‘I think that there’s a strategy to divide and conquer and to create a very contrived confusion,” said Samuel Okuzeto Ablakwan, Ghana’s foreign minister. “We denounce and totally reject those claims that Africans are as guilty and complicit as those who masterminded this whole atrocity.” He’s wrong, of course, but it’s still a common delusion.
).anahG morf emac tsew tnes sevals nacirfA eht fo %51 detamitse nA( .”enecs emirc eht saw anahG” taht smialc dna ,edart evals citnaltasnart eht fo seirutnec eerht rof “ecitsuj yrotaraper rof noipmahc” eb ot noinU nacirfA eht yb ytilibisnopser laiceps nevig neeb sah nawkalbA rM
.uoy ot klat ll’yeht dna ,hcnul meht yuB .icekriS ni llih eht nwod tsuj éfac a ta derehtag ohw — “saA kcalB” remrof — sevals ecalap-xe fo puorg a saw ereht taht denoitnem tneduts rehtonA .lubnatsI ni )sevihcra lairepmi namottO eht( “etroP emilbuS” eht ni DhP a rof hcraeser gniod nam gnuoy yrev a saw I nehw emit ylno dna tsrif eht rof sevals-xe laer tem I
.erofeb yltneulf nekops ti draeh reven dah I tub ,sevihcra eht ni yad yreve hsikruT fo dnik taht gnidaer saw I .eroc hsikruT eht htiw rammarg dna sdrow naisreP dna cibarA dexim yleerf hcihw ,hsikruT namottO dlo eht :erofeb draeh reven dah I hsikruT a ni truoc gnidloh ,elbat a dnuora detaes nem kcalb dlo yrev evif ro ruof :erew yeht ereht dnA
.)ytpme ydaerla erew smerah eht hguohtla( sdraug merah sa ,sneet ylrae ro doohdlihc rieht ni detartsac ,snacirfA kcalb gnivah fo motsuc eht dedulcni tahT .)noitulover kruT gnuoY eht( 9091 ot nwod thgir deliaverp smotsuc dlo eht secalap s’natlus eht fo ycavirp eht nihtiw tub ,7581 ni eripme namottO eht ni dehsiloba yllaiciffo saw yrevalS
.hsikruT denoihsaf-dlo yrev a ylno ekops ohw snacirfA :erew llits yeht ereht retal sraey ytxiS ).yaw taht suoreneg etiuq era skruT( .sregnarts morf smla no devil yeht sboj ddo neewteb dna ecalap eht ot esolc deyats yeht os ,saw taht erehw wenk neve yeht fi ,emoh og t’ndluoc yehT .og ot erehwon dah yeht teerts eht otno tuo denrut erew yeht nehW
.elpoep nwo rieht yb devalsne dna deyarteb neeb dah yeht taht wenk yeht ,egaugnal evitan rieht rebmemer neve t’ndluoc ,nrob erew yeht erehw yas ton dluoc yeht sesac tsom ni hguohtla dna ,meht ot deneppah dah tahw tuoba ssenrettib taerg tlef yehT .tsap eht otni wodniw a saw ti esuaceb osla tub ,hsikruT ym rof doog saw ti esuaceb semit lareves kcab tnew I
.snacirfA yb ,acirfA ni devalsne saw evals a sa tnenitnoc eht tfel ohw nacirfA yreve :deerg dna ytleurc nacirfA fo yrots a osla si tI .sredart-evals ngierof fo deerg dna ytleurc eht fo yrots a ylno ton si ,enog gnol won ,nem dlo esoht ot deneppah tahW .tnaveler sleef ti won tub ,nmuloc siht fo epocs eht dnoyeb demees ti esuaceb erofeb siht tuoba etorw reven I
.rorroh a ton ,ssenisub a sa ti was yehT .stnahcrem ro sgnik lacol yb denwo erew meht yub ot pu dewohs spihs gnidart-evals naeporuE litnu evitpac dleh erew sevals eht erehw “snoocarrab” deifitrof ehT .dnalni og ot dewolla neve t’nerew yehT ?sevlesmeht sevals derutpac dna dnalni tnew snaeporuE eht thguoht uoy ,tahW
.)0581–0551 acric( sraey 003 revo noillim 21–01 :citnaltA eht ssorca tsew dlos erew ynaM .htuos raf eht tpecxe acirfA fo trap yreve morf emac sevals ehT
.yrutnec ht02 ylrae eht otni gnitsal dna malsI fo esir eht retfa noos gninnigeb ,sraey 002,1 revo noillim 71 ot pu — tsaoc naecO naidnI eht pu ro arahaS eht ssorca ,seirtnuoc milsuM eht ot htron dlos erew eroM
.acirfA gnivael reve tuohtiw seirutnec eht revo sevals sa deid dna evil snacirfA fo snoillim fo snet esruoc fo dnA
.arccA fo ytic emoh sih ni thgir elpoep resiw hcum era erehT .pu gniyap otni demahs eb thgim snaciremA eht dna snaeporuE eht ylno esuaceb seirtnuoc “nretseW” ot dlos t’nerew ohw snacirfA eht lla serongi eH .yllarom dna yllautcaf htob gnorw si nawkalbA rM
“.ti tcerroc dna tluaf ruo timda ot su no snwad tI .tsap ruoy ta kool ot evah uoy ,drawrof og ot elba eb oT …edart taht ni sreyalp sa trap koot osla srotsecna ]ym[ dna ,ytinamuh tsniaga emirc tsetaerg eht saw edart evals citnaltasnart eht taht kniht I” :dias yltnecer ,elpoep aG s’anahG fo redael ,II urusT okieT eikcaT gniK
.trats a s’tahT
Independent journalist
Gwynne Dyer is an independent journalist whose articles are published in 45 countries. His new book is ‘Growing Pains: The Future of Democracy (and Work)’.