X - Papua-New Guinea, 1961–1965

Summary

Facilis descensus Averno. This old Latin tag is often in the minds and sometimes in the mouths of those who discuss colonial affairs. For one thing, once the path to independence or self-government becomes even faintly discernible, it appears to many people as a slippery descent, down which one slides all too easily. For another, the after-effects of independence or self-government often seem to Western observers to resemble the chaos of hell; the name ’Congo’ echoes in the background. But these are Western, European, observations. Former colonial people, especially their leaders like ex-President Nkrumah, frankly say that they prefer an independent hell to a well administered paradise, if hell and heaven are defined in terms of the absence or the presence of measurable economic benefits and the operation of Western democratic institutions.