- All cultures are not equal
- Each race or culture bears its own burdens
-
- At the turn of the twentieth century, Rudyard Kipling
wanted the colonial powers to bear a burden that only advanced societies
could endure. Take up the White Man's burden was the theme in his poem
that summoned up an entire age of guilt and greed. When the verse first
appeared in McClure's Magazine, the lines of empire were long drawn by
Western Nations as they sliced and diced colonies under the chant that
they were protectorates of the mother country.
-
- Cited by Jim Zwick, ed., Anti-Imperialism in the United
States, 1898-1935 from a letter to the editor of The Nation, "Mr.
Kipling's Call to America", Feb. 7, 1899, written by Alfred Webb
- offers the following assessment:
-
- "There is something almost sickening in this "imperial"
talk of assuming and bearing burdens for the good of others. They are never
assumed or held where they are not found to be of material advantage or
ministering to honor or glory. Wherever empire (I speak of the United Kingdom)
is extended, and the climate suits the white man, the aborigines are, for
the benefit of the white man, cleared off or held in degradation for his
benefit. Where the climate does not suit us, and the natives are in too
advanced a condition to be cleared off, the first consideration (at least
with the majority, men of Kipling's turn of mind) is our material advantage
and honor and glory. We are in a precious hurry to lay burdens down when
they do not pay, as in the case of our solemn obligations to the Armenians.
We are ever ready to shirk them, as in the case of the status of our Indian
fellow-subjects in our colonies, when the bearing of the burden of seeing
fair play done would be inconvenient. In so far as is compatible with our
interests and honor and glory, we have perhaps made the interests of "natives"
under our rule of higher and more enduring consideration than that recorded
of any other conquering and governing Power. But this talk of burdens is,
as I have said, unadulterated cant."
-
- Such critical appraisals were common and especially applied
to the Dark Continent. Africa no longer baked in the glory of the Pharaohs
or fed on the commerce of Timbuktu, it was there for the taking. Mineral
resources were the path to newly accumulated wealth and cannibal bloodlines
were feasting grounds for saving souls. Kipling rallied the faithful for
a noble mission and offered cover for the 'Great White Hunter' in a quest
for booty. Was this era just misguided and wrong, or did it civilize a
backward continent?
-
- Now that Idi Amin is dead, can there be any doubt that a dictator
of his aptitude was the mark of a predator in search of prey? Human rights
groups say from 100,000 to 500,000 people were killed during his 8-year
rule,1971-79. But he is not alone. When Jan Lamprecht states on his site,
South
Africa in Crisis: "It should be remembered that from the first,
whites in Africa had said that the so-called "Liberation" of
Africa was not going to benefit the common black man, and that in the end,
it was about a bunch of Marxists/Socialists being placed in power . . .
", one must question if that Kipling burden is restricted only to
the Caucasoid race! The legacy of colonialism looks decent in comparison
to the Mugabe regime of despotic carnage and murder of European heritage
farmers.
-
- While Statist ideology is color blind, tribal ancestral
feuds are often genetic. Those who revere Mandela as a saint, never wore
a tire necklace collar from Winnie. If Charles Taylor is a practicing Christian,
his form of bloodshed is a strange ritual of faith . . . What are the chances
of vacationing in Sierra Leone? Remember that Holocaust in the Sudan! Or
how about breaking bread with Hutu and Tutsi clans in Rwanda?
-
- What drove the colonialism of the past was a combination
of imperialism and false guilt. While the specifics and emphasis have changed
over time, the duel union of avarice and altruism is a deadly fusion. But
separate they are still lethal.
-
- Only those who are in total denial or maintain mindless
Afro-Centric illusions, would defend the current conditions emanating out
of witch doctors wearing Armani suits. While King Leopold treated the Congo
as his personal possession, his exploitation of the contrived "Congo
Free State" is hardly an excuse or justification for the kind of rape
that locals cultivate. Who really has a "Heart of Darkness" ?
Asserting that Idi Amin had the higher moral ground to Leopold II is like
saying the lion can eat their young to prevent their cubs from becoming
quarry for the safari huntmen. In Joseph Conard's European trader, Kurtz
was in search of ivory, was he any different than the military ruler General
Abubakar from Nigeria in their exploration for the continued flow of oil?
-
- Africa has become a total mess with national liberation.
Angola under Cuban tutelage didn't supplant Portuguese civility, nor has
the ANC brought prosperity to the Zulu kingdom. That part of South Africa
under Boar rule benefited more residents than just Dutch decedents. Affrikaans
didn't call every black a "Kaffir", while the reign in Mozambique
treated most of their own kind as "Boy" . . .
-
- Walter Williams has it
right: "President Bush has pledged to send more foreign aid to some
African nations. Foreign aid has historically gone to governments. Instead
of helping the poor, foreign aid has enabled African tyrants to buy cronies
and military equipment to stay in power, not to mention establishing multibillion
dollar "retirement" accounts in Swiss banks, should their regime
be toppled."
-
- George W Bush's version of compassion that pledges $15
billion for HIV/AIDS program, will be spent on chateaus in the South of
France. The burden that Kipling favored will be borne by the slaves that
Bush now commands. The bleeding hearts that foster altruistic intervention
actually promotes the obstruction of the natural order. If survival of
the fittest rules the Serengeti, the shadow of Kilimanjaro blocks the sun
and prevents heat stroke. Allow nature to take it's own course. The West
built the railroads and humanized the continent. Now primitives turned
a paradise into a purgatory. The betrayal of Rhodesia produced the horror
of Zimbabwe. Cape town has now become a Soweto. Colonial rule seems a blessing
to a civilized world in comparison to the Idi Amin - Robert Mugabe formula.
-
- Will a return to a satellite continent ever be revisited?
When all hell lets loose, maybe something could be salvaged. If that happens,
just tell the Kipling advocates to keep Gunga Din out of Africa.
-
- SARTRE - August, 17, 2003
-
- "The article published originally at Rense.com;
republication granted with this tagline and hyperlink intacts"
-
- When Mandela dies we will kill you whites like flies.
- (African National Congress Councillor, Mzukizi Gaba,
10th November 1997)
-
- © 2000-2003 by BATR All Rights Reserved
-
-
- http://pages.zdnet.com/sartre65/wrack/id39.html
-
-
-
- Update - Whose Burden Is The Dark Continent
-
- From Ron Palmer
- ronp357@whozat.com
- 8-21-3
-
- Dear Jeff -
-
- This is just in response to <http://www.rense.com/general40/burden.htm>
Whose Burden Is The Dark Continent? By Sartre. I am familiar with South
African history & just wanted to make some clarifications.
-
- Africa has become a total mess with national liberation.
Angola under Cuban tutelage didn't supplant Portuguese civility, nor has
the ANC brought prosperity to the Zulu kingdom.
- Whose Burden Is The Dark Continent? By SARTRE 8-17-03.
-
- The ANC is dominated by the Xhosas. While there are some
Zulu members, they are not as represented in the ANC as much as they are
in the Inkatha Freedom Party: a Zulu based cultural party. A number of
those in the Zulu Kingdom are in favor of extricating themsleves from the
union.
-
- That part of South Africa under Boar rule benefited more
residents than just Dutch decedents.
- Whose Burden Is The Dark Continent? By SARTRE 8-17-03.
-
- The assertion is right, but some clarifications are required.
First it is spelled: Boer. Next: The Boers are not just descendents of
the Dutch from 1652. The Boers are also the descendents of French Huguenot
refugees (from 1671 to 1726), German Protestants & other smaller groups
such as Belgians, Danish, Scots & even a small percent of Malays &
Indians. Now most significant: post 1910 & pre 1994 South Africa was
not I repeat not "under Boer rule"!
-
- The Boers had just lost a war to retain their independence
in the Boer Republics of the Transvaal Republic (1852 - 1900) & Orange
Free State (1854 - 1900) during the Anglo-Boer War from 1899 - 1902. The
Boers had been subjugated & conquered by the British Empire & forced
into the Union finding themselves under British colonial domination for
the first time in generations. The artificial State of South Africa was
a British creation which ended up lumping the Boers of the republics in
with their Afrikaner Cape based cousins.
-
- The fact of the matter is that South Africa was ruled
by very few Boers as South Africa was ruled mainly by the Cape based Afrikaners
who attempted to "unite" all the white Afrikaans speakers into
a single "volk". Most notably under the programs of the erstwhile
National Party which was dominated by Afrikaans ethnocentrists who blured
cultural lines between Boers & Cape based Afrikaners in order to numerically
overwhelm the English speakers within the political realm. The ruling class
Cape based Afrikaners realized that they had to co-opt as many of the Boers
(of Voortrekker origin) as possible in order to retain political dominance
over the English speakers. The ancestors of the Boers of the Boer Republics
had migrated away from their Cape based cousins begining in the early 1700s.
-
- These first Boer migrants were known as Trek Boers. They
settled into the eastern Cape where the first contact between Boer &
Xhosa was established. - Which lead to frontier wars. - The Trek Boers
were the ancestors of the Voortrekkers who migrated en masse into the interior
starting in 1835 in order to escape British colonialism & Xhosa maurading
as well as to expand their frontiers as the life of the Trek Boer &
Vootrekker required large expanses of farm land. The Great Trek was made
possible mainly due to the inter-tribal wars which had left huge tracts
of land vacant in the north.
-
- South Africa was not ruled by very many of these Boers
of Voortrekker descent. South Africa was ruled overwhemingly by Afrikaners
of whose ancestors had never left the Cape. The term Afrikaner was rarely
used before the early 20th Century as it was a term which was brought into
use to differentiate between the Afrikaans speakers & the English speakers.
The term Afrikaner in essense was used to describe anyone whose native
language was Afrikaans regardless of cultural distinctions ie: Cape Dutch
vs Boer. Prior to that those in the Cape were known as the Cape Dutch (despite
also having ancestors from France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark & even
India), & those who migrated eastward were known as Boers, Trek Boers
& Voortrekkers. Afrikaans speakers were divided between Boers of Vootrekker
descent -mainly those who were living in the Boer Republics- & those
who never left the Cape. Those who never left the Cape were & are more
numberous than those in the (former) Boer Republics. This is mainly how
it is that they & not the Boer (of republican & Voortrekker origin)
came to rule the State of South Africa. Note: The Afrikaans speakers within
the so called Coloured population is greater than the Afrikaans speakers
within the White population.
-
- Affrikaans didn't call every black a "Kaffir",
while the reign in Mozambique treated most of their own kind as "Boy"
. . .
- Whose Burden Is The Dark Continent? By SARTRE 8-17-03.
-
- Another great point. Here is something else that many
might not know though. The term "Kaffir" originated from the
Arab / Muslim word. Which retained its definition as meaning an "infidel".
The reason the Afrikaans language used this word of Muslim origin is due
to the fact that the Malays (of Muslim origin) significantly influenced
& contributed to the germination of the Afrikaans language (which the
Cape Malays speak as a first language) which in effect is based on an archaic
Dutch dialect with influences from French, German, Portuguese, Malay, Khoi,
Bantu & English. Some useful links.
-
- <http://www.geocities.com/sa_stamouers/huguenots.htm>
The French Huguenot Ancestors of South Africa.
- <http://www.anglo-boer.co.za/> The Anlgo Boer War
Museum.
-
- <http://www.boer.co.za/boerwar.html> Some History
of the Boer Nation.
-
- I hope you have found this informative. Thanks for your
time.
-
- Ron P.
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