Rhodesia Accuses by A.J.A Peck
Three Sisters Books (1966)

DESCRIBED by some as a positive move that brought ‘civilisation’ into darkness, colonisation, alongside slavery, remains one of the worst forms of human rights abuses perpetrated on Africans by Europeans.
In an effort to justify their evil deeds, volumes of literature have been published to explain the ‘goodness’ of the whiteman.
A.J.A Peck, son of a Rhodesian farmer, lawyer-cum-writer penned the book Rhodesia Accuses advocating the policy of moderation in the then Rhodesia.
In the book published in 1966, Peck puts himself across as the voice of reason speaking on behalf of both the Rhodesians and blacks.
However, just like in the book reviewed last week by the same author, Proposals for a Settlement, Peck fails to give a balanced view as his emotions cloud his reason.
The words ‘a Rhodie never dies’ ring true in the case of Peck who despite the need to rationally represent both parties, ends up justifying the evil deeds of the Rhodesians.
The author puts emphasis on the need for blacks to be grateful for the role played by the Rhodesians in the ‘development’ of the country and its people.
It is such thinking that the Rhodesians have even up to date which makes them think they too should be heirs to Zimbabwe’s heritage.
It is against this background, Peck argues that the African challenges can only be solved if the blacks and whites worked together.
He, just like his kith and kin, misses the point that Africans were against whites’ interfering in their issues hence they took up arms to fight colonialism.
“It would, of course, be absurd and presumptuous to declare that the present lack of competence so widespread among Africans can best be overcome through the European and the African working side by side together, with the consequence that over the years the African will be enabled to absorb the Western cultural heritage and make it his own,” writes Peck.
Peck thought that with time, the black people would give up their religion and culture and adopt that of Rhodesians.
Peck highlights some of the areas where his moderation policy should be applied to promote co-existence between the blacks and Rhodesians.
The writer acknowledges that blacks were not getting fair treatment in terms of social services such as health and education, but his underlying message was they should be grateful for the little they had.
“The enemies of Rhodesia allege that white Rhodesians have discriminated against the African in educational matters,” he writes.
“The European has been criticised for having segregation of races in the schools.
“Nevertheless, the fact remains that the white Rhodesian is to be praised very highly indeed for the educational facilities that he has in fact made available to the African.”
Peck implies that blacks despite the glaring inequalities between the black schools and the white schools, blacks had the obligation to appreciate the effort of the Rhodesians.
The writer missed the important fact that blacks were not in favour of being treated as third-class citizens in their country.
He argues that racial segregation be it in schools or hospitals was justified as blacks were more in numbers than the whites hence the need to separate the whites as the facilities risked being overwhelmed.
He makes no apology to the racial discrimination of blacks, but instead views it as a necessary evil.
“If the European child were compelled to share the same classroom as African children in junior school, the European child would probably find itself out-numbered 20 to one, or more, by African children who could not even speak English properly,” he writes.
“When a person is sick, particularly very old people or very young people, they are then extremely sensitive and liable to be affected by little things, and in such circumstances it is only right and proper that they should be among those of their own race, whom they know to subscribe to the same ways of thought as themselves and to the same patterns of behaviour.”
Peck’s fears of a revolt come to pass as the angry blacks mobilised themselves and took up arms against the Ian Smith regime.
What he envisaged did not happen.
Black people did not adopt the Rhodesian culture, but fought to be independent and to retain their culture.