04/08/23 1

Post/neo-colonial Challenges

04/08/23 2

Upcoming Events Quiz today Sunday (speaking on Friday) Goshit; Guest Speaker on

military rule in the post colonial Nigeria July 18th July 23rd Quiz Canceled July 28th Final Paper due (note change) July 30th Take Home Final Distributed August 1 Turn in Take Home final, in class assessment, and

last day of class

04/08/23 3

A Legacy of Development or Underdevelopment?

Development Infrastructure for extraction and

settlers built and remained e.g.. S.A., Kenya

Colonialism as modernization and path to development

Western Medicine Western Education Western business practices,

natural and social sciences Common languages across

continent Diminished Slave Trade Christianity brings literacy in

local languages New systems of governance

and administration

Underdevelopment Introduction of cash crops

degrades Africa’s soil and environment

Colonial limitations on extraction industries destroys local industry

Indigenous Knowledge destroyed Societies divided across imposed

boundaries Africans left with “foreign”

institutions and separated from local ways

Imposition of Racism on Africa (Rhodesia, South Africa)

Extraction industries created dependency

04/08/23 4

Post/Neo-Colonial Challenges Independence movements Africa vs. Apartheid Post/neo-Colonial governance Sacred colonial borders Development and post-colonialism Contemporary Africa’s Post

colonial assessment

04/08/23 5

Independence movements

Origins. Independence through political protest Independence through cooperation and mutual

expediency Independence through armed rebellion in settler

colonies and settler states Independence through both International pressure and

insurgency Independence of Portuguese colonies Succession from an independent African state

04/08/23 6

Origins Pan-Africansim

Africans in U.S. and Europe connect with U.S. civil rights leaders and West Indian Nationalists

Influenced by WEB Dubois and Marcus Garvey Push from mission educated intellectuals Organization of African Unity Independence also came from uncoordinated

resistance in each colony after WWII Return of WWII veterans

04/08/23 7

Origins: Pan-Africanist Leaders

Kwame Nkrumah- in Gold Coast (Ghana) Goal to create United States of Africa through OAU

Several attempts to unite from Casabblanca group Monrovia group wanted to preserve order and not

unite Nnamdi Azikiwe (Nigeria) Jomo Kenyatta (Kenya) Julius Nyerere (Tankanyika->Tanzania) OAU worked toward independence of all of Africa

despite eventual failures and collapse

04/08/23 8

Independence through political protest

Gold Coast->Ghana Led by Kwame Nkrumah in 1947 after return

from U.S. Organized UGCC (133) through non-violent

passive resistance with goal of self govt Nkrumah imprisoned and formed CPP to

orgnaize for self govt 1951 British grant Self Govt and full

independence in 1957 Does Nigeria follow this model?

04/08/23 9

Nigeria’s divided model of independence

Independence pushed for by intellectuals from the Christian South while Islamic north indifferent partly due to indirect rule

After independence northerners dominate govt despite their inactivity in independence

Southerners benefited during colonialism from education and take most govt jobs and country divided after independence

04/08/23 10

Independence through cooperation and mutual expediency After WWII European powers drained

financially and could not afford colonization France and Belgium unload its colonies

maintaining economic not political control Cote d’Ivoire

Elite IC push for early independence to not be grouped with the poorer Shaelian regions of French West Africa

France agrees to early independence but maintains economic interests

04/08/23 11

Independence through armed rebellion in settler colonies and settler states

Kenya Gikuyu after losing best land form political then militant forms of

resistance Land and Freedom Army (Mau Mau)

Insurrection fails, but British deem it too costly to maintain colony for settlers and Kenya granted independence afterwards

Gikuyu loyalists not freedom fighters given land and govt power Role of Kenyatta’s reconciliation? Some settlers given key positions in govt and today in business

Roots of current political crisis in Kenya Displaced never get land and buy land where they squated on white

owned farms Rift Valley land clashes, later politics of tribal division and alliances,

neo colonialism with who gained power

Independence through armed rebellion in settler colonies and settler states

Rhodesia->Zimbabwe Mugabe’s ZANU PF defeat Smith’s white

minority govt in 1980 Like Kenya land issues not addressed

and at the root of current violence Like Kenya settler violence extreme, but

lasted longer and backed by settlers and not the British Empire.

04/08/23 12

04/08/23 13

Independence through International pressure and insurgency

After WW1 Namibia given “trust” territory status to S.A.

1949 S.A. annexed Namibia and implemented apartheid policies there

1966 SWAPO begins insurgency against S.A. occupation and UN declares occupation illegal

In 1989 combination of international pressure and insurgency S.A. agreed to hold election in Namibia and allow for independence

04/08/23 14

Independence of Portuguese colonies

Portugal: the first to gain and last to give up colonies

Portugal a poor European country propped up its colonial holdings through S.A. support

Armed struggle in most cases and international embarrassment

As in apa rtheid struggle, African Diaspora and OAU

supported struggle In Cape Verde struggle supported and financed

exclusively from new Diaspora in U.S.

04/08/23 15

Indigenous Africa vs. Apartheid While much of Africa achieved independence in

1960s southern Africa under white rule including South Africa’s Apartheid and Smith’s Rhodesia

Commitment of OAU, African Diaspora and govts like Tanzania to ANC’s fight against apartheid

1980 White ruled Rhodesia becomes Zimbabwe 1989 Namibia declared independent and Mandela

released 1994 multiracial elections and successful

reconciliation in S.A. Truth and Reconciliation commission End of Apartheid's legacy trickles democracy into

neighboring states except Zimbabwe and crime

04/08/23 16

Sacred colonial borders even in independence

Borders largely intact from Colonialism yet unnatural in terms of ethnicity, politics, and physical Geography

Leaders want to maintain power and fear letting part of a country go they lose their grip on power

Agreement from leaders not to touch African borders, because if one goes they all go

04/08/23 17

Succession Succession has occurred along colonial

boundaries Eritrea broke from Ethiopia under Italy’s colonial

boundary in 1991, 1993 Unofficial Succession of Somaliland and Puntland

from Somalia along Italian/British border Succession failed without colonial borders

Biafra from Nigeria Katanga from Zaire (DRC) Forced succession of S.A.’s Bantustans

Will Southern Sudan achieve succession CPA promotes referendum vote on independence 2011

04/08/23 18

Unification Most Attempts at unification have failed

Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau OAU Casablanca group Continental unity a contested concept of OAU

and “born again OAU”: AU Tanganyika and Zanzibar did unite to form

Tanzania Zanzibar given autonomy, vice President, and its

language became the official state language of country

Some problems remain in union with Zanzibar

Unity and Division within the state

Promote African unity within the state

Tanzania• Ujamaa• Unifying language• Taking away Chieftain powers

Ghana States and Majimboism

Nigeria: State Creation Kenya: attempted Majimboism

04/08/23 19

04/08/23 20

Post/neo-Colonial governance

Newly independent states inherited laws, and institutions of colonial power with all of its imperfections

Western and Soviet backed neo-colonial rulers accumulate personal wealth at the expense of people

Anti-colonial resistance used as the excuse to do the same

Post-neo/colonial human rights challenges

04/08/23 21

Inherited laws, and institutions of colonial power with all of its imperfections

African governments run on former colonial state with state model suited toward taking from the people instead of providing for the people In IC and Kenya settler businesses remain and

some hold key positions in govt Zaire independence features foreigners in officer

corps Former colonizers often run the economic affairs

of new state with puppet African leaders in power

04/08/23 22

Neo-colonialism and Soviet imperialism

Zaire (DRC)’s Mobutu and Kenya’s Moi propped up by former colonizer and USA during Cold War

Ethiopia’s Dreg govt Mengestu supported by Soviet imperialism

Cold War fought in Africa over Mozambique, Angola, and Namibia

Present day neo-colonialism over economic control as well as war on terror British criticism over Kenya’s Anglo-Leasing Scandal Continued French intervention in its former colonies USA’s previous support for Ethiopia’s Meles

What about the colonizers and China?

Good or Bad HR consequences where

government is not responsive Or autonomy and a chance for a

fair shake?

04/08/23 24

Anti-imperialist resistance causing HR Woes

Sudan’s cry against imperialism as justification for restrictions on peace keepers in Darfur

Mugabe’s Zimbabwe as the anti-colonial state as it takes from the people

Africa’s Asian population as scapegoats Expulsion of Asians from Uganda under Amin Riots against Indians, Lebanese, and Arabs

throughout the continent

04/08/23 25

Human Rights of “independent” Africa

State designed to be served (extract wealth) rather than to serve

Police often designed to maintain established order rather than fight crime

Presence of military governments Sometimes provide stability but others chaos

Violations of first generation rights violated in various states through disappearances, arbitrary arrest ext and consolidation of civil institutions in authoritarian govts

Labor, Health, Indigenous peoples’ rights also at stake in post colonial Africa from state and economic forces AIDS as a HR issue

More Democratization emerging after 1990s although economic democratization in reverse

Is Human Rights itself the appropriate term? Justice or Human rights? Duties African Court of Human Rights Human Rights coming from former

colonizers perspective Why has the ICC only gone after

Africans?

04/08/23 26

04/08/23 27

Development and post-colonialism

Independence occurs in post Marshal Plan and Rostow optimism and the height of the Cold War

Capitalist Development Paths Popular Socialist paths Afro-Marxist paths But SAPs of 1990s reordered development

plans, lack of control over commodity prices, and inconsistent infrastructure limit post-colonial development

04/08/23 28

Post-Colonial optimism Optimism from both East, West, and South

East (Warsaw pact) saw independent Africa as part of the master plan for Communism

West particularly USA excited because of new markets to be opened and spread its way of life

Educational airlifts Micro-Peace Corps and macro-support from model

based economic consultation South (continent) to taste the fruits of Africa’s wealth

Paid students Educated elite guaranteed a job weather you work or

not In some cases Life is great for a while

04/08/23 29

Capitalist Development Paths Economic mode prior to independence

Most sectors controlled by Europeans although Indians, Arabs and some Africans allowed to participate in small capitalist ventures

Commonly referred to as “liberal/free market” After Independence pattern continued with

foreign and domestic investment as development strategy in some countries Kenya Cote’d’Ivoire

In some cases capitalist ventures become part of state and other cases regulation inhibits business

04/08/23 30

Popular Socialist paths Several countries believed that capitalism was

incompatible with Africa’s communal lifestyle Popular (African) socialism as alternative by

Ghana’s Pan Africanist socialism Tanzania’s Ujamaa

Emphasis on rural development and eliminating disparities between classes

Ended due to coups, SAPS, and inability to finance itself

04/08/23 31

Afro-Marxist paths With Support of Warsaw Pact massive state

driven Marxist projects from a command and control economy

State Farms and Factories modeled on Soviet system Ethiopia’s Mengistu Dreg govt Angola

Propped up by Soviets and Warsaw pact When Soviet Union collapsed, economic

liberalization made a condition of aid and loans

04/08/23 32

Limits to Africa’s post colonial development

Vampire states failed economies in some cases

Investment misguided SAPS had many negative effects infrastructure not present or declined Mismanagement of Swiss bank accounts

enriches Europe not Africa Inconsistent support from West and East No control of commodity prices Unpredicted civil wars

04/08/23 33

Assessment of post/neo-development era

Advances Increasing democratization

and first gen. HR in Africa since 1990s

End of Apartheid and formal Colonialism

Success of individual Africans primarily in new Diaspora

Success of African enterprises

Health advances (Polio) Models conflict

transformation Rediscovery of IK Strength of People’s creative

survival strategies

Declines Increase in civil wars (sl,

Liberia, Somalia, Rwanda)

Infrastructure Education and human

capital HIV/AIDS Collapse of alternative

development strategies Increase indebtedness

means a loss of economic independence