Central Africa

-Countries of Central Africa: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon

-Bantu migrations: the movement of Bantu people southward throughout Africa, spreading their language and culture -From 500 BCE to 1000 CE -Today over 120 million Africans speak languages that are derived from hundreds of Bantu languages

Colonialism -In the 1870s, King Leopold II of Belgium explored the Congo with the interest in opening up he Congo River for European trade -King Leopold II: King of Belgium from 1865-1909 -By 1884 King Leopold controlled the area, now called the Congo Free State -Rubber, palm oil, and ivory were extracted from the region

Effects of Colonialism -Before colonization, tribal chiefs and/or elders made decisions for a village -During colonization, European leaders changed that structure by creating more centralized governments with elected officials -After colonization, newly created countries had to govern many diverse populations -This created extreme conflict and led to corrupt leaders

Effects of Colonialism -Mobuto Sese Seko: President of Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from 1965-1997 -Took complete control of the country, all power belonged to him -Became extremely wealthy by stealing money from the businesses of the country

Effects of Colonialism -Countries have little economic industries and rely heavily on the export of raw materials like diamonds, gold, and copper -European colonizers invested very little in creating infrastructures throughout Central Africa -Once they left, little money or assistance was given to countries to build roads, airports, or functioning educational systems

Central African Art -Once Central African countries gained independence, artists wanted their works to establish their own identities instead of the identities of their colonizers -Modern Central African artists focus on issues such as political instability, urban life, social justice, and crime -Fang sculptures: carved boxes containing the skulls and bones of deceased ancestors, created by the Fang people

Education in Central Africa -Challenges that face education in Central Africa: shortage of teachers, high drop out rate, and a shortage of secondary schools -700 languages are spoken throughout the region, creates language barriers -The Republic of the Congo offers vocational, agricultural, and teacher training courses -Many universities have been created in the last 20-30 years