Rewrite African history — Mkapa

A former President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Mr Benjamin William Mkapa, has called on African historians and academics to rewrite African history on colonisation and slavery.

According to the former Tanzanian leader, there “are many misrepresentations” about how African nationalists fought to resist the slave trade and colonisation on the continent.

He explained that because the history on slavery and colonisation was authored by colonialists, the African side of the story was generally skewed to favour what the colonial historians wanted to portray.

African Leadership Lectures

Mr Mkapa was delivering a lecture at the University for Development Studies (UDS) in Tamale in the Northern Region on the theme: “African development: from freedom to union.”

The lecture, dubbed: “African Leadership Lectures (ALL)”, is intended to contribute to national and transnational discourse on productive leadership culture that will support and enhance African development.

The lecture also seeks to facilitate and create an environment for a discourse and action on leadership; create a forum to inspire positive and innovative leadership initiatives, as well as stimulate and initiate a platform for an action on constructive leadership in Ghana and Africa.

It was instituted by the university in 2013 under the leadership of the then Vice-Chancellor, Professor Haruna Yakubu.

Among the former heads of states that had been hosted on the ALL programme are Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria; Festus Mogae, Botswana; Joaquim Alberto Chissano, Mozambique; and Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba, Namibia.

History

Mr Mkapa said it was about time African historians and writers retold the true story of slavery and colonisation to their younger generations.

According to him, many Africans had relied solely on the history written on slavery and colonisation by the European historians, thus shaping their thinking and perspective in the way the colonial historians wanted them to think.

He said millions of African workforce died through the slavery, while millions of its productive workforce were captured and sent to Europe and the Americas as slaves.

He said, for instance, that in the United States of America (USA), February had been designated as a month to tell the black history.

Mr Mkapa noted that many African nationalists fought against slavery and colonialism, but little was heard of them due to the misrepresentation of African history on slavery and colonialism.

He expressed the worry that since slavery and colonisation ended on the continent, African historians and writers had not strived to tell the African narrative of the slave trade and colonialism.

Vice chancellor 

The Vice Chancellor of the UDS, Prof. Gabriel Ayum-Teye, in his welcome address, said the ALL had the opportunity and resources to transform the continent by pursuing prudent scientific and development policies, as well as nurturing indigenous talents.

A former President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Mr Benjamin William Mkapa, has called on African historians and academics to rewrite African history on colonisation and slavery.

According to the former Tanzanian leader, there “are many misrepresentations” about how African nationalists fought to resist the slave trade and colonisation on the continent.

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