In 1970, while I was interviewing the Reverend Chidingo Chinula doyen of Nyasaland politics and Vice- President of the Nyasaland African Congress, he said to me “I thank the Lord. The first 20 years of my life I lived under the Ngoni Kingdom, the next 60 years under the British rule and now I live under the regime of Ngwazi Dr. H. Kamuzu Banda in an independent Malawi.”
These days one is not likely to come across people, no matter how old, who lived under traditional pre-colonial states. There are still millions in Africa who lived through colonial Africa but for the majority of Africans, colonialism is ancient history about which they read in books.
Our colonial masters never tired reminding us how they had abolished slave trade and tribal wars. To some extent, they were right but in the lives of individuals and nations when you solve one problem another one crops up. Colonial rule brought up its own problems for Africans.
In every colony Belgian, British, French, German, there was the problem of relationships between the rulers and the ruled. This problem was accentuated by the fact that the rulers were one of race and colour (white) while the subject people were of another race (black). There was no equality between whites and blacks whether in the church or the state. Africans felt they were being oppressed.
Most problems create advantage of sorts. People who had formerly been thinking of themselves as belonging to a tribe X or tribe Y now saw themselves as blacks versus Europeans. A new bond of unity arose among Africans who resented their inferior status.
Resistance to colonial domination began within Protestant churches. Despite profession of common brotherhood in Christ missionaries like the colonial administrator, made sure that Africans were confined to inferior positions within the church hierarchy. Even in cases where they invited African pastors to their homes, missionaries would serve them in cups of tea specially reserved for Africans.
Africans decided to slough off the inferiority complexes by finding churches of their own inspired by a verse in one of the Psalms which says Ethiopia shall stretch its hands unto God. Ethiopia those days meant land of black people, where Africa set about establishing their own churches. Some separatists were well known such as Mzimba in South Africa, Simon Kimbangu in Belgian Congo, Elliot Kamwana in Malawi. Attempts by the Federation of Christian Missions in Malawi to bring Chilembwe under its control failed. He was to work as an Independent African.
Meanwhile new men were arising all over Africa. In place of traditional rulers there were the new elites; teachers, clerks, lawyers, doctors, and ministers of religion. It is these who started political associations whose aim at first was to tackle the colour bar which they were encountering in the public service and business. Some linked themselves with people of African descent in the West Indies of the United States.
The year 1945 was a watershed in the history of colonial Africa. The Pan- African Congress led by Dr. W.B. DuBois of the United States held a conference in Manchester, England while the victorious nations of World War II were meeting in Germany to agree on how they were to distribute the spoils of victory.
At that conference, present were Jomo Kenyatta, co-chairman, Kwame Nkrumah Secretary of the Conference and Hastings Kamuzu Banda of Malawi.
In a sense, the three men formed a triumvirate of a life time. They represented the regions from which they had come. Nkrumah from West African, Kenyatta in East Africa and Banda in Central Africa. The conference passed resolutions demanding the transfer of power to Africans. Within 20 years, almost all Belgian, British and French colonies had become independent republics.
While struggling for freedom from foreign rule, Africans easily combined behind charismatic leaders. But as soon as self-government or independence was granted, ancient rivalries emerged that frustrated nation building.
Colonial powers had partitioned Africa into territories to suit their own interests. They split tribes and kingdoms which had been united and brought together tribes which had never politically been in harmony before.
Independence brought about states, but nations had to be moulded. A state is a geographically demarcation within which communities dwell under one government or ruler whether they like it or not. A nation is more than a state. It is made up of a people who share common sentiments about their countries.
Since they gained independence for their countries, African leaders had been engaged in trying to turn states into nations.
But within the states, some communities were disgruntled. It was believed by foreign observers that African states with one ethnic group and language show a better chance of building common nationhood. The experience of Somalia has proved them wrong. It takes more than one language or religion to become a nation. See what is happening to Libya after Muamar Gaddafi.
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