That is bickering over word choice, though. Everyone agrees that what happened was violent and by any modern criteria illegal and immoral. What is more intere

That is bickering over word choice, though. Everyone agrees that what happened was violent and by any modern criteria illegal and immoral. What is more interesting is that if you look carefully you do find gems in the turd pile. The situation varies not only by country but by city and area. Invaders, no matter what name for them is currently considered an appropriate best fit, brought ideas, language, trade, rules, and systems that have value and got propagated. Most African cities did not originally have street grids, sewers, sanitation, railways, courts of law. For all the damage that clearly was done there was also value in the introduction of so many modern ideas and systems. Whether or not the result was a net negative is not relevant when it comes to recognizing value. The way really basic innovations like street grids, English for traders, and sanitation endure in post colonial urban centers speaks to the reality that cultural exchange had many aspects and factors and was not all murder and theft.