Colonialism In Colonialism

Ethnic favoritism has definite roots in colonialism. The redrawing of African boundaries was a tool used for colonial administration. In Richard Ilohar’s article, he states that “the exercise provided opportunities for the colonialists to play one ethnic group against another to maintain a strong grip on power,” which in fact agrees with Grabowski’s article which states the boundaries of African states “defied any genuine process of development, especially political development, and rather created fertile ground for conflict. The amalgamation of a wide variety of ethnic, religious, cultural and linguistic groups within the same nation in practice created fault lines that divided societies.” Ethnic groups who feel marginalized often develop feelings of revenge and hatred against those who enjoy socio-economic well-being from the resources of their states because of their affiliation to the ruler based on clientelist politicking (Alemazung, 2010). The mass brainwashing of post-colonial rulers and their successors, which has sustained neo-colonialism to the detriment and underdevelopment of the African people, meant that the “wrong” political culture was instilled into the minds and brains of the elites.

The importance of education has never been lost on Africans. The South African country study states that many African societies placed strong emphasis on education prior to the arrival of Europeans. The South African country study also states education is a reflection of society’s political philosophy and goals (146). Toward the end of the eighteenth century a missionary revival in Europe led to the arrival in South Africa of several representatives from different mission societies. Missionaries used education as the vehicle to Chris...

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...arateness, culturally and historically, and the advantages of maintaining these demarcations, which was an effective way of checking coordinated groups’ dissidence against colonial rule (Campbell 1997). This colonial policy heightened groups’ senses of exclusiveness and distinctiveness. These ideals created the clientalism in some African governments. Neo-colonialism survived because the West had established a dependent economic and political structure on the continent which was inherited and never changed by the new leaders. These “ambassadors” of the colonizers promoted foreign interest over domestic interest, maintaining the economic and political structures of the colonizers. They manipulated their followers to support and uphold neo-colonialism. This relationship is also highlighted when ethnicity is considered as a tool of manipulation for political elites.