Reaction Paper to Ba'Nikongo: Caribbean Emancipation - Essay Example

Reaction Paper to Ba’Nikongo: Caribbean Emancipation Synopsis Many continents in the world, today, have their sociocultural and political fronts structured as their colonial masters designed them. According to Nikongo, this was during the colonial period where European countries struggled to lay hands on any piece of resourceful continents they could find. This struggle led to the changing of the structure of these continents and the people in them altogether. During this period, many changes took place that changed the course of many lives.

The effects are still felt to this present day. Race relations were affected during that period which led to the different treatment of people in present day. This paper will examine some of the events that led to what is usually seen today in most areas, in the world.Question 1 In the Caribbean, there was the presence of labour. However, the plantation owners needed labour that was economically friendly to them at the time. They, therefore, opted to ship Africans from Africa to work in their plantation farms.

In the colonies, labour was available. The only problem that existed with this labour was that, it needed extra capital to employ in the fields. Africans shipped to the Caribbean as human cargo were treated cruelly in these plantation farms (Ba’Nikongo 152). This was the nature of plantation life in the colonies. Europe already had a foothold in the African continent (Ba’Nikongo 152). This made the transfer of Africans to other colonies easier for them, and harder for all those who had to be shipped to foreign lands.

Racism was not the reason behind slavery as people would have the world believe, but slavery became the reason why racism exists. Many Africans in the diaspora are usually looked down upon because their ancestors were once slaves. It may be, therefore, right to say that slavery was the cause of racism, the world over. Question 2 There are some factors that led to the decline of slavery, and the emancipation effort in the Caribbean colonies. One might be excused for thinking this decline was because abolitionist’s cry for the cessation of slavery and human cruelty was heard (Ba’Nikongo 153).

They played a part in this revolution, but sadly, they are not the main reason for the decline of slavery. The struggle to be free from slavery became the sole purpose for the decline and fight against slavery. There was the need for economic transformation in the Caribbean, which forced the people to fight for their land. This need was what pushed slaves into wanting their liberty, and the right to conduct their economic affairs better. The push for emancipation had its own dynamics which led to the sharp decline in slavery (Ba’Nikongo 153).

Question 6 In the Caribbean, today, there are factors that determine where they are placed economically. These factors range from high unemployment rates, to high inflation (Ba’Nikongo 159). These factors make the growth and development of Caribbean economies hard to rise. They are solely dependent on European economies such that, if the economic market in Europe and North America take a dip, they also take a dip. The Caribbean Islands owe large debts to the other developed nations (Ba’Nikongo 159).

This makes it harder for them to mature and advance, while quietly paying up debt. In conclusion, in order to have an in-depth knowledge of the situation facing the Caribbean Islands, it is best to start from the beginning. Like many developing continents, the right to enjoy the privileges, found in a continent’s resources, was taken from them by colonialists. They, therefore, have to start from scratch in order to fit into the global market. It may take time, but the Caribbean Islands will rise, as will many other developing continents.

Work CitedNikongo, Ba’Nikongo. Debt and Development in the Third World: Trends and Strategies. Washington: IAAS Publishers, 1991. Print.