British Colonialism in Africa

Africa today is the world’s poorest and most under developed continent. Debts totalling to a 100 billion US dollars, AIDS and other diseases are ravaging its population, whilst conflict seems to be inevitable. The root of these problems lies in European imperialism and the scramble for Africa. Imperialism, which impacted Africa throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, is essentially the process of maintaining an empire. This empire is ruled by one state that controls another political society. In the case of Britain and Africa, colonialism was structured as a dictatorship, using violence to appease and to maintain order. There was no input from the colonized in the way that they were governed as all the decisions were made by The British Colonial Office in London.

Before British colonialism, there were variations in culture such as in art styles, dress and religious practices across Africa and particularly in the Igbo society. Various groups were organized by clan, family line, village association, and dialect, and there were no serious ethnic rivalries. As featured in Things Fall Apart, decisions were not made by a chief or by any individual but were rather decided by a council of male elders. This political system changed significantly under British colonialism in the 19th century.

The reason as to why Africa was so rapidly colonized, the period being known as the Scramble for Africa, was partially due to the political state in Europe. After the creation of Germany and Italy in 1871, there was no room left in Europe for expansion. Britain, France and Germany, as they were trying to maintain dominance, felt that a new empire would secure them. There was also a need for raw materials like palm oil, rubber and copper, a desire for wider markets, and access to areas such as the Suez Canal. The British believed that because they had superior weaponry and were therefore more technologically advanced than the Africans, that they had a right to colonize and exploit the resources of the Africans in the name of promoting civilization.

While there were many European nations who had taken over the African continent, which later led to the start of World War I, Britain had won over the largest piece of Africa, with colonies in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Botswana, and many more. During its colonial period, Britain divided the African people based on linguistic, ethnic, and cultural factors. This ultimately created tensions in the native society which only helped maintain the British rule.

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