The ugly truth remains that the average European who came to Africa at the time of colonization was either a murderer, a rapist, a looter (a thief who would kill and maim people to take their belongings), an anarchist, and most importantly a deranged Caucasian who saw Africans as lower Animals to be exploited.
Although the world tries to come to terms with colonization and slavery, very little is said of the thousands of rapists and depraved European men who came to Africa as volunteers just because they wanted to rape and sleep with African women (without their consent).
The colonization of Africa by European superpowers, beginning with the Portuguese conquest of Ceuta in the early 15th century and continuing through the Scramble for Africa under the New Imperialism in the nineteenth century, has been a widely debated topic. Slavery goes hand in hand with the Transatlantic slave trade, which continues to have an impact on people of color in varying degrees even after it was ended more than a hundred years ago.
The period of colonization of Africa is well-known for the heinous crimes that took place on the African continent, as well as in Europe and the Americas, throughout that time period. Volumes have been written, and continue to be written, in an effort to document the history of the African race and to remedy the damage that has been done to it, as well as to the overall balance and advancement of the world at large.
The availability of raw minerals in Africa, such as copper, cotton, rubber, palm oil, cocoa, diamonds, tea, and tin, which were important to the development of European industry, served as the impetus for colonization. A fresh and ready market for the products made in Europe was also required, and the African continent was (and continues to be) a convenient dumpsite at the time.
Another factor that contributed to the presence of Europeans in Africa was the missionary work that they were sent to do. According to historical records, missionaries from several countries, including Portugal, France, Britain, and Germany, arrived with the goal of converting the natives to Christianity. A few remained true to their goal, while some, on the other hand, assisted in the colonization of the indigenous population.
Another factor that acted as a source of inspiration for the horde of volunteers from Europe during the colonial period was the promise of “promiscuous” and “easy” native women. This is a factor that has been disregarded. During this time period, the majority of postcards sent to Europe portrayed (prominently) nude or semi-nude African women and girls in appealing and welcoming poses. To lure volunteers to Africa, these postcards played on European men’s fantasies that African women were sexually promiscuous, in contrast to their prim and proper women in Europe, in order to appeal to them.
The representation of the African woman’s “primitive” libido and “promiscuity” served as a crutch for a damaging stereotype of black women in general. Even photographs in which the women were neither nude nor semi-nude were accompanied by words that communicated the exoticism and availability of women for the delight of European males.
He collects an album of sorts of such postcards from Northern Africa taken by Frenchmen during the colonial period, and he explains them in an extensive and convincing discourse as perpetuating a harem fantasy through which the male colonists viewed Africa. Malek Alloula’s book Le Harem colonial is available online.
He then goes on to discuss the rape and sexual assaults that these males have committed against African women in his country. After volunteering and traveling to Africa, they discover that the image presented by the postcards does not correspond to the reality on the ground. Nonetheless, they proceed to obtain what they were promised, namely, “easy” and “available” ladies.
The slaves who were transported from Africa to other countries endured similar, if not worse, fates. Some were raped by slave masters and used as sex slaves and entertainment, among other things, while others were sold into slavery. The rape of a black lady by three white men is successfully depicted by the Flemish painter Christiaen van Couwenbergh in his famous 17th-century oil painting “Rape of the Negress.”
In spite of the abolition of slavery, rape and assault on African women and girls continued, both at home and in the diaspora. It has been reported by the Blackburn Center that “the sexual victimization of Black women and girls has not stopped”. Despite the fact that rape was a widespread crime in America from the conclusion of the Civil War until the 1960s, no Southern white guy was ever convicted of it.” According to them, black girls and women are still perceived as hyper-sexual beings, and their reports of sexual abuse are rarely taken seriously when they come forward.
At the present time, the United Nations, in collaboration with other organizations, is working to reduce sexual violence throughout the world by increasing advocacy efforts, improving coordination and accountability, and supporting national efforts to prevent sexual violence and adequately respond to the needs of survivors.