Meet Viscount Harcourt

A short story that touch on colonialism, rape and paedophilia — three things everyone is tired of

Apology

I admit I have been AWOL for 5 newsletters now. Indeed, I am heartwrenched, and for that please accept my Tony Umez-y apology: “I won't do it again Durling". Obviously (or maybe not so), these past 5 weeks have been packed with circumstances starkly beyond my human control.

But that I was away doesn't mean I have not been watching the world. And there's a lot of anger in the world right now — first, at 'you know what', and then specifically at racism and rape.

Racism hits on a global level, but rape culture is a cankerworm that should bring tears to the eyes of any sane Nigerian. But, maybe we can pause crying and read a short story — especially if it touches on colonialism, rape, paedophilia, and everything in between, including a significant part of Nigerian history.

The Harcourt In 'Port Harcourt’

What is called 'Port Harcourt' today, in present day Rivers State, was created by the British colonial government in 1912. The area was originally inhabited by the Ijo and Ikwerre people who fished and created a fishing settlement around the Bonny River. However, just prior to that time, in 1909, coal had been discovered in Udi Ridge in present Enugu State by Albert Kitson — a British mines engineer. And so, the British chose and effectively created the Port Harcourt to serve as a seaport for the shipment of coal mines from the new Enugu coal fields, to which it was linked to a railway called “The Eastern Line”. The Bonny River had a deepsea harbour, and the entire area was sparsely populated with occupying traditional leaders who were not particularly feisty, all of which made for an interesting catch.

However, when the new port opened in 1912, there was a lot of controversy about what it should be named. Effectively, no local name was given for it, and so to cure the malady, Lord Lugard, who was Nigeria's Colonial Governor-General at the time, wrote in August 1913 to Viscount Lewis Harcourt — the British Secretary of State for Colonies at the time, saying:

In the absence of any convenient local name, I would respectfully ask your permission to call this Port Harcourt”.

In a short while, Harcourt replied Lugard, saying:

It gives me pleasure to accede your suggestion that my name should be associated with the new Port.

Lewis Vernon Harcourt — The Sexcapades

Lewis Vernon Harcourt was a member and politician of the British Liberal Party who served as Secretary of State for the Colonies between 1910 to 1915. Harcourt initially served as private secretary to his father, Sir William, who was Home Secretary from 1880 to 1885. Harcourt was also a Liberal Member of Parliament for Rossendale, Lancashire, from 1904 to 1916, before serving as First Commissioner of Works in Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman's 1905 ministry, and to H. H. Asquith's Cabinet between 1908 and 1910, and between 1915 and 1916. He was raised to the peerage as Viscount Harcourt of Stanton Harcourt in the County of Oxford in 1917.

However, behind Harcourt's somewhat impressive career as a public servant remain public and damaging allegations of sexual predatory behaviours towards young people of both genders, by which he was even known in London's high society. At one particular time Dorothy Brett, a 15 year old daughter of Viscount Esher wrote of him:

"It is so tiresome that Loulou (Harcourt's nickname) is such an old roué. He is as bad with boys as with girls... he is simply a sex maniac. It isn't that he is in love. It is just ungovernable sex desire for both sexes.

Infact, upon his death while asleep in his London townhouse in February 1922, there were also rumours of suicide following accusations of sexual impropriety by a man called Edward James. James's mother would later spread the story in society, although the accusations remained unknown by the public for another fifty years.

Three Things — Freedom, Equality and Consent

There's only so many words to describe the evils caused by the three factors of racism, colonialism and rape. But try as we may, we will never be able to fully capture our anger and disgust in words.

Essentially, all that needs to be said is that this is 2020, and all humans must elevate to a place of freedom, equality and independence, regardless of race or gender considerations. I sincerely hope that true change begins to happen now. Significant change, at that.