"They were conquerors, and for that you want only brute force - nothing to boast of, when you have it, since your strength is just an accident arising from the weakness of others" (69-70).
In this passage the narrator is discussing the actions of Europeans in Africa. He calls them "conquerors," implying that their motives were almost warlike; they went in to exploit, to pillage, and plunder. They did not go their with the intention of killing, but killing was just the consequence. In this case, the narrator states it was the consequence of the Africans' savagery, their inherent "weakness." In a sense this dehumanizes them, saying that they were like wild animals, needing a strong hand, and "brute force." He goes as far as calling their brutality an accident, somewhat justifying their action and pinning the blame on the Africans themselves, the true victims in the whole situation. As we know, the Europeans went quite overboard with their force, exterminating millions of Africans along the way for their own selfish desires.
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