^{Photo by Lara Jameson}

Powerful countries colonized a large part of the world throughout history. Let’s find out the possible factors as to why Africa bore the brunt of colonization.

Suppose a country has been independently rich, influential, and strong since the beginning of time. In that case, they usually desire to establish dominion and control over people living in lands they deem lesser than them. Colonization is a form of political process that is harmful and invasive. Colonizers discover cultures entirely different from theirs, enforcing what they have on indigenous communities who already have a rich culture. What these colonizers committed was simply a cultural erasure.

The Purpose Of Colonization

There isn’t a single, monolithic purpose for colonization. There may be particular agendas such as the following:

• Missionary work/widespread evangelism of the Christian religion
• Acquisition of natural resources
• Free labor and expansion of territories

The West used colonized countries such as Africa for slavery without their consent to be forced into manual labor to mine valuable ore from their own countries. Or Westerners enslaved them to till farms from colonizing landgrabbers. Either way, the free will robbed from these colonized nations enables the colonizer to feel a sense of power. Expansion of subjects and territories became a standard of ruling influence.

As it has been mentioned, Africa bore the brunt of colonization. Out of the entire continent, Ethiopia and Liberia were the only nations that did not experience colonization. These two countries got lucky. Meanwhile, the rest did not meet the same fate. Colonialism did more harm than good.

The Chilling Effects Of African Colonialism

African people displaced from their lands, especially the tribal communities with heritage properties, were driven away. These people were imprisoned and abused in ways no one could comprehend. Other than Western gentrification, some Africans were taken away to farther lands to be sold as enslaved people while working on farms or being an entertaining attraction to whites, which is not a good look. They are displayed in cages or fenced spots with signages to amuse any white onlookers, and that alone is dehumanizing. Other atrocities included them being forced to reproduce so they could give birth to more enslaved people—several Africans who tried to rebel paid the price with their lives.

Another adverse effect of African colonialism is the taxes imposed on them, even though colonizers also took their economic freedom away. Being enslaved to white masters, they earned scraps of pennies and could not even afford essential goods and commodities. These colonial leaders often collect their money after a rigorous amount of labor and exploitation.

Colonial Erasure Of African Culture

The most significant impact of African colonialism would be the cultural erasure of African heritage – their religious beliefs, customs and traditions, languages, societal dynamics, and artifacts audaciously stolen and kept in museums today. Some of them were precious stones currently worn by reigning royals. Eradicating Africa’s pre-colonial religious beliefs was one of the first attempts by white colonization to convert the tribes to Christianity. These colonizers believed that Christianity was superior to these tribes’ beliefs, and they took that to an extreme, using violence to change the African way of life before they came. 

The Industrialization Of Africa

Specific economic difficulties posed a threat to the European economy. They, too, experienced poverty in significant cities and severe unemployment, which hurt the countries around Europe back in the day. It is still felt in the present time, but in the past, economic downfall took a toll on the entire continent. The only way they came up to preserving their resources was to outsource elsewhere. This is where Africa came into the picture.

In the eyes of white global superpowers, Africa was a treasure trove of many opportunities for their pleasure. For example, they took advantage of the continent’s cheap labor and rich natural resources for as long as possible. That is why major Western countries banded together once to negotiate how to exploit African nations to further their agenda.

The book Collective Institutions in Industrialized Nations by Samuel E. Enajero teaches us more about the economic development of the nation and the various institutions that contributed to its development. The book elaborates on how historical and contemporary collective institutions play a part in the economies of several developing African countries. Enajero’s work also dives deep into the influence of individual economic choices, which builds up collective market theories. All these changes were rooted in the effect of colonial industrialization in several parts of the African continent.