European Gluttony in Africa
By Liz Mooring
Today, twenty seven years after the emergence of the European invasion of Africa in 1876, my once indigenous continent is almost completely dominated by barbaric European powers.
After King Leopold II of Belgium, colonized the Congo and profited largely, many other European countries began to colonize territories in Africa, including France, England, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Germany. Because of the European drive for pieces of Africa, the Berlin Act was signed in 1885, following the Berlin Conference in order to regulate the colonization in an orderly and justifiable matter.
Although Europeans mask their greed by pledging “to watch over the preservation of the native tribes, including my own, and to care for the improvement of the condition of their moral and material well being”(1) in reality, Europeans colonize Africa solely for money and completely neglect the African people who they conquer. They take over our land by decieving our chiefs through contracts we don't understand. If our chiefs refuse to surrender their land, Europeans resort to violence.
In order to profit, Europeans exploit our resources, such as diamonds, gold, cotton, coal, palm oil, rubber, minerals, and metals, leaving the jungles we live off desolate.These raw materials are then sent from African colonies to European countries by way of sea. “Not only does Europe gain profit from Africa’s abundant resources, but also by creating a new market for their manufactured products.”(2) Therefore, Africa's economy diminishes as greedy Europeans exploit our resources for their own benefit and kill off our jungles leaving us starving and weak.
King Leopold’s letter to his Ambassador in England demonstrates the gluttony of European’s settlement in Africa when he stated “I do not want to miss a good chance of getting us a slice of this magnificent African cake.”(3) The decieving Europeans use false motives of helping the Africans in order to gain support in their hideous movement based on greed.
When dividing the continent of Africa, European powers neglected to research the “historic territories of the continent and instead clumped the land primarily on natural borders. Because of this tribal lands and linguistic divisions of natives are divided, creating tension and a lack of nationalism among natives.”(4) My people have been divided between two countries, yet we are expected to support these countries in which we are grouped with our enemies. Not only are Europeans greedy and cruel, but also ignorant to our culture.
Although we are the rightful owners of the land, Europeans feel superior and therefore overlook our desires. They attempt to convert my people to Christianity, without considering the natives religions and cultures. The English even referred to us Africans, as “the white man’s burden.”(5) If Europeans feel that we are such horrid beings, they should leave our country. We never asked for their Christianity or their Western ways of cruelty.
Europeans treat us as barbarians and claim that they are civilized with their modern weapons and technology. However, they steal our land and kill our people for purely money and power, like vicious wolves. Clearly, they are the savages.
Footnotes
1. Dennis, Wepman Africa, The Struggle for Independence (New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1993), 15.
2. J.D., Fage A History of Africa (London and New York: Routledge, 1978), 327.
3. Dennis, Wepman Africa, The Struggle for Independence (New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1993), 13.
4. Dennis, Wepman Africa, The Struggle for Independence (New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1993), 21.
5. Dennis, Wepman Africa, The Struggle for Independence (New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1993), 17.
Image 1. Partition of Africa, 1885-1915. "image". Western Civilization II <http://ux1.eiu.edu/~cfnek/syllabi/west/> (accessed 8 December 2005).
Image 2. Cartoon of Countries Pulling on Africa. "image". The Scramble for Africa <http://wfps.k12.mt.us/teachers/carmichaelg/new_page_34.htm>(accessed 8 December 2005).
Image 3. Percentage of Land in Africa Owned by European Countries. "image". The Scramble for Africa <http://wfps.k12.mt.us/teachers/carmichaelg/new_page_34.htm>(accessed 8 December 2005).B