07/11/2025
The Weight of History: White Privilege in and from Africa
White privilege is a reality that stretches across the world, but in Africa it carries a particular weight. It is not an abstract concept or a slogan from modern discourse. It is something etched into the soil, carved into the landscape, and woven through the history of the continent. It is visible in the ownership of land, the control of resources, and the continued economic imbalance between the descendants of colonisers and the descendants of the colonised.
Across Africa, vast tracts of fertile land remain in the hands of those whose ancestors came from Europe. In Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, and beyond, there are families of European descent who have lived on African soil for generations, yet their wealth and prosperity are often built on foundations laid through colonial expropriation. The land they farm, the businesses they own, and the networks of influence they control did not emerge in a vacuum. They were born from a history of systematic theft, of people, of land, and of resources.
The European powers who colonised Africa did not come as guests. They came as conquerors. They drew their borders with straight lines on a map in Berlin in 1885, dividing ancient kingdoms, separating families, and tearing apart communities that had lived together for centuries. Entire peoples found themselves split between nations, forced to adapt to borders that had nothing to do with their own history or identity. The arrogance of this act remains one of the greatest crimes of modern history. And yet, many of the descendants of those early colonisers continue to profit from the arbitrary lines their ancestors drew.
It is important to be clear that this is not an attack on individuals of European descent living in Africa today. Many are good people, compassionate people, deeply invested in the future of the nations they call home. They contribute to development, education, healthcare, and agriculture. They work hard and live honestly. But hard work alone does not explain privilege. To claim that success is purely a result of determination and effort is to ignore the structural advantages that have existed for centuries.
When white settlers claim their prosperity is self-made, it is not simply inaccurate, it is insulting. It erases the struggles of those who were systematically excluded from opportunity. It overlooks the countless Africans who possess the same intelligence, work ethic, and creativity, yet who have been denied the same starting point. The difference is not one of capability but of circumstance. The legacy of privilege means that even those who were born long after the colonial era still benefit from its fruits.
White privilege in Africa cannot be separated from the broader history of exploitation. Long before the colonial period, the transatlantic slave trade stripped Africa of her people, her strongest, her brightest, her future. Millions were torn from their homes, sold, and shipped across oceans to build the wealth of Europe and the Americas. Later came the “Scramble for Africa,” when European empires extracted minerals, crops, and human labour to fuel their own industrial revolutions. The wealth of London, Paris, Lisbon, and Brussels was built in no small part on African suffering.
Even after independence, many African nations remained economically tied to their former colonisers. Trade agreements, global markets, and international debt have continued to favour the powerful over the powerless. Neo-colonialism, whether in the form of multinational corporations or exploitative aid systems, has kept much of the continent dependent. And yet, those who benefited most still rarely acknowledge the debt they owe.
I speak these words not as an outsider pointing fingers but as someone who lives with white privilege every day. I am acutely aware that from the moment of my birth, that privilege has followed me wherever I go. It has opened doors, shaped perceptions, and softened consequences. It is not something I chose, nor something I can shed. But I can acknowledge it, and that acknowledgment matters.
To recognise privilege is not to carry guilt, it is to accept responsibility. It means understanding that history’s weight still bears down on the present, and that we all have a role in lightening that burden. For white people who live in Africa, the choice is simple. You can either pretend that your position is purely self-earned and remain complicit in an unjust system, or you can use your voice, your influence, and your access to challenge inequality and advocate for fairness.
There are countless white Africans who have made this choice with humility and courage. Teachers, doctors, farmers, conservationists, and activists who work in genuine partnership with local communities. They are part of the solution. But there are others, those who exploit cheap labour, hoard land, or live in gated enclaves of luxury, who continue to behave as though colonialism never ended. They may not wear the uniforms of empire, but they carry its attitudes.
Africa is a continent of immense beauty, potential, and dignity. Its people have endured centuries of exploitation and yet remain among the most resilient and generous on earth. To live here as a white person is to walk on sacred ground, ground that has seen too much suffering and too much resistance to ever be taken for granted.
Acknowledging privilege is not an act of weakness. It is an act of moral strength. It is the beginning of honesty, of humility, and of healing. If we are to build a just future together, then we must start by naming the truth, that the prosperity of some has too often been built on the dispossession of others.
I will never deny my privilege. It is part of who I am, part of where I come from. But I choose to use it for good, to amplify voices that have been silenced, to stand beside those who still fight for justice, and to ensure that the mistakes of history are not repeated.
White privilege in Africa is not just a legacy of the past. It is a reality of the present. But it does not have to define the future.
