THE MISEDUCATION OF GANDHI... FOR AFRICANS.

What schools didn’t teach you about Mahatmar Gandhi.

A THREAD

[1] - This thread is nothing to do with Gandhi as a global peace icon & the father of Indian independence; not disregarding the achievements he made for Indian people... but Gandhi was not a friend to Africans.

This is not taught about him, we have to ask ourselves why! (1/2)

[2] - 2/2 ... In 1893 Gandhi went to South Africa, before this he was known as a humanitarian lawyer and a nationalist politician. What many do not know about is his racist ideologies of Africans in whilst simultaneously trying to fight British colonial rule for Indians.

[3] - Gandhi believed in the ‘Aryan brotherhood’, which meant he complied with the idea of white supremacy, but felt that Indians are higher up than blacks.

He was ok with the white, elitist, dominant position in society, so long as Indians come after and blacks come last.

[4] - So, Gandhi audaciously spoke of segregation of blacks and Indians in South Africa. He was accused of working with the British colonial government to promote the racial segregation.

Whilst campaigning for Indian rights in SA, he made way for more struggles of black people.

[5] Here are some of the disturbing statements Gandhi has made about black africans in SA

“Indians have no war dances”

“Indians are a little better if at all, than savages of native Africa”

“Must withdraw kaffirs” - a word he used for the non-muslim black Africans

WHO KNEW?

[6] - In much literature Gandhi is further credited as someone who inspired members of the civil rights movement and Martin Luther King Jr.

Because he “represented a completely different way of pursuing political objectives”. - Non-violent, but racist?

not making sense

[7] Through school I was taught about Gandhi but never this, why? Our western education systems continue to pull the wall over Africans’ eyes.

His racism against Africans has almost been purposely written out of history. Until a book by Ashwin & Desai was released in 2008 (1/2)

[8] (2/2)... two South African scholars who published a book exposing the prejudice views on black Africans that Gandhi upheld.

In Ghana, more Africans have taken a stand against him by removing a statue of him from the University of Ghana campus.

IT SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN THERE

[9] - I’ve written a more detailed article/ blog post about this with sources titled The Miseducation of Mahatmar Gandhi... For Africans.

check that out for more insight on these points.

Africans, in the spirit of #BlackLivesMatter let’s wise up https://www.ssozinha.com/post/the-miseducation-of-mahatmar-gandhi-for-africans

[10] - that’s the end of the thread! Please check out the blog post (link in the above tweet) to read more in-depth about this! Hope you enjoyed and learned something new!

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#BLACKLIVESMATTER