The future of the past...

Tanzania gained its independence from British colonial rule in 1961 and two years later in 1963, Kenya and Malawi followed suit.  In 1964 it was Zambia’s turn and finally in 1980 Zimbabwe also became an independent state. Travelling through these countries one is struck by a similar socio-economic reality that is defined by a general infra-structural under-development and widespread poverty.

As a rule, British travellers speak of the brutish colonial past with barely muted pride and refer fondly to historical anecdotes as if oppression then was an act of benevolence. They are largely unaffected by the plight of the people and if possible would prefer to remain at a safe distance from crafters and traders who often feel obliged to harass tourists in an attempt to make just one overpriced sale.

In a sense tour groups are like visitors to a zoo, but in this case entire countries are on display in their cages of poverty and desperation. Towns which have some kind of natural attraction have lost their identity and could be any tourist trap anywhere with quaint and mostly expensive coffee shops, African themed restaurants and of course endless craft markets with sometimes hundreds of stall owners trying to scrape by.

Governments on the other hand are cosying up to the USA through USAID and China for trade deals in which most locals are overlooked or underpaid. Progressive social ideals have been discarded to make way for free markets that ensure international loans and cooperation and the continued outflow of profits to these economic partners. The British are for the most part uninvolved and yet the ‘ordinary’ British citizens who can afford to travel still feel entitled and arrogantly superior with lopsided, propagandized opinions borrowed directly from the international media and Wikipedia.

Having said all of that though, I saw a painting in the Tinga Tinga Gallery in Meserani just outside of Arusha by one of the local painters whose name I forget. It was a village scene with a protest theme and in the centre of the image was a stern looking face staring directly at the viewer with a placard held aloft that read: “African Presidents kill 100 000 people.”

And I sit and wonder what notions of responsibility for freedom and independence mean after all is said and done…