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Black Man's Burden
Black Man's Burden
The turmoil in Africa is only beginning—and it must grow worse before it's better. Not until the people of Africa know they are Africans—not warring tribesmen—will there be peace....
Book Excerpt
tirred under both its appeal and its negation of all they knew. A man owed alliance to his immediate family, to his clan, his tribe, then to the Tuareg confederation--in decreasing degree. Beyond that, all were enemies, as all men knew.
One protested slowly, seeking out his words, "Your El Hassan preaches this equality, but surely the wiser man and the stronger man will soon find his way to the top in any land, in any tribe, even in the nations of the Rouma."
Omar shrugged. "Who could contend otherwise? But each man should be free to develop his own possibilities, be they strength of arm or of brain. Let no man exploit another, nor suppress another's abilities. If a Bela slave has more ability than a Surgu Tuareg noble, let him profit to the full by his gifts."
There was a cold silence.
Omar finished gently by saying, "Or so El Hassan teaches, and so they teach in the new schools in Tamanrasset and Gao, in Timbuktu and Reggan, in the big universities at Kano, Dakar, Bamako, Accra a
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An interesting story, unfortunately very dated. Set in the future--the end of the 20th century--various groups sent by a half-dozen political agencies are working independently trying to break down superstition, tribalism, slavery, and cultural taboos to unite Africa and drag it into the 20th (or at least the 19th) century.
The story is largely sympathetic to Africa, and all of the field workers/main characters are black and speak the local languages. There's even a strong woman character.
The problem with the story is that the cold war is still active, and one of the characters speaks beatnik. The author (naturally) didn't predict militant Islam, and is a little too facile in overthrowing despots.
But all in all, the ideas about motives and genocide make the story worth reading.
The story is largely sympathetic to Africa, and all of the field workers/main characters are black and speak the local languages. There's even a strong woman character.
The problem with the story is that the cold war is still active, and one of the characters speaks beatnik. The author (naturally) didn't predict militant Islam, and is a little too facile in overthrowing despots.
But all in all, the ideas about motives and genocide make the story worth reading.
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