What a possession it was – to the British a space more than twice the size of their homeland with wild savannah and mountains of eerie beauty packed with exotic wildlife. ibid.
The British worked hard in the 1950s to spin their own version of events. ibid.
Central Nairobi, once a backwater railway silo, was transformed into a modern metropolis. ibid.
As the [First World] War spread it would draw in millions of diverse people of every race, every colour and every religion from all over the world. They fought alongside their European comrades and they died in terrible numbers. David Olusoga, The World’s War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire II: Martial Races, BBC 2014
Lettow-Vorbeck and his Askari troops set off on a thousand-mile journey. Armies from South Africa, and the British, Belgium and Portuguese colonies all set off in pursuit, and he drew them deeper and deeper into East and Central Africa … leaving behind them a trail of famine, disease and death. ibid.
The more I learnt about colonialism, the more I realised it always started with men like Kurtz [Heart of Darkness]. And their effects linger to this day. Arena: African Apocalypse, Femi Nylander reporting, BBC 2021
At the same time as Conrad was writing his book, life was imitating art in an astounding way. A French army officer was leading an invasion of west African, and his true story was even more terrifying than Conrad’s fiction. ibid.
Mutilation as punishment for refusal. ibid.
The are a few candidates: a notorious German captain in Namibia, a Belgium ivory hunter, even the arch-imperialist Cecil Rhodes, whose statue stands in Oxford high street. As a student, I campaigned to bring his statue down … [and] a French army officer called Paul Voulet … ibid.
It is about how African bodies became properties and source of labour. Exterminate All the Brutes s1e1: The Disturbing Confidence of Ignorance, Sky Documentaries 2021
Joseph Conrad’s book Heart of Darkness was influenced by the Battle of Omdurman. Exterminate All the Brutes s1e3: Killing at a Distance or … How I Thoroughly Enjoyed the Outing *****
This knowledge is a fundamental prerequisite. That is why the narrator can tell his story as he does in Conrad’s novel, Heart of Darkness. He has no need to count the crimes Kurt committed. He has no need to describe them. He has no need to produce evidence. For no-one doubted it. Exterminate All the Brutes s1e4: The Bright Colours of Fascism
It is quite clear that a desperate attempt is being made to create confusion in the Congo. Extend the Cold War to Africa ... The United Nations must not allow this to happen. Kwame Nkrumah, United Nations, 1960
10 years ago the US Empire honed its sights more intently in a profitable region of the world: Africa … Its unimaginable treasure of minerals and raw materials. Abby Martin & The Empire Files: Empires Feed on Congo’s Treasure, Abby Martin online 2016
Congo: 80 million people … It’s considered the richest country in the world. ibid.
Cobalt: Among Congolese who literally risk their lives working in Cobalt mines – tens of thousands are children working twelve hours a day for a dollar. ibid.
Africa has endured over five centuries of oppression and theft by European empires. ibid.
Africa: One of the fastest growing parts of the world and with the youngest population. Africa Rising with Afua Hirsch I: Morocco, BBC 2023
Morocco: A country of 38 million. And Africa’s most popular tourist destination. Famous for mosques and medinas and more recently football. ibid.
Nigeria: On Africa’s west coast, home to 220 million people, a fifth of Africa’s inhabitants and Africa’s largest economy. Africa Rising with Afua Hirsch II: Nigeria
South Africa: Home to a population with an average age of just 27. You immediately feel the buzz … Now it’s in transition. Africa Rising with Afua Hirsch III
We’re on the west coast of Africa in Portuguese Guinea, a country twice the size of Wales. World in Action: Frontline Africa, ITV 1970
These people don’t want to be called Portuguese and are fighting for their independence. The war is a miniature Vietnam … There’s is not a headline war. ibid.
Independence spreads steadily across the continent. Except for the three Portuguese territories. ibid.
There’s no joy being a plantation worker any more. The whole of Africa has been infiltrated by Reds, Kevin. Play for Today: Who’s Who by Mike Leigh, clerk Alan, BBC 1979
Africa: Massive massive amounts of wealth is just being siphoned out, completely distabilizing whole countries, forcing people to migrate and leave their homes. JimmytheGiant podcast: The Real Foreign Invasion of Britain, Youtube 2024
Fidel Castro and 500,000 Cubans took part in the African wars which ultimately ended colonialism. This little-known story began in 1960. Storyville: Cuba! Africa! Revolution! BBC 2007
African revolutionaries were looked to the Cubans as a model for their own independence. ibid.
The case of Patrice Lumumba in the Congo was symbolic of how African independence would be crushed by Cold War strategic interests. ibid.
A new era of African revolutionaries, and with it started the epic of Cuba and Africa. ibid.
The Congo, one of the largest and richest countries on the continent. The Belgian colony was demanding immediate independence. Patrice Lumumba the young articulate clerk, led the movement that negotiated a peaceful solution to end Belgian rule. ibid.
‘Who can forget the shootings, the deaths of so many brothers who would not be cowed by a regime based on oppression and exploitation?’ ibid. Lumumba
‘The mission of the United Nations troops was misused to topple the regime of the government of Lumumba.’ ibid. Vladimir Shubin
Lumumba’s assassination resonated throught the world. ibid.
Che’s defeat in the Congo was still a fresh wound, and Fidel began to consider how his help could be more effective. ibid.
It was the scale of Fidel Castro’s military involvement in Angola that would change the face of the continent. Storyville: Cuba! Africa! Revolution! II, BBC 2007
The Angolan liberation struggle had been more complex from the start. Other than [Agostinho] Neto’s MPLA, Angola had two other rival anti-colonial movements. ibid.
As the fighting intensified, the superpowers stepped in to fan the flames. ibid.
To the south of Angola, South Africa was eyeing developments with concern. ibid.
Fidel had decided to engage overtly in Angola. Cuba’s elite special forces were despatched along with 35,000 foot soldiers to help Neto’s men. ibid.
The MPLA won the decisive battle at Quifangondo. And on the night of November 11th 1975, 400 years of Portuguese colonialism ended. Agostinho Neto was recognised as Angola’s first president. ibid.
A moment of glory for Cuba … African leaders competed to express their personal gratitude. For three weeks Fidel toursed the continent where he was treated as a hero of African independence. ibid.
Agostinho Neto had not yet managed to end the civil war. ibid.
Reagan wanted the Cubans out of Angola. ibid.
Six years of shuttle diplomacy and very little had been sorted out. ibid.
The Soviets left behind a litter of burntout vehicles and discarded equipment. ibid.
Massive Cuban reinforcements were flown in to rescue the trapped MPLPA forces. ibid.
The withdrawal of 450,000 Cubans was scheduled to take place over 30 months, ending 13 years of miltiary military presence in Angola. ibid.