Africa and Colonial - Essay Example

The significance of understanding the impact of the colonization of Africa to the study of Africa is colonization changed Africa forever. Colonization impacted Africa in many ways. First, the Africans were captured as slaves or used as conspirators for the colonists. Secondly, the division of land between European countries. Africa had thousands of cultures, tribes, and political boundaries. The Europeans threw different tribes together. For example, the Portuguese established ports on todays Ghanas coast.

The Dutch created Cape Town in South Africa. Later the British conquered and held for a period, todays Egypt, Nigeria, Uganda, and South Africa to name a few. The French controlled what today is Madagascar, Algeria, and most of West Africa. Belgium controlled the Belgium Congo, which included todays Rwanda. Rwanda is one example of how African colonization is important to understand the study of Africa. Belgium used the Tutsi as servants against the Hutu. The Hutu massacred between half a million to a million Tutsi in 1994 for grudges left over from Belgium rule.

Colonization separated, lumped together, and turned African against African. The major colonizers of Africa were France, England, Germany, Belgium, and the Portuguese. The formal colonization of these nations over Africa began at the Berlin Conference 1884-1885 with the debating parties being Germany, England, and France. Although this conference really did not solve anything, the race to colonize Africa begin. With military might, new maps of the interior, the Europeans set up local governments in Africa.

For example, the French, Portuguese, Germans, and Belgians set up direct governments. These governments had French, Portuguese, Germans, and Belgians in positions of power in Africa. The English ruled indirectly. They set up local power holders, then made them serve British interests. European powers were able to conquer Africa, because Africa had great travel routes. These routes helped in military and trade ventures for the Africans, but made them weak to the Europeans. Secondly, the thousands of different African tribes made unity impossible.

The Europeans used this to their advantage, turning African against African. Especially after the mistreatment, Africans were afraid, but defiant. Their defiance was met by more force. In the end, the Africans submitted to the European colonists. However, their fury never abated. Today in liberated South Africa, white farmers are attacked. Rwanda has been through genocide. Sierre Leone is a killing field. All of the pent up rage is coming out generations later. The effects of colonization can still be seen.

Europeans possessed a superior attitude toward the African natives. Different countries treated Africans in different ways. For example, the French accepted Africans as French, if the African gave up his culture to adopted French ways. Intermarriage was even encouraged. If an African did all these things, they were civilized and equal to the French. The Portuguese thought full blooded Portuguese would always be superior, not matter what the Africa did. However, if the African abandoned his culture and spoke Portuguese, with Portuguese manners, then the African was civilized, not equal.

Though Portuguese did not mind intermarriage. The British never accepted the African, no matter how much he changed or how much he acted British. Intermarriage were looked down upon. All of these cultures however felt their ways were superior to the African way.