THIS DAY IN HISTORY: 18th April 2012
The British National Archives released the first batch of colonial records known as the "migrated archives." The British government have been forced to make colonial records public following landmark legal action by Kenyans seeking compensation for their detention and torture during British attempts to quash the Mau Mau rebellion and halt Kenyan independence during the 1950's.
The released records contains documents from Aden, Anguilla, Bahamas, Basutoland, Bechuanaland, British Indian Ocean Territories, Brunei, Cyprus, Kenya, Malaya, Sarawak and Seychelles. However, it has transpired that many more items were destroyed to prevent the truth about the barbarity and brutality of British colonialism and avoid tainting the image of the paternal British empire.
The National Archives expect to release the final batch of records by November 2013.
The following is a link to an article from the British newspaper, the Guardian, about the destroyed records:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/apr/18/britain-destroyed-records-colonial-crimes
Amma Fosuah
"Always bear in mind that people are not fighting for ideas, for the things in anyone's head. They are fighting to win material benefits to live better and in peace, to see their lives go forward, to guarantee the future of their children." Amilcar Cabral
Author has 120 publications here on modernghana.com
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