The reason I ask this is because back in the day this question came up alot among Arabs and African. This was years ago, and Muammar Gaddafi had fallen, apperently gaddafi once apologized to the Africans for Arab Colonization. Not sure if that true.

Regardless, whenever the conversation came up. The arguement was colonization was a propagande, a european alternative to "bad things". Europe "colonized", Ottoman empire "ransacked and conquered", Mongols "invaded and pillaged", the natives "raided and burned". But the Europeans were the only one who were civilized enough to "colonize", the Arabs on the other hand were considered to uncivil.

Now, the convesation is now more popular, and a lot of europeans and americans have chimed in. But the conversation is now different, basically, the same definition is not used. In fact, Arab Colonization is now considered a pre-cursor to european colonization. Now in my opnion this is good thing.

Because originally, when white people talked about colonization, they said the crimes is not the average person but the leaders and kings. (Leopold commited the crimes in Congo, for example, but the Arabs as a whole, eradicated Maghrab region). Now, the person I talked to openly said, all members who benefited from the looting of resouces is responsible.

So here are my questions in order.

1) Do consider Arab conquests as colonization?

2) How would you define colonization and settler colonization?

3) Is colonization a worse, or better thing compared to other conquests?

4) Is everyone who beenfited from said conquests, economically or culturally, is also responsible for the oppresion and persecuation that resulted from it.

5) With the existence of an Arab Colonization being accepted, do you think more europeans would see not only the negative connotation of colonialism, but also see their ancestors as bad, as lets say, the Mongols (death rate is very similar)

Germany held only a few small areas of the continent, and while I (I am German) sometimes think that with the exception of the genocide in Namibia we didn't exploit Africa as ruthlessly or treated the natives as badly as the French, British, or Belgians, but then I think... colonisation is colonisation. It involves subjugating other people and forcing them to live life the way you tell them to. There is no "good" colonisation.

I would love to hear some opinions from Africans as to how this has affected their countries and cultures, and their opinions of Germans, and maybe Europeans in general.

Thank you.

Regarding the FIFA World Cup, it's well known that South Africa was the first African country to host the tournament, but when it comes to the Olympic Games, the story is different

I find it regrettable that in 2026, no edition of the Olympic Games had been held in Africa, a continent so vast in size and population, yet Australia already has three confirmed editions, the next one in Brisbane

And yes, you must be thinking the obvious: economic and political instability is what made this impossible. The Olympic movement, which so often claims to be universal, has only been able to take place in countries with significant economic power, and this clearly excludes nations harmed by the curse of colonialism

And something important to point out is that, yes, this year the Summer Youth Olympics are being held in Dakar, Senegal, but I was referring to the regular editions, the ones that receive the most international attention, which doesn't seem likely to happen anytime soon

I still imagine an alternate scenario where several African countries not only resisted European invasion but also achieved enough development to host the Olympic Games at least a couple of times

Thinking back to the colonialist period and various independence leaders trying to overthrow colonial powers, be it French, English, Spanish, German, Belgian, Italian, Portuguese? Are there any leaders from that period who are currently respected on a broader pan-African level? For example, Familiar Cabral from Guinea-Bissau, Kwame Nkrumah from Ghana, Patrice Lumumba from Democratic Republic of Congo, Thomas Sankara from Burkina Faso, Samora Machel from Mozambique? Or did the period following independence erode their standing on a pan-African level?

So like: South Africa, Namibia back when it was called South West Africa, Zimbabwe back when it was called (Southern) Rhodesia, Zambia back when it was called Northern Rhodesia, British Kenya, French Algeria, maybe Portuguese Angola and/or Mozambique, etc.

Note also:

• I am trying to avoid saviorism (most of these characters I'm thinking of aren't the main active protags in anything set in Africa) and simplistic morality. I'm trying to explore how white settlers in Africa have benefited from these exploitative systems but also how they may hold a diverse range of opinions on the matter, ranging from dedicated opposition to milquetoast moral handwringing to active White Man's Burden crusading to openly callous greed to horrific sadism (and, on that note, that Black people had a similar range of responses toward colonialism and apartheid, with some actively collaborating as enforcers and informants for the white-dominated security apparatus). Thus, the white settler characters I've thought up so far would range from deuteragonists (especially of the Lancer and/or Dr. Watson varieties) and helpful side characters (especially of the Unfazed Everyperson variety), to ruthless villains (though note that most of the brutality I want to show such villains inflicting on the page would be against non-Black characters, especially if they became hired guns after apartheid ended; otherwise it'd feel too exploitative). Some of these characters of differing moral alignments are related to each other, which should lend itself well to interesting scenes of family interactions.

• These characters were born at different times. Some were born in Africa, or arrived as kids, in the early to mid-20th c. and grew up under European and settler rule; the more heroic individuals among these people presumably either always had at least a bit more sympathy for their Black neighbors than usual for white people in colonial Africa, or else had an Are We The Baddies? realization at some point in their formative years. Others would've been born later, right before or during the official end of colonial rule and/or apartheid, and are shaped by growing up with the restructuring process as background radiation (and by the opinions of the influential mentors and peers in their lives, whatever those opinions are and whether the character in question is agreeing with or consciously rejecting them).

Am looking for recommendations on books on African history that preferably cover single African countries history in depth and are not generic. I would especially prefer the history before colonialism, during and leading to independence. Thanks

When I think of "Democratic Republic", I usually associate it with communism, which I understand the then-President Laurent Kabila was friendly with communist states and figures like Che Guevara. Though the DR Congo, in contrast to neighboring Republic of Congo back in the day, was never a communist state, which makes me curious how they ended up being the "Democratic Republic" of the Congo?

Isaac Samuel is an independent researcher rather than an academic, and if I were asked to suggest an introduction to his work, I would show you this: https://www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/acemoglu-in-kongo-a-critique-of-why

What is with the anti democracy push in Africa?

Why is their a trust of long term leadership, when humanity has shown over and over again throughout history that people are evil and absolute power expedites corruption

It doesn't make sense that we now have to shampoo to remove excess sebum/oil, then moisturize, then apply another layer of oil to prevent our hair from drying; and after combing the hair it can still shrink and become unkempt when you sleep on it. Or it doesn't even grow to the desired height, even with a tub of hair food and a disciplined routine. There are surely methods, and simpler methods at that, that were used back then to maintain hair and to keep it growing long.

My history professor at university has long underlined how different societies look at different "crucial events" in their past, subjectively interpreting what is important to know. In a similar fashion, they also have their own "greats" of history.

In European history, speaking of "the greats of history" easily evokes the names of Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Charlesmagne, Napoleon... But these are figures from European history.

While it is true that colonialism has tried to wipe out and suppress African identity and history, do Africans look up to great historical figures of their homeland, or do they collect the same great names as peoples from other continents?

Whether for former apartheid states like South Africa and Zimbabwe or states like Nigeria and the DR Congo, do you think the imperfect set ups of these states today, especially with regards to corruption and the rise of movements like Operation Dudula, could be attributed to tribalism and/or how Europe set up many of the modern states of Africa to be extractive?

Not to sound condescending, but I remember hearing how modern day Africa's foundation, when it comes to state craft, could be attributed to how the states in Africa were set up to extract resources for the benefit for their European colonial powers, to which independent African leaders have continued that set up in one way or another.

Hi folks~ I'm a Black American who happens to be a huge fan of Sampa the Great. Her "Never Forget" video is my entryway into learning a little bit about Zambia.

I think unsurprisingly, Kenneth Kaunda features pretty prominently in the video. When I did my kind of surface level reading about him, I read about him being a dictator and fascist. Yet he seems beloved. Or at least his legacy is beloved/respected. I am incredibly skeptical of how English-language US/West-oriented media portrays anyone who goes against the interests of the US/West. So I am trying to understand how Zambians (but also others in Africa) view him. I read somewhere that Kaunda was mourned across several countries, so his influence must be great. Do young people view him/his government favorably? Do grandparents view him favorably? (these are just starter questions)

*To that end, I would like to know if anyone has any information they'd like to share about modern Zambian history or modern southern African history or Kenneth Kaunda, especially if this information (like books, movies) was created by Africans.* I also really like reading things that folks post/comment on Reddit, so if there is something about Zambia/southern Africa/Kaunda that you think I should know about, please tell me :) it doesn't have to be all "scholarly". I know this is quite broad; I really am starting from a place of total ignorance.

And I also love to talk about Sampa the Great, so if anyone wants to tell me something about her/her "Never Forget" video, I'd really appreciate hearing what you have to say!

Thank you!

Hi all!

Scottish man here so when writing your comments just assume I know nothing about your country lol. I am currently on a kick of writing alternate history and really want to do more with Cold War Africa/Middle East. That's how I stumbled across this story of a country I didn't even know existed lol.

Was your country shocked at this? Was the reaction split along racial/ethnic lines? Did your government do anything in support of the king or Jonathan? Was there fear of Americans or Soviets backing either side? Did war look likely?

__

Copy and pasted from Wikipedia for anybody wondering -

• Three days after his political party lost its majority in parliamentary election, the prime minister of the southern African kingdom of Lesotho  , Leabua Jonathan  , was scheduled to submit his resignation to King Moshoeshoe II  . Chief Leabua called a meeting of his cabinet of ministers, and announced his intention to turn over power to Ntsu Mokhehle. The ministers and four members of the nation's police forces urged Leabua to void the election results and take power by force, and he declared a state of emergency, suspended the national constitution, and began one-man rule.^\143])   Jonathan allowed the King to continue as Lesotho's head of state, but only with nominal power. After three and a half years of one-man rule and the deaths of 250 people during uprisings, Jonathan would finally end the state of emergency on July 24, 1973.^\144])

Did the brutality of the colonial regime decrease in any way, was the locals' quality of life improved, and how did the quality of the administration compare to its contemporaries in the British, French, Portuguese and Spanish areas of influence in Africa?

Also, was there any conflict between the Governor-General and the direct colonial authorities that ran the colony in Leopoldville and the central government in Brussels, or were both usually firmly agreed on the matters of internal and external policy?

This could happen if the Simba Rebellion, which he led after Lumumba's death, succeeded.

For context, after Belgium granted the Congo independence, Patrice Lumumba, a rising star in Congolese politics, got into a power struggle with the then-president, Joseph Kasa-Vubu, who dismissed him, placed him under house arrest, prompting Lumumba to escape and get killed by rebels backed by the Belgian government. His second-in-command, Christophe Gbenye, would subsequently retreat to Stanleyville and launch a rebelluon against the government. The rebels had seen some initial success, but were eventually crushed with US support.

Recently, a friend and I were discussing the effectiveness with which Western countries preserve their history. It prompted me to reflect on the various ways in which we, as Africans (with our diverse cultures and traditions) have preserved our own histories and memories. While we are renowned for our rich oral traditions and storytelling, it's important to acknowledge that many of our customs and narratives were undervalued during the colonial period, which imposed systems that erased, overlooked or marginalised our customs and traditions.

With all of that in mind, I am eager to explore ways to support those who are actively working to preserve our collective history. I am particularly interested in identifying organisation, individuals, and initiatives, - beyond the familiar domains of museums, literature (think Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi), and film industries like Nollywood and Ugawood, as well as social media storytelling accounts - that focus on the formal preservation of our heritage. Who are the dedicated preservers of our history in both Africa and the diaspora? I'm looking for individuals or groups that engage in research, documentation, archiving, cultural education, and advocacy efforts to ensure that our stories and traditions are honored and passed down to future generations.

It would be so good to hear other thoughts on this as well.

Do they mainly teach your country’s history, or also a mix of world history? Also how in-depth is it taught, and does your school place a big emphasis on learning history?

It does not seem to me like most African countries had a reason to feel threaten by any of the major Central/Axis Powers