Posted: March 23rd, 2023

The Extent to which Colonialism Contributes to the Ongoing Wars in Africa

Since the 1950s, African states have been engaged in a myriad conflicts and violence. In fact, at least each African country has recorded a warring history, resulting in dire consequences affecting the inhabitants and their economies. For that reason, the African continent has taken the attention of most scholars and policy makers globally in a bid to find a solution to the deplorable atrocity caused by war. Therefore, examining the extent to which colonialism contributes to the ongoing wars in Africa and the nature of each causal factor is imperative.  

In fact, conflicts in Africa are caused by individual greed to acquire more wealth, need to avenge against unjust governments, and the exposure to social injustices that occurred during the colonial era (Anyanwu & Njoku, 2015, p. 262). However, the colonial era is attributed to instigating and nurturing violence in Africa to date. Indeed, the imperial masters’ greed to conquer Africa was indeed propagated by economic and political interests abroad and the colonized lands. Therefore, they annexed Africa violently, while those who resisted were repressed using the weapons the colonizers possessed (Anyanwu & Njoku, 2015, p. 263). As a result, Africa became a battleground where many got injured and killed due to the struggle. On the other hand, the colonizers aimed at grabbing more land for the purpose of power, while the inhabitants fought back to regain their freedom from the imperialists.

The battle for control and retention of the privileges is seen through the Tanzanian Maji Maji Rebellion, which was characterized by bloodshed in this country as Europeans used advanced weapons against the Warriors and left 70,000 of them injured and others dead (Anyanwu & Njoku, 2015, p. 263). Subsequently, instead of Africans learning from such cases, they sought to copy from their colonizers. Currently, greed and the need to acquire more wealth and power continue to fuel conflicts in this continent.

However, the causal factors of continued conflicts are nurtured internally since they are triggered by the evil nature of human beings and the exposure to unjust societal conditions. According to Anyanwu and Njoku (2015, p. 263), God created people naturally evil nature; hence, they do not hesitate to perpetrate harmful actions. In fact, that is why conflicts have resulted in massive damages since once the evil nature in humans is exhibited it is done so with intense passion and strength. Moreover, when people want to attain power, they do so to the extent of committing great atrocities in a bid to satisfy their greed.

On the other hand, the internal societal conditions push people into a war as they rebel against unjust governments and harsh policies (Anyanwu & Njoku, 2015, p. 263). Mostly, citizens easily elapse into a conflict whenever their actions conflict with the patriotic and nationalistic interest of their country. Moreover, tyrannical and dictatorship administrations feel the need to revolt amongst the inhabitants as they rebel to have their privileges and legitimacy reinstated. For example, when colonial rulers thoroughly invaded Africa, they imposed exploitive government control measures that led to massive uprisings (Anyanwu & Njoku, 2015, p. 264). Indeed, to repress these rebels, the colonizers resorted to using threats and frightening approaches that were not taken lightly, leading to more uprisings that left many Africans dead, humiliated, and deprived their privileges. To date, African still faces civil wars due to frustrating injustices embedded in the current administrations.

The above discussion has shown that wars in Africa keep recurring because the colonial government initiated this practice. However, there are inherent natures that keep refueling the continuity of this malady. Mostly, wars are caused by greed, exposure to past colonization, and avenging corrupt governments. Further, exposure to severe societal conditions and the evil nature of people keep refueling continued violence in Africa. Inadequate administrations dehumanize, use tyrannical and dictatorship regimes to fuel conflicts in this continent, leading people into rebellion as they try to reinstate their freedom and privileges. On the other hand, the human nature propagates violence as people disregard peace and the wellbeing of others. Instead, they strive to acquire the power to the extent of using extreme approaches to satisfy their personal needs.

References

Anyanwu. O. E & Njoku. R. C. (2015) Towards an African renaissance: Pan-Africanism and

African in the diaspora” (re)Tracing Africa: A Multi Disciplinary Study of African

History, Societies, and Cultures. Ed. Salome Nnoromele and Ogechi.Anyanwu, Kendall Hunt.