British rule as we know it, transformed Africa for good and for bad. It particularly transformed South Africa's economy, polity and society causing it to become more engaged with the world's most powerful and influential industrial economy.
In South Africa, firearms and colonialism went hand in glove up to the point where legal restrictions on ownership of firearms became a tool in the identification of citizens and non citizens.
As is often spoken, the Europeans came with the bible and the gun. merchants and missionaries encouraged Africans to take up firearms as a way of gaining and protecting their security.
South Africa is so steeped in violence, it has become a way of life. When we talk of violence, we aren't talking about knives and machetes or broken bottle kind of violence. We are talking about guns, big guns and small guns.
Although African's do not manufacture guns (let's assume and agree that dane guns don't qualify to be listed), Africa is filled with guns. The UN reckons that there are some 500 millions small arms in circulation around the world and at least 70 million of those are Kalashnikovs (AK-47). Only a fragment of the number of unlucky individuals who died from gunshot wounds were actually killed in wars, the majority of those who died from gun related injuries were either killed by trigger happy police men or military personnel.
Looking at South Africa, we get the understanding that it is a microcosm of Africa itself and the problems plaguing it. If you were to run a search for African countries involved in the manufacturing of firearms, you would notice that on the African continent, there happens to be only one country doing so. That country by the way, happens to be Egypt. and the organization responsible for the production of firearms is the Arab Organization for Industrialization (A.O.I).
Arab nations (Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)) aligned to form the A.O.I, an Arab military organization to be based in Egypt in 1975 and the British did not kick against such and alignment or organization (but let me ask you, is there any country that was colonized by Britain that is prospering or that prospered easily?). As a matter of fact they teamed up with the Egyptians to establish an helicopter company. The A.O.I succeeded in building jet fighter planes. Egypt signed a peace agreement with Israel and the A.O.I found itself in the hands of the Egypt as the whole owner.
America, an ally of Egypt has been giving Egypt financial aid for donkey years. This I believe was to not only help in improving security in Egypt but also the economy.It also served as a reason to keep the peace with Israel.
However, with the ousting of the democratically elected Egyptian government in a bloodless coup, the whole world expected a severe response from our Big brother country concerning this truncation of a democratic institution and the abortion of a democratic infant of a government but was served with disappointment on a golden platter. (This issue is a story for another day.)
Now, with guns flowing around all over Africa, you tend to ask me, "what is the most popular brand or make of guns in Africa? Well, you guessed right, it's the AK-47 rifle produced by Russia and some nations of the former Soviet Union. All that was needed to get these guns into Africa and into the hands of Africans (including child soldiers) was a little fall out or disagreement with Big brother's policies and Russia (then USSR) would move in to fill Big brother's shoes, supplying weapons, giving financial aid and student scholarship grants. Don't forget the definition of peace in a previous writeup (the absence of hostilities, disagreements etc).
This creates a clear and easily comprehensible picture of the fact that Africa and Africans have always been seen and used as tools or pawns, easily and readily dispensable rather than as allies by any of these so called Big and Powerful Nations. So, we have the East and the West offering African nations weapons, telling them that they need to spend a great deal on their armies, rather than on agriculture, Education or infrastructure.
Well, Africa is poor, so how can these poor countries afford to pay for the weapon they purchase? The trick to simply start or stir up trouble in a resource rich nation. Influence, some influential people, people that have a strong backing amongst the nationals of their country. Make them speak against their government, cause the government to react or over react then turn these individuals into rebels with a messianic appeal. Make it look like they are heroes fighting for a better life for their people rather than pawns in the hands of those behind the scenes.
Now, the nation is in a state of chaos and war, the economy and money fails, so the warring parties turn to mining of their resources, using slave labor to acquire diamonds or gold and so on to be able to pay the weapons dealer for the arms and ammunition with which to fight for their cause. You and I however know that the weapons dealer supplies both parties with the weapons of their choosing.
The government they supply through legal channels and the rebels through illegal channels (although, these days they seem to be supplying the rebels also through legal channels by playing up the card that the rebels speak for the majority of their countrymen against a tyrannical and despotic government that deserves to be thrown out). We saw this happen in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Congo, Guinea, and now we are witnessing the same in Syria, Lebanon and Egypt.
Our piece at the moment is on Africa not the Middle East so we would not concern ourselves so much with a replication of the "Bush-era" chemical weapons script from the movie "Saddam Hussein". We all remember that movie and how it played out !.
The resources in Africa are the main target of the puppet masters and one of the ways to depopulate Africa in order to come in and grab the resources easily, is to have Africans kill Africans whilst the String masters play referee / umpire / linesmen , looking clean when in fact they are merely supervising their program.
I recall Hugh Masekela say in one of his songs "Everything must change ", "The West say they want to stop all the wars in Africa, well if they love peace so much why don't they stop selling us arms?"
(I found the song on Youtube and would like for you to listen to it if you can.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3efT7mWPa1g ).
We know these merchants and their merchandise of death but ......the question is, for the sake of peace, prosperity and the posterity of mankind, can we publicly confront them with ENOUGH is ENOUGH of producing death?
I wish these nations would take a look at Japan, a nation with sophisticated technology yet it isn't producing weapons. It is constantly producing and developing things that would benefit mankind. Japan continues making leaps in scientific and technological research that contribute to the betterment of human life. Japan has said "No to War", constantly says No to War and is always seeking solutions to conflict via dialogue. I think it is high time Japan comes out of hiding to lead on the global stage rather that follow. Japan has more to offer mankind by leading instead of following.
Like Japan, let's say NO to WAR !, Let's say No more War ! Let mankind stand as one in brotherhood and embrace dialogue rather than war ! Lets agree to disagree without physical conflict. Might is not always RIGHT !
We can get along if and only if we try !
Everything must and can change, Nothing is FOREVER !. This is why I strongly believe that "Mankind" would live in peace some day !