Swazi schools closed for weeding
- Thread starter Riesstiu IV
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thestonesfan
A Client of Ron Kuby
Junta, anyone?
Bozo Erectus
Master Baker
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Ironically, the King is wearing headgear that seems to have been inspired by the Statue of Liberty.
amadeus
Serenity now
Giving them independence was such a fantastic thing to do, wasn't it?
thestonesfan
A Client of Ron Kuby
Reminds me of the time my Dad made us weed the corn because we threw strawberries at each other.
He didn't realize how cool it was that they left "bloodstains".
He was a square.
He didn't realize how cool it was that they left "bloodstains".
He was a square.
Riesstiu IV
Deity
It's odd... most African countries seemed better off under the boot of European Imperialism.
amadeus
Serenity now
They were. They had jobs, education, law and order, growing economies and increasing standards of living.
When the Europeans left, the only thing the Africans decided to keep was the order, and they even screwed that up.
When the Europeans left, the only thing the Africans decided to keep was the order, and they even screwed that up.
ahem, I had actually sworn myself never again to argue with your simplicistic views of the world, but here goes:
have you ever checkd on colonial bureaucracy? Their only purpose was to delay decisions and had them up to the Europeans. Now take them away - no wonder the Africans run around like a headless chicken.
oh, and go to a country and kill the leaders, the intelectuals and all others who oppose you, keep them dumb, keep them from living their way but do not allow them to fully live your way - then run away and wonder why things collaps!
Lifeblood
Defender of the faith
The King looks like an agreeable chap. I say we give him the 15 million for him and his 11 wives.
Bozo Erectus
Master Baker
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Carlos, then what youre saying is that countries in Africa arent responsible for their actions. It means that deep down, you dont believe that they are our equals. They are sort of like children who need to be guided properly by us and if they have problems 50 years after gaining independance, they arent at fault, its us, we didnt properly prepare them for independance. AIDS is ravaging the continent, is it the fault of irresponsible corrupt African leaders? Nope, its ours because we havent properly educated them about how to avoid AIDS and because we havent given them enough money to fight the disease. Dont you see that this view is 'The Whitemans Burden' Part 2?
yes indeed, African countries aren' our 'equal'. We ****ed them over for centuries, and we continue to do so, foring upon them ways of governing themselves they are neither equipped to deal with, nor fit their own traditions. We screwed them up, and we do too little (and often actually fight it) to help them get out of the hole we dug or them!
Many places have problems after 50 years of independence because we made it easy for them to have them.
Pick any country with 95% illiteracy, send in a few thugs with guns, siphon off the profits of the oil and gem mines - and see what happenes.
Interestingly, those places where the old (usually monarchic) structures are preserved have it best - like Zwazi, where people are fairly educated and have jobs and food.
there is a guy who became a mechanic in germany, then went back to reign his tribe - they do fairly well as they all have a society with stable rules that fits their culture. He slowly brings in new media and ideas, and oh wonder people can deal with it. AIDS is low, unemployed do not flee to the cities and crime but instead start farming or herding in a manner conpatible with the land (do not forget that in many places the white men drove the local farmers off suitable land into non-suitable land - where they still live today) and so on!
SanPellegrino
Wanderer
No, we didn't. Just look at the map of Africa! the colonial nations made the borders with a ruler, regardless what tribes/people lived there, so they laid the basics for todays civil wars. Also they didn't really give a **** about education. When the Belgians left the Kongo, they left behind only 4 (!) physicians and yes, 50 years is a small time span in such case to build a stable society.
Bozo Erectus
Master Baker
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Ok Carlos and San Pellegrino, what span of time will be required before Africans are responsible for the living standards of Africans? If not 50 years, how about 100? 200?
thestonesfan
A Client of Ron Kuby
Ironically enough, the descendents of the slaves taken the New World are better off than those left behind in Africa.
SanPellegrino
Wanderer
of course they are responsible for themselves, but they need help, just like the victims of a natural disaster
amadeus
Serenity now
Does that mean they don't have the intellectual capacity to trust them to running a country, or is it that Europeans are to blame for the ignorant tribal hatred in Africa?
cgannon64
BOB DYLAN'S ROCKIN OUT!
Yeah, and they were practically slaves that had little or no rights.
SanPellegrino
Wanderer
tribal hatred and ethnic tensions are not exclusively reserved to Africa, but they are stronger there because of the colony borders. of course they have the intellectual capacity to run their countries (who said anything else?) but it is harder when there is no democatic tradition, same thing as in Eastern Europe.
jack merchant
Internationalist
Actually, in some cases European countries deliberately played the tribes against each other (Belgium in Rwanda is a good example). Exacerbating the already existing tensions by drawing the borders of Africa with a pencil and a ruler on a map in Berlin instead of in reference to local realities didn't make things better either.
The case of Swaziland is not an argument against decolonization; it's an argument against botching decolonization.
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