Curbing the issue of ‘white’ supremacy

A GNA feature by Priscilla S. Djentuh

Accra, March 28, GNA - Let no one romanticised the issue, white supremacy has a checkered history of bloodshed and cold blooded atrocities unimaginable.

It also tells the story of the varied wars of liberation fought by our brave ancestors whose focus was a liberated Africa for their life time as well as posterity These stories have been told with pride, identity and a sense of belonging by historians and teachers in various books that can be found in major libraries and the classrooms.

The transatlantic trade started in Africa by the Europeans from the early 15th century and the end of 19th century.

It was gold from the great empires of West Africa; Ghana, Mali and Songhai that elicited the means for the economic take-off of Europe in the 13th and 14th centuries and stimulated the curiosity of Europeans in western Africa.

The trade resulted in the devastation of the continent and the capturing of Africans as slaves who contributed to the growth and wealth of Europe and America.

“The unequal relationship that was gradually created as a consequence of the enslavement of Africans was justified by the ideology of racism - the notion that Africans were naturally inferior to Europeans,” says BBC website on African history.

It is worth mentioning that Africa had since before the arrival of the Europeans enslaved one another through “servicing’’ at the chief palace, captives for war and labour among others for selfish gains.

The ideology of the inferiority of the black skin to the superiority of the white skin had always been a seed sowed in the mind-set of society through erring interpretation of history till date.

I believe obedience and submissiveness rendered to the white lords through the trans-Atlantic slave trade as well as hurling of threatening abuses, torture and stigmatisation by the white Lords, birthed timidity as well as loss of self-confidence on the part of those enslaved.

Consequently, even after decades of independence from colonial rule, majority of Africans still rely on the ideology of white supremacy no matter the unfortunate financial status of the whites or the poor circumstances surrounding where they reside.

“The white skin will always remain superior over the black skin”.

The blackman tend to endure both physical, emotional and verbal abuses from foreign employers but may be quick to betray fellow black natives for lesser offences.

I had seen a white man by-pass a queue of black people in a bank, and instead of an official politely asking him to join the queue, she rather smiled and attended to him first. Why? Perhaps, the ideology of him being better than those waiting in the queue has been planted deeply.

As such, a white man can walk into any office, circumvent a group of people waiting for appointment, and the receptionist, after introducing himself, would send him directly to her boss’ office.

The way forward:

The unemployment rate in Africa including Ghana cannot be overemphasised. Foreign investors had taken part of the opportunity to create jobs around the continent to solve the social problems that goes with lack of income especially among the youth.

The African continent needs to focus on creating sustainable jobs for its citizens through identification of talents and sponsoring as well as regarding the value of their inputs.

It is about time we take the discernment of humanity very serious. Being human means treating your fellow as much as yourself in a humane manner no matter the circumstances surrounding such, and making effort to correct or boycott any inhumane treatment.

21st century means dynamically doing things differently and better than was before, for the advancement of humanity in a humanely way.

Let us respect individual differences and promote our self-dignity by doing away with wrong ideologies that conflicts with our wellbeing.

We cannot afford to carry the issue of white supremacy besides black inferiority into a more knowledgeable, technological and comprehensive era of our time to oppress the very people who aids in the improvement of our everyday lives.

Let us create jobs, employ each other, building relationships and friendship. By so doing we might be indirectly curbing the issue of supremacy and inferiority drastically from the continent.

Let us address each other as human and not as a black or white-that is divisive!.

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