Identified by one of the newspapers as a, “striking example of the perfectibility of the negro race,” Shanu grew to become a successful businessman, affording his children a good education and European luxuries. Suddenly, his attitude changed from a staunch supporter of the European empire to an advocate for the anti-Congo campaign. However, after he was exposed for releasing court documents that displayed the brutality of European treatment towards Africans, society ostracized him, causing his business ventures to fail. His story elucidates the malleable nature of the African psyche and how susceptible it can be to foreign influence. From the inception of colonialism, Shanu was straddling between two cultural identities; however the strain it placed on his psyche consumed him, ultimately leading to his suicide.
Identified by one of the newspapers as a, “striking example of the perfectibility of the negro race,” Shanu grew to become a successful businessman, affording his children a good education and European luxuries. Suddenly, his attitude changed from a staunch supporter of the European empire to an advocate for the anti-Congo campaign. However, after he was exposed for releasing court documents that displayed the brutality of European treatment towards Africans, society ostracized him, causing his business ventures to fail. His story elucidates the malleable nature of the African psyche and how susceptible it can be to foreign influence. From the inception of colonialism, Shanu was straddling between two cultural identities; however the strain it placed on his psyche consumed him, ultimately leading to his suicide.