1966, the year independence euphoria in Africa started evaporating

President Jomo Kenya and J M Kariuki in Nyeri in November 1965. [File,Standard]

Africans in the early 1960s were euphoric about independence but signs that all was not well generally started showing up in 1966, 60 years ago when disillusionment set in. Anti-colonialists lost their saviour ‘image’ and seemed like the mzungu in black skin. Independence did not bring structural changes to reduce all sorts of exploitation. This inadequacy was especially vivid when it came to leaders of two former colonies who participated in the 1945 Pan-African Congress in Manchester, England.