Postcolonialism in Africa

Post-colonialism is a theoretical approach which focuses on the direct effects and aftermaths of colonization. Our Post-colonial study tries to scrutinize the continuing impact that colonialism has on the post-colonial development of African countries with emphasis on Nigeria, Kenya, Congo and Zimbabwe

All African countries, with the exception of Ethiopia and Liberia, started out as colonies. And just as with the American War for Independence, some African colonies, such as Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, also gained their independence only after waging war against their colonial masters. While the majority of African countries gained independence without having to resort to a revolution, every African country's independence was won only after the people organized themselves in a struggle against colonialism.

Independence brought great joy to the people of each country that gained independence. However, sovereignty did not bring with it freedom from imperialist influences. Colonial legacies were visible in the desire of the new governments to keep the boundaries that were created during colonial times, in the promotion of ethnic rivalry, in the continuation of inhumane and unjust actions against minority populations, and in the practice of distributing the country's resources in an uneven manner. Also, after being under foreign rule for decades, newly independent governments often lacked governmental institutions, good governance skills, and the governing experience needed to effectively rule their newly sovereign nations. In most cases, the transition from colonial province to independent state was a violent and arduous journey.

Nigeria, after being independent, went through several military rules with instability. Though Nigeria had been a separate independent state, it was still heavily influenced by the British. Soon after the independence, the country could not deal with all the ethnic groups as a common interest. Because of this situation, the seeds of disorder were sown in the region with division amongst ethnic groups. Consequently, instead of integration, the independence brought about division and distrust since Nigerians lacked well and long term development vision of nationhood. "It is often said that the British created a country called Nigeria but not a nation because nationalism in Nigeria grew on the basis of ethnic and tribal rather than national interest. Therefore, true unity among the people in Nigeria was hardly made possible.

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