Positive Impact On Africa

The general history that everyone knows about Africa is that they were people that fell victim to the Europeans. In spite of that, they were slowly able to form their own identity and become the people who embody today’s Africa. This essay will argue that the impact of Islam and Christianity, the European ‘scramble’, and the ‘second colonial occupation’ were the three key moments in the pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial periods that shaped their own destiny and how they were able to benefit despite the adversities that faced them for years. The impact of Islam and Christianity was evident due to the fact that Arabic was spreading, resulting in the discovery of important evidence along the way and Christianity was also spreading and

The historical significance is that the scramble presented new social and economic opportunities for Africans during this stressful period in time and used it to their advantage. According to Parker and Rathbone, some of the people that took advantage “ranged from humble ex-slaves who were in the colonial armies, clerks and interpreters who used literacy as a method of social and economic advance, onto kings and chiefs who consolidated their political positions in alliance with European power” (102). With this, kings and chiefs were able to strengthen their role in politics that was par with Europeans. An example of this is Sir Apolo Kaggwa, who was an essential part in “negotiating British overrule in the Buganda kingdom in modern Uganda” (102). In addition, the misuse of Africa’s resources and manual labor created rampant social change. According to Parker and Rathbone, “From north to south, people were being drawn into cash economies, reformulating family relationships, moving to towns and cities, breaking old bonds of allegiance and creating new ones” (106). Along with the economic benefits, people strengthened their ties with their loved ones, and in turn improved their way of life as

According to Parker and Rathbone, the impact was “complex: widening opportunity, and the expansion of health, educational, and welfare provision for many Africans” (116). This is historically significant, because the Africans’ way of life was heavily improved, and were given a chance to rise above their set standards. Since health care improved, fertility rates rose rapidly, leading to a large population growth, and “migrants from the countryside flooded into cities all over the continent” (116). Because of the population increase, they became the catalysts for change and colonial rulers started to lose their power. Along with this, Africa was also improving politically starting with France. According to Parker and Rathbone, “from 1944 fashioned a new constitutional relationship with its colonies, one that for the first time emphasized economic and social progress” (116). Because of this, African representatives were chosen from elections to enter parliament in Paris. Other parties were taking a similar route like France. Britain, who wished to keep their power secure in the Gold Coast were deterred by the citizens. Due to “urban rioting” (118), the British decided to steer in the path of “self government for the Gold Coast”