Imperialism and Colonialism in Africa: Key Concepts and Leaders

Three major bioregions of Africa

rainforest (Equatorial region), desert (Sahara, etc.), savannah (Sahel, Serengeti)

Percentage of Africa that was independent polities prior to the Berlin Conference.

90%

the modern nation-states of Africa were primarily shaped by...

colonial boundaries created by Europeans during the era of New Imperialism

Shaka

Zulu leader who created a strong southern African kingdom

Empire

Large political unit controlling many territories/peoples

Polity

A political organization or government

Hegemony

Dominance or leadership of one group over others
Leadership or dominance by one country or group over others.

Commodity

Resource or good for trade

Indigenous

Native to a region

Usman dan Fodio

West African Muslim reformer who built a powerful state

Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

Forced movement of enslaved Africans to the Americas

Colonialism

Control of one nation by another for economic/political gain

Settler colonialism

Europeans settle permanently, often displacing Indigenous people

Paternalism

Treating colonized people as children needing guidance

Social Darwinism

Belief that stronger races should dominate weaker ones

Cash crops

Crops grown for export (coffee, cocoa, cotton)

Henry Morton Stanley

Explorer who helped King Leopold claim the Congo

David Livingstone

Missionary/explorer whose writings increased European interest in Africa

King Leopold II

Belgian king responsible for brutal Congo exploitation

Berlin Conference

Meeting dividing Africa among European nations

Scramble for Africa

Rapid takeover of Africa by European powers

Ethnocentrism

Judging other cultures by one's own standards

Systemic racism

Policies producing racial inequality

Historian Ibram X Kendi Theory

Self-interest leads to racist policies which lead to racist ideas.

Genocide

Intentional destruction of a group

Chief Mojimba

Congolese leader who encountered Stanley

Congo River Basin

Region central to Leopold’s forced-labor system

Samori Toure

West African leader who resisted French conquest

Yaa Asantewaa

Asante queen-mother who led resistance to the British

Nehanda

Shona spiritual leader executed by British

Igbo / Aba Women's War

Women's resistance to colonial taxation in Nigeria in 1929

Marjorie Perham

a British historian who traveled to Nigeria (not during Women's War) and wrote a 1937 book on Nigeria

Nwanyoji

an Igbo (Nigerian) participant and witness in the Women’s War

warrant chief

Employed by the British colonial regime in Nigeria. A system in which "chiefs" were selected by the British to oversee certain legal matters and assist the colonial enterprise in governance and law enforcement in local areas.

Nigeria

country in West Africa; former British colony

Igbo

a member of the largest ethnic group in southeastern Nigeria

Aba

Nigerian city, site of Women's War

sit on

an Igbo tradition to publicly shame someone by persistent protest

Taxation

Colonial method of control

Assimilation

Policy of forcing Africans to adopt European culture

Protectorate

Local rulers kept in place under imperial direction

Sphere of influence

Area where a power claims exclusive trading rights

Liberia

One of two African states not colonized

Battle of Adwa

Ethiopian victory over Italy

Menelik II

Ethiopian emperor who modernized the army

Nationalism

Desire for self-rule

Elite

Educated Africans leading independence movements

Pan-Africanism

Ideology promoting unity among African peoples

Kwame Nkrumah

Leader of Ghana’s independence

Pan-African Congresses

Meetings advocating African rights

Marcus Garvey

Pan-African and Black nationalist leader

Negritude movement

Literary movement celebrating Black culture

Mandate

Territory governed by another state under League of Nations

Self-determination

Right of a people to govern themselves

League of Nations

Post-WWI international organization

All-African People's Conference (1958)

Gathering of independence leaders

Ghana

First sub-Saharan nation to gain independence (1957)

Jomo Kenyatta

Kenyan independence leader

Coup d'etat

Sudden overthrow of a government

Mobutu Sese Seko

Authoritarian ruler of Zaire

Apartheid

System of racial segregation in South Africa

ANC

African National Congress, anti-apartheid party

Sharpeville

Massacre that shifted global opinion against apartheid

Nelson Mandela

Anti-apartheid leader, president of South Africa

Desmond Tutu

Archbishop advocating reconciliation

F.W. de Klerk

Final apartheid president who negotiated transition

Socialism

Economic system emphasizing state involvement

Megacity

City with over 10 million people

Deforestation

Loss of forests often tied to colonial economies
Clearing trees from a forested area.

Endangered species

Animals threatened by environmental change

Wangari Maathai

Environmentalist, founder of Green Belt Movement

Sustainable development

Meeting present needs without harming the future

Afrikaner

A member of an ethnic group with Dutch origins residing in southern Africa, also called Boers.

Canal

An artificial waterway for navigation and moving water from one place to another.

Capital

(Economics) Wealth (money or other assets) that can be invested in a business or enterprise.

Cash crop

An agricultural crop grown for sale.

Colony

An area of land and people away from, but under the control of, a government in a different place.
Territory governed directly by a foreign power

Conservationist

A person who favors the management, protection, and use of resources and natural systems to meet current and future needs.

Desertification

Changes to semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas that result in the habitat changing to desert.

Direct rule

Control of a colony by an imperial power through foreign officials, thus eliminating self-rule.
Imperial rule with European officials making decisions

Ecosystem goods

Tangible materials, such as timber and food, produced by natural systems, that are essential to human life, economies, and cultures.

Erosion

The displacement of soil, sediment, rock, and other particles resulting from the movement of wind, water, or ice.

Famine

A severe shortage of food that results in widespread hunger and starvation.

Indirect rule

Control of a colony by an imperial power through a local government that has limited self-rule.

latex

A milky-colored fluid that is the sap of certain trees and other plants, such as

rubber trees.

New Imperialism

The late 19th and early 20th century period of colonization led by industrial countries.

Perspective

The way an individual or group views the world based on their thoughts, beliefs, or opinions.

Stakeholders

Individuals, groups, or organizations that have an interest in or concern about a particular action or decision.

Subsistence farming

Farming practices that produce only enough crops and livestock to feed farmers and their families.

Fossil fuels

Nonrenewable fuels, such as coal that formed from organic material over millions of years.

Denudation

The practice of clearing an area of vegetation and forest cover.

Imperialism

Political and military policies and practices that give one country control over the people, land, and resources in another region or country.

Industrialization

1. Transformation of an economy from production of goods by human and animal labor to production by powered machines. 2. The changing of an area by creating industry, such as factories and power plants.

Infrastructure

The basic facilities and systems, such as railroads and power lines necessary to run an industrial economy.

Malaria

A disease caused by a parasite called plasmodium that occurs mostly in tropical areas, but can occur anywhere that mosquitoes thrive.

Missionary

A person acting to achieve and promote a specific purpose such as promoting a religion.

Urbanization

The changing of rural and natural areas to densely populated urban areas as a result of large scale migration to cities.

Monopoly

Sole control over a natural resource, good, service, or industry.

Natural resources

Materials, such as water, minerals, energy, and soil that people use from nature and natural systems.

Parasite

An organism that lives on or in a host organism and can only survive through the nutrients taken from the host.