Seven Theses on Decolonization and the Programmed Transition to Neo-Colonialism, By Ibrahim Abdullah
Dr. Ibrahim Abdullah, a history professor at Fourah Bay College, gave a WhatsApp lecture to mark Sierra Leone's 55th Independence anniversary on April 27, 2016. Below are excerpts from Abdullah's "Seven Theses on Decolonization and the Programmed Transition to Neo-Colonialism" Theses One: What is the meaning and significance of the date -- 27 April? Very few Sierra Leoneans know where this date was yanked from or why Sir Milton and the SLPP [Sierra Leone People's Party] appropriated it. 27 April was the day of the war of liberation... The SLPP appropriated it in the name of 'One Country One People' but the meaning of one country one people did not necessarily translate into an inclusive project that reflected the nation about to be born. The history of decolonization unfolded without any national project or key demands by the dominant elites. What we witnessed was a tussle for power and supremacy between the so-called protectorate elites an