where black africans savages prior to colonization

Hmm, it's certainly dangerous to presume that all of Black Africa is savage and barbaric, but the still recent war in Sierra Leone, which included incidents of cannibalism among the Kamajors, which were likely less barbaric than the conduct of the RUF troops, hardly gives reason to presume that Africa's reputation for savage behaviour is ill-earned.

Yes, but those cases are considered in extremis. The African practice arises from a sense of power. I can kill you whenever I want, and I can eat your flesh. Save the PC verbiage for someone else. I had a Zairian officer look me in the eye and tell me that, and he wasn't bluffing.

Nick, I did not mean that Africans ate their fellow humans to acquire their power. I said that killing and cannibalism was an exercise in power' I.e., I can do  this to you because I have the power to do so. You might watch the opening scenes of that 1970s movie "The Naked Runner", which is loosely based on the life of Frederick Selous. And, unlike most 'African' adventure  movies, was actually filmed on site. Notice the entire village partaking in the killing, and the 'mudman' being prepped and roasted.

THIS is a recent event in Nigeria. Where 4 innocent university undergraduates between the ages of 19 and 22  were Lynched. stripped naked and Beaten to pulp,  put car Tyre on them ,poured petrol and burnt to death, videoed  and posted online. They were accused of stealing cell phone and a computer Laptop. But it was even a false allegation. Nigeria is where any one could lay false allegation on you and get you killed  by mob like what happened to these kids... Below is the BBC report about it.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-19869492

http://naijagists.com/the-day-the-sun-wept-at-aluu-dedicated-to-4-uniport-students-killed-in-port-harcourt/

Now if such savagery  is still happening today in AFRICA would it not be a worse case prior to the advent of Europeans ?

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Similar acts of savagery happen in Europe and America where the government is weak. Take last summer's London rioters, or Americans lynching blacks during the 19th century. Everyone (not just Africans) has the potential to do bad things
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Not even 19th century for the U.S.! When was it, late 90's? The poor black guy walking home in Texas who got chained and drug behind the pickup truck with three racist psychos behind the wheel?
http://www.racematters.org/nytarchjb161.htm
They beat then chained and drug him until hit a drainage ditch and his head came off. Sickening, disgusting. In my opinion, savagery is more an example like this, in a modern *civilized* country where people have access to good food, education, employment, police, road police and ambulance services, hospitals that function etc, but yet they still find a way to foul it up and make a mess of other peoples lives by killing, raping, torturing. At least in Nigeria you can almost find excuses for the peoples behavior or at least the root causes of such horrible deeds. What is the excuse in the U.S.? Just pure hatred, evil and racism.

Ekundayo, I don't think anyone would argue against the idea that incidents of savagery can be found in all cultures. The thread seems to be about era when savagery was the norm, not the exception. And in Africa, that appears to be the case South of the Sahara prior to the colonial age, though there were ares of exception. It would appear that where there is a rule of law, whether that be en empire or tribal area, barbarism is more restrained. However the Final Solution of the IIIrd Reich in Germany is certainly an example of barbarism being condoned in one of the most civilized nations in Europe under cover of a rule of law.   

Edited by lirelou - 11-Oct-2012 at 22:49

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The  question is... WERE AFRICANS  SAVAGES  PRIOR TO COLONIZATION  ?  It was not about other places ... AND  THE ANSWER  IS  YES  They  were SAVAGES. I know of  many AFRICAN clans distinct from the AFRICANS of today  that were  KILLED out  by other invading tribes. Meaning many Tribes of AFRICA  are extinct due to Tribal war  where some tribes  actually hunt for others  for meal  , sacrifice  or just destroyed to take over their territory.
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Dang Dude!  You're starting to make me think you are embodying the very point you are so belaboring.

Boma, in re your: "THE military of the Anglophone Countries of AFRICA  today are the best disciplined."

Originally posted by Mountain Man In fact, Africans were not "savages" -their civilizations were quite sophisticated in many ways, but they peaked before the arrival of Europeans and presented a picture of simple people, but the ruins all over Africa say otherwise. The Great Fortress of Zimbabwe was built long before European savages even thought about building fortresses out of solid stone, and reveals a degree of sophistication not seen again until until the great stone fortresses of Europe and the Crusades. Irrigation systems in desert lands were highly sophisticated and still exist - and function - to this day.

The question is WHY did they have fortress  ? civilization is a progression from savagery  don't forget. So if you think AFRICANS  were not  savages tell me why a people  would want to build fortress to protect  themselves . Of course  even animals  build some kind of fortress  for protection and that is cos  another Animal wants to eat them or  harm them. In fact such fortress is an evidence of the savage  nature of AFRICA past cos they the group that built fortress  did so to protect themselves  from cannibals . The savagery in ZIMBO is  stil there as we  type. You remember what the SHONA  did to innocent Ndebele during their  presidential election ? Europeans in the early days were savages  too just as  Chinese people were.. The simple question here is.. WERE  AFRICANS  SAVAGES  BEFORE  COLONIALISM ? YES  they were .

Originally posted by Nick1986 Originally posted by Mountain Man In fact, Africans were not "savages" -their civilizations were quite sophisticated in many ways, but they peaked before the arrival of Europeans and presented a picture of simple people, but the ruins all over Africa say otherwise. The Great Fortress of Zimbabwe was built long before European savages even thought about building fortresses out of solid stone, and reveals a degree of sophistication not seen again until until the great stone fortresses of Europe and the Crusades. Irrigation systems in desert lands were highly sophisticated and still exist - and function - to this day. Take the ancient Egyptians, for example. They built magnificent pyramids, temples and cities while Europeans still lived in mud huts and wore animal skins

Uhm !! Ancient Egyptians ? The Ancient Egyptians became cannibals  after their destruction by the ARABS. The few that survived are mostly in Nigeria today with no knowledge of their origin. What happened ? They lost every thing including the civilization their forefathers  started  and became savages .