NWSF Bullet: Clinton in the Congo

The Associated Press is reporting that US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was in the Congo, yesterday, announcing that the US is going to give 17 million dollars to stop the "epidemic of rape directed mainly at women and girls by government troops and rebel groups fighting in the region."

While countries on the African continent do face challenges, when these stories are put out it gives the impression that the challenges are a direct result of tribalism or African black on black crime. Kinda like what goes on in the 'hood where you have black folks killing each other for no apparent reason. (To hear the media tell it.)

The truth is that areas like the Congo are victims of historical colonialism by European nations. In the case of the Congo, it came at the hands of King Leopold II of Belgium.

In his book written in 1946 , "The World and Africa ," Dr. WEB Dubois wrote that one of the worst affects of colonialism was "the complete and deliberate breaking-down of cultural patterns among the suppressed peoples."

He also used this quote:

"the invasion of family life, the ruthless destruction of every social barrier, the shattering of every tribal law, the introduction of criminal practices which struck the chiefs of the people dumb with horror-in a word, a veritable avalanche of filth and immorality overwhelmed the Congo Tribes."

Instead of taking at face value news reports of how terrible life in Africa is, we should research how European colonization played a major role in the problems that the continent is experiencing.

We must realize that the violence in Africa between the different factions in the Congo did not come about by accident.

Neither did the fighting between the Bloods and Crips in America.