John T Downes
Pre-Colonial Africa: The late 19th Century History as Soap OperaDAVID: the sensitive young Scottish crofter’s son who dreamed of a being a missionary.HENRY: an illigitimate Welsh boy who lied about his background, nationality and even his name to fulfil his lust for glory.FREDDIE: after a disasterous love affair, he enlists in the most dangerous job he can in a vain attempt to get himself killed.KARL: the drug dealer who peddled religion and opium with equal gusto.FLORA: the feminist who married a crusty old army officerThese read like cast members in a contemporary TV drama, but they are very real historical characters. This remarkable book shows how the lives of these - and other - characters intertwined across the historical events of late-nineteenth century Africa, shaping the face of the continent we know today. For the first time, the links between the Chinese Opium Wars and the `scramble for Africa` are explored, and the author shows how Religion, Drugs, Commerce, and individual ambition were as important as Colonial Policy in the soap opera of state.John Downes was born in Plymouth in 1925. He married Mary in 1947, and in 1953 they moved to Northern Nigeria where he worked in a post designed to bring modern agricultural techniques to the region’s farmers, before being transferred to an administrative position and posted to Hong Kong. He discovered that he had been following - almost literally - in the footsteps of Lord Frederick Lugard, a soldier and Colonial Service officer who had been pivotal to the history of the region half a century before.From personal experience, therefore, this book was born.
