Africa Flashcards
Colonial education
small percent taught
mostly males
provided by religious groups
when taken over by colonial governments, reflected colonial education
World Conference on Education for All
1990s all countries have a right to basic (primary) education
African countries wanted to have their own professionals
Western nations promised aid; did not follow through with funds
government spending on education
Malawi: 24% budget went to ed
Some countries: 1/2 budget went to ed
forced to cut funding to other things
Indirect rule
have only a few colonializers on the ground and rule through African leaders.
decentralized government
Frederick Lugard=father
some local leaders were able to benefit (Emires said british required taxes from the people when they did not)
Benefit: lots of land could be controlled by a few people at a low cost
Natural justice
escape hatch of indirect rule when they wanted to change traditional practices without direct rule.
example: would not allow people in keya who practiced female circumcision to attend colonial schools
direct rule
use colonial rulers on the ground to control people
French: assimilation into french culture, little interest in renovating Africa
centralized government
chiefs were agents of rule not intermediaries like with indirect.
no respect for tradition
Law of the Hammer
british tried to apply indirect rule to every group
social structure of North Nigeria unlike the East so did not work there
Baganda
native of Uganda, taken over by British
population desimated by civil war and famine caused by British rule and redistribution of land
Kabaka was leader. British took control of him to control people.
Hausa/Fulani
ethnic groups of Nigeria.
were previously rivals.
Lugard/British used rivalry to keep groups from fighting aginst British.
Now very much intermingled.
Achebe
Nigerian author of "Things Fall Apart" talked about religious/cultural class of Western and Igbo cultures
corvee
unpaid labor imposed by the state
imposed by the Portugese is Mozambique where men were required to work 6month/years
some laborers sold to South Africa
consequences of men leaves to find work
increased labor for women, children
increased famine, malnutrition
increased STI rates
women grow cash crops not subsistence crops
Means of structural adjustment
-co pays or education, health
privatize government services
currency devaluation
reducing/eliminating minimum wage, gov salary and services
no taxes on imported goods
eliminate farm subsidies
increase bank interest rates to encourage savings
Logic behind structural adjustment
efficiency of markets reduce government spending boost production by encouraging investments more production, less consumption better balance of trade
Problems of structural adjustment
foreign investment did not come
local markets ruined by cheap imports
foreign countries had more sway in decision making than home governments
riots and coos/government overthrows
countries poorer now than before SA started
food prices rose drastically
T-shirt travels video
2nd hand clothing is million dollar industry
african-made clothing nonexistent because second hand clothes are cheaper
Did colonization actually end?
World bank/IMF/aiding nations have a major hand in decision-making
economies are dependent upon other nations’ buying raw materials
English language/western education still used
Enclave economy
economy based entirely on exports
copper-Congo and Zambia
peanuts-Senegal
Zimbabwe vs. Kenya
Zimbabwe independence more violent b/c settlers were allowed to establish and they controlled the government unlike in Kenya
Zimbabwe: Land Tenure Act 1969=1/2 land to Europeans, 1/2 to African (relocation to shitty lands, fewer acres/African than /white)
Raubwirtschaft
economy where goal is to plunder wealth and resources
used to describe Leopold’s Africa. goes along with enclave economies
unilever
goods company accused of buying raw materials from places that destroy natural resources like in the Ivory Coast where they destroy rainforests for palm oil plantations
Ndebele
ethnic group located in South Africa/Zimbabwe/Botswana
Mashonalond
area of what is today Zimbabwe. Created by 1890 by British South Africa Company
People revolted against British but lost
Currently divided into three regions
Robert Mugabe
president of Zimbabwe
been in office since 1987
prominence result of being leader of Zimbabwe African National Union
came to power after wars/illegal means of power-earning
established one party system.
Negritude
Application of African cultural values because were taught that they had no history/culture
Not a major movement because only followed by elite Africans in France and not really a call to action.
gradually weakened by the man/associated with the French as well
“The Black Student” written by Cesair, Damas, and Serer coined term and were against assimilation, and pro return to Africa ACT LIKE BLACKS NOT WHITES!
Mobutu Sese Seko
President of DRC from 1965-97.
forced Congolese to follow authenticity/Mobutism: wear African clothing, use African names, changed names of cities and called Congo Zaire, Christmas abolished, use citizen not Mr. and Mrs.
received great support from US for anti-communist ideas
came to power as a result of a coup funded by Belgium after first democratic election in Congo
amassed large personal fortune because of corruption=kleptocracy!!
still received by all american and french presidents during his reign
Frantz Fanon
Afro-Caribbean psychiatrist, philosopher, revolutionary
wrote about colonialism and decolonialism
influenced by Negritude
Impact of WWII on Independence
colonies gained independence must quicker than expected
African soldiers saw French rulers in home country=removed them from pedestal
reasons countries kept Western education system
- did not have established African education system (teachers, curriculum, textbooks, buildings)
- wanted to prove they were competitive with the West
Kikuyu
ethnic group in Kenya studied in Mau Mau’s Children
children in book experienced The Emergency, had access to secondary education
this ethnic group was favored by government so were able to advance in society more than other groups were able to.
Kalenjin
ethnic group of rift valley
British warned to avoid them because they were known to attack settlers/caravans
Amilcar Cabral
anti-colonial leader from Guinae-Bassau
assassinated before independence
Patrice Lumumba
first democratically elected president of DRC after colonialism.
12 weeks after elected, overthrown by Mobutu in Congo Crisis
arrested and executed.
Jeff van Bilsen
Belgian professor who created a 30-year plan for Congolese independence. thought that was the amount of time it would take to make an educated elite to run country.
never came to frutation as Congo demanded immediate independence. Led to Congo Crisis
Dini Ya Msambwa
“religion of the Ancestors” in Kenya of Luhya people (artificial ethnic group created in 1930/40 by British for indirect ruling purposes but created a lot of tension)
lead by Elija Masinde
rejected all European ideas (school, hospital, clothing)
desired European wealth
Supported by prosperous groups not the poor. Membership dropped after independence because Dini no longer made sense
Elija Masinde
priest and played on national soccer team
took second wife, kicked out of French church
promised followers European wealth once they left Africa
people believed he could cure disease, smell white people, resurrect dead, predict future
Mau Mau/The Emergency
1952-1960
low crop yields in 30/40s increased poverty and Kenyans not allowed to grow profitable crops because of settlers=uprising
did not get wide-spread support because of British divide-and-rule methods
British had concentration-like camps where they cleansed Kikuyu of oaths
British did win but Kenya independence was won soon after
Reasons for centralization of independent African governments/emergence of one party city
- leaders came to power illegitimately and did not want to face consequences
- leaders from minority parties wanted things for their districts but could not get them if from minority so everyone switched to majority party, creating a one-party system
Julius Nyerere
political leader of what-is-today Tanzania.
socialist government based on family values
created a one party system
disposed of labor unions and opposition
won unopposed election until retirement in 1985
Kwame Nkrumah
Ghana leader 1951-66
country had two party system and able-bodied civil force, stable banking system
Democratic decline
members of minority party had to join majority party to get anything for their districts=one party system rigged elections (Congo: poll workers told to report >100% for one candidate, people voted in the "traditional" way by clapping for a photo candidate.)
Military Wave following democratic decline
“temporary” military leaders stayed for huge amounts of time
centralization/personalization of governments
repression/loss of civil liberties
legalized murder/torture
Film in Africa
exposed to it from beginning because of french
used dumbed down filming because whites thought Africans could not understand complex filming.
Reasons for lack of trade within africa
lack of infrastructure to transport good
large raw materials market not so much finished products
foreign (Chinese) products cheaper
Purpose of higher education
produce and spread knowledge
produce leaders
public service to society
but also reproduces inequalities because only some have access to “top notch” or any university
World Bank/foreign investors and higher education
1980s: higher education should be privitized, students need to pay
1986: advised africa to close all universities to save $$ and send Africans abroad for college. AFRICA SAID NO
Universities have departments funded by foreign countries so curriculum influenced by other nations
Malawi higher education case study
50 years of British rule, no secondary schools
British expats held majority of professional positions
Decolonizing modernization (Mazrui)
- domestication of modernity and make it different from westernization: broaden admission and faculty recruitment criteria. Create schools of oral tradition, religion, and witchcraft
- diversification of cultural content: open up cultural content to Asian, Islamic, African, and Western by requiring student to study variety of languages
- stop importing western values by becoming allies with Arab world, Black Diaspora, African Americans
DRC Elections 2006
first democratic elections
21,000 UN soldiers needed to deliver ballots and boxes and stuff to polling places
Huge ballots because of number of people running and a need to include pictures on the ballots
reports of ballot burning/fraud but overall much more democratic than previously.
Joseph Kabila elected president with Jean-Pierre Bamba as one of 3 VPs.
Congolese thought MONUC there to ensure that he won
state of wars/violence in Africa today
number of wars declining
civil wars peaked in 1990s.
current ones are smaller scale
previously over 1/2 of countries have had a civil war
new forms of violence: terror-based, election violence, resource related wars
no standing rebel armies except in S. Sudan now guerrilla warfare
Zones of stability
Southern Africa, Eastern Africa
Zones of instability
Horn of Africa: Somalia (Al-Shabab), Sudan, Ethiopia
The Sahel: Mali, Niger, Chad, Burkina-Faso: governments not strong so terror groups able to operate
Great Lakes Region: Congo: 20 years civil war and instability. Groups from Rwanda and Uganda use Congo as a base
Why are wars declining?
- geopolitical shift: no more cold war funding
- strengthened international conflict mediation:peacekeeping, international trials
- strengthened regional conflict mediation: greater role of African Union, ECOWAS, etc
FIFA and politics
most countries have minister of sport who are important because 1. $$ control 2. highly visible position
Government not allowed to intervene in anything soccer
**Nigerian prez suspended team for two years for restructuring and FIFA flipped out. Threatened to cut off funding and ban from soccer forever. Prez caved.
**Cameroon: someting steady in a life of chaos
**Uganda: team sucks but lots of support because people watch practices and want them to be like games not drills. lots of match fixing, betting
Africa=constantly developing never developed. Why?
-keep Africa as “developing” because then current rulers can stay in power and products/labor are cheap
China and Africa
- China investing heavily in Africa for crop production, raw materials, new market for cheap products
- does not want to get involved in government just there to business (critisized for doing business in countries with human rights atrocities)
- biggest trade partner of many countries
- many projects are cheaply built and dangerous.
- bringing in own labor so not providing jobs to Africans.
- anti-Chinese riots
Post colonial politics shaped by 4 things
- inequality between social classes
- higher identification with and competition between ethnic and language groups
- switch from rural to urban political centers
- countries not equipped to staff government jobs because of exclusive education system
expectations of independence
- wealth
- education
- health care
- drinkable water
- infrastructure
- better crop prices
African international relations/practices altered by 5 things
- Berlin Conference: divided Africa among colonies
- WWII: Africans fought for colonizer/saw them at home
- Cold War: civil wars funded by Cold War nations
- Fall of Berlin Wall: aid withdrawn by Cold War nations. Expected western nations to start investing in Africa but went to Asia instead
- 9/11
Result: foreign policies often made with old colonizers. African leaders were more responsive to foreign nations that to own people.
African Union
developed after Pan-African conference (which said African should be free). Created 3 IR principles:
- boundaries made during colonialism will stay
- noninterference into affairs of other member states (reason african nation are silent on human rights)
- peaceful settlement of all disputes by negotiation, mediation, conciliation, and arbitration
* *Post Cold War military intervention into neighbor states occurred**
Reasons for regional groups
- strength in numbers–must band together to compete on global scale
- break ties to colonial nations
* *some countries benefited more because they belonged to multiple groups**
* *failed integration because countries took loose approach to economic cooperation in transportation, infrastructure, energy, and telecommunications**
Economic impact of AIDS
- stigma-hard to obtain work
- death-decreased household income
- young family members forced to work/take care of family
- decrease in labor force
- hospitals past capacity; cannot treat all patients
- changing age distribution
Reasons for debt crisis
- increased oil prices
- commercial loans avaiable
- loans used on projects with low returns
- African trade decreased because low market prices and high import prices
- foreign tariffs/regulations limit African exports
- foreign aid stagnation
consequences deforestation
- hard woods cannot be replaced rapidly
- soil erosion—>land degradation
- resultant pollution influences health, water/soil quality
Women: precolonial to post
Pre:
-in charge of agriculture
-influential in choosing king
-warriors/led in battle
-made decisions for themselves
Post:
-men taught agricultural methods and women’s land taken away
-forced to reproduce faster and more because of slavery/labor force
-excluded from education, encouraged to be housewives
-women’s decisions made by men, no right to men’s incomes
Women in the economy
provide 70-80% labor force, own only small portion on land
- work longer days than men
- not eligible for farm aid because land is under men’s name
- 1/2 as likely to work in formal sector than men
Women and politics
not well informed
goals is to get a certain percent of government women
female presidents in Liberia, Malawi
sentiment that women do a better job in government because less corrupt/more forgiving
Valentine’s day in Ghana
result of privitization of radio/television: needed advertising for revenue so Valentine’s Day ads/products advertised to general public
some concern over spreading AIDS/promotes promiscuity
some say promotes modernity
Family planning
- must limit population for development to happen
- contraceptive use increased, must improve status of women
- hindered by aid groups (like Bush administration) not allowing contraceptive education, only abstinence
Uganda: population control case study
with sex education and contraceptive distribution, got population growth under control
Bush administration said could no longer teach/administer abortion if wanted aid
Uganda refused–>lost aid, forced to close clinics
Migration to cities: two ways to eliminate refugee cities/slums
1: discourage migration/destroy settlement cities/promote medium sized cities
2. improve cities/provide low -income housing/make sustainable cities
AIDS control in Africa: hinderances
hindered by belief in witchcraft that AIDS is punishment
other religions limit availability of condoms
South Africa has highest rate because Pres. Mbeki’s AIDS denial
international community also blame for not getting involved sooner
Bush admin earmarked 30% of aid money towards abstinence education
gender inequalities result in women given less treatment/forced to have sex
AIDS control successes
Uganda successful through education and condom promotion
Senegal Muslim church promotes prevention and safe sex. Sex workers not punished and given treatment/testing regularly
drug costs reduced=more access
summary Psychopaths of Faith vs The Muse of Irreverence by Soyinka
the real defile-ers of Muhammad are those that kill in his name not the ones who are killed or who are not Muslim and do things against Islam
examples: Nigeria hosted Miss World Pageant, Muslim group killed people/Denmark comic made strip mocking Muhammad, people killed in Nigeria
Debt: Trends and Prospects
repayment of loans biggest hinderance to development; making it impossible to meet poverty goals on time
debt cancellation only way now. (20 countries have had debt cancellation)
Trade and Investment: trends and prospects
raw materials still major dependence
countries would benefit if more products could be sold internationally duty-free
Chinese influence growing
Aid: trends and prospects
World bank admits structural adjustment failed
US pushed countries to spend 0.7% GNP on aid; it has not
Information Technology: trends and prospects
lag of tech allows countries to by-pass outdated methods Tech companies (microsoft, google) investing because of potential new market Rwanda looking to become center of offshore banking, data entry, and insurance African must sell raw materials in order to buy new technology so potential to create an even more wealth minority and poorer majority
Mau Mau’s Children: Author’s purpose
show the effect of Mau Mau’s rebellion on the Kikuyu that he taught.
Many were part of the first generation of Kenyan-educated elite
from perspective of a white, educated male
Seasons of Rain
growth and prosperity as well as economic/political failure
mobile phones have helped close the infrastructure gap
retail markets becoming integrated
banking is expanding
China and western nations are investing more than before
Problems still exist: corruption—>foreign investors had areas in budget specifically for bribery
Playing the Enemy
Nelson Mandela was able to use sport to gain the trust of white South Africans so that black South Africans could begin to gain some ground back
Whites were given their rugby back and allowed to keep their national anthem
Black South Africans: no immediate gains and still a large gap in wealth/prosperity but we are only 20 years removed from a practice that was in place for almost 40 years.
