Independence in Africa

1. Independence in Africa

2. The Decline of the Colonial Powers

3. Unparalelled Destruction • Much of Europe, North Africa and East Asia lay in ruins. • Total war had destroyed cities, factories, railroads, homes – and lives.

4. AfricaProduced Many Newly-Independent Nations in a Very Short Time

5. British Colonies Were Some of the First to Seek Independence because • Britain felt hypocritical about colonialism. • War left her weak and unable to afford colonies. • A New African educated middle class began to emerge in the cities.

6. Factors leading to African Independence • World War II the turning point • Increase in nationalism • loyalty and devotion to a nation especially as expressed in a glorifying of one nation above all others and a stressing of the promotion of its culture and interests • Pan-Africanism • Movement promoting the cultural unity of people of African heritage in their struggle for independence

7. Ghana: First African State to Gain Independence

8. Kwame Nkrumah Led the Former Gold Coastto Independence Educated at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. First elected president Preached nonviolence. Used boycotts and strikes. Ultimately successfulMarch 6, 1957.

9. Kenya

10. Kenyan Independence: 1963 • London educated Jomo Kenyatta provided strong nationalist leadership. • Mau Mau Rebellions made up of Kikuyufarmers weaken British settlers opposition.

11. Senegal, Sierra Leone, Mali, Niger, Chad, Madagascar

12. Former French Colonies • Begin to seek independence • Given ultimatum “All or Nothing” • French Community • Only Guinea chose independence • 1960: All French colonies in Africa given independence

13. The old BelgianCongo, Formerly Zaire,Now Democratic Republic of the Congo

14. Democratic Republic of the Congo • Home to many different ethnic groups • 1955: Belgian gov’t institutes 30-year independence plan • 1959 violence breaks out • June 30, 1960: Independence followed by civil war

15. Mobutu SeseSeko • Ruled 1965-1997. • Supported by U.S. as Cold War ally. • Changed name to Zaire. • Left “a house that had been eaten by termites” NYTimes. • Reign described in 2002 documentary as an “African Tragedy.”

16. Today the Congo IsExperiencing Punishing War! Michael Kamber for The New York Times About 5,000 people fleeing the ethnic warfare in and around Bunia, Congo, sought safety at a camp on Monday.

17. Death in the Congo!

18. The Allure Rich Mineral Resources: Gold Diamonds Copper Have Often Drawn ForeignExploitation.

19. Young Soldiers & a Victim

20. Child Rebels A child fighter in a rebel group stands watch with a U.N. armored vehicle in Bunia, Congo, where there have been reports of rape and cannibalism.

21. Angola 400 years: Portuguese are the first the arrive and the last to leave in 1975.

22. Angola Left With Bitter Civil War Mateus Chitangenda, Fernando Chitala and Enoke Chisingi and their families have been displaced by war to the town of Kunhinga, in central Angola.

23. Going to School A father walks his daughter to school in Kuito, Angola. All students in the town bring their own small benches to class.