WHAT LORD LUGARD AND MAHATMA GHANDI .THOUGHT ABOUT BLACKS/AFRICANS (oh and Happy Independence day) (Part 2)

Kaf·fir also Kaf·ir (kfr)
n. pl. Kaffir or Kaf·firs also Kafir or Kaf·irs
1. Offensive
a. A Xhosa.
b. often kaffir Used especially in southern Africa as a disparaging term for a Black person.
2. Kafir A Nuristani.
3. also kaffir Islam An infidel source

Hi

This is a continuation of my last blog which focused on Lord Lugard

Today is the turn of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948). He is known as 'Mahatma' (great soul), Gandhi was the leader of the Indian nationalist movement against British rule, and is widely considered the father of his country. His doctrine of non-violent protest to achieve political and social progress has been hugely influential. After university, he went to London to train as a barrister. He returned to India in 1891 and in 1893 accepted a job at an Indian law firm in Durban, South Africa. Gandhi was appalled by the treatment of Indian immigrants there, and joined the struggle to obtain basic rights for them. During his 20 years in South Africa he was sent to prison many times. Source BBC

I will stop there as I am more interested in Gandhi and South African Blacks: Gandhi wrote extensively about his experiences with the blacks of South Africa. He always termed them “Kaffirs” (refer to first paragraph on this blog) and his writings reveal a deep-seated disdain for these African natives Here are a few of his quotes along with their sources.

“A general belief seems to prevail in the colony that the Indians are little better, if at all, than the savages or natives of Africa. Even the children are taught to believe in that manner, with the result that the Indian is being dragged down to the position of a raw Kaffir.” (Reference: The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Government of India (CWMG), Vol I, p. 150)

Regarding forcible registration with the state of blacks: “One can understand the necessity for registration of Kaffirs who will not work.” (Reference: CWMG, Vol I, p. 105)

May 22, 1906
“It was a gross injustice to seek to place Indians in the same class as the Kaffirs.” ~ Vol. V, p. 226

“Why, of all places in Johannesburg, the Indian Location should be chosen for dumping down all the Kaffirs of the town passes my comprehension…the Town Council must withdraw the Kaffirs from the Location.” (Reference: CWMG, Vol I, pp. 244-245)

His description of black inmates: “Only a degree removed from the animal.” Also, “Kaffirs are as a rule uncivilized - the convicts even more so. They are troublesome, very dirty and live almost like animals.” - Mar. 7, 1908 (Reference: CWMG, Vol VIII, pp. 135-136)

The Durban Post Office: One of Gandhi’s major “achievements” in South Africa was to promote racial segregation by refusing to share a post office door with the black natives.

Sept. 26, 1896
“Ours is one continual struggle against a degradation sought to be inflicted upon us by the Europeans, who desire to degrade us to the level of the raw Kaffir whose occupation is hunting, and whose sole ambition is to collect a certain number of cattle to buy a wife with and, then, pass his life in indolence and nakedness.” ~ Vol. I, pp. 409-410

I will stop here, see more here, at your leisure

To conclude I will write the same words as I used in the first paragraph of part one;
In primary school it was part of the school curriculum to teach us about great leaders of our past. However as an adult I did some more research on these 'Great Leaders' and what i found out certainly was not part of the school curriculum.

Just saying...
Thanks for reading through...
Mena