This week we looked at the film Black Panther. We discussed the film’s theme of colonization, and the importance of it as a landmark black superhero story portrayed by an all black cast. We also discussed some of the critiques many have raised as to whether the film is effective at actually challenging the systemic injustices which it depicts. For my context presentation, I have decided to summarize the history of colonization in Africa.
For centuries, it was the Arabian nations that had primarily established settlements in Africa. The main exports of the time were gold, ivory, and slaves. It wasn’t until the 17th century, that Europeans became heavily invested in the continent, although Portugal had an earlier presence. Slaves shipped to the Americas for gold, sugar, and coffee were the main exports from Africa, but the success of the abolitionists movements across Europe and America which occurred at the later half of the 19th stopped that export. It was at this time that European nations began competing for land within the continent for resources and labor. France, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium, Germany, and Spain were able to use their superior technology to quickly colonize the bulk of Africa by 1900. In 1896, Abyssinia repelled an Italian invasion and became the first African nation to gain international recognition as a sovereign country. South Africa was also granted quasi-independence from the United Kingdom around this time as well. The World Wars took both Italy and Germany out of Africa. The US, fearing the spread of communism in the world, supported the decolonization and recognition of African countries at the end of WW2 as part of the Atlantic Charter. Separatist movements spread throughout the continent over the decades following. Many African nations are participants of the Cold War for either the socialist bloc or capitalist bloc. In 1956, Egypt was defended by the USSR against France and the United Kingdom. This marks the end of French and British dominance on the continent, and by 1960 the bulk of Africa had been decolonized. In 1980, Zimbabwe became the last African colony to be liberated.
Sources:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/25610078?seq=1