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The Uniqueness of Nigeria's culture
Impacts of colonization in africa
Impacts of colonization in africa
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The British colonization of Nigeria was a double edged sword with extraordinary consequences. It brought new infrastructure into Nigeria but destroyed many important customs. The British officially labeled Nigeria as a colony in 1807. Nigeria was a colony in the British Empire until 1960. At that time, Nigeria peacefully separated from Britain and went their separate ways. Nigeria is a member of the British Commonwealth and maintains a peaceful relationship with the UK.
Many contributing factors played a role in the colonization of Nigeria. Their States had resources that The British could not manufacture in their home country. There was also a need to show British domination on a world stage. Britain had been successfully kicked out of their own colonies just a few decades earlier. The strategy for British colonization was to belittle the native population so they could rule easier and make more profit. The British set up a company called The Royal Niger Company to run certain parts of Nigeria with an iron fist. This company had mercenaries that were looking for a fight. Nigeria was not the only African state to be conquered by the British. Nigeria joined a long line of colonies under the British rule. This would be only the start of the story for the Nigerian story that would take century’s to unfold.
Life under British rule was harsh and unforgiving for native Nigerians. They were racially profiled in all that they did. European whites controlled all major industries and government. Whites lived in upscale neighborhoods. Slums were in close proximity and occupied by the natives. There was a bright side to British occupation. Natives could go to British Universities and schools. In spite of the educational opportunities, Nat...
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...rge ports and airports. There are separatist movements mainly led by Islamic terrorists that want to separate from the Christian areas of Nigeria. There are many Muslim communities in Nigeria that are sometimes violent places due to the Separatist movement. The politics and culture of Nigeria is a cloudy and confusing place with no clear road ahead.
The politics of Nigeria step back to the first day the Europeans found Nigeria. There is no clear road ahead but there is hope that Nigeria will be a booming economy and world class country . The quality of life is rising every year and the sitiation is getting better. This nation has had a long history of separation, unification, and colonialism. Whatever the future brings for Nigeria will not be as hard as the road has been to get there. Nigeria”s future all came from one moment when the British landed in Nigeria.
Shokpeka, S. A., & Nwaokocha, O. A. (2009). British Colonial Economic Policy in Nigeria, the Example of Benin Province1914-1954. Human Ecology, 28(1), 58-65.
“Many people today have encountered racism in some way or form. Maybe someone of a different race was treated unfairly just because they're a different color. Or someone could have been given special privileges because of their race. Dictionary.com defines racism as,”[1] “A belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to rule others.” Although racism doesn't appear to have the same effect today, as it would have in the past, it is still a big factor in our world today. This is evident with the scandal with Donald Sterlings remarks about African Americans. To Kill a Mockingbird’s main theme is racism and it was written at a time where racism and prejudice was still a norm in the south. Harper Lee grew up in Alabama so she knew first hand how people felt about African Americans. This book was written in the hopes that people would cease to see the differences in people and come together to see the similarities.
Africa is a land of riches like no other, so as expected, European countries would have some sort of desire to conquer properties in whatever way they did. As stated in African Colonies and their Exports Chart, countless of natural resources are found in different areas in Africa. Not only does the data show plenty of resources, but also a variety (Doc D). This confirms that Africa is a wealthy land that Europeans grew fond of and hoped to take over. Specified in Imports and Exports Graph, following the 1900’s, after the conference to divide up Africa was held, Britain decided to use Africa’s natural resources and specialize in many industries. The imports doubled from 4 million pounds, while the exports boosted from 2.5 million all the way to 21 million pounds (Doc. E). With this lucrative increase in trading and selling, it is fair to conclude that not only were resources a factor of beginning imperialism in Africa, but also a successful result.
Motives for British Imperialism in Africa Before the Europeans began the New Imperialism in Africa, very little was known about the inner parts of the continent. However, after some explorers delved deeper into the heart of Africa, the Europeans soon realized how economically important this area was, and how much they could profit from it. At the time, Britain had only small occupations of land in Africa, but after they realized that they could make money from the rich resources from the inner regions of Africa, they wanted to invade the African countries and take over. This led to the scramble and ultimately, the partition of Africa. During the Age of Imperialism, from 1870-1914, Britain was a major country, which proved to be true in the “carving up” and division of Africa.
To adapt one of Isichei's claims, Nigeria's “confrontation with an alien culture, its conquest, and the experience of an alien rule, created … [crises]” (180). There were many riots and conflicts between the Nigerians and the British, although most of the uprisings were eventually subdued by the military power of the British. Riots were common—from the culturally rooted Yoruba riots in the West and the religious skirmishes with the Muslims and Hausa in the North, to the confrontations with the naturally ‘rich,' yet stubborn Igbo and Delta states. Apart from encompassing all the major ethnic groupings and regions in Nigeria, amazingly these conflicts also covered the three most explicit British inculcations: cultural, religious, and economic.
Colonialism has plagued indigenous people worldwide and has spelled disaster for countless cultures, languages, and traditions. Over the past 500 years there have been different phases of colonization in Africa as well as other various parts of earth. There were many reasons behind exploration and colonization including economic and tactical reasons, religion, and prestige. Colonialism has shaped the contemporary understanding of individuals from Niger as well as other parts of Africa and other places too, like the Chambri and Tlingit people; mainly in economics. Because of the colonial past of so many cultures, numerous indigenous people today face many issues.
Nigeria contains more historic cultures and empires than any other country in Africa. People were first known to inhabit Nigeria as early as 5 B.C. They first constructed a kingdom in the center of Nigeria, which is named Jos Plateau. This was the first of many widespread kingdoms of that region, but two centuries later it would extend to Bornu, which is located on the western region of Nigeria (Gascoigne 1). Nigeria was made up of mostly kingdoms until British colonized in the 1800’s. The Soko Jotojhad and Yotruba wars encouraged slave trade at the time the British were trying to abolish the slave trade. Slaves were normally traded for European goods such as guns and gun powder. At this time, the British encouraged trading palm oil over trading slaves. Many of the slaves that were exported to Britain were intercepted by naval ships and shipped to Sierra Leone to collect palm oil. Some Nigerians began to migrate back from Sierra Leone in search of their homes and trade. British missionaries were invited to follow the slaves back, and in the 1840’s they wer...
Africa has had a long and tumultuous road of colonization and decolonization; the rush to colonize Africa started in the 17th century with the discovery of the vast amounts of gold, diamonds, and rubber, with colonization hitting a fever pitch during World War I. However, the repercussions of colonization have left deep wounds that still remain unhealed in the 21st century. Early on, European nations such as Britain, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany and Belgium scrambled for territories. Countries wanted land so they could harvest the resources, increase trade, and gain power.
Nearly 50 percent of the country's population are women. Within Nigeria there are about 250 different ethnic groups that speak nearly 4000 dialects. Its religions are: Islam (50%), Christianity (40%) and traditional beliefs (10%). Ethnic problems have been common among the various tribal groups. Also, religious unrest has been seen between northern and southern regions of
Political instability and regime change in Nigeria will be observed in this paper. The resource curse has greatly weakened Nigeria as it has led to the numerous regime changes, the hindering of the nation’s democratization, corruption in the government, as well as, civil conflict. According to Samuels in Case Studies in Comparative Politics, Nigeria began as a group of states and empires, which were conquered by the British Empire who ruled Nigeria through indirect rule with varying degrees of rule in North and South Nigeria (Samuels, 323-326). Since they were granted independence in 1960, three republics have been created and each has ended by military rule, which led to the creation of the fourth, and current republic in Nigeria. In the current regime, Nigeria’s GDP is ranked 108 out of 156 and has been decreasing, lower than some of the non-oil-producing nations in Africa (“Nigeria”).
Nigeria is a developing country in West Africa that was colonized by the British in 1884 at the Berlin conference where Africa was divided by European powers (Graham 2009). The British wanted to expand their empire, which meant taking over other countries that had resources that they wanted, and would allow them to expand their trade market and economy. One of the colonies that British colonized was Colonial Nigeria, which was forced to participate in the slave trade in the past and was controlled by the British through the set up of trading posts and selling manufactured goods. The British split Nigeria into the north and the south regions (Temple 1912). The Southern and Northern Nigeria Protectorates controlled these two regions.
In the end, what holds African countries such as Nigeria together is their shared pride. Modern, western influences can bring positive changes to society, but new cultures cannot completely eradicate the foundational cultures to which a society is founded on.
The ultimate result was troops and as many as 3 million civilians died. While the outside world considered Nigeria to be a united and monolithic entity, even the British colonial administration was wary of the reality of Nigerian politics; the nation was not so much a “country” as it was more than three hundred different groups coalesced into one. 45 These tribes were divided between three main spheres of influence: the Yoruba, the Igbo, and the Hausa. Historically, their interests were often opposed, and their cultures did not come into regular contact with one another until the British occupation.
Discussions of Nigeria gender equality in recent times have focused on steps taken towards putting women in their proper prospects. In the past, each gender had clearly defined roles and the issue of gender conflict never arose. The extent of gender inequality had been hidden for so long that its seriousness in the present time of Nigeria is now attracting international attention. The 2012 Gender in Nigeria Report recently shows that gender inequality not only exists in the country, but at highly worrying levels. There is a lack of gender balance in the economy, education, politics, health, access to justice and almost all areas of human development.
The Nigerian legal system is very complex as it is broken down into three different sub-systems. These subsystems are located at the Federal level, state level, and local customs. On the Federal level, there is a general federal legal system that is applicable throughout the whole country and is considered the highest law making body. It is called the National Assembly and consists of...