The world has always been the playing field for empires and emperors who yearn for control of large swathes of land and their numerous inhabitants since time immemorial. Every continent has seen it’s plethora of distinct empires built by different leaders with a knack for power and control rise and fall. No empire that exists actually last forever, each one falls at its own preordained time. These empires vary in time and size according to different time periods. Some tend to be extensively large and prosperous such as the Roman empire, British empire and others smaller like the Aztecs or Incas in South America. The size is affected by the urge to conquer new large lands and increase boundaries. While some emperors had large appetite for conquering new territories like the Romans others were contented with their tiny kingdoms.
A great number of people are abhor imperialism and shun even the slightest thought of it. apparently,it has escaped them that imperialism is part of their political life. Its meaning might be changed with time but it is always there with us like a shadow. It has come to the limelight the degree to which imperialism is considered evil and attacked to every corner. During the death of queen Elizabeth II,many black, Irish and indigenous people took to twitter to protest the role of the monarch in the forceful subjugation of the local populations and the atrocious treatment of their ancestors spanning across two centuries. Their arguments included the fact that the British empire was among the worst in the history of empires. Some of the hashtags trending included the call to end the monarchy. They wanted the longstanding monarchy to be abolished. The logic here is that the empires are bad should be dealt with ruthlessly. It is always the habit of human beings to consider their era as peaceful and better than the centuries before. Modern day imperialism will only be thoroughly studied by the future generations and maybe found worse than the victorian age.
If the empires are so much bad and cruel,then what does make us, humanity,who are a product of empires? Empires existed as early as the Sassanid dynasty and continue to flourish and are moving at a frantic pace towards a global empire. Actually,the global empire arrived sometimes back and we have just not realized it. Leaders of individual countries don’t have the power to work independently for the benefit of their people. Uganda and Tanzania cannot build a pipeline to help their own people since some other leaders think it’s not good, Ethiopian government had to persuade other powers to allow them to build the Grand Renaissance Dam. It’s true that that empires history are marked with atrocities like murder, genocide, looting and slavery but one thing is certain it’s almost impossible to do away with it. It was created centuries ago and it is here to stay. Countries like Russia and China are trying to wrest the global power out of the hands of the USA and stop their imperialism but everyone already knows the end result. If they were to succeed then another empire will be created and continue the unending legacy of empires. The indigenous people especially the black race have to stop complaining about their position in the world but unite and form an empire which will give them power over their own fate and that of others. Racism, financial aid conditionality and oppression of black will only end when they have secured their position in the global arena. Daylight murder of Africans like that which happened at Melilla can be stopped and others in European nations will also be stopped.The world economy and politics is shaped in such a way that it only benefits those people with power. The powerless are left to languish in their pitiful state. When will this state of lamenting end so that Africans can work for their own dignity? The unity of the black people is needed for economic growth otherwise when the status quo continues to remain as it is then the black man will be a subjugated people eternally. The past and the future of imperialism is the same. The more it changes the more it remains the same. Names and meanings might change though.
Anonymous 