EDITORIAL: Africa’s unfinished business
Africans have not managed the destructive legacy of colonialism well. The failure to recognise how colonial rulers upended societies continues to haunt the continent today.
One of the starkest examples of this historical burden is unfolding in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where deadly clashes between M23 rebels and government forces have turned the region’s forests into bloodstained battlegrounds.
M23 is primarily composed of Tutsi fighters, who claim to be victims of discrimination because they are perceived as Rwandan, despite having lived in DRC for generations. Their plight traces back to the arbitrary colonial borders drawn by Belgium and Germany, which split their ancestral lands between present-day Rwanda and DRC. In Congo, they are often treated as outsiders, while in Rwanda, they are recognised as citizens of the country they actually live in, the DRC.
To many, M23 is not merely a rebellion but a fight for dignity, recognition and equal treatment. It is a painful reminder of how Africa’s colonial past still dictates its present, fuelling ethnic tensions, displacements and wars.
Had early African leaders taken decisive steps to correct or mitigate these colonial wounds, many of today’s conflicts might have been avoided.
Namibia, too, must heed this lesson. Our own version of colonial-era segregation persists in the form of the so-called red line. It is not the physical fence that is the greatest injustice, but the way it has been weaponised to perpetuate economic exclusion, much like it was under German and South African rule.
Africa’s past is not just history – it is a living force that continues to shape the lives of millions. It is up to today’s leaders to ensure that colonial-era divisions are dismantled, not reinforced.
One of the starkest examples of this historical burden is unfolding in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where deadly clashes between M23 rebels and government forces have turned the region’s forests into bloodstained battlegrounds.
M23 is primarily composed of Tutsi fighters, who claim to be victims of discrimination because they are perceived as Rwandan, despite having lived in DRC for generations. Their plight traces back to the arbitrary colonial borders drawn by Belgium and Germany, which split their ancestral lands between present-day Rwanda and DRC. In Congo, they are often treated as outsiders, while in Rwanda, they are recognised as citizens of the country they actually live in, the DRC.
To many, M23 is not merely a rebellion but a fight for dignity, recognition and equal treatment. It is a painful reminder of how Africa’s colonial past still dictates its present, fuelling ethnic tensions, displacements and wars.
Had early African leaders taken decisive steps to correct or mitigate these colonial wounds, many of today’s conflicts might have been avoided.
Namibia, too, must heed this lesson. Our own version of colonial-era segregation persists in the form of the so-called red line. It is not the physical fence that is the greatest injustice, but the way it has been weaponised to perpetuate economic exclusion, much like it was under German and South African rule.
Africa’s past is not just history – it is a living force that continues to shape the lives of millions. It is up to today’s leaders to ensure that colonial-era divisions are dismantled, not reinforced.
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Namibian Sun
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