A recent article in 'History Today' http://www.historytoday.com/ian-morris/latitudes-not-attitudes-how-geography-explains-history
argues that geography explains the dominance of the Western world. In the case of Africa, geography does seem to have set the continent up for a fall. The vast distances, the lack of ports, harsh environments and the existence of virulent diseases put Africa at a distinct disadvantage from the 15th Century onwards. European colonial occupation followed - and it was not carried out in order to help the 'natives'.
For example the upcoming vote on the possibility of splitting The Republic of Sudan into North and South might put right a problem Britain created at the end of the 19th Century. The territory was acquired in order to safeguard the route to India - from the French !!! (You might well need to look at an atlas at this point!) Then, because the Imperial budget was under pressure, it was decided to administer the Southern Sudan from the North rather from British East African territories in the South, a mistake for which many Sudanese have since paid for with their lives.
(Contribution to The Guardian)
A recent article in 'History Today' http://www.historytoday.com/ian-morris/latitudes-not-attitudes-how-geography-explains-history
argues that geography explains the dominance of the Western world. In the case of Africa, geography does seem to have set the continent up for a fall. The vast distances, the lack of ports, harsh environments and the existence of virulent diseases put Africa at a distinct disadvantage from the 15th Century onwards. European colonial occupation followed - and it was not carried out in order to help the 'natives'.
For example the upcoming vote on the possibility of splitting The Republic of Sudan into North and South might put right a problem Britain created at the end of the 19th Century. The territory was acquired in order to safeguard the route to India - from the French !!! (You might well need to look at an atlas at this point!) Then, because the Imperial budget was under pressure, it was decided to administer the Southern Sudan from the North rather from British East African territories in the South, a mistake for which many Sudanese have since paid for with their lives.
(Contribution to The Guardian)