|
|
|
|
|
|
The
Dark Continent A
Tradition of Conquest The annals of history abound with peoples who have, 'come, saw and
conquered'. It is a constant that has formed the history of civilization from
the dawn of time, probably beginning with the extinction of the Neanderthals. We are in danger of judging the actions of the past by the morals and ideals
of today. If Africa had been colonized at an earlier date by the metropolitan
powers, rather than during the latter part of the 19th century, it is quite
likely that there would be states today in Africa, which had majority white
populations. They would, likely as not, also be of first world status. I use for
my model, the history and settlement of such countries as the USA, Canada,
Australia and New Zealand. The
Question of Slavery After thousands of years of a tradition of conquest, settlement and
displacement, a great change began to occur in international politics during the
19th century, especially in the UK, the super power of its time. The UK was
instrumental in abolishing slavery, and actively sought to force an end to the
Atlantic slave trade by the use of its powerful navy. They also forced an end to
long established Arab slave trading from Zanzibar. It has to be said, the
tradition of slavery in Africa is a long one, and it was black Africans
themselves from the interior, who were supplying slaves to the coastal areas for
export. Slaving was seen as a commercial enterprise like any other, in fact, along
with prostitution, it is probably one of the oldest forms of commercial
enterprise. This can clearly be seen in the 1830 census records of the state of
Virginia in the USA, where 3,775 free blacks are recorded as themselves owning
12,740 black African slaves. These slaves were often hired out to white
plantation owners for work. There are even cases of free black women owning
their husbands. These startling facts, for obvious politically correct reasons,
are not often mentioned by African-Americans, who wish to peddle the falsehood
of slavery being the sole preserve of the white man. It also has serious implications for African-Americans who are seeking slave
reparations. Who were the descendents of slaves and who were descended from the
slave owners? It clearly proves that people of that time, unlike we people of
today, saw slavery purely as a business. We have not even touched upon the 'white slavery' of the time, which was known as indentured servitude. The
Virginia colony was forged on the backs of these wretched people, often
transported for life from England for trivial offences, such as stealing a loaf
of bread to feed starving children. Imperial
Enlightenment The British Empire's change in attitude towards its subject peoples during
the 19th century, meant that Britain now saw its role as bringing the benefits
of civilization to the Empire. No longer were native peoples eradicated or
displaced, but rather the ethos was to create god fearing people with 'British' christian values. This same climate of change was also occuring in
the UK itself, where child labour was abolished, along with many other abuses of
the 'Dickensian' era. A
First World Nation in Africa Rhodesia was a modern and advanced country, that was born in the last years
of the 19th century. Even before UDI it was a first world country, a country
which was enjoying rapid growth and economic expansion. Of course, not all was
sweetness and light in the garden, but again, we must not be too quick to judge
the past with a modern eye. However, it is beyond dispute that after 1893, there
was an explosion in the African population of Rhodesia. This can be accounted
for by the introduction of the rule of law, the curbing of tribal conflict and
modern medical care. Even basic medical care has a huge impact, on a population
used to a high infant mortality rate. It is certainly true that during the time Rhodesia existed as a nation,
nobody ever went hungry, even during the darkest days of the Bush War. It is
also true that after 1965, there was a growing black middle class who were
beginning to take a more active part in the country's economic life. Rhodesia
was evolving socially at a sustainable pace. Ian Smith knew full well that
Rhodesia needed measured evolution rather than revolution. Unfortunately, due to
overt Communist support of terrorism, and the Wests covert support of the same,
Rhodesia got revolution and Mugabe. This guaranteed an inevitable slide to the
third world. It is impossible to see how the citizens of 'modern' Zimbabwe
have benefitted from Mugabe's revolution? They may well have benefitted from
measured evolution, had the country been given a fair chance to succeed. The
West would not even give black majority ruled Zimbabwe-Rhodesia a chance. Never
has there been such a cynical betrayal of the principles of democracy, at the
alter of appeasement and colonial guilt. Colonial
Guilt and the Politics of the Trough The biggest problem in Africa, since the advent of independence for the
former colonies, has been the culture of blaming the former colonial masters for
economic failure. It worked for many years in the insidious climate of colonial
guilt, and succeeded in sucking in vast amounts of aid and assistance.
Unfortunately, most of this disappeared into the pockets of the corrupt and
depraved political leaders. In most cases, an enlightened colonial master had
been swopped for a far more unwholesome local despot. Africans have exploited
each other, far more than they have been exploited by the colonial authorities.
A perfect examply of Africans exploiting Africans has been the recent horrors of
the DRC. So many African nations with their noses in the Congo's trough, as
the people of that tragic country suffered terribly. It is almost unbelievable for example, that a country like the DRC, which
covers an area the size of Western Europe and has natural resources in plenty,
can be so grindingly poor. At face value it should be an economic dynamo, a
treasure trove of riches. For Africa to succeed and compete in the modern world,
it has to have modern leaders, and a population who can leave their tribal
nepotism behind them, and think on a national level. Africa has failed abysmally
in the DRC, it has failed massively again in Zimbabwe. Will we ever see that
real decisive swing towards necessary change in Africa? A
Bitterness Born of Continual Failure Much of the bitterness of white Africans towards black Africans, is based
upon this continual saga of corruption and failure. It is difficult for people
to understand how a first world country such as Rhodesia, with its strong and
diverse economy, can be brought down to the level of the worst kind of banana
republic in only twenty years. The above may provide readers with some enlightenment, as to why there is so
much disdain for black African rule. Actions always speak louder than words, the
fancy rhetoric of African leaders is meaningless without real achievements. Markus
de Beaufort - 20th May 2003 |