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June 20, 2005
A myth we should bury ...
I am not a member of the Archbishop Desmond Tutu fanclub, but I watched the Channel 5 show which featured his reasons for being a Christian with interest. It raised some important issues with which I found myself in agreement, but it also raised my hackles in several areas - especially when the saintly Desmond talked about the "White Christian introduction of slavery to Africa"! Certainly the European visitors to the West African states bought their slave cargoes there - but they bought them from local tribal chiefs and from "Nubian" Muslim traders, who were already buying and selling fellow human beings for the thriving trade in black and white slaves in North Africa.
Further East, along the coast of what is now Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique, Arab dhows did a roaring trade in slaves - all heading for the Arabian peninsula, Persia, and other Arab lands. It is high time this anti-European myth was exposed for what it is - a twisted version of the truth which does not do any credit to those who repeat it, knowing that it is only a partial truth! The dear, saintly Desmond should know better!
It is the perpetuation of this lie that is aiding the spread of Islam by painting the very people and religion who still practice and condone slavery as the "Saviours of Africa" from the oppression of White Christian Slavery! White, and possibly "Christian" Europeans, certainly did engage in the slave trade; however they bought these from Islamic traders or from local tribal chiefs - they did not introduce it to Africa, rather Africa facilitated their commercial opportunity in this field - that does not make it right, but it is also grossly misleading to say that it was their custom that sustained it. Look only at Sudan today!
It is high time that this version of history was challenged and exposed for what it is - a lie!
Posted by The Gray Monk at June 20, 2005 08:25 AM
Comments
Hi, Laban here. Your aol email address is defunct - I've asked you to do that book questionnaire thingy that's going around.
Could you mail me your new address, or take a look at my blog and you'll see the sort of thing I mean. Or ignore the request altogether.
Posted by: Laban Tall at June 20, 2005 07:58 PM
Quite right.
I was similarly pleased to read in Saturday's Times that the new pope crticised Mugabe and said it was time for him to stop blaming British colonialism for Zimbabwe's problems.
Posted by: fdm at June 21, 2005 10:25 AM