As Italy looks towards Africa for energy partnerships under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the country’s controversial historical stance on colonialism remains a point of debate.
In a move to secure energy partnerships, Italy’s government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, is once again turning its focus towards Africa. This move comes amid a rising debate within Italy concerning its colonial history on the continent, a subject that continues to be fraught with historical inaccuracies and political divisions.
Historical accounts universally affirm the human toll of Italy’s colonial undertakings in Libya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and present-day Somalia from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century. Notwithstanding, Edmondo Cirielli, Italy’s Deputy Foreign Minister and a member of Meloni’s post-Fascist Brothers of Italy party, declared the Italian colonial influence as “civilizing,” devoid of bloodshed or repression. Cirielli’s remarks drew criticism from historians and the left-wing opposition, countering the romanticized “good colonizer” myth that is often touted by far-right elements in Italy.
The lack of public discourse regarding Italy’s colonial past is noteworthy, particularly in comparison to Germany’s confrontation with its Nazi history or France’s grappling with its occupation of Algeria. Despite the hesitation for collective soul-searching, opposition lawmakers are pushing for a bill that aims to commemorate the victims of Italian colonialism in the aforementioned African countries. The proposed date for this “Day of Remembrance” is February 19, marking the onset of the 1937 massacre of Ethiopian civilians in Addis Ababa. Laura Boldrini, an MP for the centre-left Democratic Party and one of the bill’s authors, highlighted the public and political resistance to confronting Italy’s colonial crimes, making it unlikely for the bill to gain enough support for passage.
Scholars, including Alessandro Pes, a professor of contemporary history at the University of Cagliari, argue that the “good colonizer” stereotype lacks substantial historical validation. Pes suggests that this narrative essentially veils the aggressive colonial expansion that was invariably perpetrated through violence and forced subjugation of native populations.
Since its unification in 1861, Italy sought colonial footholds in Africa as a means to mitigate domestic unemployment and social unrest, according to Uoldelul Chelati Dirar, a professor of African history at the University of Macerata. Unlike other European powers, Italy did invest in infrastructure like roads, bridges, and railways during its time in Africa. However, these developments have only cemented the “good people” myth in the Italian collective consciousness, obscuring the undeniable history of violence, exploitation, and racism in Italy’s colonial past.
Ian Campbell, a British historian, estimates that Italian colonial ventures resulted in approximately 700,000 African deaths, including 150,000 in Libya during the Fascist era. Efforts to acknowledge and redress these crimes have been insufficient; for example, in 2008, then-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi pledged $5 billion in investments to Libya as compensation for Italy’s colonial damages, but such initiatives are largely absent from modern Italian education, leading critics to question the connection between educational gaps and prevailing racist attitudes in Italy.
As Meloni courts new African partnerships for energy and raw materials, she has criticized unnamed European nations for their “predatory and paternalistic” past relationships with Africa. Recently in the Republic of Congo, Meloni called for a departure from such detrimental historical interactions, albeit without reflecting on Italy’s own colonial record.
For DZWatch and its readers, Italy’s renewed engagement with Africa opens a critical dialogue not just on future partnerships but also on the need for Italy to confront and reconcile its complex historical relationship with the continent.
