Sub-Saharan Africa
Political
- Scramble for Africa by European powers for political control for parts of Africa for its riches
- Britain, Belgium, France, and Germany
- Disregarding religion and cultural boundaries, Europeans peacefully negotiated and divided Africa amongst each other.
- Europeans gained power through violent force.
- Societies in Africa were divided between people for the Europeans and against them.
- Acts of resistance were quickly suppressed by Europeans advanced weaponry technology.
Economy
- Europeans were concerned with Africa's mineral riches
- led to the production of light, artillery, and transportation (railroads)
- Used scientific agricultural methods to make crops grow faster and bigger
- African supervisors were used to hire the work force
- Europeans saw African colonies as a surplus of food production for their mainland
- African colonies helped Europe gain a leading position in the world's economy
- They did this by providing mineral goods and raw materials with cheap labor force
- Africans who didn't meet the European rules set for production were often killed or tortured.
Religion
- Europeans converted the Africans to Christianity
- they often banned traditional practices and rituals of the natives
- before Christianity, native Africans practices animalistic religions with mystical and spiritual aspects
- Women and children found more social opportunities in missions
- Christianity became assimilated to African animalistic religions which made the religion more acceptable to the natives
Society
- African societies were segregated between native Africans and Europeans
- little interaction occurred between the two races
- Segregation continued to increase as more Europeans moved into colonies
- White people had African housekeepers and nannies but never interacted with them outside the household
- Europeans were superior due to racial hierarchy
- Europeans saw Africans as backwards and primitive
Intellectuals
- Roads and railways were the major form of transportation
- European technologies were taken to Africa but only worked by Europeans
- Metallurgical advances allowed the innovation of artillery for African armies
- Artillery became lighter, faster, and stronger
- Steam powered ships replaced sail boats
Arts/Architecture
- Europeans built churches and missions through out the African colonies
- colonial buildings were used for European settles
- Zulus, Nguni, and Swazi built frame domes with aligned hoops.
- Mats at the bottom of the dome were common for decoration
- Christianity influenced architecture as well as British and Dutch Victorian styles around the coast
Near Geography
- Sub-Saharan Africa is south of the Saharan desert, west of the Atlantic ocean, and east of the Indian ocean.
- Congo and Zambezi rivers along with Lake Victoria
- Africa was divided by Europeans into colonies that did not include cultural or political borders of the natives.