Colonizing Africa, The Oldman’s Explanation (Excerpt)

Colonizing Africa, and the Oldman’s Explanation

I have always wondered why, with men like him, colonizing Africa had been so easy. I recall discussing it with the Oldman in our earliest days together.

“The easiest explanation,” he said, “I could think of was that too many of the kings and local chieftains in pre-colonial Africa ruled over enclaves that were too small to resist any enemy with a long-term goal!”

Then he added, “Every man with a really strong arm marched away to start his own chiefdom, fiefdom, or even thiefdom.”

He continued:

“The kingdom of Kush gave the Romans a bloody nose because it was not some tiny enclave ruled by self-serving kings who were strong only when they terrorized their subjects. Kings who did not keep the dominated hungry or ignorant or poor. Subjects were allowed to specialize in one craft or the other, acquiring knowledge which benefited the kingdom. The better they got at producing tools, the wealthier the kingdom got.

“Such dominions function as one. In tough seasons when they could not create enough wealth for the realm through trade for whatever reason, because they functioned as one, they could easily create expeditionary military forces with which they robbed others.

“That’s all you need to know about successful kingdoms and empires.

“I have observed that the most successful of city-states had one thing in common: an appreciation for the role of every subject—call it an inclusive vision for every member of society—one in which each person represented potential wealth. Rulers in such domains saw a direct relationship between the wealth of the realm and the wealth of the people.

“On the other hand, city-states that ended up as footnotes in the dustbin of history had rulers who equated the power and prestige of their dominions with their personal wealth….”

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Scene 7: Goodbyes, Bible and Rosary

Too soon, immediately after breakfast, we said our goodbyes.

The bishop gave each of us a Bible and a rosary and after he prayed for our safe onward journey to Ile-Ife, he said, “I cannot make you say the rosary, but I can put one in your pocket and hope that perhaps someday you’ll be led to understand its history and its place in the Christian faith.”

“Thank you, Your Excellency,” the Oldman replied. “God keep you in fine health till we meet again, here on earth,” then pointing up, with all seriousness said, “Or up there in heaven.”