AUHRM Project Focus Area: Colonialism

Colonialism in Africa which saw Africa being invaded by European imperialists in the 1870s and 1900, was motivated by three main factors; economic, political, and social. This was an expansion of the Industrial Revolution of wealth seeking and Africa was the perfect place to do such since it possessed both human capital and natural resources. The very same nations that dealt in the slave trade invaded Africa under the guise of ‘civilising’ Africans.

Following the Berlin conference which was held to divide Africa for the imperial powers to gain control, the General Act of the Berlin Conference was used by the colonial powers. The campaign was to allow the imperialist to physically pick and choose which parts of Africa they wanted. After this, Africa was invaded economically, socially and politically. States were created and were administered by foreign military, resources were exploited and shipped outside of the continent. These states were not independent but extensions of the territory of the imperialists, they had no governments or self-elected leaders. Instead, they had systems of local administrations headed by a chief or local leader who reported to the masters. For years, the project of colonialism had crept its way in the social and mental lives of Africas, their way of life changed, and language, traditional and cultures were wiped away and replaced with foreign ones.

Similar to other periods of Africa’s devastation, decolonisation emerged after resistance from Africans themselves who advocated for independence. The imperialist caved in to the mounting pressure from the international community. In the 1960s most of the colonial territories were declared independent and new sovereign states emerged.