Discourse on Colonialism 殖民主義論述

Discourse on Colonialism Csaire ●About colonization and civilization u The fact is the "Western" civilization is incapable of solving the two major problems: the problem of the proletariat and the colonial problem. u In dealing with Colonization and civilization? Csaire want to answer question: what, fundamentally, is colonization?He think behind colonization, the baleful projected shadow of a form of civilization : for internal reasons, to extend to a world scale the competition of its antagonistic economies. u The Christian laid down the dishonest equations“Christianity=civilization, paganism=savagery”, from which there could not but ensue abominable colonialist and racist consequences, whose victims were to be the Indians, the yellow peoples, and the Negroes. ●Civilization and savagery u Csaire ask: has colonization reallyplaced civilizations in contact? Or, of all the ways ofestablishing contact, was it the best? But Csaire answer no. u Csaire think colonization works todecivilizethe colonizer, tobrutalize him, and proceeds towardsavagery. u And Csaire think colonization cultivated Nazism, they were its accomplices, that they are responsible for it. u Colonization is civilize barbarism, from which there may emerge at any moment the negation of civilization. u Csaire see the fact that capitalist society, at its present stage, is incapable of establishing a concept of the rights of all men, at the end of capitalism, there is Hitler. ●colonized u colonization has destroyed the wonderful civilizations（Indian, Aztecs, Incas） less contributions it has made. (Security? Culture? The rule of law?) u wherever there are colonizers and colonized face to face, only see force, brutality, conflict, and in a parody of education, the manufacture of a few thousand subordinate functionaries. About contact—colonization = "thing-ification." Between colonizer and colonized there is only for forced labor, intimidation…… no human contact, but relations of domination and submission which turn the colonizing man into a class-room monitor, and the indigenous man into an instrument of production. — About progress："achievements," diseases cured, improved standards of living. Colonization destroyed societies, cultures, institutions, lands, religions artistic…… — About modernity：statistics, roads, canals, and railroad. thousands of men sacrificed to the Congo-Ocean, people are digging the harbor of Abidjan by hand. Millions of men torn from their gods, their land, their habits, their life-from life…… — About economies：naturaleconomiesthat have been disrupted harmonious and viable economies adapted to the indigenous population - about food crops destroyed, agricultural development oriented solely toward the benefit of the metropolitan countries, about the looting of products, the looting of raw materials. — About civilization：proletarianization and mystification. Csaire make a systematic defense of the societies destroyed by imperialism. They were communal societies, and not only ante-capitalist, but also anti-capitalist. They were democratic societies, cooperative, fraternal societies. Colonialist is dishonest in trying to justify its colonizing activityby the obvious material progress. But the proof at present it is the indigenous peoples of Africa and Asia who are demanding schools, ports and roads and colonialist which refuses them; that it is the colonized man who wants to move forward, and the colonizer who holds things back. ●The idea of the barbaric Negro is a European invention. Csaire systematically defend our old Negro civilizations: they were courteous civilizations. The problem is not to make a utopian and attempt to repeat the past, but to go beyond. It is not a dead society that we want to revive. Not prolong present colonial society. It is a new society that we must create, with the help of all our brother slaves, a society rich with all the productive power of modern times, warm with all the fraternity of olden days.