Impact of Global Capitalism on Neocolonialism in Africa: Decolonization and Pan-Africanism | Apuntes de Cultura Inglesa

5/12/19

TAKING ENGLISH TO AFRICA (III): DECOLONIZATION AND NEOCOLONIALISM

The aftermath of the second world war in Africa was the age of decolonization, which led to

neo-colonialism.

KEY CONCEPTS

Decolonization: undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby a nation

establishes and maintains its domination on overseas territories. The concept particularly

applies to the dismantlement, during the second half of the 20th century, of the colonial

empires established prior to World War I throughout the world.

Nationalism : Nationalism is an ideology and movement that promotes the interests of a

particular nation (as in a group of people)[1] especially with the aim of gaining and maintaining

the nation's sovereignty (self-governance) over its homeland.

Neo-colonialism: Is the practice of using capitalism, globalisation and cultural imperialism to

influence a developing country instead of the previous colonial methods of direct military

control (imperialism) or indirect political control (hegemony).

Pan- Africanism: Idea that some African political leaders used to try to fight the Neo-

colonialism. Worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity

between all indigenous and diasporan ethnic groups of African descent.

Global Age: “Global age” refers to a period of time when there is a prevailing sense of the

interconnectedness of all human beings, of a common fate for the human species and of a

threat to its life on this Earth.

Digital Age: The digital age, also called the information age, is defined as the time period

starting in the 1970s with the introduction of the personal computer with subsequent

technology introduced providing the ability to transfer information freely and quickly.

DOCOLONIZATION OF BRITISH AFRICA

The decolonization of Africa took place in the mid-to-late 1950s to 1975, with sudden and

radical regime changes on the continent as colonial governments made the transition to

independent states; this was often quite unorganized and marred with violence and political

turmoil.

During the World Wars, African soldiers were conscripted into imperial militaries. This led to a

deeper political awareness and the expectation of greater respect and self-determination,

which was left largely unfulfilled.

For African nationalists, decolonization was a moral imperative. In 1945 the Fifth Pan-African

Congress demanded the end of colonialism

At the end of WWII exiting empires were either crushed (Germany and Japan) or severely

weakened (France and Great Britain). This allowed for a quick decline of their power and loss

of their colonies, which was favoured by the new mighty world powers: the USA and the URSS.

Following in the steps of India (1947), British colonies in Asia and Africa soon began to reclaim

their independence. In the beginning, the UK tried to stop nationalist and local rebel

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TAKING ENGLISH TO AFRICA (III): DECOLONIZATION AND NEOCOLONIALISM

The aftermath of the second world war in Africa was the age of decolonization, which led to neo-colonialism. KEY CONCEPTS Decolonization: undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby a nation establishes and maintains its domination on overseas territories. The concept particularly applies to the dismantlement, during the second half of the 20th century, of the colonial empires established prior to World War I throughout the world. Nationalism : Nationalism is an ideology and movement that promotes the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people)[1] especially with the aim of gaining and maintaining the nation's sovereignty (self-governance) over its homeland. Neo-colonialism: Is the practice of using capitalism, globalisation and cultural imperialism to influence a developing country instead of the previous colonial methods of direct military control (imperialism) or indirect political control (hegemony). Pan- Africanism: Idea that some African political leaders used to try to fight the Neo- colonialism. Worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all indigenous and diasporan ethnic groups of African descent. Global Age: “Global age” refers to a period of time when there is a prevailing sense of the interconnectedness of all human beings, of a common fate for the human species and of a threat to its life on this Earth. Digital Age: The digital age, also called the information age, is defined as the time period starting in the 1970s with the introduction of the personal computer with subsequent technology introduced providing the ability to transfer information freely and quickly. DOCOLONIZATION OF BRITISH AFRICA The decolonization of Africa took place in the mid-to-late 1950s to 1975, with sudden and radical regime changes on the continent as colonial governments made the transition to independent states; this was often quite unorganized and marred with violence and political turmoil. During the World Wars, African soldiers were conscripted into imperial militaries. This led to a deeper political awareness and the expectation of greater respect and self-determination, which was left largely unfulfilled. For African nationalists, decolonization was a moral imperative. In 1945 the Fifth Pan-African Congress demanded the end of colonialism At the end of WWII exiting empires were either crushed (Germany and Japan) or severely weakened (France and Great Britain). This allowed for a quick decline of their power and loss of their colonies, which was favoured by the new mighty world powers: the USA and the URSS. Following in the steps of India (1947), British colonies in Asia and Africa soon began to reclaim their independence. In the beginning, the UK tried to stop nationalist and local rebel

movements, such as the Mau Mau in Kenya, but eventually they had to give in and retreat from their former possessions. Anticolonial movements were led by young leaders, mostly trained in the metropolis or in the USA who were imbued with pan-Africanist ideas. With independence these leaders came to be identified as the fathers of the new nations and, in some cases, took the nation’s name: i.e. Kamau wa Ngengiro, who became Jomo Kenyatta. His son, Uhuru Kenyatta is Kenya’s current president. Success was also due to former colonial soldiers who had been trained to take part in the WWII and returned home to face discrimination and poverty. In fact, they also played an important role in the many interethnic conflicts that unravelled after independence, as well as in the proliferation of coups d’etats. As a result of the whole process, in only thirty years, Britain lost or had to relinquish formal political control of all its possessions in Africa. The legacy of European dominance, however, remained evident in the national borders, political infrastructures, economies, and trade networks of each nation. Culturally, the British legacy can still be appreciated in the education systems and in the role and varieties of English spoken in the former colonies and its relation with other national languages.  TIMELINE THE COLD WAR AND AFRICAN DECOLONIZATION The end of WWII gave way to a new world order: The Three World Order. The world was divided into three blocks: The West, or so-called “free world”, the Communist bloc, headed by the URSS and China, and the Third World. Former British colonies in Asia and Africa belonged to this latter block, which was soon associated with poverty, underdevelopment and violence. These are the labels that we still use nowadays. From the very beginning, decolonisation in Africa was conditioned by Cold War politics. As new states became independent, they were labelled as pro-West or pro-East, with little room for neutrality.

Nowadays we have another major power, China, needs land were they can grow land. Saudi Arabia. Taking part in the new scramble for Africa. Neocolonial companies- The nederlands. NEOCOLONIALISM IN THE GLOBAL AGE With the expansion of global capitalism, international corporations and multinational investing funds, such as the IMF (International monetary fund), have increasingly taken over the role of former colonial countries in pressuring or manipulating local politicians in order to exploit Africa’s natural resources and increase their profits. This has led to a re-edition of the “scramble for Africa”, now led by corporations which rival for African resources and markets. NEOCOLONIALISM AND THE NEW SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA

Extraction of natural resources (oil, diamonds, coltan, etc.)
Land grabbing by multinational corporations and countries such as China, India, Korea, or Saudi Arabia to establish biofuel plantations and claim mineral rights.
African countries as markets for old-fashioned weaponry, which accounts for the millions of casualties in brutal wars and for the high debt of many of these countries.
Africa being used as a dumping site for nuclear waste, e-waste and scrap, while oil and mining companies are being allowed to destroy the environment through poor environmentalist legislation and political corruption.
Multinational companies have also been accused of using African people as guinea pigs for their experiments with pharmaceutical products.  EXTRACTION OF NATURAL RESOURCES For many African countries, a significant part of GDP is derived from the natural resource extraction industry, giving great potential for that industry to catalyse economic development in many low-to-middle income African countries. However, that potential is rarely realized and the economic benefits from extractive industries often don’t reach the poorest or most vulnerable people—the groups that often suffer the most from the resulting environmental degradation (mining, for example, impacts women most severely, as land and water pollution reduce food and agricultural production). OIL AND GAS

Impact on traditional socioeconomic structures and population distribution.
Connection between mineral resources and armed conflicts.
Multinational corporations support military corrupt regimes that suppress human rights and get rid of dissident voices such as Ken SaroWiwa.
Environmental impact due to lenient legislation.

 LAND GRABBING

Since 2000, more than 15 million hectares of African land has been grabbed by foreign governments and corporations from Madagascar and Ethiopia to Senegal and Namibia. The land is normally acquired through 90-year leases or simply bought for speculative purposes, often with the connivance of local administrations. The land is used to grow food crops for export to those countries with scarce arable land (e.g. Saudi Arabia or Korea), luxury products (e.g. flowers) or to grow fuel crops like jatropha and palm oil for ethanol. Local small-scale farmers are often forced to sell or bought up by big agribusiness. As a result more and more fertile land is dedicated to export crops while less land is available to grow food for the local population in some of the world’s hungriest countries. Estimates say that the land already taken could feed up to 300-550m people.  THE SMALL-ARMS TRADE The small arms trade (also called Small arms proliferation[1] and the small arms market) is the markets of both authorized and illicit small arms and light weapons (SALW), as well as their parts, accessories, and ammunition. Africa has proved an attractive market for nations and manufacturers eager to get rid of arms stocks made superfluous by the end of the Cold War, or by technological developments. Diamond sales, illegal wildlife trafficking and the sale of stolen relief aid are among the ways in which non-government militia raise funds to buy weapons. The persistence and the complication of wars in Africa is sometimes blamed on small arms proliferation. A comparison between the murder rates in pre- and post-colonial would help determine the impact of small arms proliferation. Africa Researchers for the Small Arms Survey estimate that approximately 30 million firearms are being circulated throughout Africa. This number is much less than the total number of small arms in Europe, estimated to be 84 million. However, the number of small arms isn't as important in comparison to how they are being used. The Small Arms Survey reports that at least 38 different companies are producing small arms in Sub-Saharan Africa, yet indigenous companies are not fulfilling the demands. The consequences of small arms on African people due to international conflicts within Africa, rebel group activities, mercenary groups, and armed gang activities have yet to be fully measured, although Stockholm Peace Research Institute means transparency and information- sharing regarding arms transfers in the region will build trust and confidence.  WASTE DUMPING Over 40 million tons of electric and electronic waste (also known as e-waste) are produced worldwide every year.

Impact of Global Capitalism on Neocolonialism in Africa: Decolonization and Pan-Africanism, Apuntes de Cultura Inglesa

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TAKING ENGLISH TO AFRICA (III): DECOLONIZATION AND NEOCOLONIALISM

 LAND GRABBING