Ryan Fortune
History never really says goodbye. History says, "See you later."
Take the Anglo-Boer and Vietnam wars, for example. Though fought in different times and places, they share striking similarities. In South Africa, the British Empire clashed with the Boer forces from 1899 to 1902, underestimating the determination of local resistance. This miscalculation led to a brutal conflict with 60 000 casualties.
Decades later, the US entered Vietnam, similarly underestimating the resolve of the Vietnamese. The Vietnam War, which lasted from 1955 to 1975, claimed more than 3 million lives. Both conflicts highlight a recurring theme: powerful nations, driven by strategic interests, often repeat the mistakes of their predecessors, leading to devastating consequences.
In the Congo, history took a particularly dark turn under the reign of Belgian King Leopold II. From 1885 to 1908, Leopold's regime inflicted unimaginable horrors on the Congolese people, all in the name of extracting rubber and ivory. The “civilising mission” led to the deaths of an estimated 10 million people, a genocide driven by greed and a complete disregard for human life.
Leopold’s brutal exploitation was a precursor to the violence that would continue to plague Africa in the 20th century, as colonial powers left behind legacies of destruction and division.
The German genocide of the Herero and Namaqua people in then South West Africa from 1904 to 1908 is another grim chapter in history. As German forces sought to expand their empire, they systematically exterminated tens of thousands of Herero and Namaqua people, driving many into the desert to die.
This atrocity, largely forgotten by the world, foreshadowed the horrors of the Holocaust, where six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis in the 1940s. Both genocides were fuelled by racist ideologies that dehumanised entire populations, and both serve as stark reminders of the destructive power of unchecked hatred and prejudice.
The rise of oppressive regimes further illustrates how history tends to repeat itself. Apartheid in South Africa, enforced by white European settlers, sought to segregate and oppress the black population. Across the globe, the establishment of Israel resulted in the displacement and discrimination of Palestinians. Though different in context, both instances reflect a common historical pattern: the use of power to marginalise and control others, perpetuating cycles of injustice and inequality.
In the mid-20th century, as African nations began to push for independence, the struggle for power took on a new, yet familiar, form. Patrice Lumumba, the first democratically elected leader of the Congo, sought to lead his country out of the shadows of colonialism.
However, his vision of independence clashed with the interests of Western powers. In 1961, Lumumba was assassinated in a plot orchestrated by the American CIA and Belgium, ensuring that Congo’s future would remain in turmoil. This tragic event mirrors the broader pattern of powerful nations interfering in the affairs of others, often with disastrous results.
The US, while championing freedom and democracy, has also been complicit in the suppression of those who challenge the status quo. During the 1960s, leaders like Martin Luther King jr. and Malcolm X emerged as voices for racial justice and empowerment. However, their influence made them targets.
The assassinations of King and Malcolm X were not isolated acts of violence but were part of a broader effort, involving entities like the FBI, to silence dissent and maintain the existing power structures. These murders reveal the contradictions at the heart of American history, where the ideals of liberty are often undermined by actions that betray those very principles.
Finally, the figures who rise to power in different eras often share similar traits. William Randolph Hearst, a media mogul in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, used his newspapers to shape public opinion and influence politics.
In the modern era, Elon Musk has similarly leveraged social media to amass influence, using platforms like X (formerly Twitter) to sway public discourse and advance his technological ambitions.
* Ryan Fortune is a screenwriter and film producer. He can be contacted via his website: https://ryan-fortune.company.site/
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Ryan Fortune
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