While it’s alleged that Adolf Hitler, when he was Chancellor of Germany, introduced the first Concentration Camps in March 1933, it’s not well known how the first time the word “concentration camp” was used; was by the British government in the Anglo Boer war.
1952-1964 was a period of horror for the Mau Mau people of Kenya. The Mau Mau people, fed up with the ill-treatment they received from the British authorities, began to fight against colonialism and reclaim the land taken by whites. This act was a fight against the many decades of oppression.
As a result of the divide and rule policy the British had in place, the movement gained very little support. The movement reacted differently than anticipated as it triggered a very violent reaction from the British forces.
The British setup series of concentration camps in Kenya to torture, re-educate and interrogate the Mau Mau people who they saw as rebels. When they detained these people, they grouped them into the categories of “very black to white”.
Those categorised as very black bore the brunt of it as they were seen as the worst of the lot, hating British rule and in desperate need of reeducation. They were treated like animals, tortured barbarically, starved, and had the slightest chance of being released.
While trying to justify their actions, the British government began tainting the Mau Mau’s perception by displaying them as extraordinarily violent and uncivilised. They printed and distributed leaflets and recruited the media and radio houses to paint this image of the Mau Mau.
The British took those measures so the movement couldn’t be portrayed as anti-colonial and spur similar activities. Over time, the British government began to justify using concentration camps as the Kenyans believed it was to protect them.
The British government kept over 1.5 million people in these camps and subjected them to systematic violence. Here, they were surrounded by more than enough military presence and subjected to rape, starvation, murder, forced labour etc. The British also endorsed and enforced the “dilution technique” method.
Some of the victims of these concentration camps have shared their stories of being castrated with pliers and raped with heated glass bottles.
In 1956, the Mau Mau movement’s leader was killed, which signalled an end to the action. However, the British government, even years after granting Kenya Independence, refused to release the ban on the Mau Mau. While the proper steps are being taken and the Kenyans have a day to celebrate the lives of the Mau Mau, they’ve still not gotten justice.
