The State of Africa in the Twenty-First Century - Report Example

of Africa in Twenty-First Century Historical Perspectives Introduction The word ‘Africa’ is derived from the ‘Afrigii’ or ‘Afridi’ which were further derived from Arabic word ‘Afira’. In Arabic ‘Afira’ means ‘dusty’. Archaeological study reveals that Africa is the homeland of modern human species as scientific research proves that the evolution from hominid occurred in this part of the world. Archaeological research further reveals that ancient tribes of Africa used to live at the banks of the Nile River. It is the second largest continent of the world; having fifty-five countries linked with the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Major parts of Africa were occupied by Roman in 146 BC; when the Third Punic War ended. The first great empire of Africa was established in 3400 BC in Egypt. (Guest, 2005) Scramble for Africa Scramble for Africa means the occupation of African territories by the European powers from 1881 to 1914. ‘Race for Africa’ or ‘Partition of Africa’ is substituted for ‘Scramble for Africa’. By 1914, 90 % of African territory was occupied by the European powers as compared to 10 percent before 1881. Historians termed the Berlin Conference of 1884 as the starting point of ‘Race for Africa’. (Guest, 2005) Causes of Scramble Analysts discussed many factors which were responsible for the colonization of Africa. However, the industrialization of Europe was the major one as massive production requires massive raw material and Africa had a plenty of resources on its soil. Similarly, political and social factors also contributed for the plundering of Africa. Some other factors are being discussed here: (Guest, 2005) Racism: European considers them as the best and civilized race of the world. So, they consider it their ethical duty to civilize rest of the races. Most of the imperialistic adventures were the result of this school of thought. Technological Superiority: Renaissance paved the way for technological and arsenal development of the Europe. The Maxim gun was invented in 1884. On the other hand, African nation had to depend upon the traditional weaponry for their defense and it is the rule of the game that technology always wins the battle. Moreover, the invention of stream engine multiplied the European quest to conquer the world with tremendous capabilities to crush the resistance. Division of Africa Moreover, Africa was divided on linguistic and ethnic ground. The rivalry among various groups and countries help European to extend their rule on the black continent. Decolonization of Africa Decolonization of Africa started after Second World War; when nations of Africa started struggle against European to secure their independence. Only two powers of the world provided moral help to African nations for their quest to independence i.e. Union of Soviet Socialist Republic and China. The U-boats of Germany make it impossible for the imperialists to plunder the raw material of Africa and resultantly it was used within the geographical territories of Africa which enhanced the urbanization and literacy rate in Africa. A literate and urban Africa was against slavery and decided to defend its territorial integrity. Case Studies of Congo and Nigeria Democratic Republic of Congo: The area presently known as DRC was came into being from Nigeria by Bantus in 6th century. Democratic Republic of Congo had different names during the course of history like Congo, Belgian Congo, Congo Free State, Kingdom of Congo and Zaire. Leopold II of Belgium was the first person in modern history; that deprived citizens of Congo from their freedom and controlled the affairs of the country through a non-governmental organization named as Association Internationale African. During his regime, the land of Congo has become the most scandalous state of the world. Leopold II relinquished his control over the region and it was taken over by the parliament of Belgium in 1908. Finally, Congo secured her independence from Belgium in 1960. At the time of its independence, Congo was a fragile state; surrounded by tribal rivalries. Tribal elders were stronger than the federal government. No bureaucratic infrastructure was available to run the affairs of the country. Literacy rate was at the bottom. Nationalist, Patrice Lumumba was emerged as Prime Minister and pro-West Joseph Ksavubu elevated as the president of Democratic Republic of Congo after the parliamentary elections of 1960. The nationalist segment of armed forces initiated a mutiny against European officer on July 5, 1960. The capital of Congo witnessed mass murders and incidents of looting in the wake of this mutiny. United Nations sent 20, 000 peacekeepers to protect the lives of European and avert the upheaval. During this turmoil, the country’s second richest province, Kasai, announced its independence from the federation. (Michela, 2001) At this juncture of the history, the Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba contacted the president of USSR, Nikita Khrushchev and sought his help for defeating rebels and militants. USSR showed readiness to help the government of Congo and promised to provide sophisticated weapons to the forces loyal to Lumumba. As it was the era of cold war, hence the USA was ready to counter the strategic move of USSR. The peacekeepers of United Nations had been asked to foil any attempt of Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba to import Russian weaponry. The United States of America also sent large cache of weapons and CIA agents to topple the government of Lumumba. The pro-West president Joseph Ksavubu clashed with the prime minister and advocated a pro-American alliance instead of relying on Soviet Union. Finally, CIA succeeded to overthrow the government of Lumumba and he was arrested and later killed in custody. Political instability, armed conflicts, incidents of terrorism and tribal rivalry plagued the country during the preceding years. By taking advantage of the situation, commander in chief of the national army, General Mobutu seized power in November 1965 and declared him president for the five years. He was elected as president for the five years term in 1970 again. President Mobutu launched a cultural awareness campaign in the country and stressed citizens to adopt African names and terminology and discard French nomenclature. He also changed the name of the country to Republic of Zaire in 1971. The situation of the country remained somehow normal up till 1977; when Katangan rebles; who had their headquarters in Angola, launched series of offensives to seize power but they were defeated by the government forces with the help of the paramilitary forces of Belgium. (Michela, 2001) President Mobutu remained powerful throughout the decade of 1980s and succeeded to quench the demands of tiny opposition. Moreover, he also faced international criticism from international quarters for the violation of human rights in the country. After the cessation of cold war between the capitalistic and socialist blocs; considerable pressure was built upon Mobutu; internally and externally; for quitting the government amid allegation of massive corruption and highhandedness. President Mobutu faced many crises and prolonged his dictatorship up to 1997; when Kabila seized power and Mobutu opted to flee from the country. Joseph Kabila re-elected as the president of the country in December 2011 and running the affairs of the country but conflicts have become the order of the day. Nigeria Nigeria is the most populous country of Africa and situated on Guinea Gulf in the West Africa. Chad, Niger, Benin and Cameroon are her neighbors. The region gained the name of Nigeria in 1898 after the name of Niger. (Kevin, 2005) Napoleonic wars paved the way for British interference in Nigeria. Initially, Britain expanded her influence on Nigeria through trade ties. The British influence on Nigeria was recognized internationally in 1885 and later a company namely Royal Niger Company was incorporated that occupied a large area of Nigeria. British government dissolved the company in 1900 and took control of the company’s property. The British Empire declared Nigeria as its colony on January 1, 1901. British authorities introduced a number of administrative reforms for keeping the unity of the country intact. In initial years, Niger Coast Protectorate was enhanced to form Southern Nigeria, with its capital at Logos. The emir of Kano and the sultan of Sokoto were reluctant to accept the rule of British Empire. Frederick Lugard was appointed as commander-in-chief of the protectorate of northern Nigeria to deal the situation. Frederick Lugard was an ex-officer of Royal Niger Company and knew the complexities of the affairs of Nigeria. He successfully rooted out the rebellious ideologies of opposing tribes. Frederick pacified Northern Nigeria through hectic efforts and applied the technique of indirect rule to run the affairs of the colony. He conquered many areas and later shifted powers to the local leaders; who were loyal to the crown. He was appointed as the governor of northern and southern Nigeria in 1912 with a task of unification of both regions. Frederick fulfilled this task in 1914 when both regions were amalgamated. Nigeria was divided into three parts namely southern, eastern and western Nigeria in 1951 by British Empire with separate assemblies. A separate ‘House of Chiefs’ was formed in Southern Nigeria to protect the tribal authority besides the establishment of Legislative Council for dealing the affairs of whole Nigeria. All of these steps were not proved fruitful for running the affairs of the country amicably. A new constitution was introduced in 1954 that annexed the Federal Territory of Logos in the Federation of Nigeria. (Basil, 1991) During the decade of 1950s, an African political structure was evolved. The federal prime minister was nominated from the year 1957; with the right of self government to the eastern and western Nigeria. The same status was given to the southern Nigeria in 1959. Following the emergence of internal conflicts and decline of British Empire, Nigeria was granted freedom in October, 1960. Right from its inception, Nigeria became prey of civil war and political unrest. Political instability, economic chaos, corruption, ethnic clashes and social disorder has become the order of the day. Africa in the 21st Century: 21st century is posing great challenges to Africa. The black continent has many unresolved issues like political instability, armed conflicts, poverty, gender inequality and the questions of national identity. Africa suffered due to colonization and is suffering neo-colonization still which led the issues of freedom of expression, human rights violations, exploitation of natural and human resources, low literacy rate and economic woes. However, the Director General of the World Trade Organization, Pascal Lamy in his speech at Nairobi on May 22, 2013 said: “Africans today are more confident and hopeful in the future than ever before. This is also the great transformation that I have seen in the attitude of African negotiators in WTO: confident that trade, if coupled with domestic policies and Aid for Trade can be an engine for growth.” Democratic Republic of Congo in 21st Century Congo is bleeding with the armed conflicts of rival tribes and inflated numbers of internally displaced persons. Violations of human rights are on the rise and women have been abused on regular basis. Colonial rule hindered the maturity of Congolese and they have been devoid of political and social upbringing. Nigeria in 21st Century Nigeria is also facing many challenges in the 21st century. Among others extremism is one of the biggest challenges faced by Nigeria. Colonization developed a sense of deprivation among the people and they consider Westerners as their enemy which led to the emergence of extremism and fundamentalism in Nigeria. Boko Haram is a militant group; which is working to enforce Islamic law in the country. The violent activities of the group halted the economic, social and political development of the country. Although it has rich natural resources but their exploitation is not possible in the present poor law and order situation. Works Cited Guest, Robert. (2005). The Shackled Continent, London: Pan Macmillan. p. 11. Ibid. pp. 35-37 Ibid. pp. 143-145 Wrong, Michela. (2001). In the Footstep of Mr. Kurtz, Harper Perennial. New York: pp. 45-49 Ibid. pp. 144-146 Shillington, Kevin (2005), History of Africa, p. 2. Rev. 2nd ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Davidson, Basil (1991), Africa In History: Themes and Outlines, pp. 30-33. Revised and expanded ed. New York: Simon & Schuster. http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/sppl_e/sppl283_e.htm accessed on 26.04.2014. Read More