Sorry, no, I had not given the decision of dividing Africa up in the 1884-85 convention enough thought and consider the horrors it brought on the people with no sue consideration for them. I knew of the evil acts of colonialists and some of the genocides, like the German one in Namibia in the early 1900s. But hadn’t thought about the general larger picture evil, and the resulting prejudice a company like ancestry or 32andMe can have by having few genetic samples and unscientifically lumping everyone on Nigeria together (the Nigerians don’t do that for sure), along with these other colonist demarcations of nations instead of the “naturally” occurring tribal cultural boundaries. Thanks for personal story and connected insights with your usual thoughtful prose.

p.s. Just thinking should we use the word tribe or tribal? The Canadians now use the term “First Nation” when talking of indigenous peoples, and that sounds more accurate and respectful, especially when applied to these various African groups—they were there first before colonists and they were not just tribes running around but more like organized nations possessing animist religions, unified languages, social rules and orders or hierarchies that greatly varied, ways to enact justice, group narratives and prejudices, etc.. Just wondering out loud what you and other think.