GROUP 1

AFRICA: IN TRANSITION

NAMIBIA
 March 21, 1990 - Independence Day
 54th independent nation of Africa
N'KOSI SIKELEL'I AFRIKA (GOD BLESS AFRICA)
 written by Mankayi Sontanga in 1897
 national anthem of Namibia, Tanzania and Zambia
 echoes a deep love for Africa
KWAME NKRUMAH
 prime minister of Ghana (former Gold Coast)
 "Freedom for the Gold Coast will be the fountain of inspiration from which other African colonial
territories can draw when the time comes for them to strike for their freedom." (Nkrumah's prediction)
NATIONALISM
 a sense of pride in and devotion to one's country
PAN-AFRICANISM
 called for unifying all of Africa
 "Africa for the Africans" (slogan)
 W. E. B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey called for a sense of unity among all people of African descent
LÉOPOLD SÉDAR SENGHOR
 a Senegalese poet
 took the lead in the "négritude movement" that encouraged Africans to value their heritage and
strengthened Pan-Africanism
 writer of "Black Woman", a poem that depicts the beauty and vitality of African culture
 he served for 20 years as Senegal's president

NEW NATIONS EMERGE

 As World War 2 ended, independence movements gained strength in both Africa and Asia.
 Cold War - a state of geopolitical tension after World War 2 between the Soviet Union, who
condemned imperialism, and United States, who spoke out against colonialism. The Cold war helped
African nationalists to obtain independence.
 In 1950, Africa contained only four independent nations; Liberia, Ethiopia, Egypt and South Africa.

GHANA
 Kwame Nkrumah- he organized strikes and boycotts to protest British rule. Even though he was jailed
for his actions, he achieved his goal.
 In 1957, Ghana became the first African nation to win independence thanks to Nkrumah.

NORTH AFRICA
 During the 1950’s, Libya, Tunisia and Morocco also won independence in a generally peaceful manner.
 By contrast, in 1954, a bitter war broke out in Algeria.
 Many French people settled in Algeria in which the Algerians did not accept and fought for their
freedom and because of that, more than 100,000 Algerians and 10,000 French died in the 8-year
struggle.
 In 1962, Algerians forced the French to withdraw.
 As of today, North Africa has 5 nations; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia.

KENYA
 Jomo Kenyatta - he demanded political and economic reforms from the British and he also became the
first president of Kenya.
 White settlers opposed giving rights to blacks in order to protect theirs.
 The British accused Kenyatta of secretly leading Mau-Mau groups, the African armed assistance, thus
he was imprisoned.
  1,300 of the people killed are Kikuyu, whose ancestors had migrated to the region in the 1400s.
 In 1964, the British finally agreed to withdraw.

SOUTHERN AFRICA
 Portugal refused to give up its colonies of Angola and Mozambique and because of that, nationalists
from the 2 colonies waged war against the Portuguese.
 In 1975, Angola and Mozambique finally won independence.

THE COLONIAL LEGACY

 The effects of colonial rule lasted long after African nations won independence.
 Europeans left ruled their colonies with the belief that European cultures were superior.
 The colonial rule gave the Africans a desire for modern technology and the same standard of living
Europeans enjoyed.
 The colonial rule did little to prepare Africans for independence and they had also replaced or weakened
powerful African leaders.
 The new national boundaries were artificial creations of colonial powers.
 Sometimes, borders divided people belonging to the same ethnic group and one example for that are the
Ewe people, which were split between Ghana and Togo.
 Also, many new nations were small, with less than 10 million people which made it difficult for them to
meet the economic needs of their people.
 Colonial rulers had made some positive changes like on how they built roads, bridges, railroads, and
dredged harbors for seagoing ships. They also set up schools and introduced new crops and farming
methods.

STEPS TOWARD DEVELOPMENT

 Julius Nyerere- Tanzania’s first president in 1960
 Workers expected wages to rise and farmers hoped that freedom would mean lower taxes.
BUILDING GOVERNMENTS
 African valued ties to families, villages and ethnic groups.
 Ethnic and economic differences led to war in the Congo.
CIVIL WAR
 1960-Congo won independence from Belgium.
 Moise Tshombe- Copper rich Katanga province led by him chose to break away from Congo.
 Mobuto Sese Seko-He gave the country an African name, Zaire. He also took steps to unify the rival
groups.
ONE PARTY RULE-In each election district, voters could choose between two or more very different
candidates from the same party.
MILITARY RULE-to restore order and get rid of corrupt civilian leaders.
STABILITY AND PROGRESS
 President Felix Houphouet-Boigny-gave in to demands for multiparty elections and won a seventh term
as president.
ECONOMIC SYSTEM
African Socialism-the government owns and operates major businesses and control other parts of the
economy.
MIXED ECONOMIES-The government exercise control over many aspects of business, but also encourage
private investment.

ECONOMIC CHOICES AND CHALLENGES GOALS OF AFRICA

1. They want to improve agriculture and build modern industrial economies.
2. They want to become economically self-sufficient and to end foreign denomination.

Developing Agriculture
Cash Crop Grow for sale rather than for food.
Farmers stop planting food crop and grow crop for export. Government kept price for food crop low. Farmers
suffer low prices. Land Farmers cleared and planted same land for some yrs. They moved on to other land
leaving soil to renew itself. Population growth cause fewer areas to plant. Millions faced starvation.
Economic independence Nations spend large sum in importing oil. They borrowed heavily. They expect to
repay debts through exportation but the price is low.
They want western made goods like cars and TV. 1990s they ban foreign imports and support local industries.

POPULATION EXPLOSION
1990 Population in Africa reached 675million. At the current growth rate it will double by year 2020. Half of
the population are under 15 years old. The strains caused by the population boom are leading some people to
change their ideas about family size.

UNDER EUROPEAN RULE:

WOMEN
 Have traditionally done most of the farm work in Africa.
 Women still grew food for the family.
MEN
 They raised each crop.

GROWTH OF CITIES
1990 - 22% of African lived in cities.
2025 - About 54% of African will live in urban areas.

Reason why people migrate from farms to cities:

RURAL POVERTY (It drives millions of people to give up farming)

BENEFITS OF URBAN LIFE

1. Better Jobs
2. Improved housing
3. Better schools
4. More health care
5. Offer a wide range of activities

EFFECTS OF URBANIZATION
● CHANGES IN FAMILY:
- Often a family member goes to find a job. Soon, other family member follow.
- Instead of accepting arranged marriages, more young people choose their own mates.

WESTERNIZATION:
Africans’ view towards Westernization:
 They welcome the benefits of western technology.
 To them, western culture glorifies individual desires and material goods at the expense of the
community.
 They preserve traditional values of family and group loyalty.

RELIGION
 Islamic leaders reject westernization.
 In early 1990s, numerous independent Christian churches have arisen in Africa.

WOMEN’S LIVES
 Women are gaining legal rights.
 Governments are also beginning to support programs to help women obtain technical training and jobs.
NIGERIA
 The Federal Republic of Nigeria or commonly known as Nigeria.
 Nigeria has been home to a number of kingdoms and tribal states over the millennia. Nigeria became a
formally independent federation in 1960. It experienced a civil war from 1967 to 1970. It thereafter
alternated between democratically elected civilian governments and military dictatorships until it
achieved a stable democracy in 1999, with the 2011 presidential election considered the first to be
reasonably free and fair.
 Nigeria is often referred to as the "Giant of Africa", owing to its large population and economy. With
approximately 186 million inhabitants, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the seventh
most populous country in the world. Nigeria has the third-largest youth population in the world,
after India and China.

CLIMATE
 Nigeria has a tropical climate with variable dry and rainy seasons, depending in the location.
 A savanna climate, that is marked wet and dry seasons, prevails in the north and west, while a steppe
climate with little precipitation is found in the far north.
 In general, the length of rainy season decreases from south to north.

 Nigeria has more than 500 ethnic groups.

HAUSA, IGBO, AND YORUBA

 3 largest ethnic group in Nigeria

LANGUAGE
 There are 521 languages that have been spoken in Nigeria (nine of which are now extinct).
 In some areas of Nigeria, ethnic groups speak more than one language. The official language of Nigeria,
English, was chosen to facilitate the cultural and linguistic unity of the country, owing to the influence
of British colonization that ended in 1960.

RELIGION
 Christianity and Islam are the most widely professed religions.
ABUJA NATIONAL MOSQUE
 Mosque of the Nigerians

MUHAMMADU BUHARI
 Nigeria’s President (May 29, 2015-present)
 The president presides as both head of state and head of the federal government.
 Their leader is being elected by popular vote to a maximum of two 4-year terms.

GOVERNMENT
 Nigeria is a federal republic modelled after the United States, with executive power exercised by
the President.
 The president's power is checked by a Senate and a House of Representatives, which are combined in
a bicameral body called the National Assembly. The Senate is a 109-seat body with three members from
each state and one from the capital region of Abuja; members are elected by popular vote to four-year
terms. The House contains 360 seats, with the number of seats per state is determined by population.

 Nigeria is divided into thirty-six states and one Federal Capital Territory, which are further sub-divided
into 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs). In some contexts, the states are aggregated into six
geopolitical zones: North West, North East, North Central, South East, South South, and South West.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
1970'S
 Oil boom brought riches to Nigeria
 Built schools and raised its literacy rate
 Massive borrowing from western banks
1980'S
 Babangida banned the imports of wheat, rice and other goods to repay the nation's debt Industry &
Agriculture
 Developed range of industries from automobile assembly plants, steel mills & petrochemical plants.
 Produces cash crops- cotton palm oil, cocoa, and kola nuts.
 Exports rubber, coffee, & timber
POPULATION GROWTH
 Their population is 125 Million and predicted it may be tripled by the year 2020.
 Large percentage of population is under 15 years old.
 They prefer to live in cities such as Lagos.
 Michael Ibru- founded a huge fish business to provide a source of low-cost protein to city dwellers.
MUSIC AND LITERATURE
 Fine bronze sculptures
 "Talking drums"- has special features that allow the drummer to vary the pitch.
 King Sunny Ade- weaves the sounds of steel guitars, rhythm, guitars & talking drums.
 Fela Anikulapo- blends traditional African rhythms and American Jazz
 "Things Fall Apart"- written by Chinua Achebe; about tragic effects of European rule in Nigeria
 "A Dance of the Forests"- written by Wole Soyinka; about the relationship between spirits, ghosts and
Ogun.

LINDA MUTONDORO
 Guerilla Commander
 In 1976, thousands of Zimbabweans travelled to neighboring Mozambique. There men and women were
trained in guerilla warfare to fight the army of Rhodesia. (Rhodesia - was an unrecognized state in
southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territorial terms to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was
considered a de facto successor state to the former British colony of Southern Rhodesia.)
 She was 15 years old when she joined the struggle.
 Mutondoro rose to the rank of commander, with 3 platoons under her command.
 In 1979, just as the war was ending, she was captured and beaten in prison.
 After the independence in 1980, Mutondoro was released.
 She joined the Zimbabwe’s ministry of foreign affairs, working on embassies in Sweden, Germany and
Senegal.

ROBERT MUGABE
 Born on February 21, 1924 in Katuma, a Jesuit mission station 50 miles west from Southern Rhodesian
capital.
 His father, Gabriel Matibili was a carpenter from Nyasaland (later Malawi)
 His mother, Bona, belonged to the prominent Shona ethnic group.
 He spoke out strongly against racism in any form: “The wrongs of the past must now stand forgiven and
forgotten…. If ever we look to the past, let us do so for the lesson the past has taught us, namely that
oppression and racism are [injustices] that must never again find scope in our political and social
system.”
RESTORING UNITY
 Zimbabwe’s constitution included a number of protections for the white minority.
 Mugabe also appointed two white positions in his cabinet.

IMRPOVING SERVICES
 Mugabe’s goal included providing basic services to all citizens.
 In the 1980, the number of children in elementary school more than tripled. The government has pledged
to provide 8 years of schooling to all children.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
 Besides working towards national unity, Mugabe sought to reform landholding patterns and to develop
agriculture.
 In the past, the best land belonged to about 4000 whites. Africans owned small, less fertile plots of land
in areas where rainfall was infrequent.
 The new government set up program of land redistribution, which it altered in 1992 to increase the
transfer of land from whites to black.
 Zimbabwe became one of the most industrialized nation in Africa. ¼ of the population works in
manufacturing.
 In 1980s, the small farms out produced large plantations. The government has provide programs to
provide seeds, fertilizer, and technological help to farmers. The food output has increased as a result.

Additional information about Robert Mugabe

 The leader of Zimbabwe since its independence in 1980. He is one of the longest serving and, in the
latter of his reign, most infamous African rulers.
 Elected prime minister and later president.
 2000 – He encouraged the takeovers of white owned commercial farms, leading to economic collapse
and runaway inflation.
 He is a teacher before becoming a freedom fighter.
 He is the world’s most educated president with 7 degrees such as:
o Bachelor of Arts (History and English) (BA) degree from the University of Fort Hare (1951)
o Bachelor of Administration (B.Admin) from University of South Africa (Unisa)
o Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) from the University of South Africa (Unisa)
o Bachelor of Science (BSc.) in Economics from University of London (External Programme)
o Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from University of London (External Programme)
o Master of Laws (LL.M) from University of London (External Programme)
o Master of Science (MSc.) in Economics from University of London (External Programme)
 The two law degrees were earned while he was in prison (between 1964 and 1975) and the MSc while
leading the Zimbabwe government after independence.
 In 1964 ZANU (Zimbabwe African National Union) was banned by Rhodesia colonial government and
Mugabe was imprisoned.
 In prison Mugabe taught English to his fellow prisoners.
 He was freed in 1974.
 In 1982, Mugabe sent his North Korean trained fifth brigade to the ZAPU (Zimbabwe African People’s
Union) stronghold to smash dissent.
 In 1998, he sent Zimbabwean troops to intervene in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Civil war – a
move many viewed as a grab of the country’s diamonds and valuable minerals.
 He is also known as the dictator who ruined his country.
 37 years in power.
November 2017, an unexpected military coup seemingly removed the 93-year-old autocrat from power.

ZIMBABWE (REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE)

 gained independence against United Kingdom on April 18, 1980
 a landlocked country located in southern Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by
South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Mozambique.
 the capital and largest city is Harare.
 has 16 official languages with English but Shona and Ndebele is the most commonly used.
 rich in natural resources such as gold, nickel, copper, chromium and coal
NEHANDA NYAKASIKANA
 spirit medium of the Shona people and provided inspiration for the revolt against the British South
Africa Company's colonization of Mashonaland and Matebeland.
CECIL RHODES (CECIL JOHN RHODES)
 was a British businessman, mining magnate and politician in southern Africa who served as Prime
Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896.
 Rhodes and his British South Africa Company founded the southern African territory of Rhodesia.
 Rhodesia is now Zimbabwe and Zambia.