Robert Mshengu Kavanagh

The Trauma We Share Robert Mshengu Kavanagh

While the Irish occupied a rich and fertile land, they were not Anglo-Saxons or Normans but Gaelic Celts; they were not Protestants, but Catholics. This was the cocktail of factors which led to the conquest, colonisation, and destruction of Celtic Ireland. What many do not know is that a great deal of Ireland's history mirrors the colonial history of Africa. It is almost as if the Irish experience was a dress rehearsal for what the West inflicted on Africa in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, except the agony of Ireland lasted a millennium. Many believe that brutal conquest and colonialism along with racial discrimination and apartheid only happened to Africans and that it happened because they are Africans, because they are black. When they are confronted by the trauma of the Irish - who were not Africans and not black - it makes it easier to understand Africa's trauma in the wider context of world history. 'The Trauma We Share' examines the parallels between Irish and African history to allow both to view their histories from an intriguing new perspective. The history of Ireland is bitter but at the same time heroic. Full of colourful and dramatic events, it makes gripping reading. A book both Irish and African readers will enjoy.