Recolonise Africa: Author replies to criticism of racism

Original Post Date: 2001-09-03 Time: 22:50:22  Posted By: Jan

A reader on Jeff Rense’s website, Alvin, accused the author of the RECOLONISE
AFRICA article of racism. Alvin wrote:-

Jeff,
I must admit that this article has, initially and on the surface,
offended me; it smacks of some of the most racist bile I have seen
recently and part of me is surprised to see it on your website
(despite your disclaimer in the website’s intro pages).

Nevertheless; I am considering the spirit of where it seems to be
coming from as, if I am honest, I am forced to confront the fact that
I am NOT there and know far less about the land from where much of my
ancestry hails than most white people who DO live there (and many,
even abroad).

Still; as of late, your offerings on Africa and race strike me as
unbalanced: Where are the perspectives written by BLACK Africans? As a
descendant of a people (African and Aboriginal American) who have been
enslaved by Colonial rapacity (and a Black man who must STILL endure
institutionalized racial oppression from time to time in this country,
even now) you will understand my deep misgivings and “over
sensitivity” regarding issues of race as presented almost exclusively
by people who are heir to the wealth, influence, and power shamefully
garnered by their ruling class ancestors at the expense of my own.

I will be deeply grateful if you find a way to include the
perspectives offered by Persons of Colour on the great issues of our
age more frequently.

You know I respect you.

Your Brother,
Alvin

---

Gordon Frisch, the original author replied to Alvin’s points as follows:-

Dear Jan,

Thanks for forwarding to me Alvin’s and your comments to Jeff Rense. I
would like to respond to Alvin to set the record straight. Alvin is not
the first person whose instant [completely mistaken] reaction to the
article was that it was racist. I assure you, and Alvin, and any others,
that nothing could be farther from the truth.

I have lived internationally for many years, on several continents,
including Africa. I met and developed many friendships in all those
places, including Blacks, Asians, Hispanics, and many others from other
nationalities and ethnic origins. Many remain good friends to this day and
it has never occurred to me to differentiate between them on the basis of
race. They are all people, with individual personalities and cultures, who
receive or do not receive my respect on a case by case basis, depending on
the person, just as with Whites.

The article I wrote on Recolonizing Africa derived its inspiration
from several directions. Yes, I saw Frederick Forsythe’s article having a
similar theme, and I mostly agreed with it.

Also, a few years ago I spent a few hours (off the record) talking
with two Black Africans, who had quite lofty positions with the UN in
Geneva. They both had PhD’s, were highly educated, and they were greatly
concerned about the future of sub-Saharan Africa. One was from the Ivory
Coast, the other from Nigeria, and we had a totally frank talk about the
mess that is Black Africa.

Astoundingly, and with no prompting whatsoever from me, they said
sub-Saharan Africa’s only hope was a return of colonialism in some form.
We all agreed that apartheid-like attitudes should never play any part in
any recolonization. But there were many good aspects to the era of
colonialization in Africa, I saw it firsthand when I worked there. The
positive aspects should be welcomed and encouraged, the negative
discouraged and prohibited, simple as that.

Most of my views and inspiration for the article were derived from
personal experience. I lived in Africa for a number of years and worked
with Black, White and Arab Africans on a daily basis. My firsthand
observations led me to suggest recolonialization as a possible
constructive solution to sub-Saharan Africa’s problems. I was directly
involved in training Blacks in Africa and there is no question that most
are extremely eager and willing to learn and work. They just need the
opportunity and they are not receiving it under the utterly corrupt
leadership they must endure. Their own leaders are their downfall. This is
not racism, this is fact, it could matter less what color the leaders are.
There are similar faults in White-ruled countries too, it’s just that it’s
worst in Africa. The reasons are bound up in Marxism, corruption,
nepotism, etc, the many things we talk about on a daily basis.

There is much negativism in today’s world against multi-national
corporations, and some of the criticism is indeed well founded. But the
flip side is that multi-national corporations also probably offer the last
best hope many Third World countries have to conquer poverty, disease and
corruption. Multi-nationals bring money, expertise, opportunity, jobs and
build infrastructures. No alphabet agency in the world — IMF, World Bank,
UN — can offer a fraction as much.

I would encourage any Blacks to communicate with others through your
site. The only “apparent” Blacks that I have ever seen doing so were
obviously so tainted with Marxist bias that they made a laughingstock of
themselves. A few “apparent” Whites also had similar outlandish leftist
views and made outright fools of themselves, because the historical
failures of Marxism are indefensible. Nonetheless, let them try; throw all
the cards on the table, let’s see how they can manage to defend their
views. Simple truth is more powerful than all the lies in the world, if
exposed. That is what your site does, much to its credit. Of course, not
all who contribute things to your site have what might be considered
unprejudiced views, but let them speak, they will learn along with all of
us.

I might add that the greatest racism and prejudice I have ever seen
anywhere in the world is in Africa, by Blacks. There is a Black on Black
apartheid at work in Africa today that is infinitely more devastating than
anything Whites foisted on Blacks. As you rightly point out, at the peak
of apartheid in South Africa, Blacks from the rest of Africa were still
busting across the borders into White-ruled South Africa because that’s
where the greatest opportunity was. Today, Mugabe’s Zimbabwe is one of the
most racist and corrupt spots on Earth. And Blacks are suffering as much
or more under his brand of Marxist totalitarism than Whites.

Sometime in the next 2 months, I will see Dr. George Ayittey, a
renowned Ghanian professor at American University in Washington D.C. He
will speak to an international forum where I live and I was instrumental
in getting him here. We share many similar views on Africa, and I hope to
talk with him about the idea of some form of neo-colonialism as a solution
to Africa’s problems. He has alluded to this before, but never addressed
the issue head-on that I am aware of. I respect his views greatly and want
to hear what he, one of the most respected Black African nationals, has to
say on the issue.

Meanwhile, I probably understand as well as anyone Alvin’s knee-jerk
reaction to the very idea of “recolonization” as abhorable. America has
its ghosts of slavery, which amount to much the same thing. And there are
still many bigots left in the USA and everywhere today who live in that
bygone era. If the world is ever to move on, it must come to grips with
issues of importance and bury the ghosts of racism. Regrettably, I see
racism surging in today’s world, not subsiding, and that saddens me.

But the idea of “recolonization” in sub-Saharan Africa (perhaps it
should be termed something else more appropriate without negative
connotations) is meant to be a constructive solution, not a return to a
bygone era laden with many negative attributes.

I certainly left a part of my soul in Africa. It is a wonderful
continent with many wonderful people and I have mostly very fond memories
of it. Regrettably, it is deterioriating beyond anything imaginable and I
am immensely saddened to see it. I do what I can to help the situation,
through talks, articles, correspondence, etc. But until Africa gets its
politics sorted out, no amount of external help will accomplish anything
significant.

Jan, through your site and the book you are writing, hopefully a few
more people will begin to see the “REAL” nature of what’s going on in
Africa. The world media sugarcoats everything to the point that virtually
no one sees the utter travesty that is “really” occurring in Africa.
Understanding is the first step to solving a problem. Thus far the world
does not even understand Africa’s problems, so we haven’t yet arrived as
step one in solving them. I am very heartened to see people like Jeff
Rense give you a hearing as this is vital to really solving Africa’s
problems. Thank you Jeff!

Take heart Alvin, I’m not a racist and I’m most certainly not
anti-African. I would dare say I love Africa more than almost anyone …
including yourself. I’ve been there, I’ve experienced it firsthand, and I
came away loving it forever. It’s a wonderful, mystical place that will
always be a part of me.

Respectfully,
Gordon

xxxxx Sign Up