BLST 49 B

Running head: OUTLINE 1

OUTLINE 2

THE KNOWLEDGE OF COLONIALISM--THE CENTRAL THEME OF THE LAST CENTURY IN AFRICA

Yucheng Xue

A. When we speak of colonialism, we usually refer to a mechanism of total domination, by which the West tried to subordinate the African continent to its political and economic interests; for this he imposed new religious, ideological, family systems.

1. On the other hand, when mentioning neocolonialism, only the economic or military aspect of western domination over Africa is studied.

2. However, at present European actions are not limited to the economic and military sphere, but still today the ideological and political subordination of African countries is frequent.

B. Economic mechanisms played a key role in the colonization of Africa (as in the occupation of the Congo by King Leopold of Belgium or in that of Southern Africa by Cecil Rhodes). However, sometimes the desire for hegemony accelerated the colonizing process.

1. The rivalry between the European powers and the belief in European superiority (Kipling's "white's man burden") encouraged the colonization of some areas of Africa of little economic and strategic value.

2. Heart of Darkness plans the appearance of Africa as "the other world, " the contrast of Europe and thus of civilization, a place where male's vaunted intellect and modification are finally ridiculed by successful bestiality (Achebe, 1978).

C. European interventions in Africa are not harmful because they defend Western economic interests, but because they violate the right of African peoples to self-government.

1. There are numerous Western interventions that do not stem from economic interests but are equally perverse (for example, the American intervention in Somalia, dictated by the personal interests of George Bush).

2. In The African Slave Trade and Its Remedy (1840), Buxton represents Africa as a terrestrial "swarming by inhabitants who esteem, and are eager of having our manufactures (Brantlinger, 1985).

D. Today, many of Europe's interference in Africa does not primarily respond to economic interests. In some cases, it is the political interests of certain European groups that override the priorities of African citizens.

1. Increasing inequalities in and amongst societies joined by a series of ecological crises misshapen long-standing rivalry above natural resources and trade in south-eastern Africa into vehement struggles (Eldredge, 1992).

2. Cooperation has become a great media spectacle from which huge political returns are obtained, so cooperation actions are not financed based on their effectiveness, but rather on their propaganda impact.

3. That is why self-criticism in this area is minimal, and that some cooperation organizations have become mere appendices of western political parties. Even socialist countries have used aid as an instrument to gain support in international forums, collaborating with cruel dictatorships in exchange for political alliances.

E. Nana Yaa Asantewaa’s role in the 1900 confrontation war surpassed the usual political and armed roles of Asante females (Brempong, 2000). Her role was very important in the African colonialism.

1. Ras Mikaél is said to have been a strong and brave fighter and he was known for building a strong army, recruiting soldiers from the different areas of Wollo (Tadesse, 2019).

2. On the other hand, after the fall of the Berlin wall, the European left, lacking alternative models for their own society, have focused multiple efforts on international solidarity.

3. It is no coincidence that the disorientation of the western left coincides with its extroversion.

F. The Third World becomes the field of projection of political ideals that are not capable of acting effectively in their own territory (Wilson, (1942) ". In fact, for decades’ African countries have become a testing ground for Western ideologies.

1. Throughout the first half of the century, the European countries, convinced of their religious superiority, set out to save the souls of the Africans, who were unaware of the bulls and the sacrament of confession (Morel, 1969). Today, 50 years later, in secular Spain, it is preferred to draw a thick veil over this old western obsession.

2. The article examines the limited papers relating to the society of the Maji Maji revolt of 1905-7 in the southern and eastern of German East Africa (Iliffe, 1967). But the Western religious crisis did not slow down Western interventions in Africa.

G. In the 1960s, the West, in full economic development, tried to export with equal enthusiasm a model of economic growth based on pharaonic infrastructure (large dams and huge factories). Their ineffectiveness would later be demonstrated, and even environmentalism would begin to question the efficacy of develop mentalism in the West itself.

1. In the 1970s, people around the world dedicated themselves to advising Angolans and Mozambicans on the best way to build the revolution in Africa: all of them considered themselves capable of politically "educating" the African "ignorant".

2. In the 1980s, few Europeans maintained their enthusiasm for socialist models; but the criticism towards capitalism was tilting towards environmentalism, which was also tried to implant in Africa.

H. The Europeans, who had already completely destroyed their ecosystems, set about teaching Africans how to conserve their forests, rivers, and endangered species.

1. In Zimbabwe (Rhodesia), African females have usually shared equal errands and duties in community management, political businesses and national protection (Mutunhu, 1976).

2. The Afrocentricism and the universal teleology of this method are outstanding. It agrees by the normal design of South Africa's ancient texts in which whites and blacks are 'pluralistically' preserved in separate parts or books, and where connections are usually ignored (Cobbing, 1988).

I. Lately, the West has set out to redeem African women from their compatriot "barbarians."

1. Africans are considered uncivilized because they do not know how to take good care of their women, and Europeans believe they are capable of teaching them the light of truth. Probably, within a few years, Europe will launch major campaigns to free gays in Africa from homophobic pressure.

2. In any case, the changes in European interventions in Africa do not reflect variations in Africans' priorities, but only reveal ideological fluctuations in the West. In any case, the interests of Africans have always been secondary to those who seek to develop the black continent.

References

Achebe, C. (1978). An image of Africa. Research in African literatures, 9(1), 1-15.

Cobbing, J. (1988). The Mfecane as alibi: thoughts on Dithakong and Mbolompo. The Journal of African History, 29(3), 487-519.

Brempong, A. (2000). The role of Nana Yaa Asantewaa in the 1900 Asante war of resistance. Ghana Studies, 3(1), 97-110.

Brantlinger, P. (1985). Victorians and Africans: The genealogy of the myth of the dark continent. Critical Inquiry, 12(1), 166-203.

Eldredge, E. A. (1992). Sources of conflict in southern Africa, c. 1800–30: The ‘Mfecane’reconsidered. The Journal of African History, 33(1), 1-35.

Iliffe, J. (1967). The organization of the Maji Maji rebellion. The Journal of African History, 8(3), 495-512.

Tadesse, M. (2019). Ras Mikael of Wollo and the Campaign of Adwa. Ethiopian e-Journal for Research and Innovation Foresight (Ee-JRIF), 9(1).

Morel, E. D. (1969). The black man’s burden: The white man in Africa from the fifteenth century to World War I (Vol. 29). NYU Press.

Mutunhu, T. (1976). Nehanda of Zimbabwe (Rhodesia): The Story of a Woman Liberation Fighter. Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies, 7(1).

Wilson, A. E. (1942). " Prempeh" The Last Ashanti King. Negro History Bulletin, 6(1), 19-22.