The Fairy Tale Princess

I read a really great book called “The Fate of Africa”, which told the history of Africa since independence. Really interesting, a very easy read I recommend it! Well I thought about all the hatred and anger towards these “African Big Men” from my own culture, dictators who killed opponents, opposed democracy, waged wars of greed and pride, exploited the country’s natural resources for their own riches, extracted taxes from peasants so they could buy ridiculous luxuries which they didn’t deserve, were immensely corrupt giving positions of power both in government and business to family and tribe members, using state money as their own personal bank accounts. We hate these people, almost everyone on earth does, and rightly so, they are terrible greedy people.



No Canadian girl dreams of marrying one of these men when they grow up, fantasizes about living in their mansions, or has dolls of their daughters. Instead Canadian girls think about princesses from medieval times. I’m asking, what’s the difference aside from time and geography? I hate the double standard that exists, that Africans are so corrupt and evil but the same people that were corrupt and evil from our culture are worshipped in books and movies. Queen Victoria held the “most colossal and expensive meal in world history” during a 7 day celebration in India on her ownership over a land the British had stolen and occupied by violence. During this 7 day party, 100,000 locals starved to death. King Henry killed not one but TWO of his own wives by cutting their heads off! The list goes on, and is not just British.

Look at my list of the horrible things African dictators do, is there one there that European Royalty isn’t guilty of, but for hundreds and hundreds of years instead of just 50?