The post-colonial is neocolonial in the Indian Ocean region: the case of Chagos seen through the African-centred decolonial theoretical lens

Abstract

ABSTRACT The status of the Chagos Island remains a subject of struggle in international relations pitting the United Kingdom and, by extension, the U.S. against the indigenous people of the Chagos who were forcibly displaced and exiled in order to accommodate a U.S. military base involved in evil conflicts in the lands of the Orient. Mauritius joined this struggle on the basis that the islands were separated from Mauritius by the British on the eve of independence in 1968. The Chagosians have for decades insisted on their right to self-determination and their right to return to the land of their ancestors, taking their battles to the streets of London and international courts. In spite of the growing support for their cause around the world and although they have scored some victories in courts and at the United Nations, their dreams remain deferred as the U.K. and the U.S. refuse to act justly and fairly. This is a classic case of neocolonial continuities that haunt post-colonial Africa, rendering independence meaningless for injustice anywhere in Africa is injustice against the whole of Africa. This paper suggests that the use of a decolonial lens of analysis infused with African anti-colonial perspectives enables us to understand the fundamental problems facing the Chagosians and to think of more permanent solutions to this quagmire.