Getting to know Africa

 

There are 54 countries and one “non-self governing territory”, the Western Sahara, in Africa. All of Africa was colonized by foreign powers during the “scramble for Africa”, except Ethiopia and Liberia. Before colonial rule Africa comprised up to 10,000 different states and autonomous groups with distinct languages and customs. Africa is the world’s poorest and most underdeveloped continent with a continental GDP that accounts for just 2.4% of global GDP.

 Nigeria is the fourth largest oil exporter in the world, and Africa’s biggest oil producer with about 2.2 million barrels produced every day. Top 10 oil producers in order of total exports: Nigeria, Algeria, Angola, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Congo, Gabon, South Africa. The continent has the largest reserves of precious metals with over 40% of the gold reserves, over 60% of the cobalt, and 90% of the platinum reserves.

Africa was formerly called the Dark Continent. Others thought it was because of the dark complexion of the people living in it. Others explained that Europeans who are famous as explorers, considered the continent as mysterious. Africa is a continent which was not influenced much by modern civilization that’s why its culture and way of living was described as backwards.

The truth about Africa as a Dark Continent can be explained in their history. It was in the 1400's when Europeans accepted slaves from Congo, one of the countries in Africa. Since Europeans were known to be powerful, the African have no choice but to render their services as slaves. There was a sugar plantation in West Africa which was managed by Portuguese traders. Because of the growth of the plantations, more slaves were needed from Africa. These slaves were traded, captured, and kidnapped.

Africa did not prosper because of slavery and poverty. The colonization of Western countries also added to the famine and sickness felt by African people. As Europe’s economy enjoyed prosperity, Africa’s economy was a slump. The torment and distress that made Africa suffer for centuries were the reasons why it was called the Dark Continent.

After centuries of struggles from war, hunger, and scarcity, Africa tried to survive. When imperialism was introduced, there were signs of progress. But then the inequality of the distribution of resources caused again more problems for Africa. Chaos and boundaries always prevent the Dark Continent from prospering. The imperialists government had been so powerful that

Even the natural resources were not used up to the potentials. There was scarcity because the resources were depleted. The colonial rule exploited what Africa has. 

Following are some of  the major problems faced by the continent:

1. Poor Governance

Report says that African countries have undergone two forms of governance liberation, yet remain stuck in the middle of a third one. First, it was the struggle for independence from colonial rule then liberation from dictatorships that merged from independence. Now, many African countries are facing a struggle of getting proper democratic governance.

The challenge for current governments regardless of systems used, is the creation and implementation of policies which reflect the immediate and future needs of the people. Healthcare, security, political stability, and development projects are all affected by poor governance.

 2. Unemployment

The whole world may be facing a surge of unemployment especially among the youth but the case for Africa is more precarious. This is because governments do not sufficiently invest in youths. As the labor force increases, there is a huge disconnect between the older generation in majority of the policy and decision making organs and the ever expanding youth population. From education to employment opportunities and entrepreneurship plans and assistance, the governments face challenges on how best to mitigate what has been described as a time bomb. This in turn contributes to lower family incomes with many dependents, crime due to joblessness and a host of other social issues.

3. Population growth

The African continent has some of the highest averages for fertility rates and population growth in the world. The statistics alone paint quite a huge scale of challenge now and years to come. While the average world fertility rate is 2.5 children per woman, in Africa it is 4.7 children per woman. The current population of the continent is 1.2 billion people up from just under half a million people in 1980. The UN projects that by 2050 the annual growth increases of the continent will be 42 million people every year and the total population of the continent will have doubled. As growth rates in the rest of the world decrease Africa will contribute 54% of the overall world population growth by 2050.

While the population growth points to recent medical advancements and improved conditions to increase life expectancy and lower infant mortality, the challenge is meeting the needs of this population explosion. While family planning programs in many parts of the world led to a fall in fertility rates, in Africa this has not happened and even where gains were made they are at risk of being reversed.

With no effective solutions for family planning and not sufficient planning by the government to mitigate and plan for the explosions, countries will be thrown in the vicious cycle that comes with the pressure many people place on limited resources.

 4. Droughts and Famine

Weather patterns continue to be a challenge to the continent which is yet to fully realize its agricultural potential. Pro-longed drought periods result in people displacement and deplete grain reserves and loss of livelihoods for a great number of people in the continent especially along the horn of Africa. It takes countries' steps back in development and affects the ability of future generations to battle from a malnourished childhood to better living standards as adults especially as they become cyclic.

None of Africa’s problems is beyond the means and resources within the continent. What has largely lacked is the proper policy making and implementation from the political class down to the civil service in the countries. These are problems that can be solved and mitigated by proper governance which remains the single biggest challenge the continent faces.

Africa’s contribution

Anthropological evidence has shown that advances in engineering, mathematics, navigation, physics and other fields of science occurred in purely African societies long before it was previously believed possible. Many things that we utilize today should be credited to the historical accomplishments of Africa. I will expound on a few.

 

Paper, Alphabet, Ink, and Pen

Many inventions from Africa contributed to the birth of every technology that exists today. Of those many inventions the greatest inventions were the paper, alphabet, ink, and pen.  The Kemites of northern Africa discovered the need for something other than stone to write upon; therefore, they invented the paper from stripes of papyrus reed. The word “paper” was derived from the word “papyrus,” a Kemetic word that originally meant “that which belongs to the house.” The ink was made from a combination of vegetable gum, soot, and water. Writing has played the single most important role in the uplifting and advancing of civilization – a greater role than any other intellectual invention in the history of Humankind .  Clearly, many technologies of today would not have been conceived efficiently without the Kemites’ ingenious inventions of the paper, alphabet, ink, and pen.  

Calendar

Another great invention of mankind was the invention of the calendar by the people of ancient Kemet. Through their meticulous study of the sun, moon, and stars, they were able to precisely calculate the flooding of the Nile River which was vital to their ability to farm. The Kemites discovered that the movement and position of the sun and the moon had a direct effect on all objects on the planet Earth. From this revelation, the astronomers of Kemet were the first to develop a solar calendar which divided the year into 365 days with 12 months of 30 days each. Successive civilizations went on to create their own calendars, owing much to the pioneering development in ancient Kemet.    

Electricity

Electricity is the “fuel” for most technologies today. Many devices simply will not operate without electricity. The world has now become so dependent on electricity, that many people will find it extremely difficult to live without it. The fact that a piece of amber, when rubbed, will attract small particles of matter was known 2500 years ago by Thales of Miletus.  From this simple experimental fact has developed the whole science of electrostatics, which deals with the properties of electricity at rest.  Indeed the very word electricity is derived from the Greek word for amber. 

Mathematics

The invention of mathematics is placed firmly in African prehistory. The oldest known possible mathematical object is the Lebombo bone, which was discovered in the Lebombo Mountains of Swaziland and dated to approximately 35,000 B.C. Many of the math concepts that are learned in school today were also developed in Africa. Over 35,000 years ago, Ancient Egyptians scripted textbooks about math that included division and multiplication of fractions and geometric formulas to calculate the area and volume of shapes.

Medicine

 Many treatments used today in modern medicine were first employed in Africa centuries ago.  The earliest known surgery was performed in Egypt around 2750 B.C. Medical procedures performed in ancient Africa before they were performed in Europe include vaccination, autopsy, limb traction and broken bone setting, bullet removal, brain surgery, skin grafting, filling of dental cavities, installation of false teeth, what is now known as Caesarean sections, anesthesia and tissue cauterization.

Now, Africa is starting to embrace a healthy economy. With independence and political stability, there is still hope for Africa. What has been known as the Dark Continent is slowly becoming the most promising land in the world.