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Colonialism in Africa

Introduction

The African continent has been in contact with the European nations, since the advent of the 16th century. Initially the European travelers only visited the African ports, and did not start the process of colonization of the continent. Before the 19th century global expansion was not on the primary agenda of the European continents. In this era the European countries were too busy dealing with the continental affairs, rather than shifting their attention on colonizing the African continent (Ajayi, pp. 498). The actual period which marked the exponential growth in the European effort of colonization started in the second half of the 19th century. This was the period when the interior of the continent was opened for the numerous European explorers, who were set in the mission to discover new lands, and enhance the empires of their respective countries. The surge for the exploration of the new land quickly turned into a fierce struggle among the European big powers, to attain more land in the mysterious continent. In the vast continent of Africa the European countries found the ideal source of limitless mineral resources and manpower that could be utilized to fuel their industrial growth.

The Industrial revolution played a vital part in the colonization process, as it created among the European countries a demand for an excessive amount of resources along with the economic and capital means to embark upon colossal international ventures. In 1884-85, the European super powers including Britain, France, Belgium, Portugal, Germany and Spain convened in the International Conference of Berlin, to stake their territorial claims in the African continent. The colonization process was extremely severe on the native culture and tribes of the continent, as the European countries separated these tribes through their colonial boundaries. The process of colonization also presented an opportunity for the religious groups in Europe to introduce Christianity to the African continent, and they were driven by their religious obligations to convert as many of the African people as possible.

Discussion

The Missionary Role in Africa

The exponential increase in the colonization process, acted as a shock for the native African culture and tribes. The Africans were forced by the Europeans who possessed advanced technology and weapons, to concede their lands at the cost of their traditional values (Ekeh, pp. 100). The missionaries on the other hand presented to the continent, an entirely different proposition. The Christian Catholic and Protestant groups wanted to enhance the spiritual life of the African people. These missionaries had an actual objective to realize the dilemmas faced by the native people, and help them through various advanced tools. These missionaries however had to face several challenges, as they received trivial support from their respective governments. The governments of the European countries had focused most of their attention towards the colonization process, and increasing the material wealth; rather than enhancing the social conditions of the continent. The result for the missionaries was that they possessed very few resources to attain their objectives; hence their ...