by B. R. GOWANI
Columbus was the first undocumented alien to the Americas
the founding father of the barbaric European conquerors
on October 12, 1492, Columbus landed on the Guanahani island
(part of the islands later renamed The Bahamas)
Columbus noted his views on the Native Indians in his journal
“They…brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawks’ bells. They willingly traded everything they owned…. They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance…. With 50 men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.”
Columbus called them “Indians” because he thought he was in India
he didn’t know that he was in a totally new continent
on the very first day, 6 Natives were captured by Columbus and his crew
he took thousands of Indians as slaves to Spain where he was visiting
religious Christian zealots, Isabelle and Ferdinand who had sponsored him
the Spanish rulers had promised him 10% profit for the gold and spices
(this was right after Isabelle and Ferdinand got rid of Jews and Muslims)
later, the myth was created: Columbus “discovered” the New World
in fact, the Indians discovered what a greedy bastard Columbus was
and most of the Europeans were pillaging and conquering their land
Bartolome de las Casas, a young priest was part of the Cuba conquest
later he had a change of heart and wrote the History of the Indies
in part 2 of the book he described Columbus and his crew’s cruelty
“There were 60,000 people living on this island, including the Indians; so that from 1494 to 1508, over three million people had perished from war, slavery, and the mines. Who in future generations will believe this? I myself writing it as a knowledgeable eyewitness can hardly believe it. . .”
Howard Zinn the author of A People’s History of the United States
describes how the European domination of world for 5 centuries began
“What Columbus did to the Arawaks of the Bahamas, Cortes did to the Aztecs of Mexico, Pizarro to the Incas of Peru, and the English settlers of Virginia and Massachusetts to the Powhatans and the Pequots. They used the same tactics, and for the same reasons — the frenzy in the early capitalist states of Europe for gold, for slaves, for products of the soil, to pay the bondholders and stockholders of the expeditions, to finance the monarchical bureaucracies rising in Western Europe, to spur the growth of the new money economy rising out of feudalism, to participate in what Karl Marx would later call “the primitive accumulation of capital.” These were the violent beginnings of an intricate system of technology, business, politics, and culture that would dominate the world for the next five centuries.”
for the white beneficiaries of this loot and the poor whites who got crumbs
Columbus and other white imperialist conquerors became the heroes
their statues were built and the history books elevated them as heroes
their crime, cruelty, conquests were portrayed as white men’s mission
the mission was to “civilize” the backward black and brown people
the victims demanded justice, truth, reparations, equality, …
the white rulers under the intoxicating effects of power ignored it
then one day, people said enough of this white ruling class bullshit
they came out with force and passion and took over cities and towns
the ruler ran to the bunker to save his well-fed big arse and long tongue
people beheaded, toppled, burned, and threw statues of “heroes” in water
this is the first step on a long march to redress countless injustices
the movement must stay focused on its goals maintaining the momentum
don’t give any room to Obama, Biden, Pelosi, and other such leaders
remember Sahir Ludhianwi’s call:
society must be changed
the custom of tyranny and loot must be changed
the society must be changed
houses without basic amenities* – so many
bodies that are lifeless – so many
the temperament of nation and country must be changed
society must be changed
the custom of tyranny and loot must be changed
society must be changed
why should the labor of hundreds benefiting one person continue?
why should the system with high and low (classes) continue?
if this is (still going on) today, then that today must be changed
society must be changed
the custom of tyranny and loot must be changed
society must be changed
Note:
*In the original version, this referred to electricity. Sahir wrote this for the 1970 movie Samaj Ko Badal Dalo (Change the Society) keeping in mind the poverty of that time. After 1991, India adopted the neo-liberal policies: many people got electric light in their houses, apartments, shacks, but the disparity and desperation for survival has dramatically increased. I changed “electric light” to basic amenities keeping in mind today’s needs.
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com