The UK’s relentless slide into self-destruction

Tim Dieppe reviews ‘Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning’ by Nigel Biggar (2023)

Lawless activists could sink hopes of economic recovery

Monster or hero?

By Susan Gibbs, daughter-in-law of a former Governor of Rhodesia.

Very few, black or white, genuinely mourn the death of Robert Mugabe. They may praise him as ‘an icon of Africa’s liberation’, but few will genuinely mourn his passing. Nor should they, for even by the abysmal standards of post-colonial Africa, ‘Comrade Bob’ was particularly bad.

In his first address after becoming President of Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) following the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement, he surprised even his supporters by declaring in clipped English: “I urge you, whether you are black or white, to join me in a new pledge…to forget our grim past, forgive others, and forget.” Yet it was Mugabe himself who never forgot or forgave. Years ago a close friend of his said: “Mugabe hates…nobody hates like Mugabe.”

Not fully aware of the depth of this hate, nor of the spiritual battle being waged, many have searched for other answers to his murderous malevolence. The fact remains that Mugabe was no founding father of Zimbabwe: he was the appalling destroyer of the ‘Jewel of Africa’.

Mugabe’s True Colours

Mugabe in 1982In the midst of the ‘Chimurenga’ (Zimbabwe’s war of liberation from white rule begun in the 1970s by bush fighters), at a summit of post-colonial African leaders in Gabon (West Africa), crucial decisions were imminent on Zimbabwe’s future leadership. The choice was between supporting Mugabe or his arch-rival, Joshua Nkomo. Mugabe was armed and supported by China, while Nkomo was armed and supported by Russia. Mugabe won the day – but he wanted one-party rule and in 1984 Nkomo fled temporarily to England.

Soon after taking power in 1980 Mugabe showed his true colours, as a tyrant intolerant of opposition, consolidating his power in what became known as the ‘Gukurahundi massacre’ in Matabeleland. A conservative estimate concluded that 20,000 black civilians (including women and children) were slaughtered in what has been classified internationally as genocide.

As the nation plunged into decades of famine, an HIV epidemic and hyperinflation in which the central bank printed useless notes (in one night 12 zeros were wiped off the currency), the arch-proponent of pan-Africanism and Marxism sought to apportion blame for the chaos and turned on Zimbabwe’s 4,000 white farmers.

Nothing better sums up Mugabe’s madness: the farmers were among Africa’s most efficient producers of food, the backbone of the economy and essential to the country’s survival, yet he turned on them with murderous viciousness. In the six months before we left at the end of 1983, 10% of the white farmers in our district had been murdered (including, during one Easter holiday, two little girls - school friends of our son - on a neighbouring farm).

Years ago a close friend of his said: “Mugabe hates…nobody hates like Mugabe.”

Brazen Corruption

Few leaders in modern history have been more brazenly corrupt than Mugabe. As the nation sunk into impoverishment, he taunted his citizens by throwing lavish parties at which French champagne and caviar were served.

During those long years many of us kept praying and asking the Lord how he could keep getting away with it for so long. But in Zimbabwe the elderly are respected and as the only African leader who had fought in a ‘war of liberation’, Mugabe was venerated in surrounding countries. Eventually his people were so weakened that they were unable to rise up against him and ZANU, his political party.

Realising at one point that his country needed to work to feed itself, Mugabe briefly pacified white farmers by offering Denis Norman the job of Minister of Agriculture (Norman, previously a minister in Ian Smith’s government, now lives in the UK and runs a small Christian charity dedicated to helping those who suffered during the war years). But after Mandela was released in 1990 and the glory bestowed on Mugabe as the golden boy of Africa shifted southwards, Mugabe ceased trying to woo the world.

Mbare township before (left) and after (right) Operation MurambatsvinaHe sent army personnel to DRC to plunder their diamonds and rape their women, and used army brutality to pillage Zimbabwe’s own diamonds, leading to the suffering and deaths of civilians in Marange. One of his worst actions, in the middle of a very severe winter in 2005, was Operation ‘Clear out Rubbish’ (Murambatsvina) in which he bulldozed slums in Harare. This resulted in the loss of some 700,000 homes and livelihoods, with an estimated 2.4 million indirectly affected. This still haunts many in Zimbabwe today.

Learning to Forgive

Despite his fierce anti-colonialism, declared Marxism and determination to end British rule, Mugabe clung to many customs that echoed colonial rule and maintained a deep personal admiration for the Queen.¹

My father-in-law represented the Queen in his capacity of Governor of Rhodesia between 1959 and 1969 and Mugabe wrote a glowing introduction to his biography “honouring him as a man of principle and commitment”.

He later followed this up by sending the 5^th Brigade, his North Korea-trained praetorian guard, to kill our family.

We left the country, but the couple who bought our farm were murdered a few months later. We feel profoundly blessed to have escaped without having had a family tragedy. A great many of us have had to learn the true meaning of forgiveness. I remain overwhelmed and grateful for the privilege to have felt the closeness of God during those years. 

I remain overwhelmed and grateful for the privilege to have felt the closeness of God during those years.

How to Eulogise

Throughout his long reign, much of Mugabe’s corruption and depravity was unknown to the wider world, as he stifled freedom of expression. Newspapers faced censorship and a ruthless and unrelenting onslaught was mounted on journalists, media houses and individuals who dared express themselves. On one particular occasion I remember the Bulawayo Chronicle was published with an entirely blank front page.

The tragic wreck of a country Zimbabwe became remained two years after Mugabe was deposed in an army coup. Mnangagwa, who has taken over, was involved with Mugabe’s atrocities and is generally regarded as worse.

Reflecting on Mugabe’s death, Fr. William Guri (CSsR, PhD) said the following:

For me to eulogize Robert Gabriel Mugabe would be an act of great betrayal to the many people who died and whose lives have been damaged for life by his long rule.

To eulogize Mugabe for me is to capitulate and give up the struggle for human rights and social justice. It will be to celebrate the triumph of the evil over the good, the false over the true, the darkness over the light, the irrational over the rational, the inhuman over the human.

After thinking long and hard about Robert Gabriel Mugabe, I have concluded that it is alright to feel no sadness and grief. It is alright not to mourn. It is also alright not to feel guilty for not feeling sad and for not mourning. Much as he disregarded Christian values and much as he debased humanity, I shall not allow him to diminish my Christian faith nor my humanity, which in Africa we call Ubuntu.

“Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come:
As fish are caught in a cruel net,
Or birds taken in a snare,
So men are trapped by evil times
That fall unexpectedly upon them”

(Ecclesiastes 9:12)

Susan Gibbs is the daughter-in-law of the late Sir Humphrey Gibbs, former Governor of Southern Rhodesia. She is the author of Call Of The Litany Bird: Surviving The Zimbabwe Bush War (2011, Loose Chippings).

Notes

1 A devout Catholic, educated by Jesuits, Mugabe was also a deeply religious man. His mother lived with him during his early years in Government House and each morning they took communion together. As the years went by and we began to see the face of evil in his actions, many felt that the Vatican should have taken action against him. Instead (grotesquely, it was felt) he was even permitted to attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005.

Most people think that the slave trade happened hundreds of years ago, with little or no relevance to us in modern, multi-cultural Britain. But this view is now being challenged by a growing movement of community leaders, rallied by the newly-formed Movement for Justice and Reconciliation.

REPORT

Most people think of the slave trade as something that happened hundreds of years ago, far away from the UK, with little or no effect on our lives today. The Movement for Justice and Reconciliation (MJR), co-founded by Prophecy Today's own Editor-in-Chief Dr Clifford Hill and launched this past September, is a new charity dedicated to challenging these views and to exploring and addressing the very modern, very real legacies left by Britain's history of slavery and colonialism.

On Tuesday 10 November in the House of Lords, MJR was presented to members of both Parliamentary Houses in what was a truly inspiring meeting. In just two hours, under the insightful chairmanship of Baroness Cox, people from all racial backgrounds and walks of life shared their insights on the contemporary consequences of slavery, in the very building in which the Emancipation Act was passed in 1833.

Indeed, there was a sense of history in the making at this meeting, which united people with a passion for seeing 'history past' re-written in acknowledgment of the pain and injustice of slavery, and for seeing 'history future' re-shaped as positive ways are sought to come to terms with its legacies.

There was a sense of history in the making at this meeting, which called for the re-writing of 'history past' and the re-shaping of 'history future'.

The meeting room was full to capacity, with 48 in attendance. After a warm welcome from Baroness Cox, whose passion for the topic was evident, ten speakers offered short presentations before the floor was opened for questions and comments from other delegates. Presentations were made by MPs, academics and members of the clergy, including: Revd Les Isaac, Professor James Walvin (York University), Jenny Cooper, Khareem Jamal, Revd Alton Bell, Stephen Timms MP (East Ham), Nigel Pocock, Professor John Wolffe (Open University), Bishop Dr Delroy Hall and Revd Dr Clifford Hill.

Thought-Provoking Speeches

As the meeting progressed, slavery went from being an impersonal, overwhelmingly large and historical issue to being grounded in gritty, personal and contemporary insights on mental health disorders, identity denial, shame complexes, dysfunctional families and changes to the National Curriculum.

As the meeting progressed, slavery went from being an impersonal, overwhelmingly large and historical issue into something gritty, contemporary and personal.

Emphasis was put on the emerging research consensus that traumas inflicted on slaves hundreds of years ago (e.g. physical, psychological) have passed down the generations, leaving scars on their descendants in mind, body and spirit. Thought-provoking speeches were made about how black communities in Britain today suffer much greater levels of deprivation, poorer mental and physical health, higher rates of imprisonment and strong senses of hopelessness and despair - to name a few manifestations of the 'curse' of slavery.

After the presentations the floor was opened for comments, giving other delegates the opportunity to contribute. Heartfelt personal stories were mingled with calls for new narratives about slavery in education and the mass media.

Relevant to You

What became apparent as different perspectives were shared is that this issue is relevant to everyone in Britain, regardless of their racial and cultural background. It is fundamentally a white British issue as well as a black Afro-Caribbean issue. It has created a landscape of abundant wealth and grinding poverty, of astounding privilege and undeniable injustice, that defines all of our lives today as much as it did 200 years ago - and as much as Britain is still defined by cups of [colonial] tea, cake with [colonial] sugar, or pomp and circumstance.

This issue is relevant to everyone in Britain, regardless of their racial and cultural background. It's a white issue as well as a black issue.

Yet, not only has the injustice of slavery never been formally acknowledged or apologised for by Britain, but most Britons lack any understanding of how it has profoundly affected their own psyche, culture and quality of life (David Cameron's recent comment to Jamaicans that slavery is something from which we all need to move on are particularly telling). Ignorance and denial remain two of the biggest challenges facing MJR and its partners.

Key Role for the Church

There was a sense of cross-sector unity present at the meeting which could only have been provided by the Holy Spirit – indeed, MP Stephen Timms commented that the Christian passion for justice and love is unmatched in the secular realm, and that this 'unstoppable motivation' makes churches key actors in any future response to this issue.

Several other speakers remarked on the resources that churches can offer in this respect, from therapies and counselling to strong community leadership, to providing senses of hope, family and destiny. Also implied here was the role that Christ alone can play in bringing freedom from all forms of oppression and bondage.

It was recognised that the Christian passion for justice and devotion to community are unmatched in the secular realm – meaning that churches are vital partners in any future solution.

Rallying Call

In all, the meeting provided an uplifting, informative platform from which MJR can begin its vital work. It was generally agreed that there is a long road ahead if these issues are to be properly addressed, and that quick laws and glib statements from politicians will not provide the whole answer. MJR's particular contributions will include research, public promotion and community projects (such as the permanent installation of a replica of the Zong slave ship on the Thames as an educational facility).

What was also evident from the buzz in the chamber and the hallway after the meeting was that it had amounted to far more than a selection of short presentations - it had brought together like-minded, passionate people from vastly different sectors and communities, investing in existing relationships and establishing new ones. William Wilberforce may have left a legacy of unfinished business which has been steadfastly ignored for nearly 200 years, but MJR is certainly rallying a new generation of campaigners, driven by the same passion for justice that Wilberforce himself was given – a passion which is at the heart of God.

MJR is rallying a new generation of campaigners driven by the same passion for justice that Wilberforce himself had – a passion which is at the heart of God.

For more information on MJR, see their website, www.mjr-uk.com.

Clifford Hill looks at the migrant crisis.

We are witnessing today one of the greatest movements of human population in the history of the world. This is the conclusion of population experts as millions of refugees are on the move throughout the world and many of them are heading for Europe. Amnesty International says "We are witnessing the worst refugee crisis of our era, with millions of women, men and children struggling to survive amidst brutal wars, networks of people-traffickers, and governments who pursue selfish political interests instead of showing basic human compassion".¹

More than 100,000 migrants – asylum seekers and economic refugees – have descended upon Europe since the beginning of this year, coming from diverse nations in Africa (e.g. Eritrea, Somalia, Nigeria) and the Middle East (Syria, Afghanistan). This is causing a political crisis among European leaders and a social crisis on the ground.

Experts are concluding that today the world is witnessing one of the greatest movements of human population ever known."

Greece and Italy have borne the greatest burden as boatloads of migrants flow across the seas from Turkey and Libya – a journey fraught with danger as people-traffickers overfill unseaworthy fragile boats and set them adrift in the Mediterranean and the notoriously dangerous waters between Turkey and Greece.

Pressure on ports

Malta, Sicily and the southern ports of Italy are struggling to cope with the human influx. The Italians also are complaining that the rest of Europe is not doing enough to help. They are threatening to block HMS Bulwark from docking in their ports to drop off migrants. But a Downing Street spokesman said "Our ships are there to save lives, not to offer people asylum in the UK".²

Britain is taking the same attitude to the mounting crisis across the Channel in Calais where some 3,000 migrants are desperately attempting to board trucks heading for Channel ferries to Dover. They have already travelled thousands of miles to reach Calais and there is increasing desperation among them. A similar situation is in northern Italy where African migrants are camping out at the French border-crossing near Ventimiglia but are being denied access.

More trouble for Greece

The situation is even worse in Greece where tens of thousands of migrants fleeing the conflict in the Middle East have been landing in the popular island resorts of Kos, Lesbos, Tilos and Symi, adding to the economic woes of Greece, whose government is barely able to feed their own unemployed victims of the banking crisis.

The Greek Interior Minister Tasia Christodoulopoulou, warned "The reception systems there, already understaffed and underfunded, have collapsed. It is no surprise that thousands of destitute migrants are milling around in the streets and squares, searching for food and shelter. We simply don't have the money or resources to provide for all of them. It's tragic, I tell you, tragic! And it's going to get worse, really worse, and Europe isn't batting an eyelid. It's watching this unfold with criminal indifference".³

Colonial past

Why is all this happening today? Could it be that Europe is now reaping the harvest of its past history of oppression? For some 400 years British traders, backed by the Army, carried out a policy of colonisation right across the globe until the British Empire controlled one quarter of the world.

Most of the other European nations did the same, carving up Africa, Asia and the Americas into colonies which provided untold wealth to Europe. In doing so, they ignored tribal territories in creating new nations right across the Middle East and Africa, which today are boiling cauldrons of violence and mass murder from which millions of asylum seekers are fleeing.

Europeans carved up much of the world into colonies and then left them with unstable political systems, crippled economies and huge under-development, from which millions are now fleeing."

Europeans were happy to take the raw materials and cheap labour from their colonies and give them bank loans to enable them to purchase our manufactured goods while withholding technical and industrial patents and failing to help them develop the means of production to compete in global markets.

As a result, in almost all the colonies (except where there was a white majority) we left behind unstable political systems, crippled economies and huge under-development, creating conditions of poverty, unemployment and fragility from which millions are fleeing today.

Scales of justice reversed

The result is a human tidal wave which is now threatening to overwhelm the ageing population of Europe, complicate the continent's fragile economic and political state and irrevocably change its culture. This is not to overemphasise Europe's woes at the expense of the migrants, who are undoubtedly suffering most. It is to draw attention to our largely forgotten colonial history, which may be coming back to haunt us now in ways that will actually transform the fabric of the entire continent.

Could what is happening in Europe be related to what the biblical prophets see as a principle of justice that is built into Creation? The Prophet Jeremiah foresaw judgement falling upon the Babylonian Empire after 70 years and Isaiah said, "The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted and they will be humbled." (Isa 2:12) He went on to declare that when this happens - "The Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice, and the Holy God will show himself holy by his righteousness." (Isa 5:16)

God's basic principles of justice are built into creation- if we deliberately go against them, there will come a time when the scales are reversed."

The evidence of the Bible shows that God has built into his Act of Creation three basic principles: equality, justice and love. All men and women are created equal in the sight of God and therefore no one has the right to oppress others. Justice and love are part of the revealed nature of God.

When we deliberately go against these basic principles, we actually bring upon ourselves a time when the scales of justice are reversed. When this happens, it is a triumph of the justice of Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe. Could this be what is happening in Europe today? At least in part, is the migration crisis a legacy of colonialism that we ourselves sowed?

References

1 The Times 16.06.15

2 Ibid.

3 The Times 12.06.15