I've worked for a charity as a full time employee and some people seem to think that should also involve working full-time for nothing.The reality is,yes admin and staff costs eat up part of donations but most charity workers work for less than equivalent jobs in the private sector or even in the state sector.

Na.....It reads like he's just watched, 'Soulman' on Blu-ray.

If the slave trade had never existed the situation would still be the same.....People conveniently forget all the black slavers as well.

Also the slave trade is a long long time ago. In the modern world it doesn't excuse the underlying problems within Africa societies.

Africa is coming....It's developing but it's still held back by core cultural problems related to institutional weakness, corruption and exploitation....Both internal and external.

Just like the famous shag scene in Soulman, referring back to historical wrongs as a cause for the present is just an illusion.

Edited by Stirlingsays (16 Mar 2015 10.41pm)

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

I don't think it's all or nothing really. Everything plays a part. People are good at keeping and hoarding wealth, families are good at it, nations are good at it. Just look at the class system. We are very often significantly defined by all that came many decades before us. Results of events we have no direct involvement with. That doesn't mean we can't do our best to elevate ourselves of course.

Soulman is not my style stirlingsays, however I do agree that history should not be given as an excuse for a person or a people for a lack of progression but to say that the history of African slavery has no effect today is just blinkered IMO.

Many in this country can look back and trace their history. I am fortunate in that I can trace my family history back more than a thousand years through my family name, written and oral history and knowledge of self is key, if you are to develop a strong future. It is important to know where you have come from and who you are.

The effects of this knowledge can clearly be seen even the recent history of this country. We have a collective sense of who we are and this comes from the knowledge of our past and a shared historical experience.

The “Stiff upper lip”, “The spirit of the Blitz”. “Britain’s, never, never, never shall be slaves” etc. These are ideas that some today would say are what it is to be British and there is a thought that we alone have given these values as a gift to the world. I have no real problem with that, as these perceived values rub off on the people and sometimes a sense of justice will develop from this type of collective thought. However, this way of thinking can also lead to feelings of superiority.

The perception we have of ourselves today comes from the knowledge, true or perceived, of our understanding of past history. This leads to a collective “self-esteem”.

In order for a person, nation or people to become truly great, discipline is required, discipline leads to self-respect and self-respect leads to courage. Courage is what is required to be great.

In contrast, for slavery to be viable you must first destroy the slave’s self-esteem and history. The link that the slave has to their common thought and historic past must first be eradicated. Even their names must be taken and replaced with a name of the ”masters” choosing and all self-worth must be eroded. If a slave has any link to a better past they can never be truly enslaved as they would always draw on that past as an example and blueprint of what they can be as opposed to what their enslavers want them to be in order to exploit them.

Acts of violence against slaves are used in order to placate, humiliate and subdue. The men were often beaten and killed in front of their women to imprint on the minds of those women that their men could not help them and were worthless.

This process was systematic and carried out for more than four hundred years in colonial Africa. Once implemented, it is almost impossible to undo.

The modern day consequence of this is a low, historical self-esteem and when you look back at your history as one of control and subjugation, it is all the harder to break free of the mental chains that often bind tighter and longer than the physical chains of bondship.

Obviously, this not the case of all Africans but as I said in my earlier post, Africa is often referred to as one big lump that is all the same, hence comments like “Blacks always f”ck it up”.

This is not to say that this should be used as an excuse for not striving for better a future, or that nothing can be done, or even believing that a better future is not possible because of a historical disadvantage, no matter how great.

However, when you look at the history of Africans, wherever they may be in the world, there is a theme and that is, whenever someone shows the courage to be great, they are stopped by those who have the most to lose from their awareness of self, as an awareness of self, leads to the desire for self-determination and self-determination leads to a loss of control for those that would seek to exploit, control and humiliate in order to benefit selfishly.

Very obvious examples of Africans who have struggled against those who wish to exploit, are, of course, the likes of Martin Luther King (assassinated), Malcolm X (assassinated), Marcus Garvey, (Imprisoned). Paul Bogle (Hung by the then British Governor of Jamaica, who was later disgraced), Steve Biko (tortured for twenty two hours and beaten to death) and of course Nelson Mandela (imprisoned for 27 years). I could go on.

Those mentioned above, whether you agree with the way they went about it or not, have something in common. An overwhelming desire to decide their own future and the courage to see out that dream, no matter what the personal cost was to themselves.

And those who wish they were never born make comments like, S.P.A.D.E. and Black people always f@ck up etc.

The effects of colonial slavery in the modern era are IMO, evident even on this forum, in the attitudes of the posters on both sides of the debate. The minute there is a story about black people, good or bad; there are those who are the first to post. It may be “Racism Train Bloke Annoying Me”, or The African Cup of Nations, Jamaican independence, a black football federation, acts of racism by fans of other clubs, “Red Nose Day” and personally I was always switch off Red Nose Day programing. I don’t like the format or portrayal of Africa on those shows. I do not donate and chose other means to make a difference.

But for me, I don’t think this thread was ever about Red Nose Day as such. It was an excuse to try and reinforce the old colonial stereotypes of old, by those who are fearful that everything is changing and we shouldn’t allow those we once ruled and in some cases still have power over to be free think or do things for themselves, in case they make mistakes or even God forbid get it right.

The effects of slavery do still exist, in the minds of the decendants, of both the enslavers and the once enslaved.

"You can lead a horse to water but a pencil must be lead"

Stan Laurel

Exactly.

Much easier to sit on your ass doing nothing, and moaning.

My username has nothing to do with my religious beliefs

You forgot to mention their needless choice to all have expensive central London offices. Which they fit out with, generally, the most expensive specification they can rather than the most practical and cost effective.

Optimistic as ever