agilley-his112

[agilley-his112]

Epilogue (a Generic Update)

31 November, 1973 So there have been some developments in some of the places that I’ve been, and almost all of them have been bad. One bit of good that I’m saving for the end, though, so we’ve got that, at least. Here goes:

The situation in Nyasaland (now Malawi) is at least mostly okay. The state of emergency continue for a while, foreign troops remained until they were needed elsewhere, and the government definitely wasn’t okay. A bunch of ministers were fired, some more resigned, some of those immediately un-resigned, the state remained in flux for a while, but things seem to have mostly stabilized. Malawi has a constitution and a stable, if not very progressive, government.

Namibia is trying its best. They aren’t de facto under South Africa’s thumb anymore, which is an improvement, but the bodies will never come back to life (I hope…) and the Old Location is still abandoned. As is most of the New Location. People just don’t seem to want anything to do with the site, even if it is a suburb of the capital.

Things in Southern Rhodesia (everyone just calls it Rhodesia now) went almost worse than I’d feared. They made a bid for independence that was resolutely rejected by almost the whole world, and promptly buckled down for what’s shaping up to be a bloody war. Rhodesia is essentially a pariah state, but they still get some engagement and even aid from good ol’ South Africa and, of course, the Soviet Union (“Anything to spite the West!” –The Soviet Foreign Ministry, probably). Everybody’s so worried about that little corner of Southeast Asia that they seem to have mostly forgotten about this corner of Southern Africa, though. So it goes.

Lesotho, my poor lads, went south pretty quick. The prime minister ousted the president. A general ousted the prime minister. Political activity was promptly banned. Sporadic militancy has been the name of the game for a while. This is all within just a few years of those elections, mind you. They did not, it seems, hold it.

The bit of good news (finally) is that the United Nations has actually taken a stand against Apartheid! South Africa has been publicly shamed for it all along—it was never an internationally popular policy—but just yesterday (the thing that spurred this post so long after the fact), the UN adopted a formal resolution against it. The International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid. Adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 30 November 1973.

Here’s a quick excerpt:

                “The States Parties to the present Convention declare that apartheid Is a crime against humanity and that inhuman acts resulting from … apartheid and similar policies … of racial segregation and discrimination … are crimes violating the principles of international law”

Why yes, that is quick by UN standards. And you know what? I’ll take it. The UN formally declaring Apartheid a crime against humanity is exactly the win that I needed right now. I guess that’ll have to be good enough for now.

UN. (1973, November 30). International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid. Adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 30 November 1973. United Nations. https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%201015/volume-1015-I-14861-English.pdf

BBC. (2022, November 4). Lesotho Profile – Timeline. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13729501

McCracken, J. (2003). 'Setting the Record Straight'? Transition in Colonial Malawi, Journal of Southern African Studies, Vol. 29, No. 3.

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Apartheid (and Forced Relocation)

7 September, 1968 It’s time I was on my way. I’ve seen much (maybe a little bit too much) of the area and its people and its natural beauty, and my body is ready for a rest from time on the road. For me, going home means going through South Africa, the regional power that I hadn’t set foot in yet, but the power and influence of which I’ve felt around almost all of the area (if you recall, it was South African troops that did a lot of the oppressing in South West Africa—or, I suppose I should start a habit of calling it Namibia). I’m not far outside of Ciskei, South Africa, a fairly small town. Or, rather, it would be a small town if there was any town to be had. It’s a zone that the government designated for Africans under Apartheid, and the government has indeed moved the people here, but the only thing that was here for those people when they got off the trucks were toilets.

No, I wasn’t kidding. I mentioned the government relocating and the people getting off the trucks, and I wasn’t kidding about that either. Apartheid involves the government designating a person’s race—at birth, even—and demarcating zones where those people are allowed to work, live, travel, shop, etc.

So many people are around here. I was talking to a few of them, and they say that they were living in Schidtsdrift not long ago. It was in an African zone, but one that was surrounded by European lands; well, the Europeans happened to want Schidtsdrift (or the land of it, anyway), and—law or no law—they took it and relocated all these people. One of folks here say there were about 7,000 of them. And now, they’re here. At the edge of a desert with nothing but what they brought with them and a bunch of toilets.

A farmer told me they’re in even more dire straights than it seems because the land is so poor. Can’t grow crops, can’t graze livestock. So what’s a body to do?

It’s definitely best that I be on the way, and I’m glad that’s what I’ve decided to do at this point. For now, goodbye Southern Africa. I hope history treats you better than “de”colonization has so far.

Childs, M. (1900). Divide and Rule: Race Relations in South Africa 1938-1977. MacMillan Publishers New Zealand Ltd.

Apartheid Museum. The Implementation of Apartheid. Apartheid Museum. https://www.apartheidmuseum.org/uploads/files/Resources/learners-Book/Learners-book-Chapter3.pdf

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1965 Lesotho National Elections (SUCCESSFUL!)

Finally some good news: Lesotho, a country with an independence success story and a transition that looked almost easy, just completed their first national general elections. And it was a peaceful affair! 😊 1965, peaceful first-past-the-post general elections in a newly independent area of Southern Africa. It feels almost like a dream compared to the strife I’ve seen elsewhere in these travels o’ mine. The resulting National Assembly of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Lesotho is 60 representatives strong, and headed by the Basotho National Party. The king is King Moshoeshoe II (long live the king? Is it too soon to say that here?) with Chief Leabua Jonathan as the prime minister. I’m thrilled, it seems something finally landed on its feet. This is decolonization done right and seen through properly.

I’m standing here at the site of the national assembly building in the capital, Maseru. Here’s the wild part: the elections were pretty smooth, fairly inclusive, resulted in government formation… and Lesotho is land-locked entirely within South Africa. South Africa is doing remarkably less well (if you’ll remember my post from Zambia and the work South Africa is doing since their… questionable policymaking in the late 40’s), and yet here we are in an independent, decolonized country with a functioning government. I’m beaming.

There’s talks of a formal constitution in the works, expected to be put in place no later than next year.

Not to keep prattling on about how cool this is, but to put it in context: there have been almost nothing but violent uprisings, coups, and descents into chaos in the area since the various territories were essentially told, “We, your imperial/colonial rulers, are heading out. Please quickly figure out how to govern yourselves appropriately. Also, figure out how to do it in a way that makes us happy enough that we follow through with disengagement. Also, you will get very little outside assistance or resources. Also, here are your new borders—we did not draw them along tribal or linguistic lines and sometimes not even along physical divisions. Good luck, chaps!” And this place, little Lesotho, actually did it.

Now all they have to do is hold it.

Government of Lesotho. (2023, July 14). The National Assembly. Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho. https://www.gov.ls/the-national-assembly/

BBC. (2022, November 4). Lesotho Profile – Timeline. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13729501

(2016). Old Parliament Buildings, Maseru. Vymaps. https://vymaps.com/LS/Old-Parliament-Buildings-Maseru-385190044919253/

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1962 [Southern] Rhodesia Elections

15 December, 1962 Either I have a unique knack for finding myself in the midst of politically uncomfortable upheavals, or this region has a unique knack for producing them. I’m here in Southern Rhodesia, having cut east from South West Africa, and this is quite the interesting territory. Officially, it’s a British territory/protectorate that falls under the crown’s jurisdiction; technically, though, it’s been self-governing for a couple decades by now. England, in fairness, had arguably more important things going on.

My friends at the local tell me yesterday’s election is the first one being held under new rules that were ratified just last year. They also tell me that they—and everyone they know—aren’t going to vote (they’re African, and they have some particular feelings about the new rules and the government structure.) Also, that federation business with Nyasaland and Northern Rhodesia is on its last legs, and this election will probably spell the future for that. It seems like it was an important one to take part in, but my friends here are maligned by the rules, both old and new, and tended to feel unwelcome around polling places. It’s tough for them, to be sure.

Moreover, this election seemed an important one to vote in because it looks like the right-wing Rhodesian Front did better than anybody had expected. That’s even worse news for these chaps around here, if the party’s posters are any indication. The party seems bent on full independence, and that chafes with the British will for the area (there are already rumors that the crown neither respects nor recognizes the results, as they happened, as legitimate). It doesn’t bode well for my friends, either, as it would free the local authorities here from greater Commonwealth rules regarding race and decolonization efforts.

This all seems like a recipe for disaster. The story is the same here as it seems to be everywhere: decolonization is the imperial intent, but the on-the-ground reality is European colonizer minorities are still the ones running the show with governmental control and the power to bend the rules to keep it that way. Autocracy by way of decolonization. Time to cut south, I suppose.

Marks, S.E. (2023, July 14). Independence and Decolonization in Southern Africa. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Southern-Africa/Independence-and-decolonization-in-Southern-Africa

Barber, J. (1967). Rhodesia: The Road to Rebellion. Oxford University Press.

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The Old Location Uprising

10 Dec, 1959. Bel de polisie! (That sure didn't take long...) Here I am in South West Africa (remember that "definitely former" German colony?) and some trouble came up almost immediately. I came down here South and West (how about that?) of Nyasaland after that area got locked down, and it turns out it was a bad time to be passing through. This area is a bit tumultuous, you see, because back in WWI, this area was German-held, so the English who held South Africa ordered their troops there to seize it because of its population and ports and industry and what not. Well, that was all well and good for colonial competition, but invading a place almost never wins you many friends with the locals.

Especially not when you, the invading power, have elections not even two decades later that pump out a nationalist party majority that quickly sets up laws to physical separate people by race. They call "separateness" or "apartness" ('Apartheid' in Afrikaans).

This policy applies everywhere, and even though South West Africa isn't *technically* part of South Africa, it falls under de facto South African jurisdiction, and therefore is subject to mandated separation by the authorities put in place here. So those same authorities set up a place for the African residents to move to (because the colonists wanted the bit where they currently live, you see) and told them that it was time to move. The problem is, the residents wanted to stay in the Old Location (as opposed to the New Location; isn't the government clever?). When the residents refused to move and then started to protest and boycott municipal services, the police opened fire on them!

11 died. 44 were injured.

I still can’t believe it. Thousands of people fled and probably won’t be coming back anytime soon. Maybe not anytime at all. They’ve started forcible relocation and come in with the authorities and guns and bulldozers to make sure that it happens.

Not the time to joke but, on second thought, maybe don’t bel de polisie…

Balt, M.W.E. (2016, December 15). Remember Old Location Uprising. Windhoek Express. https://www.we.com.na/news/remember-old-location-uprising

Forced Removal from Old Location Vantaa.fi

Hinrichs, D. (1959). Life in The Old Location, Windhoek, Namibia. Doek. https://doeklitmag.com/old-location/

Gewald, J.B. (2008, October 12). From the Old Location to Bishops Hill: The Politics of Urban Planning and Landscape History in Windhoek, Namibia.

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Nyasaland 1959 State of Emergency

25 Feb, 1959 When I came here, I landed in beautiful Nyasaland, named for Lake Nyasa—which is stunning—and under the protection of the British Empire while it sorts out independence declarations and reforms and what not. It turns out, though, that my timing was rather bad. In talking with some of the locals, I learned there has been quite a bit of political drama going on for the past couple years. The good news is that African representation in local councils was increased. The bad news is leader of congress was no good and was then replaced by a man who had been in exile for years and who only agreed to return to the country if he was given congressional presidency. Where it got worse is that he was absolutely against the recent federation Nyasaland resolved to make with North and South Rhodesia. This made the maybe-not-federation’s bid for dominion status untenable.

Cue lots of negotiations and politicking.

While all of this is going on, though, all of the bad policies that made life hard for the majority Africans were still in effect, imperial and commonwealth representatives were coming in (not a good look for independence), and lists of people to be arrested en masse were being compiled. So, all of that considered, unrest was obviously increasing because the people elected officials under a promise for reforms and autonomy, and the people were left with neither—just a worsening domestic situation.

Things are coming to a head now; there’s more violence, the King’s Royal Rifles (another bad sign for independence) and the Rhodesian Regiment have been flying troops in, and there are talks of so-and-so killing Europeans and so-and-so killing Africans. The locals tell me that representatives and ministers are meeting even now to see what to do about the situation, but it doesn’t seem like the solution will be to immediately solve any of these problems. I might want to move on pretty quick…

27 Feb, 1959 Update: Things did not get better. The representatives called a state of emergency, over 1,000 colonial troops are in the country (it’s not that big of a country, mind you), the parliament was dissolved, its president and executive cabinet were arrested, and lots—lots—of local officials were arrested as well. Just today, the Nyasaland African Congress was banned. I picked a good time to leave.

Baker, C. (1993). Seeds of Trouble: Government Policy and Land Rights in Nyasaland, 1946–1964, London, British Academic Press.

McCracken, J. (2003). 'Setting the Record Straight'? Transition in Colonial Malawi, Journal of Southern African Studies, Vol. 29, No. 3.

Murphy, P. (2010). A Police State? The Nyasaland Emergency and Colonial Intelligence, Journal of Southern African Studies, Vol. 36, No. 4.

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Introduction

Hello and goeie Dag from Southern Africa! This will be something of a travel blog, I suppose, documenting travels and important developments in this fascinating region of the world as the global geopolitical game changes substantially in the aftermath of WWII and (to an extent) the start of the Cold War. I'll be traipsing around these parts for about two decades or so, around current (soon-to-be formerly?) British, Dutch, and German (definitely former on that one) colonies. It should be quite something, so let's get on the go! (By the by, if we get into trouble in the Dutch parts, a good Afrikaans phrase to have on hand might be "Bel de polisie" ;) )