Nana Ama Ata Aidoo-“The thing is that, as far as I’m concerned, since we met you people 500 years ago, look at us. We have given you everything and you are still taking. It’s true. Where would the whole western world be without Africa?

We have given you our gold, our diamonds, our cocoa, our timber,our platinum, our whatever. Whatever you want, we have given you.

Everything you are, is us. I am not just saying it. It is a fact.

And in return, for all Africa has given you, what have we got?

NOTHING!!! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!

Anti-personnel, self-hatred indoctrination against ourselves. If you go and cook your horrible diseases, like AIDS, you say it is us. You brought us tuberculosis. We didn’t have this big cough until white people came here.

In exchange for Africa giving Europe everything. Africa given Europe 500 good solid years of our people, I mean not just Europe, the whole western world, of our human beings, to work your sugarcanes, to pick your cotton, to dig your gold, to taking gold itself, diamonds, fish, peanuts, cocoa, palm oil, everything the western world wanted it took.

In exchange for that, we have got nothing. We got nothing. NOTHING!!! And you know it. NOTHING!!!

And you look upon us, you know, white folks look upon us like monkeys. It is true. It is in your literature. You know some of your best thinkers have said this about us. Haven’t you heard about all those German, French and British thinkers. Yes, Lord Burton, people like that, that have said we don’t even have brains of animals. That’s what we got from you people.”

White aAmw interviewer: “But don’t you think it’s over?”

Nana Ama Ata Aidoo-“Over where? Where is it over? Is it over? Is it really over?

For 500 years, Kmt=Abibiman=Farafina=Land of the Blacks=Land of Black People (Africa) has fed, clothed, sheltered and powered Europe and the whole western world. But, what has it gotten in return? Hunger, disease, poverty, underdevelopment and its greatest leaders deposed or murdered by that same West.

In a 1987 interview with Norsk rikskringkasting AS (NRK), Ghanaian author and poet Nana Ama Ata Aidoo (1942 – 2023) comments on this dark pattern, and how Kmt=Abibiman=Farafina=Land of the Blacks=Land of Black People (Africa) has gained absolutely nothing from the West, despite giving Europea and the western world everything.

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SOURCES
https://tv.nrk.no/serie/forfatterinne-i-dag/sesong/1987/episode/FOLA21001687

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/aug/20/past.hearafrica05

tv.nrk.no

Forfatterinne i dag: Forfatterinne i dag: Ama Ata Aidoo - NRK TV

Møte med Ama Ata Aidoo fra Ghana. Tredje programmet i en ny nordvisjonsserie med tre afrikanske og tre nordiske forfattere. Dette programmet er fra Danmarks Radio. Ved Else Lidegaard.