From Kenya and Nigeria to South Africa and Uganda, Queen Elizabeth’s death met with an outpouring of official condolences, mourning and memories of her frequent visits to Africa during her seven decades on the throne.
But the British monarch’s passing also revived a sensitive debate over Africa’s colonial past.
Her death came at a time when European countries are under pressure to reckon with their colonial histories, atoning for past crimes and returning stolen African artefacts held for years in museums from London and Paris.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta were among those expressing condolences for the loss of an “icon.”
But many Africans reflected more on the tragedies from colonial times, including events that occurred in the first decade of her rule.
Kenya gained independence from Britain in 1963, after an eight-year-long rebellion that left at least 10,000 people dead.
Britain agreed in 2013 to compensate over 5,000 Kenyans who had suffered abuse during the Mau Mau revolt, in a deal worth nearly 20 million pounds ($23 million).
“The Queen leaves a mixed legacy of the brutal suppression of Kenyans in their own country and mutually beneficial relations,” The Daily Nation, Kenya’s biggest newspaper, wrote in a weekend editorial.
Elizabeth was visiting Kenya in 1952 when her father died and she became queen.
“What followed was a bloody chapter in Kenya’s history, with atrocities committed against a people whose only sin was to demand independence.”
“While the ties with Britain have been useful, it is difficult to forget those atrocities.”
As part of recent restorations for the past, Nigeria and neighbouring Benin have seen the return from Britain and France of the first of thousands of artefacts plundered during colonial times.
Nigeria’s so-called Benin Bronzes — 16th to 18th century metal plaques and sculptures — were looted from the palace of the ancient Benin Kingdom and ended up in museums across the US and Europe.
Nigeria’s Buhari said the country’s history “will never be complete without a chapter on Queen Elizabeth II”. (France24)
