1. COLONIALISM
AND ITS
EFFECT ON
THE AFRICAN
CONTINENT
By CHIOKE EMMANUELLA

2. Main Themes
■ What justification did Europe give for coming to Africa?
■ How did the European continents divide and rule the country?
■ What was Africa’s initial reaction?
■ What were the effects (long term and short term) on the African continent?

3. Why did European Powers Colonize Africa ?

4. ■ COMMERCE
-Industrial revolution in Europe
-economic benefits of new trade
-utilize the plethora of natural and mineral resources.
■ Christianity
-evangelization mission
■ Enlighten a “dark continent”
■ Dominance and global presence

6. How did Europe Colonize
Africa ?
■ The mapping of Africa
■ The partitioning of Africa at the Berlin conference
-European powers gathered at a conference
hosted by German Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck to share
the continent amongst themselves.

7.  The different European powers adopted various
methods of ruling there new colonies.
 The system of rule chosen depended on whether or not
the country was going to be a settler colony or not.
 In French West Africa for example, the French
colonialist ruled by Assimilation and Association
 In British West Africa, the British rulers adopted the
system of divide and rule.

8. “Colonialism was based on violence and thus did not achieve
any of its “civilizing goals because it facilitated the
exploitative transfer of wealth and resources from Africa to
European Metropolis.”
 Naturally, Africans had a negative response to colonialism
because it promoted slavery, exploitation and other
inhumane practices.
 Colonialism stunted Africa’s growth as a whole and some of
these effects are still visible today.

9.  Colonialism forced Africa into a premature democracy
 Prematurely exposed Africa to a global economy and the continent is
till today still trying to find its feet.
 Divided the continent along colonial borders such that some countries
still have more allegiance to their colonial masters than to their
neighboring African countries.
-This is one of the reasons why regional initiatives in Africa have not
been successful.
 The rash effects of colonialism on the African People give birth to the
concept of African Nationalism.

10.  By settling in African countries, the Europeans introduced modern
technology in Africa
 Since Europeans had discovered Africa’s mining potential, they
introduced scientific and modern mining methods.
 Brought Western education; Women were now taught to read and
write in schools. This was considered a taboo in pre-colonial
Africa

11. .
 The rash effects of colonialism on the African People give birth to
the concept of African Nationalism
 Aided the expansion of Urban Settlements in many parts of Sub-
Saharan Africa like Lagos, Johannesburg, Accra, Nairobi, Dakar
etc.
 This exposure to education led to the rise of African Literature in
both the colonial and Post-colonial era.

12. A New Age: Neo Colonialism

13. References
■ Wa Muiu, M. (2008). "CIVILIZATION" ON TRIAL: THE COLONIAL AND
POSTCOLONIAL STATE IN AFRICA. Journal Of Third World Studies, 25(1), 73-93
■ Ziltener, P., & Künzler, D. (2013). Impacts of Colonialism --A Research Survey. Journal Of
World-Systems Research, 19(2), 290-311
■ Shillington, K. (2012). History of Africa. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire ; New York,
NY : Palgrave Macmillan, [2012].
■ Bohannan, P.,& Curtin P. (197i). Africa and Africans. Garden City, N.Y., Published for the
American Museum of Natural History [by] Natural History Press, 1971
■ Jalata, A. (2013). Colonial Terrorism, Global Capitalism and African Underdevelopment: 500
Years of Crimes Against African Peoples. Journal Of Pan African Studies, 5(9), 1-42.
■ Lloyd, R. B. (2010). Conflict in Africa. Journal Of The Middle East & Africa, 1(2), 171-186.
doi:10.1080/21520844.2010.502566