Re: The Pages of Punch
1960: Post-Colonial
This cartoon is quite funny but it is a complete travesty of what actually happened.
Firstly, the post-colonial participants didn’t look like that. The new rulers all dressed like Europeans. The former colonial administrators had also modernised their clothes. Pith helmets were definitely out.
Secondly, those that ‘stayed on’ (as the saying went) were there because the new rulers genuinely felt in need of their expertise. It didn’t last long but they really did help to make the transition work more smoothly.
Unfortunately their legacy didn’t last, largely because of the nature of politics in the newly independent countries.