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The Untold History of Neocolonialism in Africa (1960-2011)

Received: Jan. 13, 2017    Accepted: Feb. 21, 2017    Published: Mar. 14, 2017
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Abstract

After the Second World War, the imperialist trends of the eighteenth and nineteenth century began to decline. Through collective struggles, the Africans achieved independence from the whites. But though they attained freedom, they could not imagine the fact that it was just a treacherous exchange of power between the out-going masters and few of their faithful heirs. In the colonial period, the European rulers propagated that as the Africans had no culture and history of their own, it was their holy duty to civilize the native Africans. Thus, they regarded themselves superior to Africans whose culture they considered inferior, uncivilized, and savage. In the name of spreading civilization, they dominated, oppressed, tyrannized and persecuted the native Africans not only economically and politically, but also culturally. When the Europeans left, the Africans got political freedom, but the foul practice of imperialism did not end. It appeared in a new form namely neocolonialism which the scholars had branded as the worst form of imperialism. This camouflaged imperialist practice is turning Africa into a museum of acute poverty, hunger, corruption and famine. The paper aims at elucidating the effects of neocolonialism in Africa from four major perspectives– economic, political, cultural and literary.

DOI 10.11648/j.history.20170501.12
Published in History Research ( Volume 5, Issue 1, January 2017 )
Page(s) 9-16
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Africa, Neocolonialism, Imperialism, Cultural Imperialism, Disillusionment of African Writers

References
[1] Northrop Douglas. A Companion to World History. West Sussex (UK): Willi Blackwell, 2012.https://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/nkrumah/neocolonialism/introduction.htm.
[2] https://global.britannica.com/topic/neocolonialism.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Jibonanondo Daser Shrestha Kabita (The Best Poems of Jibonanondo Das): Edited by Kazi Siraj. Dhaka: 1991. p. 44. (translated by the authors).
[5] Chamberlain, M. E. The Scramble for Africa. Rutledge: New York, 2013, P. 53.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Hossain, Abu Md. Delwar. Africar Itihas (History of Africa). Dhaka: Bishobidiyaloy Prokashoni, 2016, P. 52-54.
[8] Okoth, Assa. A history of Africa: African nationalism and the de-colonisation process. Nairobi: East African Educational Publishers, 2006, P.3.
[9] Ibid, P. 7.
[10] Birmingham, Professor David. The Decolonization of Africa. London Press (UCL): University College, 1995, P.1-2.
[11] Daily Azad, Dhaka, 30 December, 1965.
[12] Mwakikagile, Godfrey. Africa under Independence: Realities of Nationhood. Darussalam, Tanzania: New African Press, 2009, P.60.
[13] Kwame Nkrumah, Neo-colonialism the Last Stage of Imperialism, p. 2.
[14] www.globalresearch.ca/africas-second-liberation-against-todays-neo-colonialism/5451647.
[15] Hossain, Abu Md. Delwar. Africar Itihas (History of Africa). Dhaka: Bishobidiyaloy Prokashoni, 2016.
[16] www.globalresearch.ca/africas-second-liberation-against-todays-neo-colonialism/5451647.
[17] Economic Development in Africa Debt Sustainability: Oasis or Mirage? United Nations, New York and Geneva, 2004, p. 5.
[18] Nkrumah, Kwame. Neo-colonialism the Last Stage of Imperialism. New York: International Publishers, 1965, P.30.
[19] Nkrumah, Kwame. Africa Must Unite. New York: Frederick Praeger. A. Publisher, 1963, P. 173.
[20] http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/highlights/000914_nkrumah.shtml.
[21] Akhter, Maswood. Ed. Musing Post Colonies. Rajshahi: Chinho Publication, 2012, P. 11.
[22] Ibid.
[23] Abdi, Ali A. “Globalization, Culture and Development: Perspectives on Africa”. Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social Sciences. Vol. 2 (1), 2000, P. 20-26.
[24] Amponash, S. (2010). “Beyond the Boundaries: Toyin Falola on African Cultures” in Niyi Afolabi, ed. Toyin Falola: The Man, The Mask, The Muse. North Carolina: Carolina Academic Press, P. 24.
[25] Irele, F. A. (2010). Westernization. http://science.jrank.org/pages/8152/westernisation.
[26] Arowolo, Dare. “The Effects of Western Civilization and Culture on Africa” Afro Asian Journal of Social Sciences, Volume 1, No. 1 Quarter IV, 2010.
[27] Joe Ushie (2008). “Two Africas in One: Neo-colonialism and the African Writer.” http://www.africaresearch.org/ncol.htm.
[28] Sunday Agboola Olatunji. “Thematic changes in postcolonial African literature: From colonialism to neocolonialism”, Sino-US English Teaching, 2010, Volume 7, No.10 (Serial No.82).
[29] Ngugi Wa Thiong’o (1964). Weep Not, Child. Kenya: Heinemann Publication.
[30] Tanure Ojaide (2009). “Examining Canonization in Modern African Literature”. Web. N. P. 12 Oct. 2016.
[31] Joe Ushie (2008). “Two Africas in One: Neo-colonialism and the African Writer.” http://www.africaresearch.org/ncol.htm.
[32] Fanon, Frantz Fanon. The Wretched of the Earth. Great Britain: Penguin, 1967, P. 7.
[33] Amuta, C. The theory of African literature. London: Zed Books Ltd., 1982, P.145.
[34] Thiong’o, Ngugi Wa. Moving the Centre: The Struggle for Cultural Freedoms. Oxford: James Currey, 1993, P. 2.
[35] Joe Ushie (2008). “Two Africas in One: Neo-colonialism and the African Writer.” http://www.africaresearch.org/ncol.htm.
[36] Ibid.
[37] Charles R. Larson (2001). The Ordeal of the African Writer. London and New York: Zed Books. P. 114.
[38] Joe Ushie (2008). “Two Africas in One: Neo-colonialism and the African Writer.” http://www.africaresearch.org/ncol.htm.
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  • APA Style

    Md. Shafiqur Rahaman, Md. Rawshan Yeazdani, Rashed Mahmud. (2017). The Untold History of Neocolonialism in Africa (1960-2011). History Research, 5(1), 9-16. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.history.20170501.12

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    ACS Style

    Md. Shafiqur Rahaman; Md. Rawshan Yeazdani; Rashed Mahmud. The Untold History of Neocolonialism in Africa (1960-2011). Hist. Res. 2017, 5(1), 9-16. doi: 10.11648/j.history.20170501.12

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    AMA Style

    Md. Shafiqur Rahaman, Md. Rawshan Yeazdani, Rashed Mahmud. The Untold History of Neocolonialism in Africa (1960-2011). Hist Res. 2017;5(1):9-16. doi: 10.11648/j.history.20170501.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.history.20170501.12,
      author = {Md. Shafiqur Rahaman and Md. Rawshan Yeazdani and Rashed Mahmud},
      title = {The Untold History of Neocolonialism in Africa (1960-2011)},
      journal = {History Research},
      volume = {5},
      number = {1},
      pages = {9-16},
      doi = {10.11648/j.history.20170501.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.history.20170501.12},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.history.20170501.12},
      abstract = {After the Second World War, the imperialist trends of the eighteenth and nineteenth century began to decline. Through collective struggles, the Africans achieved independence from the whites. But though they attained freedom, they could not imagine the fact that it was just a treacherous exchange of power between the out-going masters and few of their faithful heirs. In the colonial period, the European rulers propagated that as the Africans had no culture and history of their own, it was their holy duty to civilize the native Africans. Thus, they regarded themselves superior to Africans whose culture they considered inferior, uncivilized, and savage. In the name of spreading civilization, they dominated, oppressed, tyrannized and persecuted the native Africans not only economically and politically, but also culturally. When the Europeans left, the Africans got political freedom, but the foul practice of imperialism did not end. It appeared in a new form namely neocolonialism which the scholars had branded as the worst form of imperialism. This camouflaged imperialist practice is turning Africa into a museum of acute poverty, hunger, corruption and famine. The paper aims at elucidating the effects of neocolonialism in Africa from four major perspectives– economic, political, cultural and literary.},
     year = {2017}
    }
    

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    AB  - After the Second World War, the imperialist trends of the eighteenth and nineteenth century began to decline. Through collective struggles, the Africans achieved independence from the whites. But though they attained freedom, they could not imagine the fact that it was just a treacherous exchange of power between the out-going masters and few of their faithful heirs. In the colonial period, the European rulers propagated that as the Africans had no culture and history of their own, it was their holy duty to civilize the native Africans. Thus, they regarded themselves superior to Africans whose culture they considered inferior, uncivilized, and savage. In the name of spreading civilization, they dominated, oppressed, tyrannized and persecuted the native Africans not only economically and politically, but also culturally. When the Europeans left, the Africans got political freedom, but the foul practice of imperialism did not end. It appeared in a new form namely neocolonialism which the scholars had branded as the worst form of imperialism. This camouflaged imperialist practice is turning Africa into a museum of acute poverty, hunger, corruption and famine. The paper aims at elucidating the effects of neocolonialism in Africa from four major perspectives– economic, political, cultural and literary.
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Author Information
  • Department of History and Bangladesh Studies, Pabna University of Science & Technology, Pabna, Bangladesh

  • Department of English, Pabna University of Science & Technology, Pabna, Bangladesh

  • Department of English, Pabna University of Science & Technology, Pabna, Bangladesh

  • Section