tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9149446.post7664614493788481373..comments2023-10-10T10:34:10.843-06:00Comments on The Nexus of Assholery: France's Hard Road in AfricaPatrick Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04592482865332628189noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9149446.post-80371209677337283222010-06-03T15:06:49.272-06:002010-06-03T15:06:49.272-06:00I quite agree: different 'colonial powers'...I quite agree: different 'colonial powers' had very difference philosophies on how to 'govern' their colonies. <br /><br />Yes, all of them wanted to get rich off them - so the 'what', if you like, is identical. It was the 'how' that differed greatly.<br /><br />And that 'how' is what shaped the 'national consciousness' or the 'national soul' (for lack of a better term) of the colony and the post-colonial 'new nation'.<br /><br />I guess what I am trying to say is that the Brits (while just as greedy and haughty as others, no illusions there), instituted education and governance structures which were accessible to those 'colonized'. They held power, but the 'subjects' could get education, could rise, through competence, up in the ranks of the civil service, and so on.<br /><br />So, when the time to hand over power came, the colonies had governance structures in place and people educated and experienced enough to run the place effectively....and the self-respect to do so well.<br /><br />This was not the case in the French colonies.<br /><br />The French did not rely on the 'subjects' to aid in running the colonies, rather, they did the whole 'divide and conquer' by dividing the population by tribal/racial etc. lines and incited them against each other. <br /><br />This was a conscious policy and served to deflect much of the violent resentment against the colonists into tribal (literally or figuratively, depending on the colony) hostilities and violence....the most aggressive or charismatic individuals got killed in the 'tribe vs. tribe violence' and this made the rest of the population easier to rule.<br /><br />When the French left, they did not leave behind any governance structures, no people with skills to run the country if those structures had been there - yet left them with the deep tribal divisions and blood-feuds.<br /><br />It's the 'how' of their 'colonial philosophy'...Xanthippahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00896441894876745028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9149446.post-20575562657010125812010-05-31T21:13:30.143-06:002010-05-31T21:13:30.143-06:00Absolutely there is. But one also has to pay atten...Absolutely there is. But one also has to pay attention to the fact that the nationalism-tattooed-onto-tribalism that I spoke about was often strongest in French colonies, because the French <i>taught</i> these people to beleive in nationalism.<br /><br />What would Rwanda look like today if the nationalist/tribalist-inspired genocide never took place?<br /><br />It would be a much better place, I'm sure we can agree on that.Patrick Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04592482865332628189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9149446.post-89494982803367809542010-05-31T16:51:10.881-06:002010-05-31T16:51:10.881-06:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.葉淑芬https://www.blogger.com/profile/16782099196837892374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9149446.post-17635213380561621452010-05-31T10:48:21.149-06:002010-05-31T10:48:21.149-06:00Point in case: take a look at the 'former col...Point in case: take a look at the 'former colonies' of the various 'colonial powers' and compare the state they are in now...<br /><br />The British former colonies (OK-let's exclude Canada and US as 'special cases), say, in the Caribbean, have excellent schools and governance structures. <br /><br />One glaring example of different 'colonial heritages' is on the island of Quiskea: half was colonized by the Spanish, the other by the French. And while the Spanish were nowhere near as constructive colonialists as the Brits - and the 'Spanish' half of the island certainly experiences some poverty, the Dominican Republic is a paradise compared to the formerly French half of the Island, Haiti....<br /><br />The Portuguese and French 'former colonies' are in the worst shape: both socially and politically. The patterns are clear to see.<br /><br />While I am not big on blaming the sins of one generation onto the next, I do think that in this case, there clearly is some responsibility that France needs to take for its past deeds.Xanthippahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00896441894876745028noreply@blogger.com