CO – OPERATION IN AFRICA
The need for cooperation in Africa stems from the desire of the peoples of Africa to liberate themselves of exploitation and domination of Africa by foreigners, particularly from Western Europe, which dates back to the 15th century when scientific innovation in Europe inspired exploration voyages. PAN AFRICANISM Define Pan Africanism. (What is Pan Africanism?) Pan Africanism is a movement that aims at uniting all peoples of African descent. It stands for the unity and advancement of all Africans and is a manifestation of African protest against universal discrimination of black people by acknowledging their right to self determination and calling for the treatment of Africans with dignity as equals in all parts of the world. Trace the origin of Pan Africanism. Pan Africanism started in the Americas in the 19th century as a result of the dispersal of black peoples over much of the Americas and the Caribbean through Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Africans were despised and ridiculed based on their skin colour as well as their hard and kinky hair and were convinced that they could find true friendship, understanding, brotherhood and a home over in Africa. Since Africa too had been colonized and humiliated by European powers at the beginning of the 20th century, black peoples in the Americas and West Indies joined those of Africa in the Pan African movement. Even after independence, many Africans saw the need to remain united amidst neocolonialism. Identify the factors that led to Pan Africanism. (Explain the factors that gave rise to Pan Africanism.) The following factors gave rise to Pan Africanism: Many Africans were brought together by their shared suffering in slavery. In the Americas, Africans shared similar experiences of racial discrimination. During the colonial period, Africans were subjected to many ills. Economic exploitation since the raw materials and other resources got from Africa only benefited the colonialists as indigenous Africans remained with nothing. Explain the suffering shared by Africans during slavery. (What suffering did Africans experience/undergo during slavery? Or: Explain the shared suffering by which Africans were brought together during slavery.) They suddenly found their status changed from that of freedom to slavery. They were forcibly removed from the comfort of their homes and families and transported to strange lands. The violence involved in the capture caused serious injuries, destruction of property and loss of life. Many times, even siblings were separated as they were shared among different slave traders. The long march from the interior to the coast of West Africa, where they were loaded into waiting ships, was traumatizing. At the coast, the weary slaves were paraded, named and branded like animals after being sold to the highest bidder, who then transported them across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas in terrible conditions. The ships were overcrowded as the merchants packed in as many slaves as possible. Many slaves died on route to the Americas. To prevent slave riots in the ships, metal chains were used to tie up the slaves. Water and sanitary facilities were scarce during most of the voyages. This made many slaves to jump into the Atlantic Ocean and face the sharks rather than proceed with the journey. On arrival in the Americas, slaves were stripped naked and paraded in the market-place like commodities for prospective buyers. The experience was most humiliating as the prospective buyers sorted out the strong ones who fetched a better price for the sellers. Those purchased were taken to the cotton, Sugarcane and tobacco plantations, homes, mines and sites for public works (to construct roads, railways and factories). Explain the ills that Africans were subjected to during colonial rule. (In what ways were Africans mistreated during colonial rule? Or: Explain the ills/mistreatment that characterized colonial rule in Africa. Or: In what ways did Africans suffer during colonial rule? Or: Explain the suffering experienced by Africans during colonial rule.) They lost land to colonial powers. They were removed from their ancestral land. The most arable land was grabbed by the few European settlers while the Africans were settled in harsh arid and semi-arid areas. They were subjected to forced labour. For instance, in Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), the colonialists chopped off the limbs of Africans who refused to collect the wild rubber. Imposition of many heavy taxes on Africans, E.G Poll tax, Hut tax and Breast tax. Poor (low) wages and poor working conditions. Discrimination, particularly through racial segregation. Corporal punishment. Rape and murder. Restrictions on movement and assembly. Explain the aims/purpose of the Pan African movement. (Explain the objectives of the Pan African movement.) To unite all peoples of African origin in the struggle for emancipation from social discrimination and colonial rule. To challenge the ideology of White Race Supremacy, on which European colonization was based. Ø To improve the conditions of Africans in the Diaspora and in the African continent. To restore the dignity of black peoples. To create a forum through which protests against European colonization and racial discrimination would be channeled. To fight Neocolonialism in Africa. Analyse/explain development of Pan Africanism. United in humiliation and grief, the Africans in the Diaspora came to view themselves more and more as having a common history. Africa assumed a new significance to them. It was their only source of hope as it gave them identity and pride. In the 19th century, there were economic developments that led to the introduction of machines, which replaced human (slave) labour, causing slaves to be freed by their masters. The British began antis Slave-trade and antislavery campaigns in 1807 and 1833. This was closely followed by the American civil war over whether or not to continue slavery. A new spirit grew among black men such as Martin Delaney, Alexander Crummell, Bishop James Johnson, Wilmot blyden, Bishop Turner, Henry Sylvester Williams, Dr W E B Du Bois, Marcus Moziah Garvey, George Padmore, Booker T. Washington, Dr Kwame Nkruma and Leopold Sedar Senghor. These Pan Africanists began to travel widely, visiting Africa and writing on African issues,
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