Page 11 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 16

Re-Education

DENIAL OF FORMER COLONIZERS

AND ITS AFTERMATH

A CLOSER LOOK AT COLONIALISM

istory of colonization made to present colonization and
and slavery is discussed slavery. Imagine if your friend had
under the veil of a killed his own mother and hid her
Hsystematic disguise as corpse in his closet. You go to his Abel Merawi
it continues to free colonizers from house and discover the matricide,
their guilt. Consequently, former and your friend also knows that you Abel Merawi is from Addis Ababa. He
colonizers continue to pompously have discovered his crime. Despite is an English literature teacher, freelance
appear as champions of democ- the heinous facts, you both decid- writer/reporter for Ezega.com and an Am-
racy, while the formerly colonized ed to deny it because you want to
nations are labeled backward. Before remain friends. But slowly, there haric-English translator and editor. He
explaining the aftermath of this appears a hollowness, a gap, in your also writes for www.msingiafrikamagazine.
historical denial or literal ‘white lie’, friendship as you each retreat into com. You can reach him via: abelmerawi4@
I will use the allegory the great Afri- silence, dreading the prospect of gmail.com
can American writer, James Baldwin, simple conversations leading to the

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