Unit 2: Loss of land
Loss of natural resources and working for wages
Polypos
Source D: 'Gold Diggers, a cartoon about the colonisation of Africa
Artificial borders
About our world
Most of southern
Africa became part
of the British Empire.
Africa is rich in raw materials and minerals
Europeans wanted direct control of things
like cotton, wood, sugar, ivory, tea, rubber
diamonds, gold and vegetable oils.
These raw materials were not available
in Europe. The colonisers made laws in
their colonies so that Africans were forced
to work for very low wages. Raw materials
were railed and shipped to European
factories, where they were made into
commercial products and then sold back
into Africa at huge profits.
Have you ever wondered why some countries in Africa have such strange shapes?
Look at the map of Africa on page 168. You will see that there are large countries
like the Belgian Congo and small countries like Uganda. All these border lines only
came about as a result of the colonisation of Africa.
Today, African countries are independent. There were 47 countries in Africa in
2012. Most African states have more than one neighbour. These boundaries were
inherited from the colonial era and cause economic and political instability today.
Many wars have been fought in Africa as a result of these unnatural borders, and
borders often shift and change.
ACTIVITY 2 Interpret a cartoon and analyse point of view
(Assessment aims and skills: 1, 2, 4, 6)
Look at the cartoon in Source D above and answer the questions.
1. Look at the title of the cartoon. What does it mean?
2.According to the cartoon, in what way did colonialism affect Africa?
3.According to the cartoon, in what way did colonialism affect Europe?
4.What point of view does the cartoon have about colonialism?
5.Give three words or short phrases, which you think best sum up why it is
important to learn about the history of Africa.
6.Label the cartoon with your own caption.
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