Reply #9: On the descendants of colonial settlers [View All]

[Jack Rabbit]

The model used in southern Africa has been a much better one, although not perfect. Afrikaners were not sent back to the Netherlands from where their ancestors came; white Rhodesian farmers were not sent packing to Britain, although Mugabe has made questionable power plays on their rights in the last several years. It is also noteworthy that the famous anthropologist, Richard Leakey, regards himself fully as a Kenyan and speaks to the interests and concerns of his country.

We may regard colonialism as a crime with no more moral justification than slavery. However, we cannot justly do away with all its effects. The descendants of colonialists have no roots anywhere except where they were born. The sins of their forefathers should not be visited upon them.