The Berlin Conference 1884

COLONIALISM IN AFRICA

In the 1880’s, European interest in African territories heightened.

It was obvious everyone was trying to get a “piece of the pie.”

Tribal boundaries of Africa

The Treaty of Berlin in the 1880’s “divided” Africa among European powers.

Tribal boundaries of Africa

Political boundaries today

The British and French controlled the largest empire.

By the 1950’s, the Europeans had lost the will and financial resources to hold onto their colonies.

They set withdrawal dates and just “left” without much thought given to the infrastructure they left behind.Landlocked countries

The borders of the countries of Africa have created several major problems that can be attributed to the Geography of the current borders.

Ethnicity (tribes)

Religion

Languages

Resources

Transportation

Colonialism destroyed many of Africa’s indigenous ruling bodies, and their cultural traditions.

Borders

Even if landlocked countries have river access to the ocean, all of Africa’s major rivers have waterfalls and rapids that prohibit large ship traffic.

Conflicts since the 1990’s.

Civil War in Liberia

Civil War in Sierra Leone

Civil War in Uganda

Civil War in Congo (ongoing)

Sudan (Southern Sudan

and Darfur)

Collapse of the government in

Somalia

Civil War in Ethiopia (won by Eritreans)

Ethnic conflict in Kenya (recently)

Rwanda

If so much conflict is caused by the borders left behind by the Europeans, why can’t the countries work together to “re-draw” those boundaries?

In most cases, the people and groups in power now don’t want to risk losing that power or the possibility of widespread chaos.

Gdp cartogram of Arica

Issues facing Sub-Saharan Africa today:

Desertification

AIDS

Malaria

Poverty

Internal wars

Debt

Famine

And the biggest shatterbelt of all……

Many of the issues of Africa today are still laid at the footprint of European Colonialism, which ended in the 1960’s.

Is there a “statute of limitations” on blame?

What does the future hold for the countries of Africa?