Decolonising the mind: Part Six‘…no to Western propaganda and lies’

 Decolonising the mind: Part Six‘…no to Western propaganda and lies’

By Abraham Mabvurira 

EVERY recipient of European education who has studied African history, juxtaposed with European history, knows very well how African warriors, like Tshaka and many others, are portrayed as villains whereas Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Napoleon Bonaparte, among others, are portrayed as heroes. Since both African and European history was written by our ‘conquerors’ – the racist white perpetrators — it was deliberately doctored to promote a white supremacist worldview as opposed to a sense of inferiority among black people. In simple terms, African heroes and heroines are criticised and mocked as ‘ruthless and cruel incompetent leaders’ while European heroes and heroines are showered with praise and acclamation. This has caused self-hatred among many recipients of European education, a sad situation where people get to hate their own past, culture, traditions and identity. The brainwashing does not end there; even today Western propaganda casts our leaders as villains and scoundrels. Through Western propaganda, a lot of people are being misled and deceived into believing that the same revolutionary leaders in Africa who unflinchingly fought for the independence of their respective African States are today totalitarians, tyrants, dictators, oppressors, and all other negative words that make them appear incompetent, evil and inhuman. The classic example is Zimbabwe, a country where its leaders are being labelled all sorts of names;