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African History 6: Religious Fanaticism vs. Institutionalized Terror 2 Views


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Description:

With names like Mau Mau and Kikuyu, you might think this was a fun video about cats. But it's not. It's very not. Today's lesson is on the terrible conflicts surrounding the decolonization of Kenya.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

The Brits were in a pickle when it came to decolonizing Kenya. [British men in a pickle jar]

00:08

Over the years, they’d sent over plenty of British settlers.

00:10

So there was a whole group of white people who’d been born in Africa and felt like

00:14

it was their home, too. [British men holding home sweet home signs in Africa]

00:16

But if Britain finally let Kenya govern itself, the whites were afraid they’d lose all their

00:21

rights and privileges.

00:22

And then their relatives wouldn’t vote for whoever it was that…threw their colonial [Man in an arena with a lion]

00:27

kin to the lions.

00:28

Of course, a growing number of natives didn’t give a hoot about all that business.

00:32

With more and more African states becoming free, they wanted their land back, and they

00:36

wanted it now.

00:37

First, the native Kenyans tried peaceful negotiations. [Kenya and British negotiating]

00:40

When the Brits said…

00:41

“No way”…some Kenyans said…

00:44

“Guess we’ll do this the hard way”…

00:46

Several rebel groups formed, but the most powerful and ruthless was called the Mau Mau. [Mau May group with rifles]

00:51

Sounds more like a tropical dance than a group of ruthless killers, but okay.

00:54

The Mau Mau were unified by the native religious beliefs of the Kikuyo, the dominant

01:02

ethnic group in Kenya.

01:04

Like the Xhosa in South Africa, the Mau Mau wanted to hit Britain where it [Mau Mau soldier hits Britain]

01:08

hurt most.

01:09

No, not there.

01:10

They struck at white property, killing or stealing white-owned cattle herds. [Mau Mau tribe stealing cattle herds]

01:14

It’s hard out there for a cow…

01:17

The violence spread from cows to people in late 1952, when Mau Mau fighters killed a

01:21

white woman defending her home. [Mau Mau soldier shoots woman]

01:23

Even fellow Africans began to feel the wrath of the Mau Mau, after they assassinated two

01:27

white-sympathetic, native politicians.

01:30

Things got bloodier and bloodier over the years as the Mau Mau tortured and murdered

01:34

other Kenyans who said no thanks to joining the rebellion, or were seen as lovers of the [Mau Mau rebels killing Kenyans]

01:39

white man.

01:40

To fight back, the Brits forced Kenyan civilians into what they called “protected villages”…

01:45

which were basically concentration camps.

01:48

These places were full of fun stuff like systematic torture, and disease that was spread by unsanitary [Kenyan child eating unsanitary food]

01:53

conditions.

01:54

So your average ordinary Kenyan was stuck in a terrible position.

01:58

They could help the Mau Mau and run the risk of being tortured and murdered in a British

02:03

camp.

02:04

Or they could refuse to help the Mau Mau and risk being tortured and murdered, uh…in [Kenyan in the middle between two Mau Mau soldiers]

02:08

the comfort of their own homes.

02:10

No way around it…back then, it sucked to be Kenyan.

02:13

At long last, in 1961, the Mau Mau was defeated.

02:17

But back in Britain, public opinion had changed. [Mau Mau fighters waving white flag]

02:19

British voters were scared of another, bloodier war in Kenya, and they were like…enough

02:24

already.

02:25

In 1964, Kenya finally became independent.

02:29

So even though the Mau Mau lost, they also… kinda won.

02:32

Yeah, history is complicated like that.

02:34

The legacy of the Mau Mau still affects Kenyan politics today. [Politicians thinking of Mau Mau rebels]

02:37

Many non-Kikuyu Kenyans blame the Kikuyu for the radical, bloody Mau Mau.

02:44

Non-Kikuyus also aren’t cool with the amount of power the Kikuyu claimed through force

02:50

after Independence.

02:51

The bad blood has erupted into violent outbreaks over the years, most recently in 2009. [People protesting in 2009 in Kenya]

02:56

It’s just another example of how colonialism keeps on damaging a country even after it’s [Colonialism banging Kenya with a hammer]

03:01

gone.

03:02

It’s like an unwelcome guest who eats everything in your fridge and then wonders why everyone

03:06

else is hungry... [Man eating food and woman is angry]

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