Using historical census reports from Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) from 1901 to 1962, this article discusses some of the socio-political forces that influenced the collection of census data during the colonial period. It evaluates the underlying attitudes in which race, colonial interests and apartheid define the quality and quantity of mortality data collected, and how in turn mortality data were "colonized" to render a certain view of reality. The article concludes that although the data used are historical, current African demographic data collection has been influenced by these same historically rooted forces. We emphasize the need for a critical evaluation of current demographic data and research, the categories that we use in data collection, and assumptions behind them. These and other critical factors affect data collection by both international organisations and national offices. The article further shows that mortality differed between the two races and suggests that in countries that have experienced apartheid, there is need for the post-apartheid era to deal with the issue of collecting statistics by race. Data should be disaggregated by race, but checks should be introduced to avoid repeated exploitation of race.
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