The Irony of ‘Helping’ Africa

 

White Union soldiers with African Americans who had escaped ensalvement

Slavery, that shining chapter of human history where Africans were “fortunate” enough to be discovered, chained, and shipped across the Atlantic for a crash course in civilization. Who needs freedom when you can enjoy unpaid labor and daily sunburn under someone else’s whip?

History rightly calls it one of the most heinous acts against the black race, but perhaps we should pause to consider the “benefits.” Without slavery, how else would Africans have had the chance to “explore” the world beyond their shores? Passports are overrated when shackles do the job. The Atlantic Ocean became a travel agency of sorts, though with extremely strict policies and zero customer service.

Colonization followed, and what a gift it was. Without it, we might still be worshipping our “barbaric” gods and wearing “uncivilized” clothes. Europeans arrived, no doubt out of sheer generosity, to teach manners, religion, and the refined art of self-doubt. Our destiny, apparently, was to be conquered, standardized, and “civilized” until we were finally deemed ready to join the narrative of humanity.

Yes, millions perished during the Trans-Atlantic journey, but progress always demands sacrifices. You cannot make an omelette without breaking a few chains. Those who survived were gifted a crash course in resilience, adaptation, and surviving under absurdly unjust conditions. Perhaps these were the essential skills of “civilized” life.

Imagine if no foreign power had landed on African shores. Would we have built empires, developed trade networks, or invented groundbreaking technologies independently? Unthinkable. The world would have missed out on the unparalleled generosity of the “civilizing mission.” African potential, apparently admirable, was only useful when curated by European hands.

Fast forward to today, and we see African-Americans and Africans excelling in leadership, sports, science, and entertainment. A small price to pay for centuries of oppression, surely. Africa itself has changed, molded both literally and metaphorically. Societies have been remade, traditions reinterpreted, and identities reshaped. Give it another century, and perhaps the world will finally witness a continent “civilized” enough to offer formal thanks to its colonizers.

History, however, has a sense of irony. While slavery and colonization attempted to erase identities and rewrite destinies, Africa continues to assert itself. From music and literature to science and politics, the continent,and its diaspora, are shaping narratives that no foreign hand can fully control. The chains may have rusted, but the story of resilience, creativity, and survival remains unmistakably African.

In the end, the tale of slavery and colonization reads less like a story of loss and more like an elaborate lesson in irony. The past imposed itself harshly, yet Africa’s voice rises, persistent and unbroken, proving that civilization is not a gift to be handed down but  something one defines for oneself.