Yes
Ethiopia was never colonized.
For much of its history, it was one of the poorest countries on the continent.
Meanwhile, Vietnam was colonized by the French, devastated by decades of war, and is now on its way to serious economic prosperity.
If colonialism were the answer to why Africa is poor, Ethiopia should be rich and Vietnam should be broke. Neither is true.
Can we please retire this excuse?
Jun 6, 2026 · 5:54 AM UTC
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@elonmusk This comment section is proof that Americans are dumb and clueless abt the world. I will not even waste my energy to explain why Elon Musk is wrong since any of them don't give a fuck abt us. They're a bunch of sick racist ppl.
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@elonmusk false binary. Nobody serious says colonialism is the only reason Africa is poor. The argument is that colonialism shaped the starting conditions: borders, institutions, resource extraction, political instability, and trade dependence. Vietnam improving doesn’t erase that.
It’s is like saying “some people survived being hit by a car, so car crashes don’t injure people.” The fact that Vietnam recovered doesn’t mean colonization wasn’t destructive.
It’s is like saying “some people survived being hit by a car, so car crashes don’t injure people.” The fact that Vietnam recovered doesn’t mean colonization wasn’t destructive.
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@elonmusk Ethiopia was invaded and under Italian rule from 1936 to 1941. Or did I miss something?
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@elonmuskthiopia (Biblical times) was established and governed by Whites, as is evident in the modern Ethiopian genome which is 40-50% Eurasian. Ancient Ethiopian Kings 1,700 years ago are depicted as White, and classical writers like Herodotus called Ethiopians the "Fairest of all men", ub-Saharan demographic were described as being closer to wild animals. I hope that helps.
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@elonmuskwas colonized. Italy invaded in 1935, annexed it in 1936 as Italian East Africa, exiled the emperor, and occupied it until 1941. The “never colonized” claim is false.
The truth is that colonialism carved arbitrary borders, looted resources, and destroyed institutions across Africa. Vietnam recovered through reforms. Most of Africa gained independence with weak states and Cold War meddling.
Colonial legacy isn’t the only cause—but pretending it’s zero cause to “retire the excuse” is historically lazy.
The truth is that colonialism carved arbitrary borders, looted resources, and destroyed institutions across Africa. Vietnam recovered through reforms. Most of Africa gained independence with weak states and Cold War meddling.
Colonial legacy isn’t the only cause—but pretending it’s zero cause to “retire the excuse” is historically lazy.
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@elonmusk Tesla sourcing the majority of its cobalt from Africa by abusing cheap labor and cheap resources extraction is one prime example of colonial mindset and its effect.
Colonialism literally recreated African map why you acting like we started the race for the same point.
Colonialism literally recreated African map why you acting like we started the race for the same point.
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@elonmusk Colonialism isn't the reason why Africa is so poor. Just look at Singapore, it was colonized and now it is the wealthiest country on the planet. It has everything to do with your government and the median IQ of your people.
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@elonmusk Ethiopia is the fastest growing economy in Africa. You couldn't have picked a worse nation to use this example on. Cities are being remodeled at a faster pace than all others. You always like to attach yourself to nations benefiting from separation from the west the most.
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@elonmusk around the world that have never been colonized by any European power:
1. Bhutan 🇧🇹
2. Thailand 🇹🇭
3. Japan 🇯🇵
4. Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦
5. Iran 🇮🇷
6. China 🇨🇳
7. Afghanistan 🇦🇫
8. Ethiopia 🇪🇹
9. Tonga 🇹🇴
10. Nepal 🇳🇵
11. Liberia 🇱🇷
12. Mongolia 🇲🇳
13. North Korea 🇰🇵
14. South Korea 🇰🇷
1. Bhutan 🇧🇹
2. Thailand 🇹🇭
3. Japan 🇯🇵
4. Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦
5. Iran 🇮🇷
6. China 🇨🇳
7. Afghanistan 🇦🇫
8. Ethiopia 🇪🇹
9. Tonga 🇹🇴
10. Nepal 🇳🇵
11. Liberia 🇱🇷
12. Mongolia 🇲🇳
13. North Korea 🇰🇵
14. South Korea 🇰🇷
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@elonmusk That pesky logic again.
Nothing the Woke left says makes sense.
The problem is they had educational and media cartels to push their myths.
Fortunately, we have X and citizen journalists to expose all their nonsense.
Nothing the Woke left says makes sense.
The problem is they had educational and media cartels to push their myths.
Fortunately, we have X and citizen journalists to expose all their nonsense.
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@elonmusk كيف تقول صحيح ومملكة سبأ والسبئيين والحميريين من اليمن حكموها منذ دعمت و أكسوك وحتى هيلا سيلاسي هو من اصل سبئي من اليمن موروثا
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🚨THE DEBRIEFING: TIMELINES, PATTERNS, CIA, NAZIS & THE CONGO
I want to start tonight with a simple idea. The most important fights in history usually aren't the ones you were told to watch.
While everyone's looking up at the headlines, at the spectacle, at the strange lights in ts almost always happening down in the dirt. Over something you can hold in your hand. Something worth killing for, lying for, and rewriting history for.
What I'm going to lay out for you tonight is a story that runs across eighty-five years. It touches the atom bomb. It touches the Nazis. It touches the CIA, a forgotten German rocket-man, a dictator in the jungle, and a deal signed in Washington just last year.
Most people have never connected these dots because each piece got buried under a more exciting story. A secret space base. Flying saucers. Cold War spy games. And that's exactly the point. The wild stories were the smoke. I'm here for the fire.
I'm going to give it to you in two parts. First, only what's documented what I can put a source on. Then I'll tell you what I think it means, and I'll tell you plainly when I cross from fact into my own read. I'm not going to dress up a guess as proof.
You've trusted me this far because I don't do that.
So sit back.
This one's a ride.
@CouchGuy17 @Homeranger17 @ScottZPatriot
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@elonmusk Ethiopia seems to be getting its act together and has been racking up 8 percent annual GDP growth for a while now. I am bullish on Ethiopia, an ancient and great civilization and nation.
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@elonmusk You people talk about colonization like it was a good thing.
People lost lives, families got wrecked, our resources got stolen but apparently it was a good thing because it was the whites who did it.
Or it's only crime against humanity when we mention that one German?
People lost lives, families got wrecked, our resources got stolen but apparently it was a good thing because it was the whites who did it.
Or it's only crime against humanity when we mention that one German?
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@elonmusk was colonised as well. Being colonised was never really an indicator or excuse for the country performance after it has gained independence.
It is up to the willpower and sheer determination of the leaders of the newly independent country to decide its fate and reorganise itself.
It is up to the willpower and sheer determination of the leaders of the newly independent country to decide its fate and reorganise itself.
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@elonmusk Spot on. Ethiopia was never colonized and still a basket case. Africa’s poverty is in the blood and culture — low IQ, tribalism, zero impulse control. Vietnam rose because East Asians are wired for civilization. Colonialism is just a leftist cope.
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@elonmusk India has been colonized since ages, starting from Alexander who tried and died in the process.
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@elonmusk Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I hope my post can correct a few of the misconceptions on this topic.
x.com/kashyap286/sta…
x.com/kashyap286/sta…
Firstly, Ethiopia is under US sanctions while Vietnam is not. And speaking of former French colonies, Haiti was the first to get independence (1804) and is still one of the poorest countries in the world because of the debt they had to take on to gain independence (it took them until 1947 to fully repay it!). Whereas, New Caledonia is still a French colony and is neither rich nor poor.
"If colonialism were the answer to why Africa is poor..."
This line completely ignores the European powers' (and US) post-colonial control over Africa. Patrice Lumumba, the first democratically elected leader of the DRC, was tortured and killed by Belgium and the US for being a nationalist. His body was dissolved in acid so he wouldn't become a martyr. His legacy is largely unknown even within the continent. Several other such "lessons" were meted out. Google Thomas Sankara (Burkina Faso) and Sylvanus Olympio (Togo).
Once you set the example, you gain obedience. The VietCong, on the other hand, didn't surrender even though 3 million Vietnamese died during the war, and several thousand more continue to die to this day (!) from Agent Orange exposure.
As for former French colonies in Africa, France still controls their currency and holds their central bank reserves in France. As Rothschild purportedly said, "permit me to issue and control the money of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws."
Third, the borders in Africa were drawn in such a way that conflict was inevitable. At the Berlin Conference in 1884-85, the European powers simply carved up the continent by drawing straight line borders. African leaders were conspicuous only by their absence at this historic event which shaped the next century. This is why Cameroon, a French-speaking country, has a minority English-speaking territory, ensuring it remains destabilized. Likewise for West Asia/the Middle East, where the Sykes-Picot legacy lives on.
@magattew conflates formal colonial rule with colonial control. Vietnam managed to fully kick out both France and the US, reunified the North and the South, and kept its sovereignty. All African leaders who attempted the same have been systematically eliminated (see Muammar Gaddafi, Libya's divisive leader, for a recent example), ensuring Africa forever bears the open wounds of its colonial legacy.
But Ms. Wade is right on one thing: Vietnam owes its prosperity to overcoming colonial rule. Maybe Africa can become prosperous if Africans do the same.
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@elonmusk Everyone has an excuse. Sometimes the excuse does not get bourne out by the facts.
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@elonmusk South Korea is another great example. It's easier to list out the countries that didn't invade and try to rampage and colonize Korea than those that did. Yet today they are the blueprint for technological advancement in a developed nation.
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@elonmuskstayed independent yet lagged. Vietnam & Botswana turned it around with strong institutions, markets & education. Africa’s future is bright: embrace property rights, rule of law & human capital. Stop blaming history, start building!
What’s the one reform that would transform your country fastest?
What’s the one reform that would transform your country fastest?
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@elonmusk Very proud to have interviewed @magattew. A real powerhouse pro freedom in Africa.
startupsociety.film.
startupsociety.film.
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@elonmusk Name one African country on its way to economic prosperity. It’s always someone else’s fault there that they can’t build it themselves.
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@elonmusk How many of those countries are BETTER OFF after they were colonised? I would say ALL OF THEM.
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@elonmusk Jws did their evil ploy of splitting it into half communist /capitalist so they could create endless war.
Now they’re occupy the VN gov just like most others do it’s not ideal.
They also sponsored many cruel militias in Africa to keep them exploited in poverty.
Are we normalising Jwish supremacy again?
Now they’re occupy the VN gov just like most others do it’s not ideal.
They also sponsored many cruel militias in Africa to keep them exploited in poverty.
Are we normalising Jwish supremacy again?
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