Colonial remnants

Assignment 2 – Colonial Structures/Remnants Assignment

GEOGRAPHY OF AFRICA

University of Florida, Department of Geography

GEA 3600

This assignment requires you to demonstrate an understanding of the structures/remnants of colonialism that are/were put in place to maintain an asymmetric power distribution between the colonial powers and African states.

The objective is to consider the institutions, structures and practices (Governmental, Institutional, Economic etc.,) that were left behind, or are put in place, by the former colonizing powers to perpetuate the power imbalance with the African countries they colonized.

For example –

• Educational systems being more Euro-centric than Afro-centric


• Structural Adjustment Programs of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)


• Priceless African art works and artifacts displayed and revered across private collections and national museums outside Africa in Europe and the United States


• Trial of predominantly African 'warlords' in the International Criminal Court (ICC)

Question: Keeping in mind these structures, discuss and critically evaluate the experience of Africans with colonialism even after their independence by demonstrating your understanding of how ANY 2 of these structures have shaped and continue to shape the experience of Africans in a postcolonial Africa. The structures you choose to write about do not have to be restricted to issues covered in this class or the examples mentioned above. This essay should be 1250 original words. You need to use a MINIMUM of 5 references, AT LEAST 1 of which needs to be a scholarly journal article to support your arguments.

It is recommended that you refer to the articles provided below to understand what some of these structures might be and how they function. In formulating your responses, however, you are allowed to use only 1 of these sources – you need to search for the rest.

Some Examples of these Colonial Remnants/Structures:

https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2019/0430/Art-of-the-steal-European-museums-wrestle-with-returning-African-art (Links to an external site.)

https://aeon.co/ideas/african-art-in-western-museums-its-patrimony-not-heritage (Links to an external site.)

https://rwi.lu.se/2019/04/relationship-between-africa-international-criminal-court/ (Links to an external site.)

https://www.trtworld.com/opinion/what-is-the-future-of-the-international-criminal-court-in-africa-23934 (Links to an external site.)

https://www.africaresearchinstitute.org/newsite/publications/why-international-justice-must-go-local-the-icc-in-africa/ (Links to an external site.)

US Threatens International Criminal Court

Link (Links to an external site.)

https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/03/15/qa-international-criminal-court-and-united-states#1 (Links to an external site.)

http://what-when-how.com/western-colonialism/education-western-africa-western-colonialism/ (Links to an external site.)

The African Educational Evolution: From Traditional Training to Formal Education https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1079287.pdf (Links to an external site.)

https://www.spiked-online.com/2019/05/31/french-colonialism-lives-on-in-africa/ (Links to an external site.)

Format for Colonial Structures/Remnants Assignment - Assignment 2

The report should be submitted by 5pm on the due date shown on the syllabus using the following structure:

File uploaded to GEA 3600 Canvas drop box under Assignment 2 in Modules

Page 1, top left. Type the following information:

• Your name


• Title of your report (Name the Colonial Structures/Remnants you are considering)


• Due date of report


• GEA 3600 Term Year

Your report should be typed, double-spaced, 12-point font, 1” margins. Your report should be a minimum 1,250 words excluding the references page. Include the word count at the end of your report. Sub-titles may be used. Insert the page number at the top right on each page starting on page 1 of the actual report.