Reference no: EM133286702
Assignment:
Please comment on this essay with no more than 3 sentences
Discussion: Africa
As the world increasingly becomes more interconnected, and advancements in technology improve the quality of life for most of the world. It is important to remember that there are many who aren't as fortunate as those who live in the First World Countries. While there are a number of countries that lag behind there geological neighbors, the entire continent of Africa is a special case. Africa is widely considered the most underdeveloped continent in the world, and there are a number of factors which have contributed to this.
One of the main reasons why Africa has lagged so far behind the rest of the world is because of Colonialism. While many may argue that Colonialism brought western education and was a positive contribution towards the development of Africa, this is only a surface level thought.
The long-term effects of colonialism play a large part in the underdevelopment of Africa as an emerging continent in the early 1800s and very much inhibited its ability to progress into the modern era. In fact, prior to embracing colonial rule, the African continent was developing with its own indigenous patten of education rooted in African technology. It was the introduction of colonial education which halted the growth that the continent of Africa was experiencing. In fact, "Before fully embracing colonial education, Africans were good technologists, advancing at their own rates with the resources within their environment" (Ocheni, 2012).
European nations stripped Africa of its abundant natural resources and introduced a mono cultural economy which left African colonies dependent on their European counterparts. Colonialism also inhibited Africa from industrializing as African nations were largely assigned the role of production of primary goods and raw materials in the international division of labor. Furthermore, colonialism intensified class struggles, and infighting as these were both strategies implemented by colonizers to maintain their rule over Africa.