Comments by "" (@orboakin8074) on "The Truth About Colonialism with Nigel Biggar" video.
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As a Nigerian, my opinion on colonialism will be more nuanced than that of most westerners. On one hand, it was brutal in some ways but on the other it did play a huge role in bringing much of Africa into the modern age via introduction of modern tech, medicine, western education, and nation building. My country literally wouldn't exist without the British. For all the issues we face, most of us wouldn't ever dream of not having a country of our own.
Also, one major good it did was abolish slavery. I cannot be more thankful for the British using their naval power and economic might to suppress the slave trade in Africa. Oh, I know they partook in it for a time, themselves, but it existed here long before whites ever came to Africa. Even my own ancestors of the Edo kingdom were slavers. What makes the British different is that unlike other regional African and Arab powers, they had the cultural & religious framework, wisdom, humanity and courage to actually stop the evil of slavery even at huge cost to their economy.
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@pauljrechezona3126 you make good points, sir. And if you read my initial comment, you will see that I clearly stated the colonial actions of the British were brutal so I already acknowledged that.
As for slavery, the simple and sad fact is that it already existed across our area of west Africa long before they ever came and likely would have continued much longer. The best ways we have seen in history to abolish slavery is usually when a stronger power enforces the abolition of it. This was how Menelik II of Ethiopia did it. It's how the Americans also did it.
Finally, the issue of various self-sufficient tribes being forcibly assimilated is also not as new as you think. Such kind of colonialism and assimilation was already happening before the British. The Sokoto Fulani caliphate did this to the Hausa, Tiv, Kanuri and other northern tribes and they even made several attempts to assimilate some of the southern tribes. My own state of Edo also did this during their expansion and had it done to them by other tribes. The Oyo Kingdom frequently fought the Dahomey kingdom for territory and slaves with both sides winning and losing. Ethiopia (that was never colonized) also did this. Menelik II subjugated several tribes to create their modern country and this still causes division and tribalism there as seen in their various civil wars (they even tried to colonize Eritrea brutally) So, this forced assimilation you decry was already happening here. If the British or Europeans hadn't done it, it would have happened to us and likely not by a better power (either the Sokoto caliphate or some other Muslim power)
At the end, I am not calling the British a perfect or kind or angelic empire because Nonsuch exists. I am calling them the better option compared to what else was available that time. And if I may ask, would you prefer that we go back to pre-colonial times in Africa? Should we in Nigeria break up and have tribal enclaves instead of trying to work with what we have?
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@pauljrechezona3126 Again, you make good points, friend. Also, respect to you for being cordial and objective during this discussion (unlike many Africans I deal with)
Your point on most of our tribes being dysfunctional and assimilated post-colonialism compared to the north, is true but it is really not unique to the British empire. Also, you should consider how our two regions differ today. Yes, the British didn't push to far into the north and so their states were more intact and allowed to keep their traditionally institutions while we in the south had ours reduced. But the British also spent more time in the south transferring their sociopolitical, cultural and economic values and systems (capitalism, democracy, modern education, industry, etc) onto us. That's one of the major reasons why the south today is the economic power house of Nigeria and also is more developed in terms of infrastructure. We are also more secular and get along better with other tribes (despite tribalism, we do) and less prone to instability compared to the north where despite their ethnic and religious homogeneity, they are plagued with insecurity, corruption, illiteracy and underdevelopment. Same thing with Botswana, India, the southern part of Ghana and Hong Kong compared to the rest of China. So, in retrospect, we got a better deal post-colonialism.
Finally, regarding the issue of exploitation, yes, that did happen, as it did with much of their colonies and that must be condemned but one thing people tend to forget is that colonialism was not a cheap or free venture for the British or most Europeans, and that is not me defending the practice, just showing more objective viewpoints. Keep in mind that they had to built up the infrastructure, political systems and finance all of that resource extraction. In the end, they lost more money on colonialism in Africa than they ever got. if you want to see a truly exploitative empire, look at the Spanish in South America, the Japanese in East and South-East Asia, or the Arabs in Africa during their colonialism. Ironically, it's teh same system foundations that many of our countries are still building on to develop i.e. we still use democracy, capitalism and industrial manufacturing to grow our economies. So, my main points overall are that colonialism was brutal but not as black-and-white as most assume.
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@pauljrechezona3126 You are right that it would have been better had the derivatives and benefits of British colonialism come via trade and diplomacy rather than conquest but, sadly, history has shown that this is not the way it happens. Even much of modern Europe was established during the colonial expansion and brutality of the Romans (Celtic genocide and British subjugation, etc) but as part of that, these places got much of their later nation building and culture from Rome. It's a sad aspect of human nature and history😔
Also, to be fair, what matters with regards to a country's economic development has more to do with culture and value systems rather than if they were colonized or not. Mongolia was not colonized but they are also no where as rich or developed as places like Korea and Vietnam that were colonized. Also, believe me, the Mongolian empire*was not a good empire* by any stretch😨 As for Ethiopia, I wouldn't put much stock in them as an example of what could have been for us in Africa considering how despite no colonialism, they have the same (if not more) problems as most other African countries do (famines, dictatorships, civil wars, tribalism, economic mismanagement and corruption etc)
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