I think it's really interesting when we talk about specifics about British colonialism in Africa because I can relate a lot of it to stories about colonialism in India I've heard from my grandparents. My grandparents often tell me stories about life under the British Raj and how the "Britishers," as they call them, impacted our family. For one, my grandfather always used to tell me about how British officers would pin kingdoms against each other to create divisions in the nation. This tactic is extremely similar to what we learned was applied in Africa. Moreover, my grandmother tells me about how land was taken away from families as a means of destroying their livelihoods.
On a more personal level, British colonialism tore a lot of my paternal family apart. My paternal grandmother's family was fairly well-off and had been earning their livelihood through agriculture. However, when my grandmother was only about three years old, their maid was hired by a local British officer to kill my great grandfather because of his refusal to follow a British law. After my great grandfather was killed, my grandmother's family lost much of their land and faced a great deal of suffering. On my maternal side, my grandparents and great grandparents were known to house Indian freedom fighters and those persecuted due to religion in their home. I have a lot of really interesting stories I've heard throughout the years from my family, and I really enjoy reading colonial literature because I'm able to draw connections between what my ancestors faced and what others have faced as well.
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Wow, stories like that really put British colonialism into more perspective. Thanks for sharing that.
I think you bring up a really important point, which is that British colonialism didn't only affect one area—it was widespread, and devastating to culture and life in general in many places. Although it was often under the guise of "bettering" the native populations, clearly the horrible conditions they created did not always, or perhaps even often, help.
It wasn't only the British either—the French were big players in colonialism, and other countries like Germany had designs too. Racking up many colonies was a sign of power and strength. Countries wanted to secure resources (like gold), and unfortunately, they didn't mind devastating the already-existing populations to get their way.
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