Fundamental Ideas of Postcolonialism in Sierra Leone
In this literature review, I’ll begin by introducing two texts along with four articles which will make us familiar to the fundamental ideas of postcolonialism and how postcolonialism has affected the indigenous population of the colonized nations by focusing on the inhumanity experienced by the people of Sierra Leone in Africa. My primary text is a film known as Blood Diamond, directed by Edward Zwick, which focuses on the implicit influence of the western nations in creating a civil war within the state of Sierra Leone over the illegal trade of diamonds. Ashcroft, Gareth, and Tiffin’s, Postcolonial Studies The Key Concepts – this is a key text for understanding, in brief, the basic concepts and ideas of postcolonialism. It seeks to familiarize the readers with the knowledge about what is postcolonialism and the various factors involved in it such as language, color, culture, and gender.
Robert J.C. Young, Postcolonialism A Very Short Introduction – In this text, the author seeks to highlight what occurred after the colonies were abandoned by the colonizers. He presents several real-life testimonies in his book to portray the socio-political and cultural scenario of these abandoned lands and the condition of the natives who were once oppressed by the colonizers. Even after gaining independence from the oppressive Western rule, the colonizers still retain their dominance over these newly independent territories of the eastern world.
One such incident
Young relates is the bombing in Baghdad: “It’s the British again. They have been bombing … for over 80 years ... Now their big brothers from America do most of it … When they look for oil or decide to bomb us when they want to make sure they will have more of our oil for the future”. Thus, it is for the resources that these western powers exploit and charge upon the eastern world. I will focus on the similar atrocities inflicted upon the people of Sierra Leone in Africa, which have been portrayed in the film Blood Diamond, where the Americans are extracting gold illegally and taking it to their lands. Along with this, they are supplying all the necessary artillery underhandedly to the local rebel group called the Revolutionary United Front and thus using them to create a pandemonium throughout the country, as well as come forth as a messiah by helping the Sierra Leone government and its people's security by fighting against these rebels. So, we get a picture of benevolent despotism through their activities.
Francis J. David, “Mercenary intervention in Sierra Leone: Providing national security or international exploitation?” – This article specifically focuses on the intervention of the mercenaries hired by the Western powers in alliance with the local government to eliminate the uprisings in the state of Sierra Leone.
However, I will delve into the question through this article whether the intervention of this outer military personnel was a blessing or a curse. The local government troops, being unkempt in the art of military combat, are easily repelled by the trained rebels of the Revolutionary United Front. However, instead of bringing an end to the civil war, the deployment of mercenaries opens up the scope for international exploitation of the country’s resources. This article provides the names of some of the leading private military companies who were hired, such as the Gurkha Security Services (GSG), to train the government troops and also to fight the rebels them by the Sierra Leone government. Executive Outcomes, another leading security organization, was also hired after GSG withdrew its support. But the country’s treasury was severely depleted as these security organizations took advantage of the wretched situation of Sierra Leone and claimed enormous money from the country. The military operations in Sierra Leone by EO, which lasted for twenty-one months, had cost around thirty-five million dollars. The EO was guided by two aspects – to gather as much money in the crisis that affected the state of Sierra Leone and to gain mining allowance.
Thus, an important question that Francis puts forth in his article is: “Are mercenary companies actually interested in the security or stability of conflict-ridden countries? These companies thrive on conflict, and it is these conflicts that provide market opportunities for them, without which they are failed business ventures. In the words of Jeremy Harding, they ‘thrive on the absence of civility, consensus, law, and order’ ”. I would like to draw reference from my previous literary source, Postcolonialism A Very Short Introduction, where I have stated that it is not for any humanitarian cause but only for sheer material gain which motivated the intervention of the Western power groups to launch military aid in Sierra Leone.
Williams-Zack B. A., “Child soldiers in the civil war in Sierra Leone” – Williams in his article, points out the recruitment of children and the role played by them in the war outraged the nation. An acute economic crisis and a lack of a proper political system have jeopardized the lives of countless children. The children, most of whom had become orphans, had to rely on surrogate families while some of them joined the war voluntarily. This led to the strengthening of militant groups like the RUF. However, the irony lies in the fact that these child soldiers were severely ill-treated. However, not all children joined voluntarily. As depicted in the film, Blood Diamond, the militants also raided the villages and abducted the children to use them in their war efforts. Those who would not comply to be a part of the mad killing were either killed or subjected to brutal torture. Maier, a consultant psychiatrist, stated that “they are ideal soldiers. They have no responsibilities and they obey orders”. The older soldiers would push these clueless child soldiers in the frontline during the war, and they themselves would stay back. Young girls who were also abducted during the village raids were also treated as “sex slaves” and ultimately married off to the commanders or were subjected to sexual assaults. Thus, we get a picture of pandemonium through the inhuman treatment of the rebels.
Uchenna Onuzulike, “A critical reading of Blood Diamond in the context of transnationalism” – This paper focuses on analyzing the film from the transnational point of view, which led to the onset of civil war in Africa. It seeks to highlight how the Africans and the Western people are instrumental in the trading of blood diamonds. Africa, which has been a storehouse of natural resources, has long been prey for the people of the West looking to exploit and extract these resources. However, as a result, it led to the downfall of the natives, forcing them to lead a life of penance. Upon analyzing the film, this article portrays the deadly actions of the rebels and the international diamond companies who are implicitly as well as explicitly instrumental in supporting the civil war in Sierra Leone through the illegal diamond trade. As the title of the film suggests, Blood Diamond can be regarded to be an instrument of death and destruction, which has dangerously affected the lives of the people in Sierra Leone. Moreover, language is depicted as a tool to show how, even after decolonization, the Western influence still prevails in Africa. This is evident when, in one of the scenes, Solomon’s son tells his father about his English lessons. The film also portrays another significant aspect, which is amputation. Onuzulike, in his article, states that: “Zwick uses the film to challenge us, and to remind everyone about the political agenda behind the conflict diamonds”. Thus, through this article on the film review and from my earlier references, we get an indication of the Western hegemony which is still prevalent in Africa.
Booker A. Teresa, “Blood Diamond, directed by Edward Zwick, produced by Paula Weinstein, Edward Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz, Graham King, and Gillian Gorfil, Political Communication” - The film focuses on the socio-political conflict in Sierra Leone caused by the insurgent group known as the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). The film portrays the gruesome torture on the innocent people of Sierra Leone by the RUF. The film portrays the illegal diamond that is traded out from the underdeveloped nations in Africa like Sierra Leone and is supplied to the international markets. But the most horrifying part is that the price the people of this country have to pay with their lives for the extraction of these diamonds. The film focuses on the life of a fisherman, Solomon Vandy, of the Mende tribe, who struggles to rescue his son, Dia, captured by the RUF. The film draws light upon a deadly picture of using the children captured during the village raids as soldiers and making them part of the killing of innocent civilians. However, the film lacks the portrayal of female soldiers who were sexually abused by the leaders and commanders of the RUF.
Conclusion
In the above-mentioned books and articles, I have pointed out, in brief, the idea of postcolonialism and the effects of the colonizers' intervention into the Third World countries by focusing on one of the African nations. The extreme political unrest and the mass killing are the main issues that I have portrayed, but my main focus in this paper will be the colonizers’ who come to Sierra Leone as a Messiah are not at all benevolent, but they put on the façade of morality and exploit the innocent yet imbecile people of Sierra Leone and, thus, take away their resources. My work will highlight upon this despotism of the Western world in the crisis engulfing the state of Sierra Leone.
