There are many theories trying to explain why the African continent is the global basket case. While the per capita income of the rest of the world in 2000 was US$ 8800, in Africa it was US$ 1800, nowhere else is life expectancy so low and illiteracy rates so high. And that although since the early 1950s $US 568 billion in aid has been poured into the continent.
In a new article (via 3 quarks daily – one of my favourite general interest blogs), the economist Nathan Nunn argues, that slavery is the main culprit. “Without the slave trades, 72% of Africa’s income gap with the rest of the world would not exist today.” Slavery affected those regions most developed between 1400 and 1900, which are today the poorest in Africa. Slavery, not only the transatlantic variety but also the earlier inter-African one, lead to political instability, weakened states, political and ethnic fragmentation and a deterioration of legal institutions.
Now, „One Big Thing“ theories are always suspicious. So let me throw in another (of the many) explanations. Many anthropologists will point to socio-cultural factors as being of great importance for African underdevelopment. One of the most important seems to be the egalitarian ethos of many traditional African societies. Jackson, a young South African man I got to know in Johannesburg earlier this year, had wanted to upgrade his family house back in the village by replacing the mud floor with concrete. But even this minimal attempt at differentiating his household from the others had spurred so much envy and suspicion that he eventually gave up on the project. Private wealth accumulation is seen as antisocial behaviour threatening to undermine the dense reciprocal relationships between villagers, who help each other out in times of need. The fear is that once some villagers are wealthy enough to do without these insurance networks, they might refuse to help needy others and thus destroy the fundamental sense of security in the community.
Successful people are constantly pressured to share their wealth with family and friends. If they don’t, they easily are branded as witches or have other envious people bewitching them. If you want to know more about this subject (and understand German!) read my old brand eins column or this article about witchcraft and the Swiss anthropologist David Signer (via antropologi). For a highly informative account of the role of witchcraft in Cameroon read Peter Geschieres The Modernity of Witchcraft.
Africa’s economy would never be so downtroden if it was not the process of slavery and slave trade. Those Europeans used Africans for bunches of food production in their own countries. They captured only the economically active populations knowing that those young children and elders left behind will never survive on their own. I wonder if without us as Africans the Europeans were going to have their economy in the position it is in right now. It is painful to see and know that Europeans are very rich because of the resources of Africa and the labor of African people. One has to consider that Africans were very much independet until these people came here. They even divided Africa into pieces. There were no boundaries within the African continent. Now, when a person wants to go to Zambia for example, one has to produce some legal documents. Poor Africa, what did you do that you are in this situation. When one traces your history, one finds out that you were very rich. The intruders have intruded and you were very much overt for intrution. Now the intruders have taken all your fortune and left you in desperation. I pray the God feels for you. Ooh Poor Africa! what did you do?
Nobody is stopping Africa from developing now lmao, keep living in the past and blaming Europe for everything.
spot on, and what before slavery? why did Europeans and Chinese and other civilizations were able to developed but Africans didn’t? this is a taboo subject, no one will dare to inquire the true reason
Their are many theories to why Africa is underdeveloped and one can not stick to only a single reason,slavery colonialism,neo-colonialism and just to mention but a few,are all responsible for Africas underdevelopment
I would like more information about why Africa is underdevelopment
I see no reason why africans see white as there second God most expecialy nigerians?despite all there wicked attitude to us in past.it so painfull that they make us believe that are good.my concern is that we don’t have good leader and follower.are struggle.enough of all these africans.let’s gather and fight our leaders we need economy stability.why must we have food and die of hungry.we need fight to create fears in the mind of our leader.after many years of surfering from white people.why must we need to surfer from our people again
The average african is constantly faced with the problem of culture disorientation.The major problem of the african is the problem of identity of culture.The average african behaves like someone suffering from senile amnesia.He does not understand where his coming from,where he is at present and where is going.
what are the features of underdevelopment?
features of underdevelopment are-low per capita production,high unemployment,high rate of population growth,low life expectancy,high infant mortality rate
Africa’s problem has just a solution which is let us get back to the founder of the world. cos He knows best our plight!
If visually a good number of african can embrace the truth about the golden laws of the creator & forsake their gods!
Those of us that have left Africa and have adapted other cultures, are very aware of what is wrong with Africa. The only way we can fix Africa is to step up and return with the knowledge we have acquired. Step up and fight corruption, step up and lead, and only then will things change. Let us not abandon Africa, she needs us.it only takes a brave few to change the course of the world. without the works of Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela where would we be now?
We have to find a solution to make Africa developed continent,one of solution is to stand on our own feet and not depend on Aids from developed countries.
Unless stable reforms in governance are made, Africa will remain underdeveloped forever.
yeah sure most African leaders are corrupt
i hate it when people heep the problem of africa on the colonial masters,few years ago i was watching tv then i saw a deutch bank advertisment in a wall street journal that proclaimed:ideas are capital and the rest is just money.i was struck by the simplicity of such an eloquent idea,then i started imagining what such power meant for africa,if idea is capital why is africa investing on things than on information?investing more on the military than on education.africa’s primary strategy for poverty alleviation is to sick for debt relieve,foreign assistance and investment from western nations. The potential for progress and poverty alleviation lies on the capital generated from the power generated from the power within our minds not from our ability to pick minerals from the ground or sick debt relieve and investment from western nations.the future of africa is in the hands of africans.
please,give me your email address i want to discuss with you about your comment .
fellow African lets stop standing on the complaint counter it will never solve our problem,pliz let embrace work ,keep time ,be optimistic and vigillant to combat our biggest pandemic under development and poverty and watch out for neo-colonial tendencies it the worst state of colonialism that will leave African in a parmanet island if under development and poverty
A tree cannot grow on the roots of another one . So Africa should go back to his owns roots , values and tradition . And Africa should be to Africans
Sooo Europe for Europeans only? You gonna help kick Africans in Europe out while kicking Europeans out of Africa?
My sides.
at these point and level where corruption is the agenda of the day, it is hard to point out that colonisation is the cause of underdevelopment .Africa’s problems are mainly caused by the greedy nature that we have adopted not from colonial states but amongst ourselves, the development of Africa lies mainly in AGRICULTURE, it is pathetic that due to modernisation, technology Africans have abandoned the agricultural sector. nations budget allocations clearly limits possibilities of agric re-boost, studying the history of African agriculture one will agree with me that, currently there is injustice being practised on lands. Africans lets not abandon and abuse these lands which sustained our fore fathers. agriculture is our pride.
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Its a pity and a slap on each of us (Africans) that we are the main cause of our under-development
We all should come together to rebuild Africa.
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there are many reasons to why Africa was and still underdeveloped,as referring back to historical phenomenon thus European intrusion {colonialism],power mongering of African rulers,poverty,diseases,Neo-colonialism poor technological base,poor implementation of African economic policies and strategies, and on top of all; laziness of African themselves results into extreme underdevelopment of their own motherland.
underdevelopment in Africa is accelerated by African leaders who are power mongers.For instance a leader having many posts like MP,are also ministers and they are the heads of high committees;this brings out mass unemployment to Africans who are educated hence extreme poverty.
we are responsible for our own problems. so we as africans should come together to solve our own problems.
Africans should salvage from what has been left of their colonial past,which means they should assume responsibility for the much needed re-engagement of African economies rather than relentlessly nailing on the extent of their previous abuses,such approach is counter productive.
I’m South American. We have many things in common with Africa: our population is also concentrated around tropical regions, our landscapes and natural resources are very similar to those from Africa (mining, agriculture, desert, forests, jungle, etc.).
We also had a few rich and developed indigenous civilizations, with a strong egalitarian culture, and also decimated by the Europeans (diseases and slavery) for over 500 years.
The point is, we are way more developed and politically stable than Africa, with some cases like Chile or Argentina showing a per capita GDP of almost US$20,000, or countries like Brazil, the #6 world economy, with a large black/mulatto population, and almost the same climate than the Republic of Congo.
I think the factor is the european influence, which was the base of the economical development. Africa, on the other hand, is still dangerous for europeans: tropical diseases, political instability, racist policies (post-apartheid anti-white South Africa, for example) that scares away the foreign investment.
Africa sure has a great potential for development and success, but it will be challenging to grow up without some help from the West or Asia.
Africans r jst being over dependent bcos they need help frm d whites rather dan developin…over dependence makes one totally under-developed
Africans r jst being over dependent bcos they need help frm d whites rather dan developin…over dependence makes one totally under-developed…we should b able to fight
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yes, i know that we Africans are underdeveloped but its high time we AFRICANS stop turning it into a song and we act positively to develop Africa. invest in science and technology. we should stop the white education system that aims at teaching African children theoritical work not practical. Africans We should remember before the whites came we were producing local goods. therefore let all schools teach practical work,this will help Africa to enhance the industrial sector. the white education system teaches students to be job seekers not creators. as we know that the highest stage of imperialism is capitalism, therefore these capitalist(white) brought a new form of ruling Africa that is neu-colonialism. eg Africa mostly “rely” on white aid but on this aid many things have to be done by us. like recently uganda refused to legalise homo sexuality bill,america and other white countries stopped to send their. still many are things to be done to develop Africa. Lets Unit To Build A Better Africa.
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the problem facing Africans is our leaders, we dont have good leaders that has the continent in there mind, all they do is take away our resources to those dam criminals call the white, and leave our great continent in abject poverty, i wish we have great leaders like the great mandela, Kwame Nkruma, Tafawa balewa, etc but one thing am so sure is that, our great God will hear our prayers and give us good leaders that will develop african continent.
africa
Africa and its people are the most written and least understood by the rest of the world. well Africa is not poor but we people and the greedy government makes the beautiful continent underdeveloped. this topic is very complex but like you all said we are responsible for our own problem.
WE SHOULD OPEN OUR EYES AND LETS CRITICIZE OURSELF. LETS BE SELF CRITICAL LETS GET RID OF OUR CULTURE AND BEING RELIGIOUS PHANATIC AND RUN FOR NEW CHNAGE.
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