Africas Role in World Affairs - 3008 Words

INTRODUCTION Africa has long been considered marginal to the world in both economic and political terms. Indeed, Africa has never existed apart from world politics, but has been unavoidably entangled in the ebb and flow of events and changing configurations of power. This essay seeks to examines external involvement in the continent, exploring how Africans and in particular, African political actors interact with each major external states and international organisations currently influencing African politics. BACKGROUND (AFRICAS ROLE IN WORLD IN THE PAST FIVE CENTURIES) First of all, to consider Africas role in world politics, we must first understand the background of Africa’s past. The ideas and events, which have shaped the†¦show more content†¦For as the slave trade gradually died out after 1807, Africans, rather than breaking their ties with Europe, now became employed slaves, who could no longer be sold abroad, but in the production of agricultural goods for sale to Europe. Africas integration into an European-dominated economy has shaped its history since the 1880s. During the last quarter of the 19th century, Europe became increasing interested in exerting direct control over the Africas raw materials and markets. European heads of state laid down ground rules for the colonial conquest of Africa at the Congress of Berlin in 1884-5. Over the next twenty years, all of Africa except Ethiopia and Liberia was violently conquered, despite many instances of African resistance. The British and French established the largest African empires, although the Portuguese, Belgians and Germans claimed major colonial possessions as well. COLONIALISM Under colonialism, African interests were completely subordinated to the interests of Europe. Africa served primarily as a source of minerals and agricultural commodities, and as a market for European manufacturers. Consequently, colonial rulers made little effort to build diversified economies in their colonies, and introduced little manufacturing. The result is that modern Africa remainsShow MoreRelatedSouth Afric A Role As A Leader Essay1383 Words   |  6 PagesSouth Africa plays a role as a leader come out of Africa and engaging in Africa or through whom the established powers could engage with Africa. The Mbeki administration argues that the role given to South Africa was a role South Africa took on its own. The errors in South Africa playing the role of regional power may have developed during Mandela’s phase,  due to over doing of goodwill. Thabo Mbeki’s role was to try bring South Africa to be a regional power and this is seen in the formation of theRead Mor eForeign Policy : The Transition Of Democracy1039 Words   |  5 Pagesdirectives and rules in which national governments conduct international relations with each other as well as international organisations and non-governmental actors. 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