Africa is an “in development continent” with a very deep background about colonization, that is why is so hard to define it. With fifty four countries, some of them are: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of Congo, among others, scientists says that the limits of Africa goes farther than their boundaries. In the lecture “Africa in World History and Anthropology: perceptions and misperceptions” (2012), Maiko argues that people have different perceptions and misperceptions about Africa, and with the lecture he intends to clarify some points, so people will understand and respect more this continent that suffered a lot with its explorers. In “Africa in World History and Anthropology: perceptions and …show more content…
One of the many misperceptions that people have is that Africa is Dangerous and Violent, but according to Anouk Zijlma, an Africa Travel Expert, it is influenced by the news of the media that reproduces a lot of wars, revolutions, pirates and child soldiers. In addition, Zijlma says that bad news catch more attention of the audience than good news, that is why we do not hear about Botswana or Ghana, or even the middle class of Africa is never mentioned. Still, Zijlma advices that some countries of Africa should be avoided like Somalia, and some countries, cities and borders are very dangerous as well. However, the continent is quite big, so there is still a lot of peaceful places to visit. Also, in every country that a person visit, it is important to take some protection measures, it is not because you are in a developed and rich country that you will not be robbed or suffer some violence, it can happen in any country in the world. Some valid tips that Zijlma gave are: watch your belongings every place that you go, do not wear jewelry and fancy things that can call robber’s attention, make a copy of your documents and do not walk alone, it is always better walk in a …show more content…
That is not a real fact, because Africans are very innovative and nowadays they are using a lot cell phones for example, and they have a highly effective mobile baking system. . In a rapidly research of new technologies in Africa, it is possible to see some interesting start-ups in this year, for example: BRCK, “the internet’s backup generator”, a professor using Facebook to reach her students and catch even more their attention, SnapScan, a smart way to pay your bills online, Free Wi-Fi for Africa, is an idea of a great CEO, Alan Knott-Craig, that aims to facility the access of people to the internet and the online life. The only issue is that there is a lack of access to these technologies in some countries. These issues could be repaired by the government and a lot of money should be invested in technologies and universities to create new specialists that can deal with these new
In David Northrup’s Africa’s discover of Europe, he gives an overview of the encounter between Africans and Europeans from 140-1850. Africans played a huge role of the globalizing of cultural and economic transactions. The first encounters between the two continents were mutual. Both parties tried to gain from each other through their transactions. The purpose of this book is to inform readers that we shouldn’t look at Africans as the victim, rather as an active contributor in the African-European relation.
Europe, in the late 1800’s, was starting for a land grab in the African continent. Around 1878, most of Africa was unexplored, but by 1914, most of Africa, with the lucky exception of Liberia and Ethiopia, was carved up between European powers. There were countless motivations that spurred the European powers to carve Africa, like economical, political, and socio–cultural, and there were countless attitudes towards this expansion into Africa, some of approval and some of condemnation.
Africa has an incredibly rich and complex history. Unfortunately, and for a variety of reasons, the west has a highly skewed and inaccurate perspective of Africa. In his “Myths About Africa, Africans, and African History: The Student’s ‘Ten Commandments’” Pier Larson critiques some of these perspectives and discusses where these western ideas of Africa come from. While these myths certainly are false, it is still interesting to see them and ponder why they exist and what that, in turn, reflects on western society. These reflections are very negative and limits western society’s perspective and ability to relate and identify with what is a vast and diverse continent.
One of the most common misconceptions is that Africa is one large country. Africa is a continent made up of 54 countries, with each country different from the other in terms of political, social and economic structures. For instance, in political spheres, some African countries have heads of states who are kings. The monarchies of Africa include Morocco, Lesotho, and Swaziland. Some African governments are headed by a Prime Minister while others by a President. The 54 countries are all diverse and unique in their own way, and it is a
Bryant H. McGill once said “Education should prepare our minds to use its own powers of reason and conception rather than filling it with the accumulated misconceptions of the past” (McGill ). There are misconceptions all around us; people look at certain things in a particular manner but what each person sees comes from their background. I have recently come to the realization that there are many misconceptions held about the African continent; my current class has helped me see these misconceptions and understand why they are incorrect and how I formed them. With the help of our Western society, I developed beliefs that Africa was a continent full of poverty, civil unrest, and in desperate need of help. Much of the media coverage in Africa showed droughts, famine, the need for clean drinking water; everything that was exposed to the American population about Africa through these channels carried a negative connotation. I was never taught or informed about the complex culture and fascinating traditions that make up such a diverse continent. The ancient kingdoms of West Africa were complex, developed civilizations that had rich culture, traditions, values, norms and skills that exceeded those of societies of the rest of the world such as European ones. In this paper, I will first further explain some of the common misconceptions that I had about African in general and about their ancient kingdoms.
In the modern day, Africa is seen by the world around it as a relatively underprivileged continent. Since its independence from colonial rule, Africa 's economic performance has been less than stellar and its advancement has been slow, which could be argued through a myriad of different ideologies. Nathan Nunn, the author of “Historical Legacies: A model linking Africa’s past to its current underdevelopment” believes that the slave trade and colonial rule, brought on by the Europeans in the past, is the reason for Africa’s economic hardships, that are still lingering to this day. What he sets out to answer in this academic paper is an interesting question, “Why do these events, which ended years ago, continue to matter today?” Through the
In summary, Davidson successful traces Africa’s earliest origins and demonstrates that this is a civilization far from having no arts, technology, sophistication and unique culture. Culture and civilization as we know it today can be traced back to Africa, and modern science has verified the early perceptions of Europeans to be wrong. He provides more than adequate evidence of Africa having a history complete with vast and rich civilization, including archaeological finds and specialized interviews with distinguished scholars and philosophers. Despite the fact that society possesses a more positive attitude towards African civilization today in terms of recognition, equality, and acceptance than in the past, negative stereotypes are still acknowledged and modern day racism unfortunately exists. I believe that the existence of Davidson’s work and videos such as Different but Equal are crucial to challenging these stereotypes and discrimination in order to create a more accurate image of Africa and its history. Overall, Davidson proves that the continent of Africa is home to a history that is just as meaningful, comprehensive, and progressive as that of any other civilization in the
In the 21st century, slavery and the Atlantic Slave Trade are viewed as immoral and quite possibly the most horrifying treatment known to man by society and foreign leaders but, was the same view regarded in the 17th century? The short primary sources, “Nzinga Mbemba: Appeal to the King of Portugal”, and “Captain Thomas Phillips: Buying Slaves in 1639”, enables individuals to identify how foreign leaders, specifically the kings of African nations, conducted the issue of slavery and the slave trade. In the words of Nzinga Mbemba and Captain Phillips, the kings of Congo and Ouidah both knowingly accepted slavery in their country but, had strikingly opposing views concerning the Atlantic Slave Trade; King Mbemba prohibited the trading of slaves whereas the King of Ouidah welcomed slave trading.
In the early 1880’s, the powers of Europe started to take control of regions in Africa and set up colonies there. In the beginning, colonization caused the Africans little harm, but before long, the Europeans started to take complete control of wherever they went. The Europeans used their advanced knowledge and technology to easily maneuver through the vast African landscape and used advanced weapons to take control of the African people and their land. The countries that claimed the most land and had the most significant effect on Africa were France, England, Belgium, and Germany. There were many reasons for the European countries to be competing against each other to gain colonies in Africa. One of the main reasons was that the Europeans believed that the more territory a country was able to control, the more powerful it could become and the more powerful it would be seen as by other countries. Other reasons for the desire to control African land included the many natural resources that could only be found in Africa, such as diamonds, gold, and as time progressed, rubber. It also provided new markets in surrounding places so that manufactured goods could be sold for a larger profit. The Europeans had many motives for imperialism in Africa. Yet the true motives were often shielded as they tried tom present themselves as humanitarians when in reality they were making Africa a terrible place to live with brutality and harsh treatment of the African natives. The ways of the Europeans had many physical and emotional costs for the people of Africa. The imperialism process also took a toll on the people of Europe. The European imperialistic colonization in Africa was motivated by the desire to control the abundant natural resources an...
Through media, literature, and what a monumental amount of America has learned in grade school, the perception of Africa is immensely exaggerated (The African Executive | Africa: The Beautiful). Over time, images of famine and extreme poverty has shaped America’s idea of all that Africa entails (American Perceptions of Africa Based on Media Representations). Due to the fact that modern America heavily relies on what the media chooses to feed it, it is truly up to these newspapers, magazines, and evening news channels to be responsible in choosing what they portray Africa as. Unfortunately, this has been going on for a vast amount of time, and some cannot see the end to the misconceptions, even with Africa begging to be represented in the correct manner (Africa In The Western Media).
Cooper, Frederick. Africa since 1940: The Past of the Present (New Approaches to African History). New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
Wa Muiu, Mueni. "Civilization" On Trial: The Colonial And Postcolonial State In Africa." Journal Of Third World Studies 25.1 (2008): 73-93. Sociological Collection. Web. 10 May 2014.
The colonisation of Africa occurred in the late nineteenth century, when a small group of European powers became suddenly involved in a “territorial Partition of Africa”. In the time between 1880 and 1900, “90% of the territory of Africa was appropriated by a handful of European powers” . This event sparked an intense historical debate amongst historians as there have been multiple interpretations about the colonisation in Africa. The historical debate is between metropolitan theories (which focuses on the motivations of each European power), for example by Lenin and Hobson, the peripheral approach which looks at the African perspective. Also, what aspects of these African regions made the European powers want to colonise? Finally, an “international relations” approach – this is the main focus of my enquiry. Were the shifting global attitudes an influential force? This places the Partition of Africa in a global framework, rather than look at European powers individually. A well-known theory focused on international relations is A.J.P Taylor’s theory of “political and diplomatic aims”.
An overwhelming majority of African nations has reclaimed their independence from their European mother countries. This did not stop the Europeans from leaving a permanent mark on the continent however. European colonialism has shaped modern-day Africa, a considerable amount for the worse, but also some for the better. Including these positive and negative effects, colonialism has also touched much of Africa’s history and culture especially in recent years.
Thakkar states that, “By 2040 we will have a larger workforce than China” (p. 53). The novel explains that these improvements are occurring through their better leaders and increased entrepreneurship. Thakkar also states that this African revolution is mainly occurring because of one thing, “It’s called a cell phone-and it’s been a game changer” (p. 54). Through this upbringing of technology creates “Silicon Savannahs” throughout Africa. This includes multiple creations of different smartphone companies throughout the continent, launchings of tech colleges, as well as huge investments from venture capital firms. In regards to the novel, The Next Africa, Jake Bright and Aubrey Hruby explains that, “Government efforts to build ICT infrastructure and stimulate invention are under way in countries as diverse as Cameroon, Rwanda, and Tanzania” (p. 169). Through these new startups and huge business endeavors, it creates a staple for future successful opportunities among many countries in