Chinese resistance to fascism in WWII inspired Africa's freedom struggle: Kenyan scholar

Chinese people's resistance to Japanese invasion in World War II (WWII) not only boosted the allied powers' victory but also inspired freedom struggle in Africa, a Kenyan scholar said on Friday.

The scholar spoke to Xinhua a day after a parade was held in Beijing to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japaneses Aggression in WWII.

Levi Obonyo, head of media studies at Daystar University in Kenya, said Chinese people's unwavering determination to defeat Japanese imperialism rejuvenated anti-colonial struggle in Africa.

"China and the allied powers' victory in WWII inspired the fight for independence across the then colonized Africa," Obonyo remarked in a newspaper commentary published Friday.

In the allied powers' victory in the Far East in WWII, China played a role, Obonyo said.

"When the Japanese forces entered China, the country was reeling from internecine conflicts, but it fought hard to resist the establishment of a colony," he said.

British colonizers recruited young Africans to fight for the allies against the Japanese in the Far East during WWII.

The returning soldiers had a different perception of the colonial masters after experiencing the war, with the determination to fight for self rule brewing, Obonyo said.

"While previously the colonialists were viewed as near invincible, the war, however, changed the perception of invincibility," said Obonyo.

These African soldiers of WWII started armed resistance movements against colonial powers after returning home from battle fields in the early 1950s.

Obonyo said the returning soldiers were instrumental in dislodging colonial regimes in countries like Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria.

Since a new government was set up in 1949, China has supported the freedom struggle in Africa and was quick to establish bilateral ties with post-independence states, Obonyo said.

Many African liberation heroes visited China lots of times, he said.

He further noted China has overcome its traumatic past to become an economic powerhouse with global influence -- an example he said for other developing nations.

"Greatness can be hewed from the ashes. If China has risen from the past of internal divisions, ideological competition and the impact of a global war to be what it is today, there is hope for other struggling nations if they can glean some lessons from Beijing's success narrative," said Obonyo.

China has lent unconditional support to post-colonial African states, he concluded. Endit