Michael Ledger-Lomas: Wriggling, Wriggling: Ruthless Cecil Rhodes
Cecil Rhodes had a distinct view on the 'native question', differing from imperial officials and missionaries.
The frontispiece of Olive Schreiner's novel Trooper Peter Halket of Mashonaland (1897) depicts a disturbing scene: three dead African men hanging from a tree, their legs bound with rope, while Englishmen in shirtsleeves and hats appear to be enjoying the spectacle.
It is hard to look at the frontispiece...
The photograph, found by Samuel Cronwright in a Kimberley barber shop, was taken during the Ndebele rebellion in Southern Rhodesia, where settlers had lynched suspected spies.
Olive Schreiner's fictional character, Peter Halket, witnesses the hangings, highlighting the brutality of the time.
Author's summary: Cecil Rhodes' views on natives differed from officials.