Page 12 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 16

Re-Education

hidden crime. The only hope of
salvaging your friendship is found
in your admittance of the truth and
your friend’s confession and readi-
ness to pay for his crime. Let us now
translate the allegory into current
realities.

The story of James Baldwin speaks
of the history of colonization and
slavery. The mother is Africa and
other subjugated nations; the mur-
derer is the colonizer and slaver who
forgot their African lineage; and you Oliver Dowden MP, Culture Secretary of UK technically refusing to respond to
are the colonized and enslaved. The the allegation of Britain stealing bronze artifacts from Nigeria.
closet that hides this matricide is the
fictitious history that defends colo- always favor the hunter.” The col- cold economic profit, and to avoid
nization as a mission for civilization. onizer labels the colonized and the mental dilemmas, they overdose on
The avarice and callousness of Eu- enslaved as ‘barbaric’ and ‘uncivi- white supremacy. The black light,
rope has resulted in not just the col- lized’, while their own exploitation by the name of W.E.B. Du Bois, has
onization of Africa, Asia and South and barbaric crimes were labeled explained everything in his book,
America but, even worse, in the missions of civilization. Out of ‘Dusk of Dawn’. Du Bois power-
genocide of aboriginals of North necessity, they created the ‘negro’, fully argues that colonization and
America, Australia and many others ‘yellow’ and ‘brown’ people. It was slavery transcends ignorance and ill
across the globe. Africa, the moth- the only way to make the utterly will as it is an irrational economic
er of civilization, fell victim to the diversified European people ‘white’ motive that demands black slaves
barbaric conquerors, and remains a and unified partners in crime. The to build wealth, and this unmerited
continent that suffers colonization’s US and Western nations used their wealth is employed in the service of
aftermath. The colonizers who ‘naming power’ to exploit the world, more injustice and inhumanity.
committed unparalleled crimes were just as the school bully labels the
never held fully accountable; they smart kids ‘geeks’ or ‘nerds’, so as The colonial doctrine of racism and
instead enjoy their spoils and reign to feel superior through coercion, white supremacy has been the cause
supreme in the world. The children while copying their works. The leg- of two World Wars. But, instead of
of Africa, who are scattered all over acy of white supremacy was never bringing a doctrinal change, it only
the world, have failed to speak the eradicated, as it has returned like a made tactical changes. The myopic
truth and seek justice. Yet, who can plague in the mask of democracy philosophical attitude of Thomas
blame the colonized for such fail- and the mission to democratize. Hobbes and others who deny histo-
ure, when even justice can only be ry to all except Europe, the fictional
sought from an unjust world where The level of denial and lack of guilt- Teutonic Theory of white suprema-
criminals reside as judges. iness these colonizers display is un- cy, the pseudo-scientific theories of
The self-proclaimed world arbi- imaginable, nevertheless, the perpet- racial difference, and the false West-
ters continue to guard the gates of uation of great crimes necessitates ern missionary attempt to civilize
history, which will dethrone them if grand deceptions and apathy. As the rest of the world, all ended in
opened wide. These are the ‘devel- Martin Luther King, Jr. in his book, gruesome killing and slavery. Then,
oped’ nations that prospered from ‘Where do we go from here, chaos followed WWI among colonizers,
the stolen resource and enslaved or community?’ intensely states, which gave the winners a right to
labor of ‘developing’ nations. “It seems to be a fact of life that subjugate the former colonies of the
Remember this: the concealment human beings cannot continue to defeated. This only led to WWII,
of history is an arduous task made do wrong without eventually reach- which still gave the victor a mandate
possible through the ‘naming power’ ing out for some rationalization to to rule the colonies with the mission
of the oppressor. As the African clothe their acts in the garments of to educate and civilize them, which
proverb goes, “Until the lion learns righteousness.” And so, their moral they planned to continue until the
to speak, the tales of hunting will justification is a cover for their colonies learn to exercise democ-

12 | we tell the true afrikan story