Working alone or with one or two partners, answer two of the following questions with two to three thoughtful paragraphs. Respond by posting on our class blog, and stay tuned for responses from peers in Africa.
2. What relics of European colonialism still exist in Sub-Saharan Africa? Discuss more than one aspect of life, and include at least one excerpt from Heart of Darkness and one from a source of your choice (include MLA citation).
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ReplyDeleteToday there are few remains of colonialism in Sub-Saharan Africa, but the most prominent is social conflicts. When the Europeans took control of Africa they created boarders, and put certain groups in charge. Due to these boundaries and how some tribes did not get along, a civil war was brought on. The governments are constantly being attacked and overthrown. An example of this is the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. The Hutus were a group that was not happy that the Tutsis were in power. The Interhamwe (an extremist group of Hutus) started a civil war and ethnic cleansing of the Tutsis. The reasoning behind why the Interhamwe did this is because they were sick of the Tutsi leadership. An article on BBC News states, “There have…always been disagreements between the majority Hutus and minority Tutsis, but the animosity between them has grown substantially since the colonial period” (Rwanda…).
ReplyDeleteThe hunger for power and wealth, which is what originally led colonists to Africa, is clearly still present. Initially, ivory was the main reason for the assault on Africa. Conrad describes this avarice as follows: “Evidently the appetite for more ivory had [gotten] the better of the…less material aspirations” (Conrad 157). Now, the African’s “ivory,” or human greed, is seeking power and dominance over other tribes. This is something that the Europeans imprinted in the African culture.
By Sam Grise, Macall Hock, and Jake Kerr
Even after Europeans left Africa, many relics still exist from colonialism. After years of foreign rule the Africans were left with little to no government, they were forced to form there own. With this system it is easy to see how corrupt and unstable governments formed. Today Africa is still exploited for there natural resources. Throughout colonialism the natives were exploited for there many different resources.
ReplyDeleteToday Africa is still being corrupted for things such as diamonds. These diamonds are very similar to the ivory of Heart of Darkness. Conrad states “The word ‘ivory’ rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed. You would think they were praying to it.” (Conrad 20). This quote demonstrates the importance of the ivory to the Europeans. The diamonds can be compared to ivory because it is such a valued resource to the western society of today. The governments are similar in that they exploit the people for the valuable resources.
Grant Gilla house Josh Dylan Conroy and Braden OlSON