African History Quotes
The king knew the whites had designs on his kingdom. See Mwanga.
The Boer farmers of South Africa invented commando tactics where they would surprise the British, hit and run. It was very effective. Although they could not win the war that way, the prolonged the battle against an overwhelmingly superior force setting an example of asymmetric warfare that lasted hundreds of years. The Sudanese to whom the General referred were the Islamic religious insurgents whom he had soundly defeated the year before in the Sudan. With their religious fervor they attacked en mass and although very courageous were not very effective.
His reference was to the continuation of royal rule after French had taken control.
American socialists and communists were very vocal about the terrible racial discrimination that existed in the United States until the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts were passed in the 1960s. In 1933 describing Black African societies as anything but primitive was rare regardless of the historical facts. When communists and socialists too these anti-racist positions, the racist Southerners then conflated this position and accused all opponents of segregation of being socialists and communists. This tactic actually worked quite well and for many years discouraged many politicians or others from speaking out against discrimination lest they be accused of being a communist or socialist.
Although both of his historical African successes have been successful, most of the leaders argue that the vestige of colonialism was the biggest obstacle and but for the colonial history, they would be much further ahead than they are.
The minority Ibo people were Christian and Animist and after independence they were seriously discriminated against by the majority with the Islam – Christian conflict being a major problem. The Ibo were used to decentralized government and local autonomy while the majority Housa people wanted a strong central Islamic government. The Ibo, with a disproportionate number of educated, honest, intellectuals broke off as Biafra and a one sided civil war took place where many of the Ibo were exterminated. There has been no reconciliation, or apologies. A large proportion of Nigeria’s oil is in the Biafra region and even in the 21st century the local people have never benefited from the oil revenue which end up with the Central Government and much lined the pockets of corrupt officials as Nigeria is one of the most corrupt nations on earth.
