Modern Gabon is a bustling nation of 1.7 million citizens with nearly 90 percent of its inhabitants living in urban areas (CIA 2014). It is a resource-rich state with significant oil deposits that account for “about 50% of its GDP, about 70% of [government] revenues, and 87% of goods exports” (CIA 2014). Gabon’s GDP per capita is four times that of the average West African country and it is classified by the World Bank as an upper-middle income nation (CIA 2014) (World Bank 2103). The key factor that allowed the transformation of the tribal Gabon of the fifteenth century into the modern nation of today is French post-colonial involvement in the country’s economic and political spheres.
Specifically, French military involvement has been the
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With over forty ethnic groups residing within the borders of modern-day Gabon, it had no national identity until the end of the colonial era (BBC 2104). These forty ethnic groups were loosely identified as belonging to eight major tribal groups and these eight groups dominated pre-colonial Gabonese politics. Additionally, and unlike many of Gabon’s neighbors, these early tribes had no hierarchical leadership. At the clan level there were local headsmen, yet at the greater tribal level there was no sense of a unified tribe leadership until the mid-twentieth-century (Weinstein 1966). This lack of unified opposition enabled the Portuguese, and later the French, to more easily colonize the land. French involvement in Gabon began in earnest in 1839 with the signing of a treaty between the French and a clan headsman and merchant named Antchouwe Kowe Rapontchombo, whom the French referred to as “King” Dennis, although there was no Gabonese equivalent to a western king at the time (Gardinier 1994). This treaty ceded what is now known as the Gabon Estuary to the French in return for merchandise (Weinstein 1996). This 40-mile-long inlet is now the location of the capital city, Libreville, and it is widely considered to be the best harbor in Western Africa (Encyclopedia Britannica 2014). Dennis’s primary motivation for signing this seemingly exploitative treaty was …show more content…
Unlike most colonial upheavals, this political activity occurred almost exclusively within the French democratic system that had been established during colonial rule. The first and most influential Gabonese politicians included members of the French National Assembly in Paris as well as locally-elected politicians in Gabon. Of these politicians, two would rise to prominence in early Gabonese politics. Jean-Hilaire Aubame was a member of the Territorial Assembly in Gabon and was its first representative to the French National Assembly in 1946 (Barnes 1992). Leon Mba was also a member of the Territorial Assembly and was the canton chief of the Fang residing in Libreville (Barnes 1992). These two men would become permanent political rivals in the post-colonial period. Although both Mba and Aubame were members of the Fang tribe, Aubame was viewed as a moderate by the French administration and the Catholic Church. Conversely, Mba had ties to a communist-linked organization and was affiliated with the religious Bwiti sect, a secret ritual society among the Fang that mixed tribal beliefs with Christian elements (Gardinier 1994). However, the French would not be the deciding factor in this political battle. The
Alas, in 1961 Patrice Lumumba was assassinated by a US- sponsored plot 7 months after independence, and replaced him with a “puppet dictator named Mobutu” (Kingsolver). In her book, Barbara Kingsolver surfaces a forgotten part of our nation’s history in the exploitation of the Congo through her main characters, the Price family, who are missionaries sent to the Kilanga village. Through characters’ narratives that “double as allegories for the uneasy colonial marriage between the West and Africa” (Hamilton, Jones), Kingsolver creates a relatable way for her readers to understand the theme she is trying to convey, which is “‘what did we do to Africa, and how do we feel about it?’” (Snyder). Kingsolver began with this theme and developed the rest of the novel around it, just as she does with her other works, and sticking with her trademark technique, she utilizes her book as a vessel for “political activism, an extension of the anti-Vietnam protests” she participated in college (Snyder).
In the middle of the 15th century, Portuguese explorers began to establish trading outposts along the western coast of Africa, thus beginning the first steps toward imperialism by European nations. It is estimated that the first trading of Africans as slaves by the Portuguese began in 1444. The West African kingdom of Benin, however, still suc...
By the late nineteenth century, France terminated the slave trade in French Cameroon and abolished slavery in the French colony of Martinique. Although the French removed the physical chains on people of African descent living in French territories, the remnant of slavery and colonialism continues to manifest itself through the mental enslavement and exploitation of people of continental Africa and the African Diaspora. In Jean-Marie Téno’s unorthodox documentary about the history of Cameroon, Africa, I Will Fleece You, and Euzhan Palcy’s film set on the island of Martinique, Sugar Cane Alley, they shed light on the transferable nature of slavery and colonialism in postcolonial societies. Accordingly, Téno’s, Africa, I Will Fleece You, and Palcy’s, Sugar Cane Alley, manipulate
Profant, Tomas. “French Geopolitics in Africa: From Neocolonialism to Identity.” Perspectives: Central European Review of International Affairs 18.1 (2010). 41-62. Web. 18 May 2014.
Adam Hochschild painted a very vivid picture of the cruelty and injustices done to the Congolese from 1885 to 1908 in his book King Leopold’s Ghost. Hochschild shows us how manipulative King Leopold was in his desire for fortune and more power. This paper will point out the how King Leopold was a silver tongued snake, how he used his charm to win him the colony of Congo, and how his greed caused many innocent lives to be lost. This can be seen in the examination of how he gained control of the colony and his management thereafter.
Priscilla. “The World Economy and Africa.” JSpivey – Home – Wikispaces. 2010. 29 January 2010. .
At The top of society was a small group of Europeans. Rubber agents and other government officers controlled every aspect of life in The State. They even held control over when natives could visit family. (Doyle, 1909) These Europeans had a section of land that they were to supervise and oversee the production of goods. In Belgium, a very selective group of people had control over the region with King Leopold II at the top. He had the final say in all policy of The Congo Free State. Although he held this power, most of the decision making was sub-contracted to government owned companies, such as The Anglo-Belgian Indian Rubber
It is thought-provoking, in the sense that Africa’s need for foreign created a race to the bottom, much like what Pietra Rivoli described in The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy. Due to some African states’ reliance on foreign aid in order to mine and profit on their resources, they allow business standards to be lowered and for Chinese firms to tip the contracts moresoever in the favor of Chinese firms. This lowers the potential earnings of African states by lowering royalty rates, for example. Additionally, Burgis’ research was thorough and transparent. When he did not receive a response or if his questions were dodged, he made it obvious to the readers. Sure, some could view this book as too anecdotal to be used as a credible source of Africa’s situation. However, this is due to the nature of the system Burgis is writing about; after all, they are shadow states for a reason. Some readers will be saddened by this text, others angry, most curious to learn more, but above all, everyone will be intellectually stimulated and
While Leopold II, the King of Belgium, desperately wanted an overseas colony, The Belgian people did not share his enthusiasm; which created the feelings of neglect and apathy Belgium had towards Congo. The Congo Free State, established “in the margins of the Berlin Conference” in 1885, allowed Leopold to “gain international recognition of his possession” which he had begun to take control of since the 1870s. However, while Leopold was securing control of the Congo, the Belgian people were not interested in controlling colonies, as they believed that colonies “would merely soak up resources that would be better used for social purposes at home.” Thus, the Belgian people decided to solve the problem of having an unwanted colony by separating the Belgian government from...
The Portuguese arrived in Benin, in modern Nigeria, between 1472 and 1486 to find an established and ancient kingdom with remarkable social and ritual complexity, with art that was comparatively naturalistic, and with a political system that was, on the surface, recognizable to the Europeans: monarchy. Even more importantly, they found a land rich in pepper, cloth, ivory, and slaves, and immediately set out to establish trade (Ben-Amos 35-6). Though we often imagine "first contacts" between Europeans and Africans as clashes of epochal proportions, leaving Europeans free to manipulate and coerce the flabbergasted and paralyzed Africans, this misjudges the resilience and indeed, preparedness, of the Benin people. The Benin were able to draw on their cultural, political, and religious traditions to fit the European arrival in an understandable context. Indeed, as the great brass plaques of the Benin palace demonstrate, the arrival was in fact manipulated by the Benin to strengthen, not diminish, indigenous royal power.
Ghana, whether an ancient kingdom or centrally governed nation in Western Africa, has been in the fabric of economic development and exchange in Sub-Saharan Africa for the past thousand years (Berry, 1994, p. 63). Known for its abundance of gold, the nation of Ghana, touted as “The Gold Coast” by European traders (Berry, 1994, p. 63), has felt the political and economic aftermath of the world becoming less isolated over the past six centuries by virtue of growing European power. In this essay, by examining the current state of Ghana and drawing upon historical exchanges between Europeans and Ghanaians, I intend to reveal the ramifications of both British colonialism and globalization on Ghana’s political and economic infrastructure.
When Congo gained its independence from Belgium it struggled to develop and remained a weak state. There were many factors that led to Congo being unable to progress and create strong institutions within its countries borders. “Political divisions along the ethnic lines were prevalent, though this fact could be misleading. Ethnicity became the primary source of political mobilization i...
(a) Africans and Europeans have relations that date all the way back to the origins of humans and human migrations. Scholars have hypothesized that Homo erectus found in Europe about 800,000 years ago originated and migrated from Africa Europeans and Africans also had religious relations; which is evident from the spread of Christianity, introduced by the Byzantines, throughout Africa specifically in North Africa, the Nile Valley, and the Horn of Africa. Aside from religious relations, Africans and Europeans also had economic and political relations as a result of European colonization and conquest of the African regions. Economic relations were a result of Europeans coming into Africa and taking natural resources to benefit from in the production of goods and trade. Another specific example of economic relations between Europeans and Africans is the practice of mercantilism, in which European nations were the mother countries and countries of Africa were the colonies. As the mother country, Europeans, would take natural resources from the colony, African regions, to produce goods, which would then be sold back to the colony. This also attributed to the political relations between Africans and Europeans because the economic desires of the Europeans often led to them controlling the Africans to maximize profit and their own personal benefits; which is directly related to slavery, one of the biggest relations between Africans and Europeans. Slavery and the slave trade in turn created social relations because slaves were considered to be a class of their own. Another social relation that resulted from slavery was the creation a “new race” known as the...
There is no doubt that European colonialism has left a grave impact on Africa. Many of Africa’s current and recent issues can trace their roots back to the poor decisions made during the European colonial era. Some good has resulted however, like modern medicine, education, and infrastructure. Africa’s history and culture have also been transformed. It will take many years for the scars left by colonization to fade, but some things may never truly disappear. The fate of the continent may be unclear, but its past provides us with information on why the present is the way it is.
The craftiness of colonialism on Africa changed its history forever but there were good and bad effects because they built schools and improved medical care but they also had segregated benefits and resource drainage.