Most of Your Heroes Were Villains
“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” — Joseph Campbell
I have spent a lot of time going over academic content that focuses on the anti-colonial struggle and anti-imperial ones. The simplest observation that could have come from this exercise that I devote so much of my time to is that there will never be a hero who is not painted as a devil by another.
There are often interests that aim to bring about this dualistic picture to light, such as the reason this hero rose to prominence and how they used their power to assist their own people. On many occasions, those who are dubbed as “freedom fighters” are often known as “terrorists” to the side they oppose, and it often begs the question: what constitutes heroism and villainy?
The Good
Sometimes, some of the men and women we view in high regard are often those who take it upon themselves to relieve their people of great strife. It is also common to see that these “heroes” often go against a different class of oppressors or opposers.
Americans would look to George Washington, while Ghanaians would look to Kwame Nkrumah. Every time the word is mentioned, then something resonates with what is familiar to you. The two men above fought against the British in different time settings for similar reasons, and they were hailed then for their contribution and are still praised today.
Their own people hold them in high regard as they could sever ties to an entity that oppressed them. Americans, for instance, got to taste freedom and are often proud that their struggles led to the emergence of one of the greatest nations the world has ever seen.
All of these issues matter most to the people who fought against an oppressor, but another relevant view comes from the oppressor's side.
The Bad
From the oppressor’s side, unfortunate nitpicking of certain events always brings itself to the front and prominently relays itself as the right thing for the “freedom fighters” to do.
A consequence of British colonization in Kenya, for instance, was the impoverishment of what was described as the wealthiest people in East Africa. It was the type of poverty that led to the direct enrolment of this tribe to the British empire as soldiers for the empire that oppress other tribes.
When revolution broke out in the 50s, the common reasoning was that the freedom fighters should have tried to solve things without violence. That line of reasoning was ludicrous as many political groups tried that but were immediately shot down through various means. The question that many natives asked themselves was why the British stole their land in the first place.
The discussion gets simplified as a fault of the oppressed. In the eyes of those who stood strong and steadfast against this retaliation, it is simply unthinkable that anyone could oppose their oppressive rule.
The Balance
Our heroes are human beings just like us and always represent actions that human beings will do. History often shines a light on these people's qualities from a fair perspective that tries to be unbiased in order to represent a true picture of who they really were in their lifetimes.
For the people, it is a different case. Depending on which side many find themselves, whether it is the side that sees the person as a hero or the other side, different pictures will be painted.
Not all of the hero’s actions are free of criticism and evil but choosing a balanced view in favor of the good that (s)he does goes a long way to build a better picture of the people.
Men and women should be judged for their actions.
