tools of exploitation analysis
Tools of Exploitation Analysis
The film/documentary, titled Tools of Exploitation, chronicles, analyzes and explains Western civilizations influence on African culture/livelihood throughout the period of colonialism (the film covers the slave trade for a brief moment as well) leading to the modern day. Narrated by scholar/author Ali Mazrui, the film focuses on the usurping of Africa’s future potential due to European powers stymying Africa’s growth for their (Western) own gain (hence the name Tools of Exploitation; Africa was exploited for European gain). The film addresses many factors to why this has taken place but focuses mostly on economic reasons as well as the false justifications Europeans used to colonize the continent. One of the themes the documentary covers was the false pretenses that Europeans claimed to justify the Colonization of Africa. During the early 20th century (1900’s), Northern and Eastern Africa still had a pervasive slave culture. In the North, the remnants of the Ottoman Empire still practiced slavery, while the Muslims were the responsible figureheads in the East. Following the centuries of trans-Atlantic slave trade between Europe, Africa, and the “New World”, Europe had abolished the practicing of slavery. In 1884, the European powers that be called for the “Berlin Conference’’. Part of the conference was to organize “The Scramble for Africa”. The term was used to describe the West’s desire to introduce themselves as administrators of the African continent. One of the justifications for the conference/European’s colonialism, was that the West had “a duty” to end the barbarism of slavery still existing on the continent through the West’s new found morality. Part of the European’s plan for administration was also the fragmenting of Africa with artificial political boundaries. While this “organized” Africa in a convenient matter for the Europeans, it led to ethnic divisions/rivalries that are still in existence today. One of the
The film/documentary, titled Tools of Exploitation, chronicles, analyzes and explains Western civilizations influence on African culture/livelihood throughout the period of colonialism (the film covers the slave trade for a brief moment as well) leading to the modern day. Narrated by scholar/author Ali Mazrui, the film focuses on the usurping of Africa’s future potential due to European powers stymying Africa’s growth for their (Western) own gain (hence the name Tools of Exploitation; Africa was exploited for European gain). The film addresses many factors to why this has taken place but focuses mostly on economic reasons as well as the false justifications Europeans used to colonize the continent. One of the themes the documentary covers was the false pretenses that Europeans claimed to justify the Colonization of Africa. During the early 20th century (1900’s), Northern and Eastern Africa still had a pervasive slave culture. In the North, the remnants of the Ottoman Empire still practiced slavery, while the Muslims were the responsible figureheads in the East. Following the centuries of trans-Atlantic slave trade between Europe, Africa, and the “New World”, Europe had abolished the practicing of slavery. In 1884, the European powers that be called for the “Berlin Conference’’. Part of the conference was to organize “The Scramble for Africa”. The term was used to describe the West’s desire to introduce themselves as administrators of the African continent. One of the justifications for the conference/European’s colonialism, was that the West had “a duty” to end the barbarism of slavery still existing on the continent through the West’s new found morality. Part of the European’s plan for administration was also the fragmenting of Africa with artificial political boundaries. While this “organized” Africa in a convenient matter for the Europeans, it led to ethnic divisions/rivalries that are still in existence today. One of the