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Neo Colonialism In Africa

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Recommended: Chapter 3 African Religions

Attempts by Europe and the West to modernize Africa seem to leave Africa increasingly alienated from its own history and culture. Caught betwixt influences from neo-colonialism and cravings for self-actualization, Africa’s increasing dilemma seems to produce a continuum of setbacks featuringin matters such aspolitics, statehood, industrialization, agriculture, fashioncultureand economy.Aptly, Sanford Ungar describes Basil Davidson’s The Black Man’s Burden: Africa and the Curse of the Nation-State as probably the most concise indictment available of how colonialism and neo-colonialism, with help from capitalism and communism,turned the continentof Africa upside down.Davidson’s discourseis of major importance, not only about Africa, but about …show more content…

In retrospect, while the African was busy chasing after ‘scarlet handkerchiefs’, little did s/he know that s/he was actually being systematically adapted towards raising cotton, sugar and other crops in the New World (Abodunrin, 2008:4). Furthermore, Abodunrin (2008:5), informs that prior to this time, to meet the need for a constant supply of cheap labour, the Europeans first turned to the aborigines and then to Africa. The reason for this U-turn in European thought could be found in the various mythical conceptions of the “African personality”. Some myths claimed that Blacks have been ordained by God to be perpetual slaves of the Whites, while another credited to Batholome de Las Casas, Bishop of Chiapa, Mexico, claimed that the work done by four American Indians could be done by one African. These myths, explains Abodunrin (2008:4), even though given the powerful support of religion which reified them to the level of divine essence, does not contradict the analysis of the historic contact of Europe and Africa as being primarily economic. On their part, racialist authors like Stanley Elkins went further to suggest that the experience of slavery produced in the African in the Americas, a “sambo” personality that is childlike in behaviour and character, a mental midget, a head-scratching, foot-shuffling over grown child, grovelling …show more content…

To some, the continent is a depressing place whose people are bereft of the will to cope with political, economic and moral decline. Others are of the impression that the continent sits on superstition, resentment and xenophobia. According to Harris (1996), the rest of the world treat the African continent as a pet and view them with fear and loathing.Contrary to this uncouth mislabelling, the opinion of Parker et al (2001)is that the problem for historians is how to reconstruct the lived experience of individual Africans within narratives of social change, economic transformation and imperial conquest. Inwhat appears like a defence of Africa, according to his review of Darkest England, Harris (1996) reveals that Christopher Hope is not content with detailing the unwholesome diet and odd sexual practices of the English; he also finds even their impulses to do good sinister. According to him, once set upon that path, the English are merciless. Furthermore, he links “their current hypocrisies with the sins of their glory days, when the Bushmen were nearly exterminated”, suggesting that what they did to theirshare of the continent is “more than just a matter of kicking a little country when it is down”. It was a rape that seemingly escalated the dilemmic scenarios on the neo-African

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George Washington Williams, an African American legislator, and Kande Kamara, an African colonial subject, both experienced some of the most brutal products of European Imperialism. Williams, in the late nineteenth century, toured the Belgian controlled Congo and witnessed the harsh measures King Leopold implemented to maintain absolute control and bleed the country of its resources. Kamara, on the other hand, bore witness to the end result of overzealous imperial ambitions when he was forced to fight for the allies in the trenches of WWI. These two men’s experiences, although considerably different, both shed light on Europe’s colonial philosophy of racism and ethnic superiority and its position of immense power during this period.

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In that quote you can see the true disgust and hatred for something that was not European. This is just one of many different captains and scholars who traveled to Africa and to their surprise, were stunned by the amazing towns, workmanship, craftsmanship, and art that African people had. This was first accounts of Africa that would eventually lead to Europeans conquering the land and claiming it as their own

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Amadou Hampaté Bâ is extremely detailed throughout the book, The Fortunes of Wangrin, in explaining the colonial world in West African societies. He provides multiple examples in this work of fiction that precisely describe the factual aspects of African colonialism that we have discussed in class. I will point out a few of the examples that Bâ uses such as: limitations colonial governments set on Africans, the Métis relationships within colonies, and issues that arose, not only between Europeans and Africans, but within the native African communities as well. I will then point out certain details from the book that do not perfectly reflect the components of colonialism that we have studied in lecture.

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What was the driving force behind European Imperialism in Africa? Between 1500 and 1800 the Europeans knew  little about the interior of Africa their presence was to buy and sell slaves for pots, cloth, and weapons and set sail to America. Late as 1870 ten percent of Africa was under Europeans control and most was along edges by 1914 ninety percent of Africa was in control four years later.  Due to the countries that held African colonies in 1914 that involved the British, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spain, and Belgian. France and Britain were the main  conquer in African colonies, because there conqueror of land in Africa.

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In Chapter 1 and 2 of “Creating Black Americans,” author Nell Irvin Painter addresses an imperative issue in which African history and the lives of Africans are often dismissed (2) and continue to be perceived in a negative light (1). This book gives the author the chance to revive the history of Africa, being this a sacred place to provide readers with a “history of their own.” (Painter 4) The issue that Africans were depicted in a negative light impacted various artworks and educational settings in the 19th and early 20th century. For instance, in educational settings, many students were exposed to the Eurocentric Western learning which its depiction of Africa were not only biased, but racist as well.

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In The Legacy, Basil Davidson discusses the legacies of colonialism in Africa and gives an insight on modern Africa and the successes and downfalls that it possesses. Moreover, he states that many of the issues seen in modern day Africa are not new and have their roots in the long years of European colonialism that profoundly shaped and continues to shape the continent. Throughout the documentary, various themes regarding postcolonial Africa are mentioned in depth. A few of the themes that Davidson highlights are modernization, ethnicism, corruption, inequality, dictatorship, and neocolonialism.

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Pain. Deception. Hatred. These words are rooted in the minds of the African countries whenever the mention of Imperialism. This practice of extending a government's reign to gain economic control, using missionaries as facades, hurt many African’s during 1750 to 1914.

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“The White Man’s Burden” was what justified the European actions in Africa. The origin of this ideology came from Rudyard Kipling’s poem “The White Man’s Burden” (Document 6). The Europeans believed that it was their duty and burden to “civilize” the African natives.

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During the latter part of the nineteenth century, European imperialism was on the rise, and along with it, the pressure to claim as much territory as one possibly could for a given territory. In particular, there was a growing interest amongst the European powers to obtain as much of Africa for one’s state as possible, resulting in the “Scramble for Africa”. As a means of regulating this conquest of the continent by other states, the imperial powers decided to resolve things in a “civil” manner via a conference that would change the face of the African continent almost irreversibly; this congregation was the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885. This event is not regarded with the same grandeur as it once possessed, for scholars of today now recognize that the proceedings of the conference played an important role in charting the fate of the continent, continuing to do so to this day.

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The effects of imperialism was quite chaotic in the beginning causing an up rise from Africa and the Middle East. At first both resisted but over time western ways was making it’s way into a part of the daily routine. The imperialism started with Africa and eventually moved into the Middle East, but when it started in Africa it was for the natural resources the country possessed at the time. The Middle East was different due to the ruler at the time, Muhammad Ali was the ruler of Egypt and wanted to modernize Egypt the way he wanted to. He is sometimes known as “Father of Modern Egypt” although when he died they was not a leader that was as strong as he was to hold up his empire.

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So Europe invaded Africa, took possession of Africa, and divided Africa into colonies of Europe. The period of invasion, lasting some twenty years, was more or less completed by 1900. There followed a longer period, between sixty and ninety years, of direct European rule, called colonial rule. This was a time of profound upheaval for all of Africa’s peoples. It brought irreversible changes” (4).

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During the period of imperialism in Africa all of the countries were competing for the title of being the richest and the strongest. In fact, the whole scramble for Africa was an opportunity for countries to enhance their overall economy. For example, King Leopold II of Belgium was determined to get the area of land so he can become more wealthy. France’s politicians thought that an overseas company would strengthen the country when it came to wealth, prestige, and power, so as a result they invested in land more toward the west and north-west. Britain wanted to protect their trading routes which required them to purchase land in East Africa, and they they soon discovered the rewards of the land so the were determined to obtain as much as possible.

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1483 Words | 6 Pages

The negative perceptions about Africa continued to persist in the 20th century and in the 1960’s Trevor Roper, an Oxford Professor cited that there was nothing worth of any value to be termed as African History. He further stated that what existed was only, “the history of the Europeans in

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Moreover, Western civilization became the ideal civilization, and became way superior to African “civilization.” As a consequence, African tradition became perceived as primitive, outmoded, and sadly not welcomed by the rest of the world. Unfortunately, a lot of Africans experienced a trend of a dying out culture. (2) It can be implied that even the Africans’ self-perception dropped because the only lifestyle they knew was suddenly taken away from them and they were taught that it was substandard. Therefore, the indigenous inhabitants of the colonies, the Africans, had to adapt to a new, “superlative” culture and view it as more sophisticated than theirs.

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In History of Africa, Shillington focuses on many aspects of African culture and factors that made Africa to be the continent that it is today. Chapter 5 primarily focuses on the Northern region of Africa and how empires took over and spread their ideology technology, and culture all through out the region. Even today some remnants of the Roman and Greek empire live on to this day (Shillington, 69.) Despite many people getting the impression that Northern Africa is only influenced by Arabic and Islam, these empires and their conquests are best understood through topics like intricate trading routes, farming, and the spread of religion. Shillington provides an in depth analysis of how many of these conquests affected Northern Africa centuries ago and today.

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