Entry
Entries A-Z
Subject index
Africans
The continent of Africa holds over 1.2 billion people across more than 50 countries and between 1,200 and 3,000 ethnolinguistic groups, making it one of the most culturally diverse regions of the world. Africa is one of the most unstable continents in the world, marred by poverty and economic and ethnic strife. The continent’s name may have originated from the Latin word, aprica, meaning sunny, and aphrike, meaning without cold, and was once part of Gondwanaland, the hypothetical supercontinent that included South America, Asia, India, Australia, and Antarctica. While there are promising signs of economic development, there is growing desertification at alarming rates, presenting humanitarian challenges with basic needs of food, water, shelter, and safety. Africa is the most ethnically diverse continent in the world creating an immeasurably challenging language problem that can impede progress and unity. It is important for counselors to understand the impact of colonization and slavery on all people of African descent and some of the commonalities and differences between people of African descent and specifically African Americans in the United States. This entry discusses the impacts of colonization by Europeans on Africans, the life of colonial Africans, Africans in the United States and Europe, the African diaspora, intracommunity tensions, and contemporary African communities.
Colonization and Slavery
The colonization of Africa by the French, British, Portuguese, Spanish, Italians, and Germans opened opportunities for Africans to communicate with outsiders but did very little to improve communication within the continent. Africa, the place of the origin of mankind, had a strong, stable, and sophisticated culture for years before the Europeans began colonization. Invaders pitted Africans against each other, causing intra-African turmoil and warfare, and contributing to the demise of the once independent, proud, and thriving continent. Africans were defenseless against their sudden and sophisticated intruders. Europeans utilized a “divide and rule” approach wherein they gained and maintained power by breaking up the land and dividing the people of Africa into more easily controlled groups. This methodology caused tribalism, the favoring of some tribes by Europeans over others, which led to Africans viewing each other as the enemy rather than the colonists due to competition and the favoring of one group over others. The mineral-rich continent drew the attention of international suitors from all over the world along with a growing interest in manual labor to support a burgeoning slave trade industry that left a lasting indelible historical mark and negative impact on humankind.
Researchers suggest that Africans showed passivity and complicity with the slave trade and pilfering of its people with varying views and impressions of the impact of colonialism. Even though some partisans sought to portray colonialism as a rescue effort bringing the continent to civilization, Africa was robbed of talent, natural resources and a possible destiny of power, autonomy, and respect enjoyed by other developed nations. Early historians of precolonial Africa viewed its people as prosperous with limitless skills, cultural achievements, and progress that positioned the continent for greatness. This contradicts views of weakness, dependency, and a need for saving and rescuing presented by supporters of colonialism.
...
- Loading...
Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL
-
Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life -
Read modern, diverse business cases
-
Explore hundreds of books and reference titles
Read next
More like this
Sage Recommends
We found other relevant content for you on other Sage platforms.
Have you created a personal profile? Login or create a profile so that you can save clips, playlists and searches