The Lasting Impact of Imperialism on African Culture and Development

Abstract

Instructor’s Name Africa is a potential powerhouse for modernization and development, but the legacy of colonialism altered Africa’s history forever and is deemed to affect its future as well. Africa’s ways of thought, cultural action, and ways of life were utterly affected by the socio-economic and political structures of the colonialists. According to (Babou, 2010), European imperial powers seized control of Africa in the Scramble of Africa, where they managed to create vast empires, and Africa was damaged politically, economically, and culturally. The Europeans were not concerned about Africans' lives and their distinct culture. The colonial government took most African lands and owned them for commercial purposes. They chose the best and most fertile lands. The British took most land in South Africa and East Africa, including Kenya, the Belgians took most of the land in Congo, and the colonialists made settlements in African countries. The Europeans created farms and mining companies in African countries and used them for cheap labor on their land. The working conditions were terrible, and corporal punishment and low wages forced them. The Europeans were very harsh and started taxing Africans, which moved them into work to their bosses’ requisites. African men were distanced from their families due to forced labor and communities’ lost manpower for food production and security. It destroyed the African cultural setting where the man was regarded as the family's breadwinner. The economic structure of Africans was changed to date. Cash crops were introduced, for instance, cocoa, tea, coffee, and cotton, which were large-scale. The staple foods of Africans were destroyed, which led to the famine of Africans. Today Africans are the leading exporters of cash crops despite starvation and famine in their countries. All the cash crops and minerals mined were exported, and they never benefited the Africans. The motives of the Europeans were not to industrialize or modernize Africa. The legacy of colonialism is evident today when Africans export raw materials. They are reported as final...