Post Colonial Africa: State-Building and Economic Modernization
The professor Ali Mazrui, imaginatively titled one of his journal articles “ Africa Between the Baobab Tree and the Owl of Minerva: A Post Colonial Narrative of Memory and Learning”. The choice that Mazrui made in this title is particularly interesting; by juxtaposing two symbols, that are respectively associated with African and European cultures, he acknowledges the profound impact that Europe has left after colonization. It is true, that it is hard to glance past Africa’s colonial past, even to this day Africa tends to be seen as a foil to Europe like Chinua Achebe brilliantly stated. Despite gaining independence almost sixty years ago , most African states still seem to hold scars from their colonial past. Although colonialism lasted for only a century (which is a relatively short period of time in history), it was so intense and altering that it impacted the continent in a lasting way. Thus, it is important to determine in what ways and in which domains was the impact the most profound. Well, most African states seem to struggle in two main arenas: politics and economy. Though, colonialism affected other aspects of the African life, like on the social and cultural grounds for instance; one could argue that social colonial legacies seem to unfold from the political and economical ones, we can also further argue that the cultural legacies thought existent did not really hinder or annihilate African culture.
“African Perspectives on Colonialism” is a book written by A. Adu Boahen. This book classifies the African responses to European colonialism in the 19th century. Boahen begins with the status of Africa in the last quarter of the 19th century and follows through the first years of African independence. This book deals with a twenty year time period between 1880 and 1900. Boahen talks about when Africa was seized and occupied by the Imperial Powers of Europe. Eurocentric points of view dominated the study of this era but Boahen gives us the African perspective. There are always two sides of the story and Boehen tells us the side less talked about informing us of what he knows.
In Basil Davidson’s video “Different but Equal,” he outlines the European perception of Africa upon their discovery of the continent. Claims that the Europeans were making about African culture, however, were far fetched and did not depict Africa in a positive manner. History according to pre-European Africa was rich and diverse, but once Europeans saw for themselves how different their continent was from Africa, they began to make up their own version of African history.
Africa has had a long and tumultuous road of colonization and decolonization the rush to colonize Africa started in the 17th century with the discovery of the vast amounts of gold, diamonds, and rubber with colonization hitting a fever pitch during World War I. However, the repercussions of colonization have left deep wounds that still remain unhealed in the 21st century. Early on, European nations such as Britain, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany and Belgium scrambled for territories. Countries wanted land so they could harvest the resources, increase trade, and gain power. The European colonization of Africa brought racism, civil unrest, and insatiable greed; all of which have had lasting impacts on Africa.
European powers shamelessly exploited the people and resources of Africa in the 19th century. They often tried to justify their actions by using ideology, religion and moralism. After the end of the African slave trade, the development of steam power, and medical discovery, European nations started exploring not only the coast but also the unmapped interior of the continent. In this essay, I will explain the main driving forces behind African Imperialism. The Western europeans countries all competed for land and resources because of their self interest. They sought natural resources, and technology gave them the ability to exploit them. The philosophy of national pride however, was the primary reason. (Main document) (Doc C, D & B)
The history of Africa is very complex. Europeans invaded Africa and stripped them of their culture and denied future generations their history. Despite the focus on the time of enslavement in modern history, African history expands far beyond that. African history has been consistently whitewashed and many historians have attempted to put our history in a box. In order to understand and study the African experience, one must realize that the history of Africa extends far beyond the times of enslavement and colonialism.
Imperialism, when one country dominates another for its own benefit, is an expansion policy that has reigned for centuries. Over time, imperialism has drastically changed in its magnitude and severity. At the turn of the nineteenth century, a “new,” more aggressive and competitive form of imperialism emerged and completely dismantled the domestic institutions of various developing countries. Africa in the nineteenth century is a prime example of the “new” imperialism in effect. How was Africa affected by imperialism? Who imperialized Africa? What caused African imperialism? How did the international environment affect the domestic institutions of Africa?
European’s have had a dismissive attitude towards African’s accomplishments and activities. They 1) generally refused to allow the study of any knowledge that they do not control (Asante). 2) A number of white scholars tend to be limited in their interest to subjects that are valuable to the European project of self-glorification and triumphalism (Asante). Finally, to view Africa as a subject in history or as the starting place for an examination of anything is anathema to those who have always ignored the role of Africa (Asante). The Afrocentric school of thought has fought to combat these boundaries by giving the permission to investigate all aspects of Africa’s presence and involvement in the world.
In the second half of the twentieth-century, African countries were able to gain their independence and strive to create unified countries. However, many countries were plagued with civil wars and the issues left behind the colonial era. The adversities faced by these new African nations are at the hands of their old colonial powers and the neo-colonialism that has taken place. These new independent countries were left to unify their people of different backgrounds, create a strong government and economy, and leave the post-colonial legacy behind.
European Imperialism in Africa had one real driving force behind it, racism. After 300 years of Europeans cashing in on Africa’s coasts, the explorers finally ventured inward, wreaking havoc on the continent’s environment and inhabitants, not giving a second thought to the people whose lives they ruined. This is made clear though the British’s new industry they built their and the economy formed atop it poorly affected the people they took advantage of and the moral obligations they had but did not follow.
Africa’s persistent poverty interrogates the continent’s past through institutions, government, demography, economics, colonialism, and the impact of the trading. The colonial era affected the variety of Africa’s historical development for it was quite the game changer since it put a halt to the continuous drain of scarce labor and paved the way for the expansion of land concentrated forms of agriculture, and engaging smallholders, estates, and communal farms. The establishment of the colonial rule over the African interior reinforced African commodity growth in export. The colonial control facilitated the construction induced significant inflows of European
African’s are forced to be slaves, deprived of their own resources in their own country, just imagine if you took a walk in their shoes for a day. King Leopold II enslaved African people in their own country. Africans were treated inhumanely by King Leopold II and other colonizing rulers. Europe and American countries took Africa’s resources away for their own profit. Africa’s interactions with colonialism have negatively impacted African cultures.
Beginning in 1880, there was a growing desire for European countries to expand and control their rule. The only continent at that time that was left uncontrolled and, in the European's eyes uncivilized, was Africa. This was the start of Western Imperialism. All European countries wanted their piece of Africa and to get it, they would let nothing stand in their way. They would change the entire government, religion, market, and behavior of most of the African nation and affect almost every person living there. An account of the impact of Imperialism is given in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. This book shows the changes that occurred in Africa during Imperialism and its affect on the community and the people
In studying the continent of Africa, a person simply cannot underestimate the importance and impact the time period 1770-1875 had on the shaping of pre-colonial Africa’s historical experience. By diving head first into Africa’s past and closely examining several themes and concepts of the time, one can fully comprehend just how much the colonization of Africa changed it forever, both for the better and the worse. The many reasons as to the “how and why” Africa was shaped into what it has become today can be seen within Thomas Getz’s book, Cosmopolitan Africa. Specifically, it is through the examination of the themes of the globalization of Africa in the oceanic era, the practice and belief of religions, and the significance of the Industrial Revolution, that the specific ways Africa was shaped from 1770-1875 can clearly be demonstrated.
In African contexts, an emphasis was given to the fact that national self-determination meant self-determination of the people against the colonial landlords. The nation didn’t oppose so much another nation as it did the colonial autocratic ruler (xxx, xxx). But what seems more important is the fact that when the colonial power finally realized the need to prepare their colonies for self-government, they did so within the framework established by the colonial state (xxx, xxx). The colonial state thus became equated not only with its physical attributes (territory and population) but also with its bureaucracy, the nervous center from which stemmed ail decisions affecting the country (xxx, xxx).
The decolonization process after the Second World War brought a new hope for a more democratic world. In Africa, however, the process did not provide the results expected by the West as most of the African states turned rapidly into various forms of authoritarian regimes with only a few adopting more democratic rule. Reasons for that are manifold. Authoritarianism, in the African context, is defined by a lack of state and ruling elites’ capacity to “transform […] power into effective political, economic, and cultural policies” thus undermining the presence of an overarching authority and being often, but not always, repressive” (Fatton Jr, 1988, p. 255). The differences in political regimes and degree of pluralism can be analysed during the transition period in early post-independence years, determined by ways in which leaders centralized power differently across Africa (Bratton & Van der Walle, 1994, p. 468). While some argue that colonial legacies have laid the ground for the prevalence of authoritarianism after independence, others would see this explanation as reductionist and simplistic, failing to consider other historical, social and cultural aspects. This essay will review some of the structural limitations that emerged in the colonial period and were reinforced by other factors such as the international environment and informal politics, upholding authoritarian practices and corruption across almost all of the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). First, I will