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Challenges in Modern Africa. Legacy of Apartheid: “apartness”. Policy in South Africa which divided people into four racial groups, White, Black, colored (mixed ancestry) & Asians.
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Legacy of Apartheid: “apartness” • Policy in South Africa which divided people into four racial groups, White, Black, colored (mixed ancestry) & Asians. • Attempted to create a greater separation between nonwhites & whites while imposing harsh controls over nonwhites BY LAW! • Laws banned interracial marriages.
Legacy of Apartheid: “apartness” • Black South Africans were required to carry passes or identity books, could not vote, hold political office or work in certain jobs; were not citizens and could only live in impoverished areas. • Decades of protest against apartheid led to its end, and South Africans elected the country’s first black president – Nelson Mandela (as part of the African National congress, he had been in jail for more than 20 years for fighting apartheid)
One-Party Rule & Military dictatorships • After many African countries gained independence following WWII, strong leaders seized power and set-up one party rule or military dictatorships • These governments accepted bribes and ran the government for personal profit. • Although some of these regimes lasted for many years, others were toppled and replaced in military coups.
Examples: • Mobutu SeseSeko of the Congo • IdiAmin of Uganda • Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe
Ethnic Conflicts & Civil War • Africa’s ethnic diversity & rivalries, combined with country borders that were drawn without consideration of ethnic & tribal homelands, led to conflicts & civil wars in many countries • Rwanda experienced ethnic cleansing (genocide) in 1994; Sudan is still experiencing it today • Examples: Nigeria, Somalia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sudan
Struggles with Democracy • Beginning in the early 1990’s, many African countries began to make progress toward democracy and overcome their history of dictatorship & conflict • Most still struggle to hold free elections and maintain stability • Examples: South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Senegal
Today Africa faces many economic & environmental challenges, such as struggling economies, disease and desertification.