¶ … Africa Since Independence" Review
Africa, as a continent, went through an extended colonial period. Although the entire continent was not involved, the greatest part of the nation was and many achieved independence from other nations in a relatively short span after world War II. Legum says that at the end of the War only five nations had achieved independence (though one, South Africa, was still under a form of dominance) and that over the next 15 years that number was quadrupled (2). The fact that so many nations experienced freedom from colonial rule in such a short period of time meant that they all went through periods of romanticism, disillusionment and reality at roughly the same time. "Africa Since Independence" examines the cultural, political and religious renaissance of the many countries that occupy the African continent and how they have risen through the periods suggested in the book as markers.
He begins the book by looking at Africa through the eyes of the people of the continent and trying to determine what differences they saw during colonialism and after that the rest of the world did not see. He says that whereas Europeans see a vast continent with a large indigenous population, the people of the continent celebrate the different cultures that exist (Legum 3). He says this has been true throughout their history. Legum shows throughout the book how history, both pre-colonial and colonial, has effected...
Africa's Political Crisis Most African colonies became independent in the 1950s and 1960s amid hopes that this would be the prelude to an era of democracy and development (Cooper, 2002). By the end of the 1980s, Africa was plagued by instability, authoritarianism, poverty, war and famine. In some countries, the state itself had begun to disintegrate. There are many reasons for Africa's current state of political instability. For one, continuous rivalry between
However, how are these hardships related to the civil strife and militia? It is this point that is unclear. Edgerton provides more of a subjective review of what he feels is going on and provides a few factual details to support this, but provides little in the way of detail and real conjecture, which would help the average person discern what steps the people of Africa should take to
Africa Since 1940 The introduction to Frederick Cooper's "Africa since 1940: The past of the present," asserts that unless one has thoroughly researched African history, or has lived in Africa, it is nearly impossible for an outsider to chronologically organize all of the events that has happened within its borders in order to come up with some kind of clear statement about nationalism. Cooper enters his book with the ideas of
Africa and the Slave Trade Give a brief description of Africans' way of life prior to the Atlantic Slave Trade, meaning their Political, economic, cultural and societal organizations. Please take into consideration the Documentary films: " Caravans of Gold" and " King and City." As is demonstrated in the documentaries 'Caravans of Gold' an 'King and City,' the embattled and economically delayed Africa with which we are familiar today is a far
Africa The continent is one of the most geographically diverse and astounding areas of the earth. It is made up of close to 30,244,050 square km (Europe is 9,700,000 square km). The most northerly point of the continent is Morocco, and the most southerly in South Africa, the extreme west in Somalia, with the most easterly point 7,400 km away. Africa's coastline is 26,000 km in length. The mean elevation is
Technological advancements are rare in the bulk of sub-Saharan nations, which remain among the poorest in the world due to their weak levels of exports. However, some Sub-Saharan nations possess a range of natural resources from ore to agriculture. Some sub-Saharan African countries such as Sierra Leone rely on a corrupt and dangerous gem mining industry, the profits of which do not reach the general population. Many African nations
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