Blue Ivy, it is widely recognized that the possibilities are limitless. 'We couldn't imagine that Beyonce would do all of these things that she could do. All we saw were people trying to put limitations on her,' said Brooks. 'I think one of the things that Beyonce wants us to do and what she wants for Blue is for us to not put those limitations on Blue.' Love concerts, but can't make it to the venue? Stream live shows and events from your couch with VEEPS, a music-first streaming service now operating in Canada. Click here for an introductory offer of 30% off. Explore upcoming concerts and the extensive archive of past performances. Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA Columnists Toronto & GTA Toronto Blue Jays
CTV News
5 days ago
- CTV News
Hershey, Nestle, other cocoa companies defeat appeal of child slavery lawsuit
Nestle's logo is displayed on a window in Vevey, Switzerland on Feb. 14, 2019. (Laurent Gillieron / Keystone via AP) A federal appeals court on Tuesday rejected a proposed class action by eight Malian citizens who sought to hold Hershey, Nestle and five other companies liable for child labour on Ivory Coast cocoa farms. In a 3-0 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found no causal connection between the plaintiffs' forced labour and the defendants' alleged venture to obtain 'cheap cocoa harvested by enslaved children.' The plaintiffs said they were required to live in squalor and threatened with starvation if they did not work, after being approached by unfamiliar men who falsely promised paying jobs. They sued under a federal law protecting children and other victims of human trafficking and forced labour. Circuit Judge Justin Walker, however, said the plaintiffs alleged at most they worked in areas that supplied cocoa to the defendants, which buy an estimated 70% of Ivorian cocoa, rather than specific farms that supplied the cocoa. 'Is there a 'possibility' that at least some of the importers sourced cocoa from those farms? Yes,' Walker wrote. 'But is it 'plausible'? Not on this complaint.' Other defendants included privately-held Cargill, privately-held Mars, Mondelez International MDLZ.O, Barry Callebaut BARN.S and Olam International. Mali and the Ivory Coast share a border in West Africa. A trial judge ruled for the defendants in June 2022. Terry Collingsworth, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said his clients were 'extremely disappointed' and considering their legal options. 'The court rewarded the chocolate multinational defendants ... for concealing their cocoa supply chains, such that former child slaves are unable to link a specific company to the Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) farms where they were enslaved,' he said. In March 2024, the same court dismissed a similar lawsuit seeking to hold five major technology companies including Apple AAPL.O and Tesla TSLA.O liable for child labour in cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Collingsworth represented the plaintiffs in the cobalt case. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New YorkEditing by Alexandra Hudson)
CTV News
17-07-2025
- CTV News
Fake AI videos of R. Kelly, pope spread cult of Burkina junta chief
R. Kelly turns to exit during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court building, in Chicago, Sept. 17, 2019. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via AP) Abidjan, Ivory Coast -- If you believe the viral videos online, R. Kelly and Pope Leo XIV agree on one thing -- that Burkina Faso's junta chief, Captain Ibrahim Traore, is a fantastic leader. The images are AI-generated propaganda, part of what experts have called a vast disinformation campaign spreading the 'personality cult' of the west African country's strongman. Beyonce and Justin Bieber are among the other celebrities to have their faces and voices altered through artificial intelligence to shower praise on Traore. In one video, attributed to R&B star R. Kelly, the lyrics praise Traore, who seized power in a 2022 coup: 'for the love of his people, he risked it all... bullets fly but he don't fall... he's fighting for peace in his motherland.' Kelly is serving a 30-year-prison sentence in the United States, yet the song generated by artificial intelligence has been viewed more than two million times since it came out in May. The images have been widely shared on west African social media. It follows a wave of coups not only in Burkina Faso but also in Mali, Niger and Guinea, while the region is further destabilised by jihadist attacks. 'These are influence and disinformation campaigns aimed at extending the personality cult surrounding Captain Traore to Burkina Faso's English-speaking neighbours,' said an American researcher who spoke on condition of anonymity. Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traore Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traore speaks in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, May 10, 2025. (Angelos Tzortzinis/Pool Photo via AP) Restoring control After seizing power in a coup in September 2022, Traore pledged to quickly restore control in Burkina Faso, which has been plagued by violence from jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. Three years later, jihadist attacks have continued, causing thousands more deaths, and have even intensified in recent months. Several officers accused of attempting to stage a coup have been arrested and comments attributed to then head of US Africa Command General Michael Langley, accusing Traore of using the country's gold reserves for personal protection, sparked anger and protests. Around that time, a series of videos exalting Traore started mushrooming on social media. 'Information manipulation has become a lever for retaining power and legitimizing the junta's presence,' said a Burkinabe specialist in strategic communication, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons. 'Digital army' Viral campaigns mixing propaganda and AI-generated content have been shared by activists and English-speaking influencers, notably to denounce Langley and glorify Traore. While some are riding the wave for their own financial gain, others are working for the junta's cyber propaganda entity called Rapid Communication Intervention Battalions (BIR-C), the Burkinabe source said. 'They truly operate like a digital army,' the source said, adding it was led by US-based activist Ibrahima Maiga, ruling out any 'direct links with foreign Russian influence.' But the group's anti-imperialist narrative, 'presenting Captain Traore as the one who will save Burkina and Africa from Western neocolonialism... suits Russia, which amplifies it in turn,' the source said. Russian connections But the American researcher noted 'some reports have established Russian connections in the recent surge of these disinformation operations', particularly in campaigns targeting Ghana and Nigeria. 'Destabilising the Nigerian government would have significant regional effects,' he warned. Nigerian journalist Philip Obaji, who specialises in Russian influence operations, agreed, adding that 'media in Burkina and Togo have accepted money from agents linked to Russia to relay these campaigns'. Meanwhile, Burkina's junta has expelled international press that had been working in the country, while local outlets self-censor in fear of arrest and deployment to the front lines against jihadists -- already a fate for some journalists. While the Burkinabe diaspora has attempted to fight back against the pro-junta narrative, including promoting jihadists' attack claims, commenting on or sharing posts is considered glorifying terrorism, punishable by one to five years imprisonment.
