The British Simulacrum

The British Simulacrum
Although I am English, I live in Zambia and I inevitably I take a Zambian view of the world as created by the media, the Zambian simulacrum. I view the West as neo-imperialist, a view that is held implicitly by the West, because of its simulacra, whether it is British, French or American. My differentiation of simulacra is illustrated by Guy Tillim’s documentaries on war-torn Africa, as if they somehow represent Africa: there are many wars in Africa, and none of them are here, and all of them are in the countries that specialise in war, like Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Congo, which have been at war forever …, but these do not represent life in Africa by any statistical measure, only according to Western media, which is essentially according to some minor pop star. Did a war in Kosovo mean Europe is at war?

Ferguson’s view favourably compares former colonial management with many of the tyrannical governments that exist in Africa, and there is no reason why he should not. Colonialism did provided a massive kick-start to development, but this is not praising colonialism so much as recognising that many governments in Africa continue to be murderously tyrannical, and are still emerging as so. Whether this is right or wrong is irrelevant in comparison with trying to rescue Africa from pre-modern times of witch doctors and religion. I am not sure that American globalisation and mercantile development has been any less colonialist or more effective than colonialism but both have been responsible for substantially developing the world in one way or another, whether or not the the uneducated in the world wants it.

There are no arguments for sustaining pre-modernist medieval cultures, especially from those cultures, but the management of development is the responsibility of the national governments concerned and not the business of neo-imperialists; however, many argue that countries have the right to lobby/influence the behaviour of others, whether religious, commercial, political or just downright imperialist. The views of the uneducated unwashed are dangerous at any democratic polling booth and voting to sustain pre-modernist poverty is will result in an underclass. But so what? At this level, their suffrage is not our business, it is theirs; however, I believe there is a limit, civilisation, badly represented by the UN et al, itself determines that interventions are necessary in cases of murder by government, but then does nothing.