The Emperor of the Central African Republic
I find Jean-Bédel Bokassa to be an interesting case study in colonialism and neo-colonialism in Africa. Bokassa was a victim of colonial violence in Africa. His father was beaten to death by French colonizers. One would think that this would make Bokassa grow up to despise French colonialism, but he did the opposite. He so badly wanted to imitate French imperialism that he named himself “emperor” of the Central African Republic. He was greatly inspired by Napoleon.
I mentioned Bokassa in my book Essays Towards Restoring the African Mind because he perfectly demonstrated the nature of colonialism. Colonialism has not only traumatized African people, but it creates a situation where some of us cope with the trauma by trying to imitate the ones that inflicted the trauma on us. As one would expect, Bokassa was eventually discarded by France when he was of no more use to them.
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Dwayne is the author of several books on the history and experiences of African people, both on the continent and in the diaspora. His books are available through Amazon. You can also follow Dwayne on Facebook and Twitter.
