Brits not the be-all

WHILE esteemed commentator and writer Dr Duncan Du Bois sees British colonialism from only one perspective, as the hallmark of civilisation and progress, he forgets there were many before the British and many after who contributed to humanity in various forms.

In Africa we had the Egyptians who built the pyramids.

We had the Mali dynasty (which was super rich and maybe where the Zulu word for money/wealth originated). The Mali manuscripts still exist and were written before the British began writing. King Shaka consolidated the people of KwaZulu-Natal and created the Zulu nation. Hardly a human rights champion, but he was as tough and as hard as could be, until gunpowder and family rivalries overpowered their nation. The San might have been before, but very little is documented.

In India, you had the Indus Valley or Harappan Civilisation, which for its time was known for urban planning, baked-brick houses, drainage systems, water supply and large non-residential buildings.

In KwaZulu-Natal the Natal Verandah architecture owes more to the Indian Bungalow and Asia (Zimbali-type homes are more South Asian architecture) than British.

Even seen a house in the UK with a verandah?

Maybe the British or indentured labourers brought these concepts down; albeit in a rustic format.

China built the Great Wall, a work of engineering and logistical genius.

The Japanese, with their zero-defect philosophy, were and are ruthlessly efficient.

In Spain, the only worthwhile tourist attractions were those of the Islamic era, which also took very good care of the Jews.

Maimonides, the great Jewish scholar, was a product of Islamic Spain.

The Arabs mastered the art of qanats (wells in the desert) to survive.

The wheel was invented in Mesopotamia/Iraq and maybe Dunlop developed the pneumatic tyre we use today.

Our legal system has more to do with Roman Dutch than British, and Latin was once an important subject.

If you look at Europe around the 15th century, what did Europe really have? The buildings in Europe, in terms of global history, were built only a few “days” ago. Progress was made by each era building upon the previous.

The issue around colonialism only praises the British, ignoring their shortcomings and assuming no progress would have occurred without them.

Lots of other cultures and groups contributed to humanity, the living standards, lifestyles and human rights we enjoy today. Muhammad Omar Durban North