Garfield Todd

Sir Garfield Todd (1908 - 2002) was a missionary Protesting and a politician Britannique, Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia of 1953 with 1958 then adversary solved with the principle of the white domination supported by the government of Ian Smith.

Garfield Todd was born the July 13rd 1908 in New Zealand.

It is in 1934 that this Pasteur and Protestant missionary emigrate in the British colony of Southern Rhodesia to direct a religious school. One of the teachers of which it have the load was Robert Mugabe, future president of the Zimbabwe. Although without medical formation, Garfield Todd and its Grace wife opened a pediatric private clinic for the black children.

In 1948, it is elected at the colonial Parliament.

In 1953, it succeeded Sir Godfrey Huggins with the direction of the " United Rhodesia Party" and of Southern Rhodesia at the time of the creation of the Fédération of central Africa became the Prime Minister. United Rhodesia Party became United Federal Party then.

In parallel, of 1955 with 1960, Todd was the vice-president of the world convention of the churches of Christ.

As a Prime Minister, he undertook shy persons liberal reforms in favor of the education of the blacks. He made introduce name " Monsieur" for African instead of " Male africain". It also enabled them to drink European beer and wine which had been to them until there prohibited.

Its government undertook to set up an ambitious programme of elementary education for all the blacks into old to be provided education for. It doubled the number of elementary schools thus and allowed the missions of proceeding to courses of secondary educations and courses preparatory to the universities.

Multiracial trade unions were authorized.

Its government tried dépénaliser the sexual relationships between white man and black women and to increase the electorate of the blacks from 2% to 16% of the whole of the electorate but these proposals were rejected.

All these reforms were considered to be too radical and too progressists by the majority of the white, apprehensive rhodésiens for their advantages of white in Africa.

In 1958, its ministers resigned in block forcing the party of Todd to put it in minority. In three months, Todd was constrained to resign of the presidency of the party and its post of Prime Minister for the benefit of Edgar Whitehead.

Todd constituted a new party which failed the following elections, without obtaining only one seat.

Excluded from the political power, Todd kept its very critical freedom of speech against the domination of the white minority. It became the adverse official white with the unilateral declaration of independence of Ian Smith in November 1965.

Todd was interdict of exit of the territory and placed under house arrest, of fear (legitimate in fact) which it does not militate against the capacity rhodésien outside the borders.

In 1972, Todd and its daughter, Judith, were imprisoned. Judith Todd was then expelled of Rhodesia and the mention of its name was interdict in the media rhodésiens.

Garfield Todd was confined in its ranch close to Bulawayo where it lent nevertheless its support for the movements of black guerillas.

In 1980, the white agreed to leave the capacity in the majority black definitively (Accords of Lancaster House). New Zimbabwe was born in April and Robert Mugabe, the new Prime Minister, named his friend Garfield Todd with the rank of senator.

Todd sat until the abolition of the senate in 1985. It was quickly disillusioned by the new mode, in particular because of police repression against the political opponents in Matabéléland.

In 1989, Todd was made knight by the British government.

Its criticisms against his/her former friend Mugabe with the beginning of the year 2000 ended so that the government withdraws its Zimbabwean nationality to him.

Garfield Todd died the October 13rd 2002. Whereas the schools gave up their names colonaiux, Mugabe authorized so that a school was renamed in the name of Garfield and Grace Todd.

Todd

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