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1 results

  • X - Papua-New Guinea, 1961–1965

  • Edited by Australian Institute of International Affairs
  • Gordon Greenwood, University of Queensland, Norman Harper, University of Melbourne
  • Book:
    Australia in World Affairs 1961–1965
    Published online:
    29 March 2024, pp 444-474

  • 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.