Famous Africans arrested and Tortured by the British

FIVE FAMOUS AFRICANS ONCE ARRESTED AND/OR  TORTURED BY THE BRITISH

The last thing one would expect from a former British colony is the natives praising their former masters. In fact even today, most former colonies still resent the British for the atrocities they committed against them in the past century. Just recently, a British court awarded compensation to former MauMau members (Kenya) for torture and other inhuman treatments against them.

Here are 5 of famous Africans once arrested and/or horribly tortured by the British or their agents  in the past and recent times

1.NELSON MANDELA

The charismatic anti-apartheid leader is hailed world over for leading reconciliation for South Africans and becoming the first black president of the country. Mandela spent an astounding 27 years in the Robben island prison which was at that time used to hold political dissidents.

During this time Mandela was subjected to bad conditions scorn and mental torture. A lung condition that actually persisted to his death was as a result of the poor conditions of the Robben islands.

This he documents well in his biography “A long walk to Freedom”

2.JOMO KENYATTA

Jomo Kenyatta was the first prime Minister and president of independent Kenya. Prior to that however the road had not been as smooth. Kenyatta was first arrested in the early 50s together with 5 others famously known as the Kapenguria six.

Kenyatta and the six were taken to detention to Lodwar where beatings and torture were pertetrated to them to force guilty confessions. This however did not last long since almost spontaneously the MauMau rebellion broke out.

3.STEVE BIKO

Another South African nationalist anti-apartheid activist, a once promising Steve Biko career was cut short by the same people who were claiming to restore sanity in one savage a people. During a protest, Biko in South Africa, Biko was arrested, tortured and killed by Britsh and Apartheid police effectively placing him in the ranks of a martyr for the course

4. MUAMARR GADDAFFI

In the September of 2011, war was raging in Libya during the Arab spring. Gadhafi was running from hideout to hideout and the rebels were gaining hold in his hometown. During this time David Cameron the British prime minister travelled to Libya to congratulate the rebels.

By the end of the month Gadhafi had been captured,. The rebels, technically agents of the British and American course tortured and Killed Gaddafi even before he could stand trial for his crimes. This alone has led some pro Gaddafi groups to term him as again a martyr of the anti-neocolonialism course.

5. KWAME NKRUMMAH

A famous pan Africanist and Ghanaian nationalist, it is easy to guess that his role landed him in conflict with the British. After the formation of UGCC  Nkrumah and other nationalists were arrested and briefly detained numerously, on claim that they were inciting Cocoa farmers against the government. This was despite the fact that Nkrumah favored non-violent methods in the quest for independence.

Despite the humiliation, Ghana finally achieved independence in 1957, one of the first countries in black Africa to gain independence.

It is worth noting that this is only a short list. The list is quite large and these are only some of the most famous men to suffer humiliation in the hands of the British in Africa