"Africans Did Not Resist Colonialism": In Response to Ken Hensh

 "Africans Did Not Resist Colonialism": In Response to Ken Henshaw

- Emeka Esogbue

It is wrong, misleading and a clear absence of knowledge of African colonial history to avouch that Africans have no culture of resistance and to go ahead to ignorantly spread the implication to be the reason slave trade lasted for 400 years without resistance and colonialism lasting 200 years without resistance. Mr. Ken Henshaw never demonstrated clear sense of history of the resistance to slave trade and imperialism by Africans.

Slave trade and colonialism are to be separated from oppressive tendencies reasoned in the Nigerian type of democracy. This was what he failed to consider. The former involves foreign relations while the latter is about internal relations - foreign oppression and internal oppression differentially.

In 1854, in the Tokolor Empire of Senegal, Umar raised thousands of army against the French. Although he was killed in the battle of Medina in 1684, he had resisted the French. In the same region, Samori Toure rose between 1885 and 1889 to resist both the French and the British, using some of the best diplomatic tactics Africa was yet see to play the two European powers against the order. 

He provided a professional standing army even in peace time that numbered 2,000. His total military strength was about 100,000. He fought the French with repeated riffles but eventually retreated after he had caused the French havoc and defeating them on some occasions.

With the Franco-Mandinka War being the first modern war in Africa, his tactics was modern as he waged total war, utilizing ambush, surprise attack and defence strategy and movement of soldiers; the tactics that Africans had never seen. This was why he was historically nicknamed, the "Napoleon of the Sudan".

It is historically injurious to conclude that Africans did not resist slave trade, the very belief, an historian will equally resist. Although Africans connived in the illicit trade, some African societies organized themselves in such a manner that they fought to defend themselves.

Badagry is well-known to be a fertile ground for slave trade and it also provided African ground for abolition in some circumstances. Chief Sunbee Mobee was known to have traded many of his people to the Portuguese in exchange for European valuables but following his death, his child rose to the throne and abolished the trade in 1886. It was also in the same Badagry that a family attacked the European slave merchants, recovering from them, weapons which today, is in display, in the family house. 

The African resistance to colonialism started with the resistance to European penetration. Indeed, imposition of taxation, forced labour, trade, racism and a few others, were factors that influenced Africans to resist colonial rule. 

In Benin, Nigeria, the Ovoramwen army rose to resist the British imperialism in 1897 but he was defeated. In Lagos, Oba Kosoko rose against imperial kingly decision but he was suppressed. The Ijebu and Ilorin were both conquered by the British in separate wars. The Anglo-Arochuku War is well documented in history with the defeat of the Aros.

With Ekumeku Movement of 1886-1914, the Anioma people provided the longest resistance to foreign rule in the whole of Africa. In the wars that existed in phases, the various Anioma settlements of Ibusa, Ogwashi-Uku, Idumuje-Unor, Ugbodu, Owa and many more fought the British in the rising that also touched other Anioma settlements of Onitsha, Aboh and Ndoni. They were eventually conquered but they had inflicted untold casualties on the British who lost some of their finest soldiers and administrators.

In 1904, the Herero and Nama rebelled against the German Empire and in the Battle of Waterberg that followed, the Germans committed genocide in the country known as Angola today with dehydration as a weapon. 

With Mau Mau Movement of 1952-1960, the Kenyans were known to have resisted colonialism for a long time but the idea was inspired by Ekumeku of the Anioma people perhaps. The Ivory Coast war with the French consisted of multiple risings, small groups striking and retiring so that the French found it difficult to gain military superiority. In all of these, the colonialists experienced casualties. 

The Ken Henshaw conclusion of "we don't resist, we don't fight, we collaborate, we allow .." is quite unfortunate in the history of African resistance to colonialism, something that must never be said in memory of Africans who gave their lives to resisting uninvited penetration of the Europeans. It is surprising to know that Ken Henshaw never heard the cherished colonial phrase, "the Maxim-gun inspires the most profound respect". In other words, what separated the Africans from the Europeans was the possession of superior weapons by them as explained in the Maxim-gun phrase with which they defeated large African armies. It was a case of few Europeans defeating large Africans with sophisticated weapons.

On the other hand, if related to Nigeria, one will agree with Ken Henshaw's belief of "we don't resist, we don't fight, we collaborate, we allow ..", earlier quoted here since urge to legally and democratically defend their rights are lacking today but it should be seen or reasoned that Africans permitted slave trade and colonialism. Henshaw must also polutically understand that his immediate reference pertains to Africans against Africans. It is a political subjugation arising from the weapons of economic hardship, skewed system and lack of the knowledge of the people's rights and privileges inherit democracy. The challenge of Nigerian democracy begins with ignorant collection of rice, rice and salt to vote inappropriate people into political offices and also the celebration of failed politicians. It is for this reason that Nigerians don't fight, collaborate and allow. 

Emeka Esogbue, the Editor-at-Large with Integrity Magazine, is the Enuani Writer of the Year 2021.