Barbarian destructive invasions and lessons for the great lakes region
A combination of push and pull factors that led to barbarian invasions and destruction in Europe is developing in the great lakes region with a possibility of a repeat of that barbarian history. The signs are clear and there is no room for complacency on the part of leaders, the public and development partners. The clear signs of destruction in Kenya were ignored and caused the tragic events of December 2007.
The word ‘barbarians’ refers to persons who are primitive, uncivilized or uncultivated. The word comes from Greek barbaros which initially meant persons who spoke a foreign language or outsiders. The Romans later applied a Latin word barbarus to such people as Goths, Vandals and Huns, who lived outside the Roman Empire.
The Greeks considered people in the Mediterranean area about 750 B.C. to have inferior cultures to their own. The Greeks therefore applied the word barbarian in a disrespectful manner. Those who absorbed Greek education, culture, language and ideals graduated from barbarism. The Romans adopted Greek culture throughout their empire.