pd. Democratic Republic of Congo

Photographed by John Mulders

fun fact despite having massive populations in Congo and Central Africa aswell as speaking a NigerCongo language the Azande also have sizeable populations in countries like South Sudan of all places.

Honourable mention to afrocrownss

references

Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac (n.d.) Collections. (Accessed: 19 August 2026).

EBSCO (2022) Zande people. Research Starters. (Accessed: 19 August 2026).

I am sick of seeing people on social media posts claiming the empirically incorrect lie of how "British left Nigeria in good condition." and that we "Africans ruined it." Some are even unironically arguing for recolonization due to modern inflation and security struggles. This creates a massive contradiction How can people romanticize a past where we couldn't read and died by age 40 just because of a more consistent inflation rate?

The truth is simple people mistake the quietness of a maximum-security prison for actual societal health. An inmate has a stable routine and clean hallways, but they are still in a prison.

Ill be Comparing the nearly 100 years of British occupation in Nigeria (1861–1960) to 65 years (1960 to today in 2026) of Nigerian independence side by side so that we can illustrate how Colonial era Nigeria is far worse than Nigeria when it got its independence/today and this isn't a discussion.

Note PLEASE FEEL FREE TO USE THE DATA ON THIS REDDIT IF ANYONE EVER TRIES TO SUGGEST SO

Lets actually look at the Data Itself

Education and Human Capital

Colonial Era:

The British built exactly ONE university institution in 99 years of rule (University College, Ibadan), and it couldn’t even award its own independent degrees until 1963.

The colonial government left schooling largely to Christian missionaries, creating an intentional skew toward the South while neglecting the North. The curriculum was designed only to produce low level clerks and translators, not highly skilled managers, scientists, or engineers. Literacy rate are an estimated 13% with some estimates as low as under 10%.

And no this simply wasn't just a "product of its time" during this period England had Over 20 universities (including Oxford, Cambridge, London, Edinburgh, Manchester, etc.) itself and had a near full literacy rate (over 90%), as was the case for Ireland which benefitted from being APART OF THE BRITISH METROPOLE (something people falsely imagine Nigeria was, which it wasn't, it was an extractive colony). Ireland itself having 2 universities at that time which considering its tiny size is impressive and didn't matter because as part of the Metropole they were legally British citizens and Sent MPs to the main Parliament in London, Nigerians weren't legal citizens and had no administrative voting power in the British colonial empire.

This was intentional. The British did not simply fail to educate Nigeria by accident. Colonial policy deliberately limited mass Western education, particularly in the North. Lord Lugard and other officials worried that Western education could produce politically conscious Africans who would challenge colonial authority. This concern was especially relevant in the South, where a larger educated population was already becoming politically assertive and demanding greater representation. In the North, missionary education was restricted in large part to preserve the emirate system and avoid creating the same kind of politically disruptive educated class. The colonial system therefore produced enough educated Nigerians to serve as clerks, teachers and administrators while keeping advanced education highly limited. Enough low level clerks to write down tax numbers, while keeping the rest of the population almost completely in the dark.

Post Colonial Era:

As of 2026, in just 65 years of independence Nigeria has 313 universities according to the National Universities Commission, to suggest that this was a ginormous leap wouldn't do this massive increase any justice. and around 70% adult literacy by 2024 the mass expansion of education was overwhelmingly a postcolonial phenomenon.

And the jump was quick, like heavy gains were made in just the first few decades of the post colonial era. This should show how much of a detriment the British extractive system was. To emphasize in nearly 100 years of colonialism at that point in 1960 the British administration established one university and that was towards the end of its colonial reign (1948) and then In 1970 in just 10 years, Nigeria had 6 universities, and by 1980, that number grew to 13 universities again these were literally just the first two decades. Nigeria went from roughly 293,000 primary pupils in 1939 and only 36,000 secondary pupils in 1957 to 13.8 million primary pupils by 1980.

And these same trends can be found in almost every aspect of development.... Such as

Macroeconomics and Industrialization

Colonial Era:

The economy remained overwhelmingly agrarian and export oriented, with colonial policy prioritizing the production and export of cash crops such as palm oil, cocoa and groundnuts, while manufactured goods were largely imported. Industrial development was limited and concentrated mainly around processing raw materials for export. Colonial policy provided little incentive for the development of a broad indigenous manufacturing sector. Interestingly Atul Kohli's Imperialism and the Developing World argues that the colonial state sometimes actively discouraged local manufacturing in order to protect British commercial interests. Local producers faced discriminatory transport costs, trade licenses and other regulations, while British goods received preferential treatment. The result was an economy heavily geared toward exporting primary commodities and importing manufactured goods, with limited indigenous industrialization, which shows how active Colonial powers were to mitigate competition from the citizens in its colonies.

Post colonial Era:

Nigeria developed a far more diversified domestic economy. Although dependence on crude oil became a major weakness and contributed to Dutch Disease, independence saw major expansion in manufacturing and especially services, including banking, telecommunications, real estate, technology and the globally influential Nollywood and Afrobeats industries.

British colonial policy oriented Nigeria toward producing and exporting primary commodities while importing manufactured goods. Industrial development was limited and largely focused on processing raw materials, leaving Nigeria with little indigenous manufacturing capacity at independence to begin with, And this completely changed. But it didn't just end there...

Infrastructure and Urbanization

Colonial Era:

Infrastructure was functional but disarticulated. Railways and roads were primarily built along routes connecting inland agricultural and mineral producing areas to coastal ports to Britain. Facilitating the extraction and export of commodities. Although these networks also connected Nigerian towns and enabled some domestic trade, they were not designed as an integrated national infrastructure system.

Colonial electricity provision was extremely limited and concentrated in major administrative, commercial and industrial centers. Power was prioritized for European residential areas, government facilities and industries such as the coal mines at Enugu and tin mining around Jos. Most (and im talking about borderline all) Nigerians, particularly in rural areas, had no access to electricity and relied on kerosene, candles and firewood.

Access to piped water, sewage and organized waste collection was also highly unequal. Colonial authorities prioritized European residential areas and major administrative centers, while most African communities relied on wells, streams, pit latrines and other basic facilities. The result was a deeply unequal standard of public infrastructure at independence.

Postcolonial Era:

Modern transportation networks were built to connect the country internally. This includes extensive interstate highway systems, major domestic airport networks, massive expansion of the electrical grid (though still facing generation deficits), and a digital communication infrastructure that provides Nigerias large tech hub.

Health and Mortality rates

Colonial Era:

towards the very end of the colonial era in the 1950s the life expectancy was around 33 years old. There was roughly one doctor for every 27,000 people, they were also mostly Christian missionaries who were independent of the British administrative empire and they possessed with dubious levels of actual skill at times. Colonial health services were concentrated in urban areas, while rural communities had little access to formal healthcare and continued to rely heavily on indigenous healers.

Post Colonial era:

Current life expectancy Nigeria are closer its to 60 years, still not great as its lower than the global average of 74, but its far better and closer to that than the average life expectancy being 30 like in the Colonial era. By just 1967, Nigeria already had 257 general hospitals and 26,557 hospital beds, alongside hundreds of health centers and over 1,300 dispensaries. The expansion continued substantially over subsequent decades.

Even the British themselves were astonished about how both little they actually did in Nigeria and how much they undermined local industry. An example can be seen in 1943 whereby a debate by British MPs ensued arguing that the United Africa Company held a virtual monopoly that disadvantaged African enterprise. The debate cited Nigerian examples such as yam flour production, coffee processing, metalworking and cloth manufacturing, illustrating how limited indigenous industrialization remained under colonial rule.

What stability the British brought (But even that has a caveat)

• Before the British took full control in the late 1800s, the region that became Nigeria was experiencing significant warfare between rivaling kingdoms and empires. The British didn't end these wars out of peace and love though they ended them because war is bad for corporate business. You cannot smoothly ship palm oil and tin out of a country if local armies are blocking the pathways. To achieve this "stability," the British used extreme, unmitigated military violence. They launched bloody punitive expeditions, Maxim-gunned local resistance, burned down cities like Benin (1897), and exiled or assassinated any traditional king (like King Jaja of Opobo) who refused to hand over his economic sovereignty. They replaced local wars with a totalitarian military dictatorship, people talk about indirect rule due to a lack of day to day European officers but in areas where they considered traditional authority inadequate, appointed or recognized local intermediaries such as Warrant Chiefs. These officials were given significant powers over taxation and administration, often with limited accountability to the communities they governed. Prior societies had established institutions that constrained rulers and provided mechanisms for collective decision-making such as the Yoruba Oyo Mesi or the councils in pre colonial Igbo societies. And in all of those societies even the highly centralized ones the priority was always the kingdom/empire itself in pre colonial times and not some far away Metropole but when leaders priorities themselves like the Oba of Benin they would strip them of their power and exile them.
• The British introduced the West African Pound, which was pegged exactly 1:1 with the British Pound. This eliminated the fluctuation of traditional currencies (like cowries) and brought long-term price stability. Unfortunately though this stability was a trap. The currency was stable because it was backed by the entire British Empire, but the British used this currency as a weapon of coercion. By mandating that taxes could only be paid in British coin, they legally coerced self-sufficient African farmers to stop growing food for their communities and start growing cash crops for British factories. The stability only benefited British accountants for Nigerians, it was a system of forced economic dependency.

So Upon all of this there will still be those trying to move the goalpost and try and be apologists for the empires exploitation of Nigeria. So lets analyze some common talking points briefly

"Natives in the region of Nigeria was never urbanized, it always had terrible sanitation and was backwards compared to Europeans"

This is directly contradicted by Europeans themselves centuries before Colonialism

Lourenço Pinto a Portuguese observer/traveler associated with the Portuguese presence on the West African coast.  in 1691, who wrote:

“Great Benin, where the king resides, is larger than Lisbon; all the streets run straight and as far as the eye can see.”

“The houses are large, especially that of the king, which is richly decorated and has fine columns.”

“The city is wealthy and industrious.”

“It is so well governed that theft is unknown and the people live in such security that they have no doors to their houses.”

Earlier Portuguese account: Duarte Pacheco Pereira, c.1505–1508

Pereira was much more matter-of-fact rather than openly praising the city. But he still described Benin as:

“the great city of Benin”

“large, very wide and deep, which suffices for its defence.”

Olfert Dapper, 1668 (Dutch account based on reports about Benin)

“Houses are built alongside the streets in good order, the one close to the other."

“They are usually broad with long galleries inside.”

“every house is provided with a well for the supply of fresh water.”

“The walls [are] as shiny and smooth by washing and rubbing as any wall in Holland can be made with chalk, and they are like mirrors.”

These quotes were Hundreds upon Hundreds of years before Colonialism. And Benin was just one of the many great civilizations in Nigeria, there was many great that preceded it (Nok Culture being an example or how Nigeria had the first proper Boat in the world or achieved the iron age independently unlike other parts of the world such as Europe and even being one of the few places that developed and sold glass such as Ife) and proceeded it like Sokoto, Oyo etc.

"Colonialism with all its negatives needed to happen in order to bring X,Y,Z technology or writing or whatever"

These quotes were Hundreds upon Hundreds of years before Colonialism. And Benin was just one of the many great civilizations in Nigeria, there was many great that preceded it (Nok Culture being an example or how Nigeria had the first proper Boat in the world or achieved the iron age independently unlike other parts of the world such as Europe and even being one of the few places that developed and sold glass such as Ife) and proceeded it like Sokoto, Oyo etc.

"Colonialism with all its negatives needed to happen in order to bring X,Y,Z technology or writing or whatever"

Beyond the fact that Nigeria already had writing centuries prior to colonialism such as the Ajami (Northern Nigeria) and Anjemi (Yoruba) which were adopted in the twelfth century CE (500 years before colonialism) and even earlier 800 to 1,500 years prior to colonialism indigenous logographic and ideographic script like the Igbo Nsibidi, the people groups occupying the region of Nigeria were already connected to both the transaharn trade routes for over 1000 years and even the Atlantic trade which began in 1480 began with trade of cloth and (primarily the Kingdom of Benin) sold Benin pepper, ivory, and locally woven cotton textiles. In exchange they got Manillas, mirrors, firearms, Coral Beads and European Textiles. Nigeria was not some isolated place and neither was most of Africa. The way ancient Civilizations developed was through trade because different geographies provided different benefits, Colonialism directly undermined and impeded the progress of Nigeria by restricting and monopolizing trade and orienting the new economy around extraction and not development.

"Nigeria Has tons of Ethnic Conflict Now and Stuff"

Once again this brings me back to the point at hand Nigeria was a forced amalgamation not by Nigerians themselves but by the British. People who use this argument blame the symptom not the cause. But it doesn't just end with The British stripping people groups of their autonomy through war and subjugation, when territories did try and break away the British would prevent it from happening even during post independence. As an example The Biafra War (also known as the Nigerian Civil War) took place entirely after Nigeria gained its independence in 1960. the war took place from July 1967 to January 1970, during the war the British actively supported the Federal Government during the war by providing weapons and manipulating the narrative this was discussed by Frederick Forsyth in his article titled Buried for 50 years: Britain’s shameful role in the Biafran war . The Cause? Historian Chibuike Uche's research using British archival records argues that British oil interests were a major factor. Shell-BP had enormous investments in Nigeria, particularly in the eastern region where much of the oil was located. British officials were concerned that Biafran independence could jeopardize those interests and Britain's wider trade relationship with a united Nigeria. To repeat because of an oil company even after forcing the different people groups to create the Nigerian project, the British still didn't want Nigerian groups to have their own autonomy and aided in the death of millions of lives due to them wanting to secure revenue for their oil company (Shell BP).... And this is the Body that people are choosing to defend?

And this hasn't even fully ended yet, to this day Nigeria loses significantly more money through corporate financial misconduct and commercial practices than through direct fraud or stealing by politicians. Look Political stealing is flashy politicians buy luxury properties and private jets, which makes headlines. However, according to the African Union's ⁠Mbeki Panel Report, this direct public corruption accounts for only about 5% of illicit leakages. Commercial tax fraud accounts for 70% and the majority of fake invoices/ilicit flows are done by none Nigerian Multi national corporations.

I made this post to illustrate the point that the path forward for Africans is to not romanticize a past that never existed whether that comes from Elders, western propogandists (regardless of what they look like) or those simply just looking for attention. To suggest Nigeria was better off during colonialism is not only ahistorical but also just anti-intellectual when presented with the data and general information we have and in fact not only does show the opposite one can say Nigeria is actively trying to recover from the issues (Almost all of which) can be traced back to colonialism. Nigeria has developed far more since colonialism not because of it but in spite of it. The path forward isn't to lie and create a version of reality that doesn't exist to run away to but its to understand the progress and actively hold everyone accountable including ourselves for the development of our nations but that also includes those who want to exploit us and that also includes the liars. So we can look at things pragmatically to build a better future for everyone.

Bibliography

(No Url)

African Union and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (2015) Illicit Financial Flows: Report of the High Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa.

Ahizechukwu, O.U. (2023) ‘The Development of Transport Infrastructure and Nigeria’s Colonial Economy, 1892–1960’, Wukari International Studies Journal, 7(1), p. 297.

Aminu, M.D. (2018) ‘Why Northern Nigeria is Educationally Disadvantaged’, Premium Times, 11 January.

Arise News (2024) ‘GFI: Nigeria lost $77.7bn to trade-related illicit financial flows in 10 years’, Arise News.

Awofeso, N. et al. (2022) ‘The Lancet Nigeria Commission: investing in health and the future of the nation’, The Lancet, 399(10330), pp. 1155–1200.

Boadu, Y. (n.d.) ‘The Economic and Geopolitical History of [title unavailable from source page]’, Substack.

Encyclopaedia Africana (n.d.) ‘Nigeria: Nsibidi’, Encyclopaedia Africana.

Encyclopaedia Britannica (n.d.) ‘Ovonramwen’, Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Encyclopaedia Britannica (n.d.) ‘Oyo Empire’, Britannica Kids.

Forsyth, F. (2020) ‘Buried for 50 years: Britain’s shameful role in the Biafran war’, The Guardian, 21 January.

Gulliver-Needham, E. (2018) ‘Ireland and Africa: Surprisingly, not the same place’, Medium, 30 August.

Kamow001 (n.d.) ‘Economies & Trade’, Pre-Colonial Africa.

Kohli, A. (2020) Imperialism and the Developing World: How Britain and the United States Shaped the Global Periphery. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Koutonin, M. (2016) ‘Story of cities #5: Benin City, the mighty medieval capital now lost without trace’, The Guardian, 18 March.

Library of Congress (1991) ‘Education’, Nigeria: A Country Study.

Macrotrends (n.d.) Nigeria Life Expectancy.

Macrotrends (n.d.) Nigeria Literacy Rate.

Oduwobi, T. (2006) ‘Politics in Colonial Ijebu, 1921–51: The Role and Challenge of the Educated Elite’. University of Lagos Institutional Repository.

Ryder, A.F.C. (1969) Benin and the Europeans, 1485–1897. London: Longman.

Rodney, W. (2020) ‘Colonialism as a System for Underdeveloping Africa’, Verso Books, 18 February.

UK Parliament (1943) ‘Colonial Affairs’, Hansard, 13 July.

UK Parliament (1960) ‘Illiteracy’, Hansard, 9 May.

World Bank (1989) Nigeria: Primary Education Subsector Study. Report No. 7389-UNI. Washington, DC: World Bank.

World Bank (n.d.) [Publication title unavailable from source page]. World Bank Open Knowledge Repository.

World Health Organization (1961) Official Records of the World Health Organization.

World Health Organization (1969) The Fourth Report on the World Health Situation.

Winter, M. (2022) ‘Hausa Language’, EBSCO Research Starters.

Yusuf, M.A., Ladan, B., Idris, U.A. and Halilu, A. (2013) ‘Comparative study of the state of literacy in Nigeria and Cuba’, European Scientific Journal, 9(19), pp. 34–44.

Nigeria Education Since 1960 (n.d.) Academia

I am sick of seeing people on social media posts claiming the empirically incorrect lie of how "British left Nigeria in good condition." and that we "Africans ruined it." Some are even unironically arguing for recolonization due to modern inflation and security struggles. This creates a massive contradiction How can people romanticize a past where we couldn't read and died by age 40 just because of a more consistent inflation rate?

The truth is simple people mistake the quietness of a maximum-security prison for actual societal health. An inmate has a stable routine and clean hallways, but they are still in a prison.

Ill be Comparing the nearly 100 years of British occupation in Nigeria (1861–1960) to 65 years (1960 to today in 2026) of Nigerian independence side by side so that we can illustrate how Colonial era Nigeria is far worse than Nigeria when it got its independence/today and this isn't a discussion.

Note PLEASE FEEL FREE TO USE THE DATA ON THIS REDDIT IF ANYONE EVER TRIES TO SUGGEST SO

Lets actually look at the Data Itself

Education and Human Capital

Colonial Era:

The British built exactly ONE university institution in 99 years of rule (University College, Ibadan), and it couldn’t even award its own independent degrees until 1963.

The colonial government left schooling largely to Christian missionaries, creating an intentional skew toward the South while neglecting the North. The curriculum was designed only to produce low level clerks and translators, not highly skilled managers, scientists, or engineers. Literacy rate are an estimated 13% with some estimates as low as under 10%.

And no this simply wasn't just a "product of its time" during this period England had Over 20 universities (including Oxford, Cambridge, London, Edinburgh, Manchester, etc.) itself and had a near full literacy rate (over 90%), as was the case for Ireland which benefitted from being APART OF THE BRITISH METROPOLE (something people falsely imagine Nigeria was, which it wasn't, it was an extractive colony). Ireland itself having 2 universities at that time which considering its tiny size is impressive and didn't matter because as part of the Metropole they were legally British citizens and Sent MPs to the main Parliament in London, Nigerians weren't legal citizens and had no administrative voting power in the British colonial empire.

This was intentional. The British did not simply fail to educate Nigeria by accident. Colonial policy deliberately limited mass Western education, particularly in the North. Lord Lugard and other officials worried that Western education could produce politically conscious Africans who would challenge colonial authority. This concern was especially relevant in the South, where a larger educated population was already becoming politically assertive and demanding greater representation. In the North, missionary education was restricted in large part to preserve the emirate system and avoid creating the same kind of politically disruptive educated class. The colonial system therefore produced enough educated Nigerians to serve as clerks, teachers and administrators while keeping advanced education highly limited. Enough low level clerks to write down tax numbers, while keeping the rest of the population almost completely in the dark.

Post Colonial Era:

As of 2026, in just 65 years of independence Nigeria has 313 universities according to the National Universities Commission, to suggest that this was a ginormous leap wouldn't do this massive increase any justice. and around 70% adult literacy by 2024 the mass expansion of education was overwhelmingly a postcolonial phenomenon.

And the jump was quick, like heavy gains were made in just the first few decades of the post colonial era. This should show how much of a detriment the British extractive system was. To emphasize in nearly 100 years of colonialism at that point in 1960 the British administration established one university and that was towards the end of its colonial reign (1948) and then In 1970 in just 10 years, Nigeria had 6 universities, and by 1980, that number grew to 13 universities again these were literally just the first two decades. Nigeria went from roughly 293,000 primary pupils in 1939 and only 36,000 secondary pupils in 1957 to 13.8 million primary pupils by 1980.

And these same trends can be found in almost every aspect of development.... Such as

Macroeconomics and Industrialization

Colonial Era:

The economy remained overwhelmingly agrarian and export oriented, with colonial policy prioritizing the production and export of cash crops such as palm oil, cocoa and groundnuts, while manufactured goods were largely imported. Industrial development was limited and concentrated mainly around processing raw materials for export. Colonial policy provided little incentive for the development of a broad indigenous manufacturing sector. Interestingly Atul Kohli's Imperialism and the Developing World argues that the colonial state sometimes actively discouraged local manufacturing in order to protect British commercial interests. Local producers faced discriminatory transport costs, trade licenses and other regulations, while British goods received preferential treatment. The result was an economy heavily geared toward exporting primary commodities and importing manufactured goods, with limited indigenous industrialization, which shows how active Colonial powers were to mitigate competition from the citizens in its colonies.

Post colonial Era:

Nigeria developed a far more diversified domestic economy. Although dependence on crude oil became a major weakness and contributed to Dutch Disease, independence saw major expansion in manufacturing and especially services, including banking, telecommunications, real estate, technology and the globally influential Nollywood and Afrobeats industries.

British colonial policy oriented Nigeria toward producing and exporting primary commodities while importing manufactured goods. Industrial development was limited and largely focused on processing raw materials, leaving Nigeria with little indigenous manufacturing capacity at independence to begin with, And this completely changed. But it didn't just end there...

Infrastructure and Urbanization

Colonial Era:

Infrastructure was functional but disarticulated. Railways and roads were primarily built along routes connecting inland agricultural and mineral producing areas to coastal ports to Britain. Facilitating the extraction and export of commodities. Although these networks also connected Nigerian towns and enabled some domestic trade, they were not designed as an integrated national infrastructure system.

Colonial electricity provision was extremely limited and concentrated in major administrative, commercial and industrial centers. Power was prioritized for European residential areas, government facilities and industries such as the coal mines at Enugu and tin mining around Jos. Most (and im talking about borderline all) Nigerians, particularly in rural areas, had no access to electricity and relied on kerosene, candles and firewood.

Access to piped water, sewage and organized waste collection was also highly unequal. Colonial authorities prioritized European residential areas and major administrative centers, while most African communities relied on wells, streams, pit latrines and other basic facilities. The result was a deeply unequal standard of public infrastructure at independence.

Postcolonial Era:

Modern transportation networks were built to connect the country internally. This includes extensive interstate highway systems, major domestic airport networks, massive expansion of the electrical grid (though still facing generation deficits), and a digital communication infrastructure that provides Nigerias large tech hub.

Health and Mortality rates

Colonial Era:

towards the very end of the colonial era in the 1950s the life expectancy was around 33 years old. There was roughly one doctor for every 27,000 people, they were also mostly Christian missionaries who were independent of the British administrative empire and they possessed with dubious levels of actual skill at times. Colonial health services were concentrated in urban areas, while rural communities had little access to formal healthcare and continued to rely heavily on indigenous healers.

Post Colonial era:

Current life expectancy Nigeria are closer its to 60 years, still not great as its lower than the global average of 74, but its far better and closer to that than the average life expectancy being 30 like in the Colonial era. By just 1967, Nigeria already had 257 general hospitals and 26,557 hospital beds, alongside hundreds of health centers and over 1,300 dispensaries. The expansion continued substantially over subsequent decades.

Even the British themselves were astonished about how both little they actually did in Nigeria and how much they undermined local industry. An example can be seen in 1943 whereby a debate by British MPs ensued arguing that the United Africa Company held a virtual monopoly that disadvantaged African enterprise. The debate cited Nigerian examples such as yam flour production, coffee processing, metalworking and cloth manufacturing, illustrating how limited indigenous industrialization remained under colonial rule.

What stability the British brought (But even that has a caveat)

• Before the British took full control in the late 1800s, the region that became Nigeria was experiencing significant warfare between rivaling kingdoms and empires. The British didn't end these wars out of peace and love though they ended them because war is bad for corporate business. You cannot smoothly ship palm oil and tin out of a country if local armies are blocking the pathways. To achieve this "stability," the British used extreme, unmitigated military violence. They launched bloody punitive expeditions, Maxim-gunned local resistance, burned down cities like Benin (1897), and exiled or assassinated any traditional king (like King Jaja of Opobo) who refused to hand over his economic sovereignty. They replaced local wars with a totalitarian military dictatorship, people talk about indirect rule due to a lack of day to day European officers but in areas where they considered traditional authority inadequate, appointed or recognized local intermediaries such as Warrant Chiefs. These officials were given significant powers over taxation and administration, often with limited accountability to the communities they governed. Prior societies had established institutions that constrained rulers and provided mechanisms for collective decision-making such as the Yoruba Oyo Mesi or the councils in pre colonial Igbo societies. And in all of those societies even the highly centralized ones the priority was always the kingdom/empire itself in pre colonial times and not some far away Metropole but when leaders priorities themselves like the Oba of Benin they would strip them of their power and exile them.
• The British introduced the West African Pound, which was pegged exactly 1:1 with the British Pound. This eliminated the fluctuation of traditional currencies (like cowries) and brought long-term price stability. Unfortunately though this stability was a trap. The currency was stable because it was backed by the entire British Empire, but the British used this currency as a weapon of coercion. By mandating that taxes could only be paid in British coin, they legally coerced self-sufficient African farmers to stop growing food for their communities and start growing cash crops for British factories. The stability only benefited British accountants for Nigerians, it was a system of forced economic dependency.

So Upon all of this there will still be those trying to move the goalpost and try and be apologists for the empires exploitation of Nigeria. So lets analyze some common talking points briefly

"Natives in the region of Nigeria was never urbanized, it always had terrible sanitation and was backwards compared to Europeans"

This is directly contradicted by Europeans themselves centuries before Colonialism

Lourenço Pinto a Portuguese observer/traveler associated with the Portuguese presence on the West African coast. in 1691, who wrote:

“Great Benin, where the king resides, is larger than Lisbon; all the streets run straight and as far as the eye can see.”

“The houses are large, especially that of the king, which is richly decorated and has fine columns.”

“The city is wealthy and industrious.”

“It is so well governed that theft is unknown and the people live in such security that they have no doors to their houses.”

Earlier Portuguese account: Duarte Pacheco Pereira, c.1505–1508

Pereira was much more matter-of-fact rather than openly praising the city. But he still described Benin as:

“the great city of Benin”

“large, very wide and deep, which suffices for its defence.”

Olfert Dapper, 1668 (Dutch account based on reports about Benin)

“Houses are built alongside the streets in good order, the one close to the other."

“They are usually broad with long galleries inside.”

“every house is provided with a well for the supply of fresh water.”

“The walls [are] as shiny and smooth by washing and rubbing as any wall in Holland can be made with chalk, and they are like mirrors.”

These quotes were Hundreds upon Hundreds of years before Colonialism. And Benin was just one of the many great civilizations in Nigeria, there was many great that preceded it (Nok Culture being an example or how Nigeria had the first proper Boat in the world or achieved the iron age independently unlike other parts of the world such as Europe and even being one of the few places that developed and sold glass such as Ife) and proceeded it like Sokoto, Oyo etc.

"Colonialism with all its negatives needed to happen in order to bring X,Y,Z technology or writing or whatever"

These quotes were Hundreds upon Hundreds of years before Colonialism. And Benin was just one of the many great civilizations in Nigeria, there was many great that preceded it (Nok Culture being an example or how Nigeria had the first proper Boat in the world or achieved the iron age independently unlike other parts of the world such as Europe and even being one of the few places that developed and sold glass such as Ife) and proceeded it like Sokoto, Oyo etc.

"Colonialism with all its negatives needed to happen in order to bring X,Y,Z technology or writing or whatever"

Beyond the fact that Nigeria already had writing centuries prior to colonialism such as the Ajami (Northern Nigeria) and Anjemi (Yoruba) which were adopted in the twelfth century CE (500 years before colonialism) and even earlier 800 to 1,500 years prior to colonialism indigenous logographic and ideographic script like the Igbo Nsibidi, the people groups occupying the region of Nigeria were already connected to both the transaharn trade routes for over 1000 years and even the Atlantic trade which began in 1480 began with trade of cloth and (primarily the Kingdom of Benin) sold Benin pepper, ivory, and locally woven cotton textiles. In exchange they got Manillas, mirrors, firearms, Coral Beads and European Textiles. Nigeria was not some isolated place and neither was most of Africa. The way ancient Civilizations developed was through trade because different geographies provided different benefits, Colonialism directly undermined and impeded the progress of Nigeria by restricting and monopolizing trade and orienting the new economy around extraction and not development.

"Nigeria Has tons of Ethnic Conflict Now and Stuff"

Once again this brings me back to the point at hand Nigeria was a forced amalgamation not by Nigerians themselves but by the British. People who use this argument blame the symptom not the cause. But it doesn't just end with The British stripping people groups of their autonomy through war and subjugation, when territories did try and break away the British would prevent it from happening even during post independence. As an example The Biafra War (also known as the Nigerian Civil War) took place entirely after Nigeria gained its independence in 1960. the war took place from July 1967 to January 1970, during the war the British actively supported the Federal Government during the war by providing weapons and manipulating the narrative this was discussed by Frederick Forsyth in his article titled Buried for 50 years: Britain’s shameful role in the Biafran war . The Cause? Historian Chibuike Uche's research using British archival records argues that British oil interests were a major factor. Shell-BP had enormous investments in Nigeria, particularly in the eastern region where much of the oil was located. British officials were concerned that Biafran independence could jeopardize those interests and Britain's wider trade relationship with a united Nigeria. To repeat because of an oil company even after forcing the different people groups to create the Nigerian project, the British still didn't want Nigerian groups to have their own autonomy and aided in the death of millions of lives due to them wanting to secure revenue for their oil company (Shell BP).... And this is the Body that people are choosing to defend?

And this hasn't even fully ended yet, to this day Nigeria loses significantly more money through corporate financial misconduct and commercial practices than through direct fraud or stealing by politicians. Look Political stealing is flashy politicians buy luxury properties and private jets, which makes headlines. However, according to the African Union's ⁠Mbeki Panel Report, this direct public corruption accounts for only about 5% of illicit leakages. Commercial tax fraud accounts for 70% and the majority of fake invoices/ilicit flows are done by none Nigerian Multi national corporations.

I made this post to illustrate the point that the path forward for Africans is to not romanticize a past that never existed whether that comes from Elders, western propogandists (regardless of what they look like) or those simply just looking for attention. To suggest Nigeria was better off during colonialism is not only ahistorical but also just anti-intellectual when presented with the data and general information we have and in fact not only does show the opposite one can say Nigeria is actively trying to recover from the issues (Almost all of which) can be traced back to colonialism. Nigeria has developed far more since colonialism not because of it but in spite of it. The path forward isn't to lie and create a version of reality that doesn't exist to run away to but its to understand the progress and actively hold everyone accountable including ourselves for the development of our nations but that also includes those who want to exploit us and that also includes the liars. So we can look at things pragmatically to build a better future for everyone.

Bibliography

(No Url)

African Union and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (2015) Illicit Financial Flows: Report of the High Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa.

Ahizechukwu, O.U. (2023) ‘The Development of Transport Infrastructure and Nigeria’s Colonial Economy, 1892–1960’, Wukari International Studies Journal, 7(1), p. 297.

Aminu, M.D. (2018) ‘Why Northern Nigeria is Educationally Disadvantaged’, Premium Times, 11 January.

Arise News (2024) ‘GFI: Nigeria lost $77.7bn to trade-related illicit financial flows in 10 years’, Arise News.

Awofeso, N. et al. (2022) ‘The Lancet Nigeria Commission: investing in health and the future of the nation’, The Lancet, 399(10330), pp. 1155–1200.

Boadu, Y. (n.d.) ‘The Economic and Geopolitical History of [title unavailable from source page]’, Substack.

Encyclopaedia Africana (n.d.) ‘Nigeria: Nsibidi’, Encyclopaedia Africana.

Encyclopaedia Britannica (n.d.) ‘Ovonramwen’, Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Encyclopaedia Britannica (n.d.) ‘Oyo Empire’, Britannica Kids.

Forsyth, F. (2020) ‘Buried for 50 years: Britain’s shameful role in the Biafran war’, The Guardian, 21 January.

Gulliver-Needham, E. (2018) ‘Ireland and Africa: Surprisingly, not the same place’, Medium, 30 August.

Kamow001 (n.d.) ‘Economies & Trade’, Pre-Colonial Africa.

Kohli, A. (2020) Imperialism and the Developing World: How Britain and the United States Shaped the Global Periphery. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Koutonin, M. (2016) ‘Story of cities #5: Benin City, the mighty medieval capital now lost without trace’, The Guardian, 18 March.

Library of Congress (1991) ‘Education’, Nigeria: A Country Study.

Macrotrends (n.d.) Nigeria Life Expectancy.

Macrotrends (n.d.) Nigeria Literacy Rate.

Oduwobi, T. (2006) ‘Politics in Colonial Ijebu, 1921–51: The Role and Challenge of the Educated Elite’. University of Lagos Institutional Repository.

Ryder, A.F.C. (1969) Benin and the Europeans, 1485–1897. London: Longman.

Rodney, W. (2020) ‘Colonialism as a System for Underdeveloping Africa’, Verso Books, 18 February.

UK Parliament (1943) ‘Colonial Affairs’, Hansard, 13 July.

UK Parliament (1960) ‘Illiteracy’, Hansard, 9 May.

World Bank (1989) Nigeria: Primary Education Subsector Study. Report No. 7389-UNI. Washington, DC: World Bank.

World Bank (n.d.) [Publication title unavailable from source page]. World Bank Open Knowledge Repository.

World Health Organization (1961) Official Records of the World Health Organization.

World Health Organization (1969) The Fourth Report on the World Health Situation.

Winter, M. (2022) ‘Hausa Language’, EBSCO Research Starters.

Yusuf, M.A., Ladan, B., Idris, U.A. and Halilu, A. (2013) ‘Comparative study of the state of literacy in Nigeria and Cuba’, European Scientific Journal, 9(19), pp. 34–44.

Nigeria Education Since 1960 (n.d.) Academia.edu.

Wearing the iconic Tekuwa (a traditional Akan/Fante headgear) adorned with symbolic gold ornaments indicative of Ghana. Shes beautiful and has captivating eyes.

Photographed by Willis Bell / Mmofra Foundation 🇬🇭

Credit to FanteVoice on Twitter/Fante Voice studios on instagram

a video by youtuber Antonio Talks/Antonio Speaks

https://youtu.be/5P2iGlbMias?is=Gyv8oX5aVrthlS_L

In a response to a video claiming that sub-saharan Africa by large primitive and that Mansa Musas legacy is completely false.

This video does a great job at illustrating to wealth and pristine of the Mali empire and its global significance, as well as giving great insight into mediaeval West African history. it also does a great job at combating the growth of anti-intellectualism driven by racist ideologues and corporate opportunists.

sources outlined in the video

Sources

• Corpus of Early Arabic Sources for West African History (Levtzion & Hopkins)
• African Dominion (Michael A. Gomez)
• Ancient Ghana and Mali (Nehemia Levtzion)
• The Travels of Ibn Battuta (H.A.R. Gibb, trans.)
• The History and Description of Africa (Leo Africanus)
• Benin and the Europeans 1485-1897 (Alan F. C. Ryder)
• The Origins of African Metallurgies (David Killick & Robert Gordon, eds.)
• The Archaeology of Africa (Thurstan Shaw et al.)
• Early States and Cultures in Africa (J. F. Ade Ajayi, ed.)
• Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire (John Hunwick, trans. & ed.)
• Tarikh al-Sudan (al-Sa'di)
• Tarikh al-Fattash (Mahmud Kati tradition)
• The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay (Patricia McKissack)
• Warfare in Atlantic Africa 1500-1800 (John K. Thornton)

Introduction to Jean-Michel Basquiat

For those unacquainted Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist, who is is widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the late 20th century. He is known for his success during the 1980s whereby Pioneered Neo expressionism helping shaped the art of energetic, raw paintings that combined text, symbols, and vivid imagery. He also brought street art into the fine art world, graffiti through artists like TAKI 183 already had a large movement but Basquiat had a monumental achievement, by introducing the scene into the fine art world under his pseudonym SAMO. Perhaps his most popular milestone was the record breaking painting 1982 painting “Untitled” sold at auction in 2017 for US$110.5 million, setting the record at the time for the most expensive artwork by an American artist ever sold at auction.

African Influence on Art

But what many don’t know (or rather at times underestimate) is how deep African influences particularly Pan African ideas and west and central African influences are on Basquits work. Basquiat has been quoted as saying 

“I don’t have to look for it. It exists. It’s there in Africa. Our cultural memory follows us everywhere.” Jean Micheal Basquiat

This makes sense being of Haitian and Puerto Rican  descent( Haiti particularly being a culture in the Carribean that had perhaps the highest retention of African cultural traditions in the Americas due to its early independence during the Haitian revolution in 1792, not to speak less of the massive cultural influence western central African cultures had on Puerto Rico.) it’s no wonder why African art comes so naturally to him. Basquiats Textured assemblage-like compositions, Mask like faces and stylized figures and direct references to African heritage or all deeply derived from African traditions. 

The legendary Pablo Picasso work was deeply and fundamentally inspired by African art. Which helped completely shift his artistic vision and directly paved the way for Cubism. 

This can be seen in his famous Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907), a piece highly reminiscent of the Fang/Ekang Ngil masks of Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. Picasso was fascinated by how African masks and sculptures used bold geometric shapes and abstract features to represent human emotions, rather than copying reality. Lisa Modiano who has an MA in Art Gallery and museum studies and is an Associate Director of The Sunday Painter, a contemporary art gallery in South London, has  said this about Picasso “Picasso’s radical use of two-dimensionality, fierce geometry, and flat planes was only possible because African sculptors and carvers had been mastering the art of abstraction for centuries.” 

However even though Picasso became an avid collector, gathering over 100 African statues and masks over his life time, Picasso and his contemporaries are often described as viewing African art through a western colonial lens and thus ignoring the spiritual and cultural resonance of the objects he base his art from. Basquit went deeper than this though. While Picasso’s home Cuba does have a lot of African influences itself (in nearly every aspect of its culture) a notable example being Santería and its Orisha and Olodumare being derived right from Yoruba culture, unfortunately Picasso himself never incorporated this background. Jean however  studied, understood and engaged with these symbolic images, not just as a mere medium for expression but in how it relates to his (and the wider African diaspora) sense of place. 

To demonstrate this I’ll use Some famous works that exemplify Basquits implementation. 

1. "To Repel Ghosts" 1985: created using acrylic, oil, and Xerox collage on wood. In the painting the broomstick is transformed into a a sacred voodoo or Haitian staff. Around his neck, the figure wears an Ankh/Christian cross. This represents Santería and Caribbean Vodou, belief systems that blended West African Yoruba traditions with Roman Catholicism to survive under the oppression of New World slavery. This came at a tulmutious time in his life whereby he was dealing with wanting true authenticity was also struggling with the commodification of his art 
2. untitled LEAD 1985 Jean-Michel Basquiat: the work is strongly beloved to be Kongo-derived. The central figure's anatomy and posture takes after Central African Nkisi Nkondi (Kongo power figures), which feature exposed chest cavities used for housing spiritual medicines. The Kongo world was one of the interests of Robert Farris Thompson, whom Basquiat met and had many conversations with about it.
3. "Gold Griot" 1984: Made from wooden slats from his studio's outdoor fence, the title Griot refers to a West African class of storyteller and musician who serves as a repository of oral tradition. Common in countries like Mali, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast. This class is also known as Jeli or Jali Among Mande, Gawlo among the Fulani and Guewel for the Wolof. This has been said to represent how Basquit sees himself as a modern day griot, using the medium of painting as his instrument. 
4. Ishtar 1983: Stepping away from west and central Africa for a bit. Ishtar has been quoted as being a “large-scale triptych rich with the kind of hieroglyphic symbolism for which Basquiat was well known”. The Egyptian influence is clear the piece also features in the triptych Untitled (History of the Black People), aka The Nile (1983). 
5. The Warrior 1983: the acclaimed self portrait demonstrates Jeans alter ego. A version of himself that a fearless protector of heritage and a sense of reclaiming one’s identity challenging the marginalization of Black individuals in Western history. In the warrior motif, many have read references to the Benin bronzes, Congolese statues and even voodoo dolls aswell as Willem de Kooning by Picasso.

 

The Legacy of Jean Micheal Basquiat

Today Basquiats influence can be felt everywhere. Musicians of all genres including artists like, Rema , The Weekend, The Strokes, Odumodublvck, K-Rob, The Offs, Jon Batiste and Mach-Hommy have all used art and referenced Basquiat in their album/song covers. 

In the fashion world luxury brands like including Gucci, Valentino, and Comme des Garçons have integrated elements of his artwork and motifs into their high-end collections, even artists like Swizz Beatz have partnered with brands like Reebok, Supreme, and Swatch for Basquiat-inspired capsule collections. 

Conclusion

But these were all commercial…Basqiuat wasn’t just a painter or an artist, he was an activist and cultural revolutionary who used his art to combat negative narratives against black people and those of us of African descent as well a beacon of hope for all people battling against imperialism and corporate exploitation, well-known examples include “obnoxious liberals 1982” a left wing critique of the exploitative nature of Neo liberals as-well as American capitalism. Along with celebrating Basquiats legacy I wanted to highlight the soul of his art, that being the the African techniques and symbolism. African art is often neglected in both high art and casual art spaces and there’s too many people who don’t know about, the massive influence African art has on the illustrations of some of the greatest artists of all time from Picasso to Basquiat, and many more that came after and many more to come. It should be acknowledged as we continue to push against imperial ideas. 

Bibliography 

• Rakaa (Iriscience) (2013) From Picasso to Basquiat: The African Bridge. The Arts (Medium), 29 January.
• The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat (n.d.) The African Soul That Powered Basquiat’s Art. Jean-Michel Basquiat Blog.
• Andipa Editions (n.d.) The Influence of Jean-Michel Basquiat in Popular Culture: From Fashion to Music.
• Easy Reader News (2022) ‘Basquiat, Africa at Heart’ – Beating Deeply [Movie], 1 August.
• The Economist (2006) Africa’s Magic That Transformed Modern Art, 9 February.
• Monroe Black Heritage Museum (n.d.) Did Picasso Steal from African Artists? Exploring the Roots of Modern Art.
• MyArtBroker (n.d.) Basquiat Symbols and Meanings Guide.
• OnArt (n.d.) Resonance: Jean-Michel Basquiat and the Kongo Universe at Gradiva Gallery.
• DeMara, B. (2021) Self-taught artist whose work has been compared to the late Basquiat looks forward to first show in Toronto. Toronto Star, 11 October.
• Modiano, L. (2022) How Much Does Picasso Owe to African Art? TheCollector, 30 April.

Introduction to Jean-Michel Basquiat

For those unacquainted Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist, who is is widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the late 20th century. He is known for his success during the 1980s whereby Pioneered Neo expressionism helping shaped the art of energetic, raw paintings that combined text, symbols, and vivid imagery. He also brought street art into the fine art world, graffiti through artists like TAKI 183 already had a large movement but Basquiat had a monumental achievement, by introducing the scene into the fine art world under his pseudonym SAMO. Perhaps his most popular milestone was the record breaking painting 1982 painting “Untitled” sold at auction in 2017 for US$110.5 million, setting the record at the time for the most expensive artwork by an American artist ever sold at auction.

African Influence on Art

But what many don’t know (or rather at times underestimate) is how deep African influences particularly Pan African ideas and west and central African influences are on Basquits work. Basquiat has been quoted as saying 

“I don’t have to look for it. It exists. It’s there in Africa. Our cultural memory follows us everywhere.” Jean Micheal Basquiat

This makes sense being of Haitian and Puerto Rican  descent( Haiti particularly being a culture in the Carribean that had perhaps the highest retention of African cultural traditions in the Americas due to its early independence during the Haitian revolution in 1792, not to speak less of the massive cultural influence western central African cultures had on Puerto Rico.) it’s no wonder why African art comes so naturally to him. Basquiats Textured assemblage-like compositions, Mask like faces and stylized figures and direct references to African heritage or all deeply derived from African traditions. 

The legendary Pablo Picasso work was deeply and fundamentally inspired by African art. Which helped completely shift his artistic vision and directly paved the way for Cubism. 

This can be seen in his famous Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907), a piece highly reminiscent of the Fang/Ekang Ngil masks of Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. Picasso was fascinated by how African masks and sculptures used bold geometric shapes and abstract features to represent human emotions, rather than copying reality. Lisa Modiano who has an MA in Art Gallery and museum studies and is an Associate Director of The Sunday Painter, a contemporary art gallery in South London, has  said this about Picasso “Picasso’s radical use of two-dimensionality, fierce geometry, and flat planes was only possible because African sculptors and carvers had been mastering the art of abstraction for centuries.” 

However even though Picasso became an avid collector, gathering over 100 African statues and masks over his life time, Picasso and his contemporaries are often described as viewing African art through a western colonial lens and thus ignoring the spiritual and cultural resonance of the objects he base his art from. Basquit went deeper than this though. While Picasso’s home Cuba does have a lot of African influences itself (in nearly every aspect of its culture) a notable example being Santería and its Orisha and Olodumare being derived right from Yoruba culture, unfortunately Picasso himself never incorporated this background. Jean however  studied, understood and engaged with these symbolic images, not just as a mere medium for expression but in how it relates to his (and the wider African diaspora) sense of place. 

To demonstrate this I’ll use Some famous works that exemplify Basquits implementation. 

1. "To Repel Ghosts" 1985: created using acrylic, oil, and Xerox collage on wood. In the painting the broomstick is transformed into a a sacred voodoo or Haitian staff. Around his neck, the figure wears an Ankh/Christian cross. This represents Santería and Caribbean Vodou, belief systems that blended West African Yoruba traditions with Roman Catholicism to survive under the oppression of New World slavery. This came at a tulmutious time in his life whereby he was dealing with wanting true authenticity was also struggling with the commodification of his art 
2. untitled LEAD 1985 Jean-Michel Basquiat: the work is strongly beloved to be Kongo-derived. The central figure's anatomy and posture takes after Central African Nkisi Nkondi (Kongo power figures), which feature exposed chest cavities used for housing spiritual medicines. The Kongo world was one of the interests of Robert Farris Thompson, whom Basquiat met and had many conversations with about it.
3. "Gold Griot" 1984: Made from wooden slats from his studio's outdoor fence, the title Griot refers to a West African class of storyteller and musician who serves as a repository of oral tradition. Common in countries like Mali, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast. This class is also known as Jeli or Jali Among Mande, Gawlo among the Fulani and Guewel for the Wolof. This has been said to represent how Basquit sees himself as a modern day griot, using the medium of painting as his instrument. 
4. Ishtar 1983: Stepping away from west and central Africa for a bit. Ishtar has been quoted as being a “large-scale triptych rich with the kind of hieroglyphic symbolism for which Basquiat was well known”. The Egyptian influence is clear the piece also features in the triptych Untitled (History of the Black People), aka The Nile (1983). 
5. The Warrior 1983: the acclaimed self portrait demonstrates Jeans alter ego. A version of himself that a fearless protector of heritage and a sense of reclaiming one’s identity challenging the marginalization of Black individuals in Western history. In the warrior motif, many have read references to the Benin bronzes, Congolese statues and even voodoo dolls aswell as Willem de Kooning by Picasso.

 

The Legacy of Jean Micheal Basquiat

Today Basquiats influence can be felt everywhere. Musicians of all genres including artists like, Rema , The Weekend, The Strokes, Odumodublvck, K-Rob, The Offs, Jon Batiste and Mach-Hommy have all used art and referenced Basquiat in their album/song covers. 

In the fashion world luxury brands like including Gucci, Valentino, and Comme des Garçons have integrated elements of his artwork and motifs into their high-end collections, even artists like Swizz Beatz have partnered with brands like Reebok, Supreme, and Swatch for Basquiat-inspired capsule collections. 

Conclusion

But these were all commercial…Basqiuat wasn’t just a painter or an artist, he was an activist and cultural revolutionary who used his art to combat negative narratives against black people and those of us of African descent as well a beacon of hope for all people battling against imperialism and corporate exploitation, well-known examples include “obnoxious liberals 1982” a left wing critique of the exploitative nature of Neo liberals as-well as American capitalism. Along with celebrating Basquiats legacy I wanted to highlight the soul of his art, that being the the African techniques and symbolism. African art is often neglected in both high art and casual art spaces and there’s too many people who don’t know about, the massive influence African art has on the illustrations of some of the greatest artists of all time from Picasso to Basquiat, and many more that came after and many more to come. It should be acknowledged as we continue to push against imperial ideas. 

Bibliography 

• Rakaa (Iriscience) (2013) From Picasso to Basquiat: The African Bridge. The Arts (Medium), 29 January.
• The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat (n.d.) The African Soul That Powered Basquiat’s Art. Jean-Michel Basquiat Blog.
• Andipa Editions (n.d.) The Influence of Jean-Michel Basquiat in Popular Culture: From Fashion to Music.
• Easy Reader News (2022) ‘Basquiat, Africa at Heart’ – Beating Deeply [Movie], 1 August.
• The Economist (2006) Africa’s Magic That Transformed Modern Art, 9 February.
• Monroe Black Heritage Museum (n.d.) Did Picasso Steal from African Artists? Exploring the Roots of Modern Art.
• MyArtBroker (n.d.) Basquiat Symbols and Meanings Guide.
• OnArt (n.d.) Resonance: Jean-Michel Basquiat and the Kongo Universe at Gradiva Gallery.
• DeMara, B. (2021) Self-taught artist whose work has been compared to the late Basquiat looks forward to first show in Toronto. Toronto Star, 11 October.
• Modiano, L. (2022) How Much Does Picasso Owe to African Art? TheCollector, 30 April.

The uranium used in the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki came largely from the extraordinarily rich Shinkolobwe mine in what was then the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). The mine's importance was highly classified during and after the war. The Shinkolobwe mine in the Belgian Congo contained some of the highest-grade uranium ore in the world, with concentrations as high as over 65%. By comparison, U.S. domestic ores yielded less than 1%. To put it simply Congo supplied a significant proportion of high-grade uranium used in the first Atomic bomb

Uranium also being the most important mineral in the creation of the weapons as its essential fissile material. Many people outside government and military circles were unaware for decades that Congolese uranium was a crucial ingredient in the Manhattan Project. 

Some people like to minimise the awful working conditions during this period of time. Saying it wasn’t us slavery intensive as King Leopolds private Congo Free state, that took place prior to Belgium as a nation taking full control of Congo. But this couldn’t be further from the truth, whilst not as brutal as Leopolds the second’s jurisdiction, the Belgian Congo was still awful. According to an article by nuclear free future “The miners supplied the raw material for the construction of the nuclear bomb, working only with their hands and using the simplest of tools. The Belgian mining company, Union Minière, had absolute control over all of the country’s natural resources. Radiation protection and health protection were completely neglected. Anyone who opposed this colonial plundering of the country’s resources suffered draconian punishments.”  Honestly only the the most extreme, openly terror based rubber regime was reduced after 1908. It still had Heavy reliance on African labour under strict colonial control, with limited rights, harsh punishments, a deep European supremacist racial hierarchy and Profits from resources (like copper, uranium, rubber) largely flowed to Belgian companies and the colonial state not the people. 

The Congolese people did not decide to mine uranium for atomic weapons. The decisions to develop and use the bombs were made by the Belgian government and military leaders of the United States and its allies during World War II. Responsibility for the bombings is generally discussed in terms of the political and military decisions of the nations involved, not the geographical source of the uranium.

So you might ask “why is this important to know” The atomic bomb is often told as some kind of exclusive American scientific story, but it was actually built from African minerals, European colonial systems and American science and military planning. This period of history highlights how resources were taken under colonial rule, how local populations had little control over their resources. And how this exploitation that may seem to be concentrated in one place can eventually reek effects on everybody else (as we see with the creation of the first atomic bomb). 

Lastly it helps reframe responsibility and history. 

As it helps to separate between Congo as the resource origin from the decision making and weapon use (U.S. leadership, Belgium and Allied command). This helps us avoid blaming can’t go for the bombing whilst also not a racing African contribution to global history.

according to journalist Frank Swain “The Congo’s role in creating the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was kept secret for decades, but the legacy of its involvement is still being felt today.“ This statement highlights the often-overlooked role of the Congo in global wartime history

The Belgian Congo, not the DRC and ultimately the nature of extractive colonies which dehumanises the workers whilst crippling their economy as it holds back other industries and creates a slave based, mineral intensive work environment. And while it may seem to benifit those outside of the colony, it eventually leads corruption of those everywhere else because when the people are comfortable with ignoring atrocities of the means in favour of the end, that same line of thinking will bleed over it into their own borders, soon enough…

Moving forward we academics should teach WWII history as a global system, not just Western science and politics. Include Africa’s role in industrial and military supply chains (another quick history brief, African soldiers were heavily represented as cannon fodder and other solider positions during the world wars. Especially those from Senegal, Mali and Algeria for France and Nigeria,Kenya and Uganda for Britian though nearly every single colony was involved. And they were not fairly compensated though this is a conversation for another day…)

Lastly we should try to increase transparency in local mineral supply chains and ensure that the resources and profit made from it in the DRC, are made to benefit the people of the DRC (Congo) and not corrupt oligarchs of any kind, who want to exploit labour. 

(Thanks for reading, I wanted to take a more passionate approach to this post, As I feel like being too academic linguistically, wouldn’t drive the ideal home enough)

Bibliography

Swain, F. (2020) The forgotten mine that built the atomic bomb. BBC Future, 3 August.

Bele, J. (2021) The legacy of the involvement of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. MIT Faculty Newsletter, Vol. XXXIII No. 3.

Nuclear Free Future Foundation (n.d.) Africa: supplier for the wealthy North.

Context

Isabel Brown is an American commentator for the daily wire. She recently decided to talk about knife crime in the UK, in response to Idris Elba's comments on feeling if knives in the UK were less sharp at the tip and access to the importance of swords will make crime less prevalent (typical liberal response, but it's nowhere near as outlandish as the proceeding claims made by Isabel)

Isabel then proceeds to respond to that by saying that, the absurdity that simply making less knives sharp won't decrease crime. She proceeds to say that it's because of a lack of a shared value system in the UK that's causing crime and that we need to stop importing immigrants into the UK so that we can get rid of crime altogether. And that knife crime (and the greater Implication of violence crime) has Increased by 50 to 60% since 2000 whilst referencing not a single reputable source

But what do the actual number say? Let's look at the data and the systems.

1. False: “Knife crime has increased by Over 50%-60% since the early 2000s, Implying that the UK is more dangerous than it was since the early 2000s.”

To provide greater context: The UK has not experienced a continuous rise in violent crime since 2000. Instead, it had a long decline, a mid 2010s rebound in some forms of violence, and recent stabilisation according to the ONS. Whilst knife crime specifically had a boom in some periods, it has also had a significant decrease of 10% in just a year between December 2024 and 2025. it should also be noted that collection of knife crime data wasn’t the same the way it is today. Pre 2000s weapon use was not widely listed as it wasn't standardised. It wasn't until in 2002 with the National Crime Recording Standard that's more consistent classifications became standard And it wasn't until 2008-2013 whereby police systems increasingly included structured "weapon used" fields. So a lot of things come down to methodology.

What is True: Violence in the UK (with or without injury) and Homicide in the Uk has been at its lowest levels in over 50 years.

According to the ONS

"In year ending (YE) December 2025 CSEW, people aged 16 years and over experienced an estimated 1.1 million incidents of violence with or without injury. There was no statically significant change compared with the previous year's survey. However, this was 36% lower than estimated a decade ago (1.7 million incidents in YE March 2015) and 75% lower than its peak in YE December 1995 (4.5 million incidents)."

in terms of homocide rates (Perhaps the worst form of violence crime and gives good insight into sign how strong and stable your institutions are if rates are low.) The UK has seen a record low, having the lowest rates in over 50 years. "the homicide rate remains very low, with 8.6 homicides recorded per million population
during YE March 2025, the lowest rate since 1977 Ironically, even with the increase of Digital crime recording systems, overall violent crime is at its lowest.

Tldr: The idea that the Uk has seen a surge in Violence is just simply not supported by the data. in fact the UK hasn't seen such low numbers of violent crime in over 50 years. Whilst Knife crime (a narrow, concentrated subset of violent crime) remains an issue, it has significantly improved in just a year falling by over 10% and in the itself only makes up a narrow Percentage of overall violent crime.

2. What is True: The Uk is one of the safer countries in Europe and one of the safest in the world

Often you hear from reactionary actors, that the UK has fallen, and is now one of the more hopelessly dangerous places to be (largely due to crime driven by immigration). But this is just false.

The Homicide rate in the UK is approximately 1 In 100,000 (Or 1.1187 in 2021)

This is Notably Lower than the highest recrdings in Europe. The Highest in Europe being Russia at 7 per 100,000. and The highest in the EU being Latvia which depending on the year can range from 2.8-4.34 per 100,00, closely followed by Lithuania (2.58-3per 100,000), Estonia (2.8 per 100,000), Turkey (2.52 per 100,000) In 2021-2025.

The UK is also lower than countries like Albania (1.23), Serbia(1.17), France (1.3), Bulgaria (1.15) or even Iceland (albeit population distribution probably skewed numbers). only countries like Norway. The UK is comparable The countries like Cyprus, Poland in Germany Who have a relatively lower Homicide rates AND EVEN THEN not by very much, Poland being about one and 0.8-1 in 100,000 Depending on the year. Almost every other country thats lower Has a crime rate that’s virtually 0.

what’s interesting though is that Right wing Outlets, especially those based in America, rarely ever talk about The crime rate in countries with exceedingly more crime. The Eastern European Countries such as Russia or Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia or Turkey etc. Countries that are relatively racially homogenous and receive less Non-European immigrants but have The highest homicide rates On the continent. Instead, the focus is always on the UK or Ireland or Sweden (Sweedens being 1.08 per capita, safer than the safest state in America New Hampshire) While not free of problems themselves are amongst the most stable and safer countries on the continent and by far some of the safest countries in the world.

Europe/Eurozone in General has a homicide rate of 1 per 100,000 on average and decreasing (especially when you don’t include Russia) that’s safer than North America’s 5 per 100,000 and Latin Americas 20 per 100,00. Many countries in Europe are even safer than other developed regions like East Asia and the Gulf not to mention almost ubiquitously homocides are decreasing.

3. False: “None white people are brining crime to the west” (this is the obvious underlying sentiments of these types of videos Americans make on other western countries)

What is True: the highest foreign born national populations in the Uk are Eastern European and Irish.(Not African or Asian)

According to The offenders management statistics quarterly 2023 and 2024. “The most common nationalities after British Nationals in prisons are Albanian (13% of the FNO prison population), Polish (9%), Romanian (7%), Irish (6%) and Jamaican (4%).”

meaning four of the top 5 foreign nationals in prison in the UK Are other Europeans nationalities, Despite this fact, the media doesn’t frame the issue as save “Europe from Europeans” it’s typically save “Europe from the global south”.

4. What is True: Relative poverty (not absolute poverty) being an overlap for crime.

In 2024, the Gini coefficient for the EU was 29.4, as shown in Map 1. The highest income disparities among the EU countries were recorded in Bulgaria (38.4), Lithuania (35.3) and Latvia (34.2). In Germany, Denmark and Croatia, the Gini coefficients were close to the EU average. Income was more evenly distributed in Slovakia, Czechia, Slovenia and Belgium, where the Gini coefficient was less than 25.0. (Eurostat,2026) this strongly correlates with the slight crime differences amongst these countries. Additionally this would also explain why Latin America/The Caribbean Have the highest violent crime rates and homocides in the world, not being the absolutely poorest places in the world. it also explains why Southern Africa Has the highest crime rates in Africa I’m not country star significantly poorer like Sierra Leone or Ghana.

5.False: “Immigration in of itself causes crime”

What is True: Immigrants Commit less crime in the US then American born citizens. To Rephrase it even in Isabels Own country immigrants commit less crime.

Conclusion

Don’t believe everything you see by any random commentator on the Internet and please seek out information on your own. Also feel free to reference this post anytime You feel like a Guru Rough false perpetuator of information, Attempts to make bizarre claims on the Uk, Europe, Race or Immigration in of itself.

References

Office for National Statistics (2026) Crime in England and Wales: year ending December 2025. Available at: hxxps://www[.]ons[.]gov[.]uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingdecember2025 (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

Office for National Statistics Blog (2021) Improving data collection for knife-enabled crime in England and Wales. Available at: hxxps://blog[.]ons[.]gov[.]uk/2021/05/12/improving-data-collection-for-knife-enabled-crime-in-england-and-wales (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

World Bank (2026) Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) – United Kingdom. Available at: hxxps://data[.]worldbank[.]org/indicator/VC.IHR.PSRC.P5?locations=GB (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

Macrotrends (2026) Russia murder/homicide rate 1990–2026. Available at: hxxps://www[.]macrotrends[.]net/global-metrics/countries/rus/russia/murder-homicide-rate (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

Macrotrends (2026) Latvia murder/homicide rate 1990–2026. Available at: hxxps://www[.]macrotrends[.]net/global-metrics/countries/lva/latvia/murder-homicide-rate (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

Statista (2026) Homicide rate in Europe by country. Available at: hxxps://www[.]statista[.]com/statistics/1268504/homicide-rate-europe-country/ (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

Euronews (2025) Fact check: Is Sweden as unsafe as Trump says? Available at: hxxps://www[.]euronews[.]com/my-europe/2025/12/15/fact-check-is-sweden-as-unsafe-as-trump-says (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

UK Parliament (2024) Written question 20833. Available at: hxxps://questions-statements[.]parliament[.]uk/written-questions/detail/2024-04-12/20833/ (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

Eurostat (2026) Living conditions in Europe – income distribution and income inequality. Available at: hxxps://ec[.]europa[.]eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index[.]php?title=Living_conditions_in_Europe_-_income_distribution_and_income_inequality&stable=0 (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

U.S. Congress (2025) HHRG-119-GO00-20250305-SD029.pdf. Available at: hxxps://www[.]congress[.]gov/119/meeting/house/117980/documents/HHRG-119-GO00-20250305-SD029[.]pdf (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

Context

Isabel Brown is an American commentator for the daily wire. She recently decided to talk about knife crime in the UK, in response to Idris Elba's comments on feeling if knives in the UK were less sharp at the tip and access to the importance of swords will make crime less prevalent (typical liberal response, but it's nowhere near as outlandish as the proceeding claims made by Isabel)

Isabel then proceeds to respond to that by saying that, the absurdity that simply making less knives sharp won't decrease crime. She proceeds to say that it's because of a lack of a shared value system in the UK that's causing crime and that we need to stop importing immigrants into the UK so that we can get rid of crime altogether. And that knife crime (and the greater Implication of violence crime) has Increased by 50 to 60% since 2000 whilst referencing not a single reputable source

But what do the actual number say? Let's look at the data and the systems.

1. False: “Knife crime has increased by Over 50%-60% since the early 2000s, Implying that the UK is more dangerous than it was since the early 2000s.”

To provide greater context: The UK has not experienced a continuous rise in violent crime since 2000. Instead, it had a long decline, a mid 2010s rebound in some forms of violence, and recent stabilisation according to the ONS. Whilst knife crime specifically had a boom in some periods, it has also had a significant decrease of 10% in just a year between December 2024 and 2025. it should also be noted that collection of knife crime data wasn’t the same the way it is today. Pre 2000s weapon use was not widely listed as it wasn't standardised. It wasn't until in 2002 with the National Crime Recording Standard that's more consistent classifications became standard And it wasn't until 2008-2013 whereby police systems increasingly included structured "weapon used" fields. So a lot of things come down to methodology.

What is True: Violence in the UK (with or without injury) and Homicide in the Uk has been at its lowest levels in over 50 years.

According to the ONS

"In year ending (YE) December 2025 CSEW, people aged 16 years and over experienced an estimated 1.1 million incidents of violence with or without injury. There was no statically significant change compared with the previous year's survey. However, this was 36% lower than estimated a decade ago (1.7 million incidents in YE March 2015) and 75% lower than its peak in YE December 1995 (4.5 million incidents)."

in terms of homocide rates (Perhaps the worst form of violence crime and gives good insight into sign how strong and stable your institutions are if rates are low.) The UK has seen a record low, having the lowest rates in over 50 years. "the homicide rate remains very low, with 8.6 homicides recorded per million population
during YE March 2025, the lowest rate since 1977 Ironically, even with the increase of Digital crime recording systems, overall violent crime is at its lowest.

Tldr: The idea that the Uk has seen a surge in Violence is just simply not supported by the data. in fact the UK hasn't seen such low numbers of violent crime in over 50 years. Whilst Knife crime (a narrow, concentrated subset of violent crime) remains an issue, it has significantly improved in just a year falling by over 10% and in the itself only makes up a narrow Percentage of overall violent crime.

2. What is True: The Uk is one of the safer countries in Europe and one of the safest in the world

Often you hear from reactionary actors, that the UK has fallen, and is now one of the more hopelessly dangerous places to be (largely due to crime driven by immigration). But this is just false.

The Homicide rate in the UK is approximately 1 In 100,000 (Or 1.1187 in 2021)

This is Notably Lower than the highest recrdings in Europe. The Highest in Europe being Russia at 7 per 100,000. and The highest in the EU being Latvia which depending on the year can range from 2.8-4.34 per 100,00, closely followed by Lithuania (2.58-3per 100,000), Estonia (2.8 per 100,000), Turkey (2.52 per 100,000) In 2021-2025.

The UK is also lower than countries like Albania (1.23), Serbia(1.17), France (1.3), Bulgaria (1.15) or even Iceland (albeit population distribution probably skewed numbers). only countries like Norway. The UK is comparable The countries like Cyprus, Poland in Germany Who have a relatively lower Homicide rates AND EVEN THEN not by very much, Poland being about one and 0.8-1 in 100,000 Depending on the year. Almost every other country thats lower Has a crime rate that’s virtually 0.

what’s interesting though is that Right wing Outlets, especially those based in America, rarely ever talk about The crime rate in countries with exceedingly more crime. The Eastern European Countries such as Russia or Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia or Turkey etc. Countries that are relatively racially homogenous and receive less Non-European immigrants but have The highest homicide rates On the continent. Instead, the focus is always on the UK or Ireland or Sweden (Sweedens being 1.08 per capita, safer than the safest state in America New Hampshire) While not free of problems themselves are amongst the most stable and safer countries on the continent and by far some of the safest countries in the world.

Europe/Eurozone in General has a homicide rate of 1 per 100,000 on average and decreasing (especially when you don’t include Russia) that’s safer than North America’s 5 per 100,000 and Latin Americas 20 per 100,00. Many countries in Europe are even safer than other developed regions like East Asia and the Gulf not to mention almost ubiquitously homocides are decreasing.

3. False: “None white people are brining crime to the west” (this is the obvious underlying sentiments of these types of videos Americans make on other western countries)

What is True: the highest foreign born national populations in the Uk are Eastern European and Irish.(Not African or Asian)

According to The offenders management statistics quarterly 2023 and 2024. “The most common nationalities after British Nationals in prisons are Albanian (13% of the FNO prison population), Polish (9%), Romanian (7%), Irish (6%) and Jamaican (4%).”

meaning four of the top 5 foreign nationals in prison in the UK Are other Europeans nationalities, Despite this fact, the media doesn’t frame the issue as save “Europe from Europeans” it’s typically save “Europe from the global south”.

4. What is True: Relative poverty (not absolute poverty) being an overlap for crime.

In 2024, the Gini coefficient for the EU was 29.4, as shown in Map 1. The highest income disparities among the EU countries were recorded in Bulgaria (38.4), Lithuania (35.3) and Latvia (34.2). In Germany, Denmark and Croatia, the Gini coefficients were close to the EU average. Income was more evenly distributed in Slovakia, Czechia, Slovenia and Belgium, where the Gini coefficient was less than 25.0. (Eurostat,2026) this strongly correlates with the slight crime differences amongst these countries. Additionally this would also explain why Latin America/The Caribbean Have the highest violent crime rates and homocides in the world, not being the absolutely poorest places in the world. it also explains why Southern Africa Has the highest crime rates in Africa I’m not country star significantly poorer like Sierra Leone or Ghana.

5.False: “Immigration in of itself causes crime”

What is True: Immigrants Commit less crime in the US then American born citizens. To Rephrase it even in Isabels Own country immigrants commit less crime.

Conclusion

Don’t believe everything you see by any random commentator on the Internet and please seek out information on your own. Also feel free to reference this post anytime You feel like a Guru Rough false perpetuator of information, Attempts to make bizarre claims on the Uk, Europe, Race or Immigration in of itself.

References

Office for National Statistics (2026) Crime in England and Wales: year ending December 2025. Available at: hxxps://www[.]ons[.]gov[.]uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingdecember2025 (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

Office for National Statistics Blog (2021) Improving data collection for knife-enabled crime in England and Wales. Available at: hxxps://blog[.]ons[.]gov[.]uk/2021/05/12/improving-data-collection-for-knife-enabled-crime-in-england-and-wales (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

World Bank (2026) Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) – United Kingdom. Available at: hxxps://data[.]worldbank[.]org/indicator/VC.IHR.PSRC.P5?locations=GB (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

Macrotrends (2026) Russia murder/homicide rate 1990–2026. Available at: hxxps://www[.]macrotrends[.]net/global-metrics/countries/rus/russia/murder-homicide-rate (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

Macrotrends (2026) Latvia murder/homicide rate 1990–2026. Available at: hxxps://www[.]macrotrends[.]net/global-metrics/countries/lva/latvia/murder-homicide-rate (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

Statista (2026) Homicide rate in Europe by country. Available at: hxxps://www[.]statista[.]com/statistics/1268504/homicide-rate-europe-country/ (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

Euronews (2025) Fact check: Is Sweden as unsafe as Trump says? Available at: hxxps://www[.]euronews[.]com/my-europe/2025/12/15/fact-check-is-sweden-as-unsafe-as-trump-says (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

UK Parliament (2024) Written question 20833. Available at: hxxps://questions-statements[.]parliament[.]uk/written-questions/detail/2024-04-12/20833/ (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

Eurostat (2026) Living conditions in Europe – income distribution and income inequality. Available at: hxxps://ec[.]europa[.]eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index[.]php?title=Living_conditions_in_Europe_-_income_distribution_and_income_inequality&stable=0 (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

U.S. Congress (2025) HHRG-119-GO00-20250305-SD029.pdf. Available at: hxxps://www[.]congress[.]gov/119/meeting/house/117980/documents/HHRG-119-GO00-20250305-SD029[.]pdf (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

Context

Isabel Brown is an American commentator for the daily wire. She recently decided to talk about knife crime in the UK, in response to Idris Elba's comments on feeling if knives in the UK were less sharp at the tip and access to the importance of swords will make crime less prevalent (typical liberal response, but it's nowhere near as outlandish as the proceeding claims made by Isabel)

Isabel then proceeds to respond to that by saying that, the absurdity that simply making less knives sharp won't decrease crime. She proceeds to say that it's because of a lack of a shared value system in the UK that's causing crime and that we need to stop importing immigrants into the UK so that we can get rid of crime altogether. And that knife crime (and the greater Implication of violence crime) has Increased by 50 to 60% since 2000 whilst referencing not a single reputable source

But what do the actual number say? Let's look at the data and the systems.

1. False: “Knife crime has increased by Over 50%-60% since the early 2000s, Implying that the UK is more dangerous than it was since the early 2000s.”

To provide greater context: The UK has not experienced a continuous rise in violent crime since 2000. Instead, it had a long decline, a mid 2010s rebound in some forms of violence, and recent stabilisation according to the ONS. Whilst knife crime specifically had a boom in some periods, it has also had a significant decrease of 10% in just a year between December 2024 and 2025. it should also be noted that collection of knife crime data wasn’t the same the way it is today. Pre 2000s weapon use was not widely listed as it wasn't standardised. It wasn't until in 2002 with the National Crime Recording Standard that's more consistent classifications became standard And it wasn't until 2008-2013 whereby police systems increasingly included structured "weapon used" fields. So a lot of things come down to methodology.

What is True: Violence in the UK (with or without injury) and Homicide in the Uk has been at its lowest levels in over 50 years.

According to the ONS

"In year ending (YE) December 2025 CSEW, people aged 16 years and over experienced an estimated 1.1 million incidents of violence with or without injury. There was no statically significant change compared with the previous year's survey. However, this was 36% lower than estimated a decade ago (1.7 million incidents in YE March 2015) and 75% lower than its peak in YE December 1995 (4.5 million incidents)."

in terms of homocide rates (Perhaps the worst form of violence crime and gives good insight into sign how strong and stable your institutions are if rates are low.) The UK has seen a record low, having the lowest rates in over 50 years. "the homicide rate remains very low, with 8.6 homicides recorded per million population
during YE March 2025, the lowest rate since 1977 Ironically, even with the increase of Digital crime recording systems, overall violent crime is at its lowest.

Tldr: The idea that the Uk has seen a surge in Violence is just simply not supported by the data. in fact the UK hasn't seen such low numbers of violent crime in over 50 years. Whilst Knife crime (a narrow, concentrated subset of violent crime) remains an issue, it has significantly improved in just a year falling by over 10% and in the itself only makes up a narrow Percentage of overall violent crime.

2. What is True: The Uk is one of the safer countries in Europe and one of the safest in the world

Often you hear from reactionary actors, that the UK has fallen, and is now one of the more hopelessly dangerous places to be (largely due to crime driven by immigration). But this is just false.

The Homicide rate in the UK is approximately 1 In 100,000 (Or 1.1187 in 2021)

This is Notably Lower than the highest recrdings in Europe. The Highest in Europe being Russia at 7 per 100,000. and The highest in the EU being Latvia which depending on the year can range from 2.8-4.34 per 100,00, closely followed by Lithuania (2.58-3per 100,000), Estonia (2.8 per 100,000), Turkey (2.52 per 100,000) In 2021-2025.

The UK is also lower than countries like Albania (1.23), Serbia(1.17), France (1.3), Bulgaria (1.15) or even Iceland (albeit population distribution probably skewed numbers). only countries like Norway. The UK is comparable The countries like Cyprus, Poland in Germany Who have a relatively lower Homicide rates AND EVEN THEN not by very much, Poland being about one and 0.8-1 in 100,000 Depending on the year. Almost every other country thats lower Has a crime rate that’s virtually 0.

what’s interesting though is that Right wing Outlets, especially those based in America, rarely ever talk about The crime rate in countries with exceedingly more crime. The Eastern European Countries such as Russia or Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia or Turkey etc. Countries that are relatively racially homogenous and receive less Non-European immigrants but have The highest homicide rates On the continent. Instead, the focus is always on the UK or Ireland or Sweden (Sweedens being 1.08 per capita, safer than the safest state in America New Hampshire) While not free of problems themselves are amongst the most stable and safer countries on the continent and by far some of the safest countries in the world.

Europe/Eurozone in General has a homicide rate of 1 per 100,000 on average and decreasing (especially when you don’t include Russia) that’s safer than North America’s 5 per 100,000 and Latin Americas 20 per 100,00. Many countries in Europe are even safer than other developed regions like East Asia and the Gulf not to mention almost ubiquitously homocides are decreasing.

3. False: “None white people are brining crime to the west” (this is the obvious underlying sentiments of these types of videos Americans make on other western countries)

What is True: the highest foreign born national populations in the Uk are Eastern European and Irish. (Not African or Asian)

According to The offenders management statistics quarterly 2023 and 2024. “The most common nationalities after British Nationals in prisons are Albanian (13% of the FNO prison population), Polish (9%), Romanian (7%), Irish (6%) and Jamaican (4%).”

meaning four of the top 5 foreign nationals in prison in the UK Are other Europeans nationalities, Despite this fact, the media doesn’t frame the issue as save “Europe from Europeans” it’s typically save “Europe from the global south”.

4. What is True: Relative poverty (not absolute poverty) being an overlap for crime.

In 2024, the Gini coefficient for the EU was 29.4, as shown in Map 1. The highest income disparities among the EU countries were recorded in Bulgaria (38.4), Lithuania (35.3) and Latvia (34.2). In Germany, Denmark and Croatia, the Gini coefficients were close to the EU average. Income was more evenly distributed in Slovakia, Czechia, Slovenia and Belgium, where the Gini coefficient was less than 25.0. (Eurostat,2026) this strongly correlates with the slight crime differences amongst these countries. Additionally this would also explain why Latin America/The Caribbean Have the highest violent crime rates and homocides in the world, not being the absolutely poorest places in the world. it also explains why Southern Africa Has the highest crime rates in Africa I’m not country star significantly poorer like Sierra Leone or Ghana.

5.False: “Immigration in of itself causes crime”

What is True: Immigrants Commit less crime in the US then American born citizens. To Rephrase it even in Isabels Own country immigrants commit less crime.

Conclusion

Don’t believe everything you see by any random commentator on the Internet and please seek out information on your own. Also feel free to reference this post anytime You feel like a Guru Rough false perpetuator of information, Attempts to make bizarre claims on the Uk, Europe, Race or Immigration in of itself.

References

Office for National Statistics (2026) Crime in England and Wales: year ending December 2025. Available at: hxxps://www[.]ons[.]gov[.]uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingdecember2025 (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

Office for National Statistics Blog (2021) Improving data collection for knife-enabled crime in England and Wales. Available at: hxxps://blog[.]ons[.]gov[.]uk/2021/05/12/improving-data-collection-for-knife-enabled-crime-in-england-and-wales (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

World Bank (2026) Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) – United Kingdom. Available at: hxxps://data[.]worldbank[.]org/indicator/VC.IHR.PSRC.P5?locations=GB (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

Macrotrends (2026) Russia murder/homicide rate 1990–2026. Available at: hxxps://www[.]macrotrends[.]net/global-metrics/countries/rus/russia/murder-homicide-rate (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

Macrotrends (2026) Latvia murder/homicide rate 1990–2026. Available at: hxxps://www[.]macrotrends[.]net/global-metrics/countries/lva/latvia/murder-homicide-rate (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

Statista (2026) Homicide rate in Europe by country. Available at: hxxps://www[.]statista[.]com/statistics/1268504/homicide-rate-europe-country/ (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

Euronews (2025) Fact check: Is Sweden as unsafe as Trump says? Available at: hxxps://www[.]euronews[.]com/my-europe/2025/12/15/fact-check-is-sweden-as-unsafe-as-trump-says (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

UK Parliament (2024) Written question 20833. Available at: hxxps://questions-statements[.]parliament[.]uk/written-questions/detail/2024-04-12/20833/ (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

Eurostat (2026) Living conditions in Europe – income distribution and income inequality. Available at: hxxps://ec[.]europa[.]eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index[.]php?title=Living_conditions_in_Europe_-_income_distribution_and_income_inequality&stable=0 (Accessed: 16 May 2026).

U.S. Congress (2025) HHRG-119-GO00-20250305-SD029.pdf. Available at: hxxps://www[.]congress[.]gov/119/meeting/house/117980/documents/HHRG-119-GO00-20250305-SD029[.]pdf (Accessed: 16 May 2026).