In June
1834, Thomas Macaulay came to Ooty, spent under a year as a British historian
and educationist. By 1835 after returning to London, he formulated an education
policy for all colonies, but he knew that it would particularly be more important to
establish his theory of English language and culture in the crown jewel which
was, India. This policy was spread out quickly by the British and got known as
Macaulayism, which amounted to thrusting the English language and customs;
while simultaneously taking away the local language and customs from the
colonial subjects.
On August
15, 2022, while addressing the Nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on
India’s 76th Independence
Day, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji spoke about the 'Panch Praan' for the coming 25
years (Amrit Kaal). Elaborating on the second Praan, he said, “In no part of
our existence, not even in the deepest corners of our mind or habits should
there be any ounce of slavery. It should be nipped there itself. We have to liberate
ourselves from the slavery mind set which is visible in innumerable things within and around us.
This is our second Praan Shakti.”
The history of modern
India is deeply entangled with two centuries of British colonialism, and
decades after Independence, our nation has continued to carry its colonial
baggage in various forms, some conspicuous, and some subtle. Over the past few
years, the Government has been steering
India away from these vestiges of British rule, and a number of steps have been
taken across several domains to firmly mark the identity of New India, truly
freeing it from its colonial past.
A
colonial mentality is the internalized attitude of ethnic or cultural
inferiority felt by people as a result of colonization, i.e. them being
colonized by another group. It corresponds with the belief that the cultural
values of the colonizer are inherently superior to one's own. Sadly, still some support those colonisers
who took away the Nation’s wealth. It is not India alone, many Nations were colonised – the invaders did
not do them any good – they only looted and took away their riches!
A colony is a territory
subject to a form of foreign rule.
Often they came as traders - The
Portuguese, first arriving by ship in May 1498, began establishing trading
outposts in India. The first successful voyage to India was by Vasco da Gama in
1498, when after sailing around the Cape of Good Hope he arrived in Calicut. The British colonisation of India began in
1757 when the East India Company was permitted by the Mughal Emperor to
establish a trading post in Calcutta. The East India Company then took control
of Bengal after the Battle of Plassey in 1757 and slowly began to expand its
influence over the rest of India. The
Dutch Republic, England, France, and Denmark–Norway all established trading
posts in India in the early 17th century.
Ghezo, was
King of Dahomey (present-day Republic of Benin) from 1818 until 1859. Ghezo replaced his brother Adandozan (who
ruled from 1797 to 1818) as king through a coup with the assistance of the
Brazilian slave trader Francisco Félix de Sousa. He ruled over the kingdom
during a tumultuous period, punctuated by the British blockade of the ports of
Dahomey in order to stop the Atlantic slave trade.
Ghezo ended
Dahomey's tributary status to the Oyo Empire. Afterwards, he dealt with
significant domestic dissent, as well as pressure from the British Empire, to
end the slave trade. He promised to end the slave trade in 1852, but resumed
slave efforts in 1857. Ghezo was assassinated in 1859, and his son Glele became
the new king.
When King
Ghezo ascended the throne in 1818, he was confronted by two immediate
obstacles: the Kingdom of Dahomey was in political turmoil, and it was
financially unstable. First, he needed to gain political independence by
removing the hold that the Yoruba empire of Oyo had over the Dahomey since
1748. Secondly, he needed to revitalize the Dahomey economy. Both of these objectives relied on the slave
trade. King Ghezo implemented new military strategies, which allowed them to
take a physical stand against the Oyo, who were also a major competitor in the
slave trade. He also put stipulations on Dahomey's
participation in the slave trade. Under his reign, no longer would the Dahomey
be traded, as they were under his brother's, Adandozan, leadership. Dahomey
would focus on capturing people from enemy territories and trading them
instead.
Dahomey
is a 2024 documentary film directed by Mati Diop. It is a dramatised account of
26 royal treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey which were held in a museum in
France. The film explores how the artifacts were returned from France to Benin,
and the reactions of Beninese people. The film was an international co-production between companies in
France, Senegal and Benin. It was shown in the main competition at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival and won the festival's top prize, the Golden Bear. It is scheduled for
theatrical release in France on 25 September 2024
The
documentary film blends facts and fiction to narrate the stories of 26 African
artworks. The royal artefacts from the Kingdom of Dahomey (1600–1904) were
taken to France during the colonial era (1872–1960). In the 21st century, they
were put on display in the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, a museum of
non-European art located in Paris. Following a campaign for repatriation, the
artefacts were returned to Benin. Among the returned works were statues of two
kings of Dahomey, Glele and Béhanzin. Their throne, which had been seized by
French soldiers in 1892, was also given back. The art pieces are now displayed in a museum
in Abomey, the old royal city, about 65 miles from the Gulf of Guinea.[8]
The film
includes a discussion by students at the University of Abomey-Calavi,
presenting their views on the repatriation of cultural assets. Some of the
students criticise the fact that only 26 of a total of around 7,000 objects
were returned. A prominent role in the film is given to the 26th art object to
be repatriated, a statue that represents King Ghézo. A voice-over by the Haitian writer Makenzy
Orcel [fr; ht] (who wrote this part of the script), playing the object, tells
of the time it spent in storage at the Paris museum, its memories of Africa and
thoughts of returning to its homeland.
The Golden
Bear is the highest prize awarded for
the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the
heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of
Berlin. The statuette shows a bear
standing on its hind legs and is based on the 1932 design by German sculptor
Renée Sintenis of Berlin's heraldic mascot that later became the symbol of the
festival. The figurine consists of a bronze core, which is then plated with a
layer of gold. The total weight of the award is 4 kg (8.8 lb).
5th Mar 2024.
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