Group Name: The 4 Nubians and the Pharaoh
All the quotes we found to be the most important in these two chapters emphasized the main point that European colonization was only beneficial to European countries. Our quotes introduces the injustices that was imposed on the African societies; in this process, this depleted Africa economically, socially, technologically, and politically.
While European Countries were exploiting Africa and building their economies, Africa was being depleted and wasn’t advancing technologically. Raw materials are being extracted from Africa then taken to these European countries where they are being manufactured. After this process, they are then sent back to Africa to be sold at a higher price. Rodney states a direct correlation between the two on page 118 ,“This remarkable reversal is tied to technological advance in Europe and to stagnation of technology in Africa owing to the very trade with Europe”. Furthermore, they also didn’t allow for factories to manufacture products that were commonly used. This prevented a working class to form. Essentially, Europe didn’t create an environment where capitalism could thrive. This is seen through the fact that Africa was not divided by socioeconomic status nor was there complaints of inequalities based on class.
Economically, Africa was at an advantage when it came to their banking system. As for Europe they had other plans for Africa as a whole, Europeans colonizers came into Africa stole their banking system idea and took it back to Britain to build up a better technologically based economic system . On page 195 it states “Finally, Africa Provides an interesting example of how effectively foreign banks served to dispossess Africa of its wealth. Most of the banking and other financial services were rendered to white settlers whose conception of “home” was always Britain.” When European colonizers got a hold of that system automatically we can see how taking away the foreign banking system left them to fend for themselves cause if the African countries to remain at the bottom of the social hierarchy system. The white man’s goal was to keep the relationship between them and Africa one sides so that they can maintain their superior “duty”.
Throughout this process, African societies were taken advantage of right under their noses. The Dutch West India Company wanted to put an immediate stop to the African trade. What seemed like integration, really was the free-trade areas in sections of the world that were colonized prior. No this did not cause complete destruction of the West African gold trade; However, it cause Africa to become dependent on European buyers. These continuous unfair events eventually led to Africa’s underdevelopment.
-A deprived of their ability to thrive because of European resources resources Can’t thrive due to resources
-Creates this dependency theory
Structural problems europeans created, Official positions, no factories, slave trade, change their education system , extraction of natural resources, free labor, exclude them from law making, division of groups, divide and conquer
Making the argument of Africa’s underdeveloped crisis is due to structural…..
Joka Oyefeso 