Colonial Legacy in Sub-Saharan Africa

Legacy #1: borders that don’t make sense Sub-Saharan Africa has 45 countries but no “nation-states” (a country with a shared identity by language or ethnicity) Colonies were established without regard for the people living there. Rival ethnic groups were put together as well as groups being split apart.

Legacy #2: land ownership problems Prior to European arrival, land tended to be owned by the entire group and shared. Conquering Europeans took control of the best plots of land. When they left, those best plots of land were often given to a new elite or redistributed in an inefficient way.

Land use (cont.) Rapid population growth has made problems worse. Fields are not able to sit fallow as needed. 70% of the population depends on farming for their livelihood, the highest percentage of any region. Yields are decreasing even as need goes up due to population growth.

The population of sub-Sahara Africa has grown from 186 million to 856 million people from 1950-2010. That’s about 11 million people a year for the past 60 years or approximately 670 million people in 60 years. By 2060, the population of sub-Sahara Africa could be as large as 2.7 billion people. Compare this demographic shift to Europe’s projection of a declining population—from 738 million people in 2010 to 702 million in 2060.

Legacy #3: exploitation of resources Africa was colonized with one purpose in mind: gaining control of the natural resources. Infrastructure was set up to quickly move those resources to European markets. The money being made was never put towards developing the economy of Africa.

You don’t need to take notes on the rest.

South Africa: Land of gold and diamonds In 1970 South Africa had 75% of all gold reserves. Today it only produces 6% of the world’s gold.

Grand Old Lady Mine This mine once produced $20 billion worth of gold! It employed 18,000 people and went 2 miles down into the ground. It closed in 2001.

Kimberly Mines The Big Hole was the leading producer of diamonds for almost 50 years. It made Cecile Rhodes a very rich man.

In 2014, South Africa produced 7. 4 million carats worth $1 In 2014, South Africa produced 7.4 million carats worth $1.22 billion, making it the world's fifth largest diamond producer by value.