Chapter 5, Sections 4,5. Nigeria and Zinbabwe

Nigeria has coal, iron, tin and lots of oil along the coastal lowlands and offshore.

After WWII nationalism in Nigeria grew stronger. Each region had an ethnic leader. The nationalist leader Nnamdi Azikiwe called for unity. In 1960 Nigeria gained independence.

In 1967 the Ibo (who wanted to control oil supplies) set up the Republic of Biafra. A war followed, and 1 million died. In 1970 Nigeria was reunited, but regional loyalties remain strong.

The author Ken Saro-Wiwa fought oil drilling in the Niger River Delta and was executed for it.

Nigerian band leaders King Sunny Ade and Fela Kuti won international fame. Chinua Achebe wrote “Things Fall Apart”, revealing tragic effects of European rule. In 1986 playwright Wole Soyinka became first African to win the Nobel Prize.

Zimbabwe is land-locked, and trade goods must be sent overland. During colonial rule, that meant passing through South Africa. Now it means rail and road routes through Mozambique.

Rhodesia: named after Cecil Rhodes, an imperialist businessman. Thousands of whites migrated there, took over the best lands, and started plantations to grow cash crops. By the 1970’s, black nationalist groups launched guerilla wars to gain freedom. In 1980, the nationalists won and renamed their nation Zimbabwe.

Robert Mugabe formed a government after his party won the majority. He called on whites and blacks to work together to rebuild the nation. He has been the leader since… despite competing political parties.

Zimbabwe’s factories produced steel, textiles, consumer goods, and heavy industrial equipment. Mugabe encouraged private investment. Foreign investors put their money in, but this has slowed due to Mugabe’s brutal policies, instability, and corruption.