UNIV 3539 Blog

Mohandas K. Gandhi is a very well known, wonderful man who made a great difference in the world, especially in the twenetieth century, and many/most people have great respect for him and his works. Gandhi's message of hope spurred a struggle for freedom that, in 1947, would lead to the birth of a nation -- and inspire the fight for independence on another continent half-a-world away.Freedom Now talks to the people who witnessed and participated in the fight for freedom in India and Africa. What emerges is a story of struggle, exhilaration -- and, more than occasionally, civil war. England was under imperial rule until Gandhi made a huge campaign of civil disobedience--he was fighting for their freedom. Another man who also preached civil disobedience like Gandhi did was Kwame Nkrumah, but when he was imprisoned Komla Gbedema took over.In 1951, in the face of growing unrest, the British acceded to demands for free elections and a national assembly. Nkrumah's party won a landslide victory. It was the beginning of the end of British rule in Africa. In 1957, the people of the Gold Coast became the first black Africans to achieve complete freedom.
To Africans, the Mau Mau were freedom fighters; to the Europeans, they were terrorists. By the late 1950s, it was becoming increasingly evident to British officials that they could hardly continue to protect their one percent of the population in the face of escalating African demands. Although Africa finally got their freedom in 25 countries over the British, French, and Belgians; there were new problems: Unity was difficult in new countries whose boundaries had been drawn to suit European convenience. Many tribes were forced to live on the wrong side of new borders -- in hostile territory. Takeover followed takeover in many countries. Most of the new governments were cruel and corrupt -- and for many Africans, one kind of repression was replaced by another. For most of Africa, the colonial legacy was a bitter one. New nations still had to convert their new autonomy into freedoms they'd hoped for, but had yet to win: freedom from hunger, poverty, political oppression.