The Africa That Never Was

Book Review

This is one of the most interesting books I have read, so far, this year. There was several quotes I extracted and pasted on my Facebook page. Upon finishing it, this was not enough...so I wrote this review to share what I learnt with the world [in particular, my African brothers and sisters]. But I sincerely hope you get a chance to read the whole book, then you will know what I am talking about and your eyes will be opened.

Title: The Africa That Never Was: Four Centuries of the British Writing About Africa
Authors: Dorothy Hammond and Alta Jablow
Publisher: Waveland Press Inc
ISBN 0-88133-690-4
Reviewer: Mwesigye Gumisiriza

What did the British think about Africa? Is it the Dark Continent, forbidding and mysterious? A Labyrinth in which one would lose his way? Or like a Strange Woman that is attractive and dangerous at the same time? This is the question that this book sets out to answer and give insight into how these opinions and conceptions were formed and the reasons behind them. The authors go to a great length to get as much material as possible spanning the period from the beginnings of British Empire’s contact with Africa in the 16th century up to the late 1960s when many African countries had got or were in the process of getting independence.

Over 400 publications written during the selected period were examined, ranging from scholarly works, fiction and non-fiction. Over the centuries, these were influenced by the events and movements of a particular era, for instance, colonialism, slave trade, abolition or agitation for independence. At the start, the focus tended to be more on exploration and seeking more information on the land, history and the people. This drove misconceptions such as Africans being cannibals and savages; it also gave impetus to the push for the spread of Christianity and Western civilisation. If there was any doubt about the link between the spread of Christianity in Africa and the eventual colonialism, some of these writings make it clear. Such as this one: "Let us enter upon a new and nobler career of conquest. Let us subdue Savage Africa by justice, by kindness, by the talisman of Christian truth. Let us go forth, in the name and under the blessing of God gradually to extend the moral influence...the territorial boundary of our colony, until it shall become an Empire..."

Some of the misconceptions were simply ridiculous and outrageous that reading this, ages later, would infuriate any black-skinned person. A case in point is this: "...the concentration of their thoughts on sexual intercourse...is the negro's greatest weakness. Nature has probably endowed him with more than the usual generic faculty. After all, to these people almost without arts and sciences and the refined pleasures of the senses, the only acute enjoyment offered them by nature is sexual intercourse."

A theme that runs through the literature written over such a long period is the British feeling of superiority towards the peoples in their colonies and even, to some extent, to other Europeans like the Boers in South Africa. But this disdain was particularly reserved for blacks, among others, as shown by this observation ..."the black man accepts the superiority of the white as part of the order of nature. He is too low down, too completely severed from the white, to feel indignant. Even the few educated natives are too well aware of the gulf that divides their own people from the European to resent...the attitude of the latter".

With time, there was the advent of colonialism which ushered in a period that perhaps left the greatest imprint of the British Empire’s involvement in the Dark Continent. Even today, the systems of government, methods of law and order, commerce, to mention but a few, in many parts of Africa are derived from this era. In the book, a comment by Sir Charles Dundas, who was Governor of Uganda, is cited: “Certainly more was done for backward mankind in the era of British colonial rule than in any previous age, and if colonialism is now discredited I believe that its passing will nevertheless be mourned…as the end of a Golden Age”.

But, as the authors labour to point out, the assumption was that the history of Africa began with contact with Europeans. This is disputed by the evidence of the presence of Arabs even before they (Europeans) discovered Africa. In addition, without these outsiders, there was enormous progress, prosperity and development by the inhabitants themselves. Otherwise what can explain the sophistication of the Great Zimbabwe or rise and spread of empires like Ashanti, Dahomey, Songhai?

In all, the authors help to open our eyes to the origins and explanation of the stereotypes, deep-seated misconceptions and bias against Africans and other dark-skinned races, many of which persist up to this day. It is a highly recommended read for any African with a desire to know more about this.

Submitted to The Monitor newspaper for publication, it can be accessed here.