The World Needs Africa
Du Bois in his essay, “Andromeda” he asks two rhetorical questions: “Does the world need Africa? Does Africa need the world?” (Andromeda 144). If we think about the evolvement of America, we cannot forget that America was mainly built on Africa and its riches. It grew into a mere stopping place between Europe and Asia and even a treasure house of gold and diamonds. America developed through African labor; the center of the sugar empire and the cotton kingdom. It became an integral part of the world industry and trade, which caused the Industrial Revolution and the reign of capitalism. The world has always needed Africa in order to gain power and expand their country.
Today not only is Africa an important part of the
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world of labor, but beyond this the trade of America was built in large degree upon the products raised by Africans and their children. Africa and its labor and products were of prime importance to many countries including America, which they fail to acknowledge. Cotton, fruits, vegetables, sugar, gold, diamonds are some of the few products that were harvested or mined in Africa. Besides supplying these materials, Africa was one of the largest reservoirs of human labor. They were the primary sources of wealth-mining, agriculture, and timber-industrialization. Africans were never paid fairly though when it came to its agriculture, trading, or mining. The white race didn’t care if their families or let alone themselves were starving. Du Bois quotes, “We must increase production and income by the use of the great natural powers which science has placed in our hands” (Andromeda). Africans had to deal with the misfortune of poverty and no one seemed to care. They were working their lives out in their jobs, but the Europeans didn’t even think of coming up with a solution. They were stuck in their little bubble of joy, happy that they were becoming powerful in their trading and industrial investments. The distribution of wealth and of human services is a more or less closely guarded secret. The hardest work and the work least honored, despite its necessity, was the lowest paid. Du Bois believes that men should not get rich according to ability or according to the degree in which they serve the public, but instead in recognition of talent. There were many Africans who even though didn’t have an education were one of the hardest workers. Europeans wanted to create peace by pushing forward their economy, political ideas, and religion onto countries they deemed as underdeveloped. What this really meant was peace amongst the Europeans. It was not global peace merely peace between the superior class, while excluding and exploiting the inferior class of people. The use of "science' was a strategy used by Europeans to justify imperialism. They would address things like brain differences and IQ tests to give off the illusion that dark skinned individuals did not have the same capabilities as whites. This compares to earlier writings such as "The African Roots of the War" in which, color was mentioned as a synonymy for inferiority because of the slave trade. It was a term used to identify heathens and barbarians. Color was an excuse to impose democratic philosophies onto others and take advantage of their resources. By classifying color, people were able to uplift themselves while oppressing dark skinned folks. Dubois discusses the "the future of the darker races and their relation to the white people." He mentions the impact of colonialism, which also focuses on the impact of capitalism within Africa. "The African Roots of War" which is an essay written by Dubois in 1915, discusses the fight over Africa's raw resources which initiated World War I. Dubois states in "The World and Africa" that the cold economic fact about African is that, "its labor and products" are the prime importance of American and European exploitation (144). The correlation between the two texts is that Dubois in the 1915 piece, "The African Roots of War" calls the Africa "The Land of the Twentieth Century" because of its abundance of raw resources and that Europeans saw African as a way of generating revenue. In 1947, Dubois' ideologies about European colonialism in African and their exploitation of labor and resources has not changed for decades. Dubois still sees the disparities that African people have to go through being economically put at a disadvantage. Dubois sees Karl Marx's ideology of communism as a way out of European capitalism. Dubois said that wise people even know that this can never be accomplished under the present organization of the world of business, industry, and profit; only a leader, a dictator in fact, can understand and hold the idea of the "commonweal" and that people should not fear communism but apply the method because it will be triumphant "no matter what we think or do" (The World of Africa, 163). Dubois here is giving Africans and idea of how to break out of the system of capitalism and to prosper and generate money on their own. Independence can also be tied in with communism because it puts one strong leader at its forefront to handle the finances and economic system within the nation. These two pieces of work shows the consistency of Dubois' ideologies and anger towards European colonialism and exploitation of Africans. Unlike the white race, Du Bois states that, “We are afraid of unemployment and loss of work; we are suspicious of other men, other races, and other nations; not because we are the poorest and most wretched, but just because here in America we have tasted the possibility of comfort and happiness.
We Americans boast and strut when we have every cause to be meek and humble. We want peace and make war. We produce our own wealth and steal it from others” (Andromeda). He believes that as Americans our ideologies compared to the ones of Africans are completely opposite. Africans believed that the industry must be carried on not primarily for private profit but for public welfare. They knew schools should teach truth, despite what some people are afraid to learn. Democracy in their eyes was not a privilege rather an opportunity. Just as far as any part of a nation or of the world is excluded from a share in democratic power and self-expression, just so far the world will always be in danger of war and collapse. If this nation could not exist half slave and half free, then the world in which this nation plays a larger and larger part also cannot be half slave and half free, but must recognize world democracy. We can rise above the insult of the color line in denying work to people and in helping hold colonies in thrall; and we can invoke in a real democracy a reservoir of all human ability and dream and with free vote of intelligent men. Instead of being afraid we need to open our arms towards the people of darker skin. They are no different from us, just that under God their skin was given a different pigment. We need to bring peace between these countries and start acknowledging the various ways we united can accomplish in the
future. “The absolute equality of races, physical, political and social is the founding stone of world and human advancement.” (Andromeda) This quote by Du Bois clearly explains it all that the races coming together and not just because one country needs the other, we can develop a better life for the future generations. No one just because of their pigment of their skin should be treated or seen as worth less. Everyone needs each other. As in the Andromeda article, Africans were the main source to go to when it came to the development and exchange of riches and goods. They worked for it and others stole it from them without even paying them a decent amount of money, so they wouldn’t struggle through poverty so much. Their land was full of riches yet their people were stuck in poverty where they were seen as minorities and couldn’t stand up for themselves. The World needed Africa, but when Africa needed them no one was there for them because of racial inequality. It’s time we all unite and work together instead of creating war between us.
Since the 1880?s, when European nations colonized Africa, Europe had almost complete control over the continent, but this changed during the 1950?s and 60?s. By 1958, ten African countries had gained their independence, and sixteen more joined the list in 1960 alone. Although these nations? gain of independence demonstrates the ability of blacks to overpower their white oppressors, Baldwin argues ?The word ?independence? in Africa and the word ?integration? here are almost equally meaningless; that is, Europe has not yet left Africa, and black men here are not yet free? (336). While black people had been legally free in the United States since 1863, two decades before the European colonization of Africa, they were still not truly free, almost a century later.
Allen goes on to explain and support his views on black neocolonialism. He does so by illustrating his views of black power, from the original conception of the term, and the history of effort towards giving the black community political influence. Continuing from this ...
I must tell you…if you should settle down here, you’ll have to be either one thing or other—white or colored. Either you must live exclusively amongst colored people, or go to the whites and remain with them. But to do the latter, you must bear in mind that it must never be known that you have a drop of African blood in your veins, or you would be shunned as if you were a pestilence; no matter how fair in complexion or how white you may be.
With Europe in control, “the policies of the governing powers redirected all African trade to the international export market. Thus today, there is little in the way of inter-African trade, and the pattern of economic dependence continues.” Europeans exported most of the resources in Africa cheaply and sold them costly, which benefited them, but many Africans worked overtime and were not treated with care.
Europe, in the late 1800’s, was starting a land grab on the African continent. Around 1878, most of Africa was unexplored, but by 1914, most of Africa, with the lucky exception of Liberia and Ethiopia, was carved up between European powers. There were countless motivations that spurred the European powers to carve Africa, like economic, political, and socio–cultural, and there were countless attitudes towards this expansion into Africa, some of approval and some of condemnation. Europe in this period was a world of competing countries. Britain had a global empire to lead, France had competition with Britain for wealth and so did other nations like Germany and Russia.
With this statement, he clearly shows that the peace and justice in the United States is not limited only to the white population, but also belongs to the black population.... ... middle of paper ... ... He also uses the powerful words “Free at last” in order to show the importance of the situation of the black population.
Over the centuries, the African people have endured many trials, obstacles, and tribulations. From the moment that they were kidnapped from their homeland, and had been savagely placed in the cargo holds on ships to be sold into slavery to the American people, the Africans (now known in the United States of America as African Americans or Black people) have journey far to achieve, as well as, accomplished what was thought to be the impossible. These things include but are not limited to, freedom, equality, independence, the right to vote, a fair education, a wider range of occupations to pursue, politics, but most of all, to live a better quality of life. For this assignment, the primary focus will be based upon what black people have done in the land of the United States of American to either limit or bring to an end segregation, discrimination, and isolation to receive equality, as well as civil rights.
In this marvelous novel, Theophilus Msimangu gives us his one hope for his country. Msimangu says, “I see one hope for our country, and that is all white men and black men, desiring neither power or money, but desiring only for the good of their country, come together to work for it.” This is a powerful quote spoken by Msimangu which reflects among his character throughout the book. Msimangu hoped for people living in South Africa to forget race and to instead think of what would best help the country. Although South Africa has been on a rocky path, they do seem to have taken a turn on the right path, on the path to racial equality for all. Unfortunately, South Africa has not fully met Msimangu's ideas on which people of all races work together solely to help for the good of the country.
When the world develops to date, a country cannot be seen as individual. If a country cannot accept the concept of multiracial society and do not want to unite other countries or nations, it will not develop rapidly and effectively. Nowadays, political integration and economic globalization is the trend. For example, European Communities established in 1967 and became European Union in 1991. There also have a lot of global economic organizations, such as World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and World Trade Organization. Apparently, there still has a large amount of blacks do not get the equal rights. However, the reason why people do not want to give them the same rights is ridiculous. Different color skin, different values, or different religious believes. Even some people just according to themselves imagination or hear the rumor from others. Only a few of people would like to know and experience the blacks? life and hear their opinion about the society. In fact, when the society put down the prejudices and stereotype, all the people are conducive to the society. It will not have differences because of different nations or color skin. At the same time, when people have the equal rights, they will have a stronger responsibility to uphold their society and promote the society?s development. Certainly, when people enjoy the equal rights, the blacks may try to forgive the tough period. ?We are bound up in a delicate network of interdependence because, as we say in our African idiom, a person is a person through other persons??Thus to forgive is indeed the best form of self-interest since anger, resentment, and revenge are corrosive of that summum bonum, that greatest good, communal harmony that enhances the humanity and personhood of all in the community.? (pg. 35) Nevertheless, although the blacks could forgive the cruel history, they should not forget
Africa’s struggle to maintain their sovereignty amidst the encroaching Europeans is as much a psychological battle as it is an economic and political one. The spillover effects the system of racial superiority had on the African continent fractured ...
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free”. Which shows how even though the Emancipation Proclamation freed the African Americans from slavery, they still are not free because of segregation. He then transitions to the injustice and suffering that the African Americans face. He makes this argument when he proclaims, “We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream”.
How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney, was one of the most controversial books in the world at the time of its release. The book seeks to argue that European exploitation and involvement in Africa throughout history. This is the cause of current African underdevelopment, and the true path to the development is for Africa to completely sever her ties with the international capitalist economy. Rodney describes his goal in writing the book in the preface: “this book derives from a concern with the contemporary African situation. It delves into the past only because otherwise it would be impossible to understand how the present came into being and what the trends are for the near future” (vii). Rodney writes from a distinctly Marxist perspective by arguing that the inequalities inherent in European capitalism and required exploitation of certain countries in order to sustain capitalism.
There is no doubt that European colonialism has left a grave impact on Africa. Many of Africa’s current and recent issues can trace their roots back to the poor decisions made during the European colonial era. Some good has resulted however, like modern medicine, education, and infrastructure. Africa’s history and culture have also been transformed. It will take many years for the scars left by colonization to fade, but some things may never truly disappear. The fate of the continent may be unclear, but its past provides us with information on why the present is the way it is.
The African continent is one of the largest land masses on the planet. With its massive population, tremendous natural resources, and rich cultural history, one has to wonder why any country on the continent holds a third world status. The amount of corruption and poverty within many states in Africa is astounding, and in order to unearth the reasons for the state of many African nations today one must go back to the late nineteenth century when Africa was partitioned by the major European powers of the time. By drawing arbitrary lines on a map of Africa, the western powers effectively changed the course of African history and set the stage for intense exploitation and domination of the African people. One could argue that the western powers have been doing so since the beginning of the slave trade, but that is not the focus of this analysis.
Being born and raised in Ukraine I have never experience racism in my life until I came to the United States. In the land of freedom I 've witnessed inequality the most, and not only towards African - Americans, I felt people being racist towards me, despite my so-called “white” look . As a student in the City College I was fortunate to take such courses as African Literature, Harlem Renaissance, African - American Detective Fiction and Toni Morrison class, that helped me understand the problem of racism considerably better. The new, undoubtedly interesting and challenging course, Advanced Topics in Anglophone Literature, gives me a chance to explore in depths the struggles of African ex-colonies after they gained their independence. My latest discovery Why Are We So Blest? by Ayi Kwei Armah is the beautifully written novel that not only discusses the complexity and enormity of Africa’s problems, but brings into the light the topic of racism. The scholar Derek Wright in his studies claims that the book is a racist novel that depicts “fictional” racist “white man” perceptions towards “black people.” After analyzing the novel I have to disagree with the scholar.