A file photo taken in Senegal, then a French colony, in the 1930s shows a European being carried through a river by African porters in a sedan chair [File: AFP]
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Examine the impact of colonialism in Africa from historical origins to contemporary effects and future implications, exploring its ongoing influence on the continent.
Colonialism in Africa refers to the period in history when European powers established colonies and exerted political, economic, and social control over African territories. Some key points of colonialism in Africa are:
European powers began colonizing Africa in the late 19th century, after the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885, which divided Africa into territories controlled by different European powers.
The main motivations for colonialism in Africa were economic gain, including the exploitation of resources such as minerals and rubber, and the desire for strategic military and naval bases.
Colonialism had a profound impact on African societies and cultures, often leading to the displacement of indigenous peoples and the imposition of European languages, religions, and cultural norms.
Colonial rule often involved forced labor, land appropriation, and the suppression of African political and social systems, leading to significant social and economic inequalities.
African resistance to colonial rule was often met with violent repression, leading to widespread suffering and loss of life.
African countries began gaining independence from colonial rule in the mid-20th century, with Ghana becoming the first sub-Saharan African country to gain independence in 1957.
The legacy of colonialism in Africa is complex and continues to shape the continent today, with many African countries still struggling with political instability, economic underdevelopment, and social inequality.
Colonisation et migration (13) – François Héran (2023-2024)
3 jan 2024
Enseignement 2022-2023 : Colonisation et migration
Cours du 22 décembre 2023 : Le « legs colonial » en question
Professeur : François Héran, Collège de France
Chaire Migrations et sociétés
-De la critique « postcoloniale » à la pensée « décoloniale »
-Face à la « multiversité », le défi d’un universalisme ouvert
-Le spectre du « wokisme »
Le Collège de France est une institution de recherche fondamentale dans tous les domaines de la connaissance et un lieu de diffusion du « savoir en train de se faire » ouvert à tous.
Les cours, séminaires, colloques sont enregistrés puis mis à disposition du public sur le site internet du Collège de France.
How war, violence and extractivism defined the legacy of the empire in Africa, and why recent attempts to explore the ‘ethical’ contributions of colonialism risk rewriting history and undermining progress.
In 2017, a professor at Oxford University in the United Kingdom proposed a research project. The key thesis: that the empire as a historical phenomenon – distinct from an ideological construct – has made ethical contributions and that its legacy cannot be reduced to that of genocides, exploitations, domination and repression.
Expectedly, such a project raised a lot of controversies to the extent that other scholars at Oxford penned an open letter dissociating themselves from such intended revisionism and whitewashing of the crimes of the empire. One leading member of the project resigned from it, citing personal reasons.
Hoe oorlog, geweld en extractivisme de erfenis van het imperium in Afrika bepaalden, en waarom recente pogingen om de ‘ethische’ bijdragen van het kolonialisme te onderzoeken het risico inhouden de geschiedenis te herschrijven en de vooruitgang te ondermijnen.
In 2017 stelde een professor aan de universiteit van Oxford in het Verenigd Koninkrijk een onderzoeksproject voor. De centrale stelling: dat het imperium als historisch fenomeen – los van een ideologische constructie – ethische bijdragen heeft geleverd en dat zijn nalatenschap niet kan worden gereduceerd tot die van genociden, uitbuitingen, overheersing en onderdrukking.
Het was te verwachten dat een dergelijk project heel wat controverses zou oproepen, in die mate zelfs dat andere wetenschappers in Oxford een open brief schreven waarin zij zich distantieerden van een dergelijk voorgenomen revisionisme en het witwassen van de misdaden van het rijk. Een vooraanstaand lid van het project nam om persoonlijke redenen ontslag.
1 African Decolonisation Explained
2 How Europe Stole Africa (so quickly)
3 A Brief History of The Scramble For Africa
4 What happened to the many African Kingdoms? History of Africa 1500-1800 Documentary 1/6
5 Africa after the End of Slavery | History of Africa 1800-1870 Documentary 2/6
3:25 Southern Africa
7:52 Squarespace Sponsor
8:47 Back to Africa
14:30 West Africa
25:14 North Africa
African Kingdoms, Sokoto Caliphate, Mali Empire, Kingdom of Kongo, Rozvi Empire, Ashanti, Oyo, Kingdom of Benin, Funj, African History, Moroccan History, Barbary States, Mutapa, Zulu Kingdom, Xhosa
6 What Caused the Scramble for Africa? | History of Africa 1870-1885 Documentary 3/6
7 Colonialism in Africa: Yesterday, today and tomorrow | DW News Africa
8 How does colonialism shape the world we live in? | The Stream
By the early 19th century, a vast majority of the world’s nations had been colonised by European powers. The empire-building and resource-driven exploitation of states and their populations continues to influence the world today – from language, religion, and cultural beliefs to legal and economic systems. In certain countries, colonial practices included slavery, genocide and the creation of political and ethnic divisions that remain to this day. Others have argued that Western colonisation, in some instances, benefited colonised populations with rule of law and infrastructure building.
In the first episode of a special week of shows on colonialism, the Stream discusses its impact, how its history is remembered, and where it persists today.
9 Belgium colonial crimes: shedding light on atrocities in Africa
10 The Berlin Conference (1884 – 1885)
11 The Berlin Conference Lecture
27 feb 2015 World History
Watch this video about European Imperialism in Africa during the 19th and 20th century. The info in this video will be used to complete an in-class activity on Wednesday, March 2nd.
12 Results of the Age of Imperialism: AP Euro Bit by Bit #38
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The Age of Imperialism left some pretty complicated results in its wake. Controversy still rages over the role of European imperialism in modern world equality. In this video, I try to sort out the positive and negative results on both Europe and the colonized areas of Africa and Asia.
13 What Is Colonialism? Question and Learn About this Historical Problem
14 Berlin Conference Documentary : How Europeans Justified Killing Africans on the Continent of Africa
16 The Berlin Conference | 136 years on with historian Prof. Mathole Motshekga
17 Re-reading the Berlin Conference: International Law and the Logic of Extraction
18 Colonization of Africa – Summary on a Map
Let’s look at a map and see a summary of the different phases of exploration, conquests and colonization of African territories by European powers, beginning from the mid-15th century.
