By Femi Akomolafe and posted with permission

a missive to a European friend

Greetings to you.

Did you pause to consider the fact that the equivalence you seek/sought is simply invalid, thereby untenable?

From whichever angle you consider it, comparing European violent colonial conquest of, say Africa, with Europeans WILLINGLY voting for racists and fascists is outrageous, to put it mildly.

Contrary to what its apologists claim, colonialism was not an altruistic enterprise, undertaken by some god-fearing souls in Europe, to bring the light of enlightenment to some savages.

The simple truth is that 15th, 16th, 17th century Europe was in no form or shape to enlighten anyone.

Africa was violently invaded, sundered and brutally exploited with millions killed (over 10m in the Congo DRC alone) by European empire-builders. We had no say whatsoever in the beastly enterprise.

Read this: “Whatever happens, we have got The Maxim gun, and they have not.” ― Hilaire Belloc.

How dare you to compare that with Europeans willingly and enthusiastically voting for racists and fascists?

While it is true that we (Africans) are champions when it comes to forgiving our enemies, we feel the pains when the children of those that we forgave think nothing of rubbing salt on our injuries.

Mandela told us that: Amnesty is not Amnesia.

We are no fools, we are only guided by our ancestors wise advice to us to let bygones be bygones as encapsulated in this Yoruba proverb: Ti a ko ba gbagbe oro ana, a ko ni ri eni ba sere / if we don’t forget yesterday’s issues, we will not get anyone to play with.

Alas, Europeans lack the capacity to even appreciate this enormously sensible wise words, much less abide by it.

On the contrary, we see those who tell us to forgive our trespasses, as a god will forgive us ours, pursue their enemies to death and beyond.

Or, can someone cite for me just one example of where Europeans forgave anyone that offended them?

I lived in Europe and listened to Europeans constantly speechifying about how they have the best of everything, political system included.

I watched them as they stand on their high horses, hug the moral high grounds, and give lectures and admonitions to other peoples. I still see them trampling around Africa evangelizing the gospel of white supremacy!

Almost all of them will never even consider the fact that not every human being wants to operate on European value-system.

This total lack of self- and historical awareness, plus the inability to give any attention or consideration to other people’s feelings nauseate badly.

European narcissism plus their sense of entitlement is simply unbelievable.

Sorry, you can’t claim to operate the most advanced and the most sophisticated political system in the world, keep on electing imbecilic fascists, and be offended when other people rope you in with the criminal policies that your democratically elected governments pursue around the world.

Let’s not forget the fact that it’s precisely these criminal policies that give European citizens the material wealth they so, unabashedly, enjoy.

It is the criminal enterprises of European governments that created the wealth that Europeans so arrogantly flaunt at the rest of us!

Sorry if some of us refuse to rend our garments and lament loudly at Europe’s current self-inflicted predicaments; we see it for what exactly it is: European are reaping the whirlwind that they sowed all over the world in the last five centuries!

I don’t have a problem with your African roots, I will only urge you to consider the fact that, although you were born in Africa, your European parentage automatically confers on you privileges that are denied the natives.

No, do not be offended; I am simply stating the colonial/neo-colonial realities.

Malcolm X told us: Chicken hatched in ovens are not biscuits.

It is a Cultural thing.

Do enjoy your day.