Page 90 - A People Called Afrika

A PEOPLE CALLED AFRIKA

ger the changes in Afrikans that would begin to open up the
pathways to her liberty. Combined with a new awareness of
the geo-political space, based on their participation in these
wars, as well as new skills and information they had gained,
the returning soldiers also had new network and a realization
that the countries that had taken them over actually needed
them and were vulnerable in various ways. In the 1930s, Af-
rikans also began to imbibe ‘Western-style’ education and
were now interacting with each other across the continent.

These elements, along with President Roosevelt’s eventual
push for self-determination for Afrikan countries - as out-
lined in the US Atlantic Charter with Britain - brought in
the sweet fragrance of hope for liberty from colonialism.
By 1945, Afrikans were pushing for independence within
their colonies. The Europeans were weakened economi-
cally by their global wars but were reluctant to relinquish
control over Afrika and Afrika’s vast resources. Howev-
er, the opportunity presented to the Afrikans was taken by
those who were awake and ready to push the advantage that
they had spied. Some did so through violent and bloody
conflicts, while others benefited from these conflicts in
that they were released from their strongholds because of
(among other things) the fear of the spread of this violence.

Eventually the colonialists ceded to the pressure from the Afrikans
and over a period of 20 or so years from the mid-1950s to 1980s
the majority of Afrika was gradually set free. At least on paper.
The reality is that former colonialists and new forces were
still either circling the continent, awaiting new opportunity or
were embedded in these former Afrikan colonies, through
one mechanism or another. It also remains true that some

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