Page 58 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 12

History
MY AFRIKA

History is Everything

By Akinmayowa Akinkunmi

pread across Africa you will children are taught through songs. I Lugard are one not to be celebrated.
find monuments and streets am sure you can remember some of The Kogi state government house
named after imperial figures the nursery rhymes you were taught for example is named The Lord
Swho played a pivotal role in back in elementary school. When Lugard House, we also have Lugard
the colonization of the continent. It I asked my friend why she thought Hall in Kaduna, as well as Lugard
is one thing to reverence key figures Lugard and his girlfriend were avenue. When the British declared
of our past, it’s another to place heroes, she sang a nursery rhyme to war against China, Hong Kong and
them on a pedestal to be glorified. me. The words of the song paint- other parts of China was under the
Frederick Lugard is a name every ed a picture. Each stroke from the control of Britain, but you will not
Nigerian should be familiar with, he paintbrush of those words fash- find a monument of the British in
is the one responsible for the name ioned a narrative depicting this cou- China today. The same scenario
Nigeria and at his command, the ple as heroes who named the great when Germany occupied France.
genocide of tens of thousands of country of Nigeria. Considering the Why should Africa be any different?
Nigerians. history behind the name, Nigeria is Why is Africa different? The reason
not a name I am proud of! is that this portion of our history
I remember speaking to a friend is not taught to us. We know more
not too long ago about this. I told In Africa today, there are more about everyone else’s history except
her about the atrocities Lugard colonial reverences and monuments our own. Throughout my secondary
was responsible for in Nigeria, she than there are of traditional legends. school from elementary to high, I
was surprised. The version of this Streets, buildings, monuments, and was never taught about Nigeria's
history that she was taught in school effigies dedicated and named after first and only civil war talk less of
painted Lugard and his girlfriend colonial figures, in a manner to cel- our history. There has been a delib-
Flora Shaw as heroes. In schools, ebrate them. The likes of Frederick erate campaign to suppress African

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