Problems of Development in

Africa

The Scramble for Africa

• In the late 1800s, European leaders got together and divided up the continent of Africa to create European colonies.

• Why did they want African colonies?

• What are some possible problems with this?

Colonial Governments• Relied on brutal military strength• Only concerned with economics (getting natural

resources from the colony) – did not do anything to try to unite the different tribes, build infrastructure (roads, schools, hospitals, telecommunications, etc.)

• Either ruled directly (sent European officials to live in the colonies and rule) or indirectly (gave power to local tribes to help them rule)

• Southern Africa – settler colonies

African Independence

• Nationalist movements across Africa led to independence for the colonies during the 1960s and 1970s

• In most cases, independence led to either:• Corrupt governments where one man/political

party controlled everything in the country (ex: the Congo)

• Racist governments that put one tribe or group of people over another in order to keep power (ex: South Africa; Rwanda)

The Congo/Zaire

• Mobutu Sese Seko – corrupt leader of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) who stole the wealth from his country for his own personal benefit• Embezzled over $5 billion

from his country!

Apartheid in South Africa

• Apartheid: system of racial segregation enforced by the National Party government in South Africa from 1948-1994

• Black South Africans were not allowed to vote, obtain certain jobs, travel freely, or even marry without the permission of the government

• Does this sound familiar?

South Africa

United States

Nelson Mandela & the ANC

• ANC (African National Congress) – group led by Nelson Mandela that fought for the end of apartheid

• Nelson Mandela – leader of the ANC who was imprisoned for 28 years and then became the first President of post-Apartheid South Africa

Rwanda

• Two ethnic groups: Hutus (majority) and Tutsis (minority)• The divide between

these two groups was made worse during Belgian colonial rule

• Most of the land and power was given to the Tutsis while the Hutus were forced to be poor laborers

Civil War

• 1959-1962: Hutus rebelled and overthrew the Tutsi government

• 1990: RPF (Tutsi group) invaded Rwanda and tried to overthrow the Hutu government, beginning the Rwandan Civil War

• This only made worse the Hutu fear that the Tutsis intended to enslave the Hutus

Genocide

• Genocide: the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a specific ethnic group or nation

• 1994: Hutus killed Tutsis (and also Hutus who wanted peace because they were seen as traitors)

• In 100 days, an estimated 800,000 people were brutally murdered (this represents 20% of the entire population)

Current Problems for Africa

• Corrupt Governments• One-Crop Economies• Disease• Overpopulation• Water Scarcity

One-Crop Economies• Entire countries are often dependent on just one

or two main crops which makes them very vulnerable

Disease

• Out of approximately 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS, 70% live in sub-Saharan Africa (mostly in eastern and southern Africa)

• Out of nearly 247 million cases of malaria EACH YEAR, 90% of all deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa

Overpopulation

• Fertility rates: between 4-8 children per mother• U.S.: 2

• Why?• More children = more workers/farmers• Lack of education• Afraid children won’t survive into adulthood

Why is overpopulation a problem?

Who is the key to solving the population problem?

WOMEN!

What can we do?

• Educate women• Donate to non-profit organizations who help

support local African farmers (Fair Trade), build infrastructure (schools, hospitals), or help prevent the spread of disease

• Spread the word!