In Book IV, Chapter IV of City of God, St. Augustine of Algeria, that ancient wise man of Africa, described a kingdom as a larger version of armed robbery. He was speaking about the Roman Empire. Today, his words could fit well in the contexts of many African countries, especially given the fact that many of the leaders of these countries have taken to blatantly robbing their peoples. This news story that Laurent Gbagbo, the guy forcing himself on Ivory Coast as president, has seized some banks in that country, reminds me of St. Augustine's claim about what a country or an empire is.
No comments:
Post a Comment