How Has Africa Changed Over Time
Looking back in history, countries around the world go through tremendous changes that influence the future. Change is inevitable and countries have the ability to transform in order to stay competitive. Countries have the power to change for their own self benefit, and on the other hand, countries can change due to other dominating regions. Africa is a country that has fallen victim to both instances. Early on, Africa was a country that had new technology for farming and overall viewed as a powerful country. It is easy to say things can turn out different in any given situation, but at the same time, change is necessary for progress. In the past, Africa has been shaped by various countries in Europe which forever altered their outcome. Through stories like Things Fall Apart and other countries’ actions and involvement, Africa ended up with an outcome that most likely could not be changed.
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In the story, Things Fall Apart, the author Chinua Achebe discusses how the Europeans stereotyped Africans in the late 1800s. More specifically, Nigeria is the main area the author focuses on. Before the Europeans became involved with Nigeria, various traditions were upheld by the indigenous people. The book outlines the lives of the Igbo before the Europeans took over. Their society was full of traditions and rituals. They had religious beliefs and laws in place. Life was civilized and culturally rich. Throughout the book, Chinua Achebe fictionally describes the European colonization and their unfair ways. “’Does the white man understand our custom about land…he does not even speak out tongue” (176) is Obierika voicing his concerns about the colonialist’s arrival. He realizes they cannot solely blame the colonists. To some extent, the members who converted to Christianity are also ones to blame. If religion was one element that held their society together, people straying away made them vulnerable. Ultimately, the Igbo culture was destroyed and literally fell apart hence the title of the book. The twentieth century was a major turning point for Africa and independence was not gained back easily. As the British began to colonize, the Igbo society in Nigeria was directly affected. Sadly, as Europe began taking over there was no way for Africa to stop their powerful pursuit. The main character, Okonkwo, strives to be like his father, yet does not respect him. His father is lazy and does not work hard to make a living. Due to his father’s lack of masculinity, Okonkwo overcompensates. Once the Europeans begin taking over, Okonkwo believes the whites will win, but he will not go down without a fight. As a result, Okonkwo suffers as a direct result of the European imperialism take over. As time went on, the British occupied most Nigeria around 1904. All in all, changes could have been made to alter the outcome of Nigeria, but they could not withstand the powerful intrusion of the whites.
Taking a step back in time, Africa was a very powerful and strong continent because of various leaders. Nigeria had the second largest economy in Africa. Also, Nigeria dominates much of West Africa, having the highest population at about 200 million. Musa Keita came into power in 1312, and at the time of his crowning, Europe was going through a starvation crisis while African kingdoms were flourishing. Around 500 BCE the first technology for farming was introduced and there was so much potential early for farming and mining. As time went on, Musa used his powers to expand the borders of his empire immensely, it was over 2,000 miles. All while in power, Musa took over Timbuktu and reestablishing power over Gao. As a ruler, he made a great impact on Africa and their expansion. His work continues because in 1324 he made a 4,000 mile pilgrimage to Mecca. He wanted the best for his people and make things easily accessible. It is said that he truly cared about the people because he donated to the poor. Unfortunately, this caused high inflation that took years to fix. In this situation, rulers set the ground work for a successful future by creating a dominant stance with an authoritarian outlook. In the 15th century, Europeans were involved in African slavery during the takeover.
It started out as the Portuguese people traveling to West Africa’s Coast in search of gold. Afterward, Africans began to be captured in warring raids, kidnapped, and taken to the coast to be shipped by African slave traders. At the start of the 16th century, about 200,00 Africans were transported to Europe and various islands. 1619 was the time over a century and a half after the Portuguese began trading slaves on the African coast. Forced labor began when ships brought Africans to America to work at plantations and colonies. Over 54,00 trips were made for human trade sent to America. After years of neglect, Africa endure a great deal of damage and lost their independence. It is difficult to say if things could have gone differently. The Europeans that took over at the time, were more powerful that West Africa. After the trade links were established, other countries involved themselves and began to settle and trade. Trade within West Africa continued for 300 years, and remained forever
changed.
With the hundreds of countries all around the world competing for power and resources, there is bound to be conflict. For West Africa, at the time, they had difficulty stopping the Europeans from colonizing. The book Things Fall Apart illustrates the perspective of the Igbo people and how the European imperialism directly affected their society. Their people attempted to fight back, but they were unable to successfully end the takeover. When some of the Igbo people started to convert to Christianity, their society began to fall apart. Overall, it was not one factor or change that led to the colonization. Instead, a buildup of changes occurred and the Europeans to claim the majority of Western Africa. Before the colonization, African rulers implemented changes to provide a better life for all Africans. Many Africans adapted to changes and others did not. It is not reasonable to think things could have turned out vastly different for Africa when Europeans began their steady invasion.
In the story, Things Fall Apart, the author Chinua Achebe discusses how the Europeans stereotyped Africans in the late 1800s. More specifically, Nigeria is the main area the author focuses on. Before the Europeans became involved with Nigeria, various traditions were upheld by the indigenous people. The book outlines the lives of the Igbo before the Europeans took over. Their society was full of traditions and rituals. They had religious beliefs and laws in place. Life was civilized and culturally rich. Throughout the book, Chinua Achebe fictionally describes the European colonization and their unfair ways. “’Does the white man understand our custom about land…he does not even speak out tongue” (176) is Obierika voicing his concerns about the colonialist’s arrival. He realizes they cannot solely blame the colonists. To some extent, the members who converted to Christianity are also ones to blame. If religion was one element that held their society together, people straying away made them vulnerable. Ultimately, the Igbo culture was destroyed and literally fell apart hence the title of the book. The twentieth century was a major turning point for Africa and independence was not gained back easily. As the British began to colonize, the Igbo society in Nigeria was directly affected. Sadly, as Europe began taking over there was no way for Africa to stop their powerful pursuit. The main character, Okonkwo, strives to be like his father, yet does not respect him. His father is lazy and does not work hard to make a living. Due to his father’s lack of masculinity, Okonkwo overcompensates. Once the Europeans begin taking over, Okonkwo believes the whites will win, but he will not go down without a fight. As a result, Okonkwo suffers as a direct result of the European imperialism take over. As time went on, the British occupied most Nigeria around 1904. All in all, changes could have been made to alter the outcome of Nigeria, but they could not withstand the powerful intrusion of the whites.
Taking a step back in time, Africa was a very powerful and strong continent because of various leaders. Nigeria had the second largest economy in Africa. Also, Nigeria dominates much of West Africa, having the highest population at about 200 million. Musa Keita came into power in 1312, and at the time of his crowning, Europe was going through a starvation crisis while African kingdoms were flourishing. Around 500 BCE the first technology for farming was introduced and there was so much potential early for farming and mining. As time went on, Musa used his powers to expand the borders of his empire immensely, it was over 2,000 miles. All while in power, Musa took over Timbuktu and reestablishing power over Gao. As a ruler, he made a great impact on Africa and their expansion. His work continues because in 1324 he made a 4,000 mile pilgrimage to Mecca. He wanted the best for his people and make things easily accessible. It is said that he truly cared about the people because he donated to the poor. Unfortunately, this caused high inflation that took years to fix. In this situation, rulers set the ground work for a successful future by creating a dominant stance with an authoritarian outlook. In the 15th century, Europeans were involved in African slavery during the takeover.
It started out as the Portuguese people traveling to West Africa’s Coast in search of gold. Afterward, Africans began to be captured in warring raids, kidnapped, and taken to the coast to be shipped by African slave traders. At the start of the 16th century, about 200,00 Africans were transported to Europe and various islands. 1619 was the time over a century and a half after the Portuguese began trading slaves on the African coast. Forced labor began when ships brought Africans to America to work at plantations and colonies. Over 54,00 trips were made for human trade sent to America. After years of neglect, Africa endure a great deal of damage and lost their independence. It is difficult to say if things could have gone differently. The Europeans that took over at the time, were more powerful that West Africa. After the trade links were established, other countries involved themselves and began to settle and trade. Trade within West Africa continued for 300 years, and remained forever
changed.
With the hundreds of countries all around the world competing for power and resources, there is bound to be conflict. For West Africa, at the time, they had difficulty stopping the Europeans from colonizing. The book Things Fall Apart illustrates the perspective of the Igbo people and how the European imperialism directly affected their society. Their people attempted to fight back, but they were unable to successfully end the takeover. When some of the Igbo people started to convert to Christianity, their society began to fall apart. Overall, it was not one factor or change that led to the colonization. Instead, a buildup of changes occurred and the Europeans to claim the majority of Western Africa. Before the colonization, African rulers implemented changes to provide a better life for all Africans. Many Africans adapted to changes and others did not. It is not reasonable to think things could have turned out vastly different for Africa when Europeans began their steady invasion.