The Surgeon (II)

We concluded last week by noting that the Batswana struggle against Boer oppression had been first brought to the attention of a wider circle of British public opinion by David Livingstone in an article entitled ‘The Peacemakers of the Interior of South Africa’, which he published in the July 4, 1849 edition of the weekly British Banner newspaper under the pseudonym “The Surgeon”.

The article’s opening paragraph was unconventional. Maintaining that “there is a cause for everything”, The Surgeon speculated on the possibility of a divine link between the fall of the great French Emperor, Napoleon and his treacherous capture and imprisonment of Toussaint Louverture, the great leader of the Haitian slave rebellion. “Toussaint Louverture was sent to France to drag out his days in a dungeon, and the man who sent him thither was sent to rusticate on the rock of St. Helena.”

Leitlo le tswelwe ke leitlo, leino ke leino! To The Surgeon, slavery was the ultimate sin. Louverture’s armed resistance was thus consistent with Christian virtue. On the South African Highveld, the enemy was clear:

Editor's Comment
Congratulations Anicia Gaothuse!

The contest had 10 beautiful young girls as finalists and unfortunately only one could wear the crown.The judges picked Anicia Gaothuse. To all those who feel their contestant should have won ahead of Anicia for whatever reason, hardly; the judges found Anicia to be the best among the best, so desist from disrespecting our newly crowned queen on social media or anywhere else, for that matter! Each of the 10 beautiful young women had supporters...

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