The Colonial Experience

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the effects on the local African people as a result of French colonialism of Upper Africa at the end of the nineteenth century. Some of the issues covered in the paper are the economic exploitation of the population resulting in dislocation or death, the destruction of the traditional social structure and lack of education. The paper discusses how the impact of colonialism is still felt today.

From the Paper:

"Today, educated Africans struggle to find their place in a world of high technology and mass communications. They blame the colonial legacy for the failure of state after state, the backwardness of their economies, and the low levels of education, health, and welfare. Yet it was the colonial experience that brought them the very tools with which they question and criticize. Innovation and the hope for material improvement are as much products of the colonial era as the disintegration of traditional society. This pattern has been repeated in every industrializing society across the planet, and the African must struggle through it as well. (Obadina) Success will come through change and adaptation, and only then will the modern day African be reconciled with the horrors of the past."

More papers on The Colonial Experience:

• Book Review # 21443 : "African-Americans in the Colonial Era" by Donald R Wright"
• Essay # 25921 : "The Inuit (Eskimo) Colonial Experience: First Contact"
• Article Review # 146354 : "The African Experience"

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