WW2 and African Veterans

Kyt · Jun 17, 2009

allAfrica.com: Nigeria: World War 11 and African Veterans (Page 1 of 1)

Lagos — It was in an atmosphere of pomp and sobriety that the 65th Anniversary D-Day in Normandy , France was commemorated.

Thousands including world leaders, Presidents Obama and Sarkozy, gathered to pay their respects to the dead as well as honour the ex-service men and women for their courage. Over the years the world war commemoration ceremonies are marked on a note of sober reflection and the veterans are praised for their bravery and for stopping -albeit at a heavy price- the Nazis and Fascists in their tracks and thereby changing the course of history. There is however what can be considered a huge gap in the way the events are highlighted. For the sake of the future generations, the role of African soldiers must be properly documented.

Watching the ceremonies over the years one does not get a sense of the role of African soldiers during the two World Wars. Veterans from the US, Britain and Canada alongside whom African colonial troops also split their blood during the bitter fighting to liberate Europe are revered year in year out for their courage. American and British courage in particular is overwhelmingly documented in various big budget films. Many of the Hollywood stars made their names and fortune by starring in films about the wars.

Unfortunately the Western media hardly picks up on the part played by the African colonial troops in this liberation struggle. The role of the colonial forces is either downplayed or virtually obliterated from the psyche of the international community. It is not unlikely that the textbooks in many of these countries do not included the sacrifices of African soldiers in the liberation of Europe from Nazism, Fascism and the Japanese army in Asia .

To go back in history, we discover that soldiers from the colonies fought alongside the allied forces in both wars. Thousands of men were sourced from the colonies during the First World War. Many were sent to combat units. While serving as front-line infantry it is said that so many died of combat or illness. Similarly thousands were recruited into the Royal West Africa Frontier Force to fight for Britain and France in World War Two. Conscripts from Nigeria , Ghana , Gambia and Sierra Leone totaled about 167,000 from all four colonies. Forced recruitment took place in East Africa too.

According to some reports the colonial troops: "served as the spearhead of assaults on fixed positions and suffered predictably high casualty rates. There was hardly a major offensive in which Africans did not play an important role". The Colonial Federation of French West and Equatorial Africa provided just over 200,000 soldiers to the war effort. Known as Tirailleurs Senegalais they were fully involved in liberation of France . It has been said that Africans were recruited to offset the might of the German troops and sent to the frontlines. This has been interpreted as yet another way in which the resources from the Continent were exploited for the benefit of Europeans. By and large the efforts of the African troops have been underplayed over the years. With the exception of a few monuments erected in a few countries symbolizing the participation in the two World Wars, there is hardly any mention of their input. The common cause they all stood and fought for does not receive a lavish display in the media. There was no reference to colonial troops and their acts of bravery and resilience in the media coverage in the recent commemoration service.

Our Government and History textbooks tell us that the fire for independence was ignited in part from the experiences gained during the WW11. We are told that having fought for and won freedom in far away lands in Europe and Asia , the soldiers returned home and decided to press for freedom on their own homelands. The flames of self-determination and Pan-Africanism were largely lit during this era. Sadly on return from the battle front, many were to be disappointed by the attitudes of the colonial masters towards their gratuities and welfare. One such famous incident led to the Christianborg Crossroads shootings in 1948 in which three ex-service men who went to present a petition to the British Colonial Governor were killed on the orders of a British Superintendent in Ghana (then Gold Coast). Ghana recently remembered the fallen soldiers in a solemn ceremony.

It is very likely that as a result of the lack of official recognition of the African war veterans by the international community, President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal in 2004 invited veterans, historians and representatives of some 20 African countries as well as France to take part in televised discourse, marches and commemoration activities. At the time President Wade noted that: "The idea is to re-evaluate the role Africa played in bringing peace to the developed world through its participation in two world wars".

It is clear that there needs to be a concerted effort to incorporate the role of African veterans in the two world wars into any of the services and activities being held on European soil. Speaking last week during the service held in honour of the veterans from US, Britain and Canada , President Nicholas Sarkozy said France will "never forget them". The pledge of a permanent memorial in the hearts and minds of the nation should be publicly extended to those who were conscripted from the former colonies and sent to fight a war in far away lands. Beyond the few cenotaphs built in some of the former colonies, the beam light needs to be shone on the lives of the living veterans. Their efforts during the two wars needs to be documented and made available to the public. It is not enough to document and keep away on the shelves for historical purposes. The exemplary efforts of the African veterans should be made public knowledge and be incorporated into school lessons in the educational systems from primary to tertiary levels. Lessons about the Holocaust are part and parcel of classes in the schools. There is no shortage of Museums, exhibitions, films etc to keep the memories alive. A proper and honourable official recognition will also help ordinary citizens to appreciate the true magnitude of the contributions of the colonial troops to the war effort. Commemoration services should be inclusive and invite officials and leaders from former colonies.

Media has a very crucial role here. Films, documentaries, exhibitions etc are major tools to address the gap in the history of the wars. None of the films about the heroic acts during the wars highlight the contributions of the African soldiers. Many of the films tell the story from the perspectives from the allied forces. Others take it from the perspective of the Holocaust. What about a film from the point of view of an African soldier plucked from his homeland into the trenches of Europe and Asia ? We have seen films about slave trade and slavery, heroines during the French resistance, acts of courage of the British, ruthlessness of the Japanese and Germans during the war. Love stories set against the background of wars, stories about returnees from the wars, stories from the colonial era etc are all examples of various ways in which the story can be creatively told to the world. Stories told through the eyes of a veteran soldier is a story worth hearing about. Documentaries are also a powerful way of projecting the African veterans to the world.

The Commonwealth and French authorities owe it to Africa to pay tribute to her sons who lost their lives in the bitter fighting to save Europe and Asia . It is estimated that about 300,000 African conscripts died in both world wars. Britain and France have a duty to ensure the memories and contributions of the African veterans do not remain in the trenches, untold.
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WW2 and African Veterans

Kyt Άρης

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Kyt Άρης

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