African has nary been truly independent

With disbelief and shock, I should admit. I read Bill Rolls' views (July 16 Echo). I didn't know Canada, sadly though, still has people like him with such a frozen take of things. His burning anger was obvious. He felt attacked simply because his symbol was touched negatively! Wow! Though everybody is entitled to his belief, freedom of expression and what not, his was archaic and colonial mentality and ignorance about Africa. He impliedly wanted me to show him one country south of the Sahara whose people are better in freedom than they were under colonialism. It is sad, once again, to ask such ridiculous question. For the person that correctly knows the history/situation Africa is in, such a question is irrelevant and a sheer justification of ignorance. Yeah, we acquired 'independence' in the sixties. But was it true independence really?

Mr. Rolls does not get it. Let me open his eyes. When he drinks coffee, he should understand that farmers producing it in Africa are paid just a dime thanks to a conspiracy by rich countries to reap where they did not sow. When he uses his laptop, he should understand people where the parts are mined are killed everyday to make it easier to plunder and sell at a throw-away price whereby the buyers are the western countries.

For your information Africa has never been truly independent thanks to being manned by western nursed black colonialists. Thanks for mentioning Zimbabwe whose tin-pot dictator was cloned by the same Britain that is against him currently after Joshua Nkomo who was supposed to be the first leader declined to protect their rotten interests. Thanks for bringing Nigeria whose thuggish rulers stashed billions of dollar in banks in Switzerland, U.S., Britain and elsewhere in the western world. Even current terrorists like Osama bin Laden are the creation of west. What's more, stinking dictators such as Idd Amin (Uganda), Hastings Kamuzu Banda (Malawi), Ian Smith (Zimbabwe) were supported by the same Britain when they toppled their governments or came to power for the sin of opposing capitalism as they embraced socialism (those whose freedom fighters allied with the east by then).

If Mr. Rolls and the likes do not want to know and appreciate that many tiny European countries are rich thanks to plundering Africa, history is a meaningless thing. Belgium has no minerals. But it is rich thanks to plundering DRC. I'd recommend that Mr. Rolls and the likes get copies of How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney or No More Lies About Africa by Mussamaali Nangoli among other titles.

I know there are many people with backward thinking of this type almost everywhere in western world. I know they were nursed and mentored under better-than-thou philosophy. If they like to labour under colonialism as individuals, that's their personal business and so be it. The way the son or daughter of colonial master feels is different from those whose countries were colonized.

This is evidenced in the words of Mr. Rolls who lampoons me that if I fled Africa to escape colonial oppression now it is better for me to go back especially to Nigeria and Zimbabwe! Africa has always been under colonial yolk whereby the show is, by proxy, done by African stooges that conspire with rich countries to rob, plunder and ruin Africa. I should remind him what the CIA did in the current DRC-Africa mineral super power. It killed its first leader simply because he was not ready to betray his people by protecting their vested interests. And let me ask, if what I expound is wrong, why do rich countries give African do-nothing governments money to run their business especially their budgets?

I don't want to turn this page into a debating club. I thus should humbly avoid making a missive by submitting that it is better to hide one's ignorance and exhibit his knowledge.

As for the alternative, Canada should become a republic.

In a nutshell, I am here to stay. Canada is my country; the country of immigrants.
Source: The Red River Valley Echo July 23, 2010.