A Century of African Exploitation

In 2018, it was my sophomore year of college when I was introduced to African history. It peaked my interest, as I had often been told in history classes that we receive a very English-American perspective. I took two courses on African history that year both by Dr. Bala Saho. It felt like I stumbled upon a subject matter that received little to no publicity. I'd passionately studied history for years yet learned very little about African history. Now I am pursuing a minor in African-American history alongside my history major. I want to shed light on the rich African history and the tragic stunting by foreign powers implementing their forms of colonization.

Colonization in Africa is a multi layered historical event. By using indirect and direct rule as a frame of reference I was able to tell an important part of African history. The greed for industrial expansion forced European nations into looking for alternatives for resources. The result was the pillaging of native Africans for the natural resources they reside on. However, the Europeans suddenly found a stroke of diplomacy as they divided African tribes into ignorantly chartered territories during the Berlin conference of 1884. Afterwards the scramble for Africa of 1914 began in which the now charted colonies were sieged by invading European nations which believed they had a right to the land. The effects of the colonization of Africa will be felt forever. The architecture, economies, and culture of every African nation was altered in favor of European prosperity. It is important to recognize the long lasting effects to help contextualize politics regarding Africa in the 21st century.

I had many people help me along the way to bringing my idea to life. I want to give each of them as much credit as possible for dedicating their time to assist me. As for my own personal growth, working on this project has provided me life skills that I can carry into future opportunities. My long term planning and creativity was tested but in the end I feel more confident in my abilities than ever. This topic meant a lot to me as it was an inspiration in my pursuit for higher education. I continued to pursue African American history as a minor. At this point I am proud of the depth of knowledge I have gathered on the subject. Along with the skills I learned along the way I hope to inspire others and shed light on an important part of African history.