Negative Effects of Imperialism

The Dark Side of Imperialism Imagine for a moment that you are a fourteen-year old boy and belong to the Ibo tribe in Nigeria, Africa. Your father is a yam farmer and holds an important tribal position in your clan. Your mother is one of five wives to your father, all of whom treat him with respect and serve his every need. You are content with your life and your future looks promising. Your days consist of aiding your father in farming his crops and learning the culture and traditions of your tribe. Then, suddenly, the Europeans come and everything starts to fall apart. At first they seem kind and only want to help those in need and share their religion. Overtime, however, they strip you of all your beliefs and make you change your ways. They force their religion of Christianity on you and a few of your older brothers convert immediately. Your father is furious and disowns them commanding them to find a new home. Your family is torn apart as you watch and can do nothing about it. Then, the Europeans bring in their “invisible weapon” and start killing people. They make a set of laws and if a villager breaks them they shoot or hang them. All around you everything is in uproar and complete chaos. You feel as if there’s little worth living for because nothing is as it used to be.

This is the typical situation of a young boy whose tribe was invaded by European Imperialists. Imperialism in Africa had many negative effects on the natives such as poverty and famine, destruction of entire ethnic groups and loss of important culture; it also eventually led to civil war. During the mid 1800’s Africa became a key point of interest for many imperialistic European countries. The Europeans wanted to go to Africa for many reasons. First, it had potential for many cheap goods to be made and sold at a higher profit. There were also many raw materials necessary to produce goods. Several critical ports and waterways surrounded Africa that would give the conquering