Colonialism’s bitter heritage

Re “The good old days of colonialism,” Current, March 11

Niall Ferguson ignores two basic factors underlying that situation. First, the individuals who emerged to lead post-colonial Ghana were ineluctably those who could most successfully tap into the resentment bred by generations of colonial repression. The fault lies with the colonizing power, in this case Britain, for not creating an environment in which responsible, capable leaders could emerge. Second, how much effort did Britain put into undoing the colonial dependency it had imposed on generations of Ghanaian (then Gold Coast) residents before handing the country back to them? We are still a long way from dealing adequately with the bitter heritage of colonialism, and Ferguson needs to recognize that.

JOHN F. KERRIDGE

Del Mar