I'd like to share a passage of the book with our readers which immediately conjured up images of African liberation and even Arab liberation, with the help of the US. It could be seen as a very precise prophecy of what happened in South Africa over the last hundred years. And what is to come...
George Orwell - 1984 (written in 1948)
"The aims of these three groups are entirely irreconcilable.
The aim of the High is to remain where they are.
The aim of the Middle is to change places with the High.
The aim of the Low, when they have an aim – for it is an
abiding characteristic of the Low that they are too much crushed by drudgery to
be more than intermittently conscious of anything outside their daily lives – is
to abolish all distinctions and create a society in which all men are equal.
Thus throughout history a struggle which is the same in its
main outlines recurs over and over again.
For long periods the High seem to be securely in power, but
sooner or later there always comes a moment when they lose either their belief
in themselves or their efficiency to govern efficiently, or both.
They are then overthrown by the Middle, who enlist the Low
on their side by pretending to them that they are fighting for liberty and
justice*. As soon as they have reached their objective, the Middle thrust the
Low back into their old position of servitude, and themselves become the High.
Presently a new Middle group splits off from one of the
other groups, or from both of them, and the struggle begins over again.
Of the three groups, only the Low are never even temporarily
successful in achieving their aims.
It would be an exaggeration
to say that throughout history there has been no progress of a material kind.
Even today, in a period of decline, the average human being is physically
better off than he was a few centuries ago.
But no advance in wealth, no softening of manners, no reform
or revolution has ever brought human equality a millimetre nearer. From the
point of view of the Low, no historic change has ever meant much more than a
change in the name of their masters."
My Opinion:
We can harp on about this or that and the other and the whites treating the blacks badly and the blacks treating the whites badly, but in the end, we're all just part of a chess game.
The situation is a bit more complicated though. In the case of Africa, the High is a "puppet High", which is funded and helped to power by the "real High" - ie. The Superpowers.
It always makes me laugh when politicians, like the ANC get all high and mighty and full of themselves because they "liberated the country". Yes, they did what is mentioned above*. But they would've struggled until "Jesus came" if they weren't pushed into power by the Powers that be.
The New High in Africa:
The thing is, colonialism was bad, maybe. Slavery was bad, true. But what happens when the Colonialists pack up and the Slaves are freed?
When Colonialists Leave
Well, I'll tell you what happened in the Central African Republic. The image below should tell you all that you need to know:
How's that for bling?
Well, the C.A.R. has been at each other since independence. They're still fighting today.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-B%C3%A9del_Bokassa
When Slaves are freed
I think more people should know about the history of Liberia. It should be compulsory to learn about it in school.
For those of you who don't know the history of Liberia:
"Liberia is the only country in Africa founded by United States colonization while occupied by native Africans. Beginning in 1820, the region was colonized by blacks from the United States, most of whom were freed slaves. These immigrants established a new country with the help of the American Colonization Society, a private organization whose leaders thought former slaves would have greater opportunity in Africa. African captives freed from slave ships by the British and Americans were sent there instead of being repatriated to their countries of origin. In 1847, this new country became the Republic of Liberia, establishing a government modeled on that of the United States and naming its capital city Monrovia after James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States and a prominent supporter of the colonization. The colonists and their descendants, known as Americo-Liberians, led the political, social, cultural and economic sectors of the country and ruled the nation for over 130 years as a dominant minority."
Or in Orwellian terms - the Middle became the High...
Of course, almost 200 years later, Liberia is a shithole - Charles Taylor, anyone? Ring any bells?
There you go...
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