Short Story

Gatimu sat in his old, worn-down shed in the middle of town (or what was left of it) and thought. All he knew was that in the afternoon the white men would come again and take away his possessions. Two kilometers away, people were starving and freezing, but all he could think about now was his very own future. He was about to flee back to his relatives back in his homeland, Ethiopia, when the village chieftain came knocking on his door one afternoon, evicted him and took away his job. At least, he had found shelter near the abandoned town. As the sky grew darker, he stood up, lit up the oil lamp and went back to his bed.

Gatimu thought about what his chieftain had told him; that it was all for the good of Africa; that all would be well again soon, and that we would have the all the protection and peace that they had wanted. But Gatimu was confused. He knew, for a fact, that he remained suspicious of these strange white men and their motives. They claimed to have come in peace, but for all Gatimu knew they stripped him of his very livelihood but taking away his job as a gold miner. The chieftain’s words came back to him, “It’s all for the good of Africa.” What an idiot, he thought. The strange white men were obviously coming to steal all that Africa had to offer. In his mind he envisioned the white men taking away all of Africa’s raw materials on their mighty ships. Ivory, coal, rubber. Gold. Gatimu covered himself with a blanket to keep out the cold winds coming from outside his hut, growing larger and larger and making his very bones chill. He wondered if the winds were like the white men, enveloping Africa and growing more and more powerful with each passing second. In the end, they would leave Africa with nothing but take away everything.

Gatimu remembered how in the past he used to attend the usual tribal ceremonies, and how life was simple, but ultimately satisfying. Now these men came and took away the old traditions and the simple lifestyle which succeeded in the past. They wanted to replace their so called ancient traditions with new, radical ways of leadership which his chieftains foolishly abide to. Missionaries oppressed the rituals they have had since centuries ago; saying that it only showed that they are barbaric. “Savagery,” they chanted, “is unacceptable and, in the name of God, we come to bestow the light upon you masses…” Gatimu tossed around in bed, thinking about how the Europeans are working on “double standards”. They came and taught the Africans how to hunt, and yet before the Africans know it, they have become the prey, the Europeans the hunters. The Europeans turned their arms and ammunition towards them, giving no mercy as they blasted towns and ports apart in their midst of rapid imperial succession. It is evident that the Europeans are not acting on the principles that they have so well decorated and beautified. They came in the name of “ensuring liberty” and yet are depriving the Africans from their rights. Thinking about how the Europeans’ hypocrisy had deprived them from those free days that could now only be found in their memories, Gatimu felt tears cruise down his cheeks. He dreamt only of exploitation of his fellow countrymen by the Europeans…

Credits: KC and Clifford