The Berlin Conference of 1884 –1885 established rules for the conquest of Africa

The Berlin Conferen

ce of 1884 –1885

established

rules for the

conquest of

Africa.

The Berlin Conference ledto a Scramblefor Africa asEuropean

nations rushedto claim land.

Europeanimperialism

harmedAfricans asEuropeans

exploited thepeople and land.

Africans wanted independence.They wanted to benefit fromtheir land and resources. Theywanted to control their owndestinies.

Kwame Nkurmahwas an Africannationalist. Heled the people

of the Gold Coast tofreedom.

In 1957, the Gold Coast was the first African colony to gain its freedom. With freedom came an African name: Ghana!

Nkrumah promoted the

idea ofAfrican unity or Pan-Africanism.Africans needed

to work together for the benefit of Africa.

Jomo Kenyatta was anotherimportant African nationalist.He led Kenya to freedom in1963.

While independence solved some problems, it createdother problems.

The old colonial boundariesbecame the boundaries ofthe newly independentnations.

Borders created tensions.

Sometimes hostile ethnic

groupsshared the same

nation. Civil Wars resulted.

Ethnic tensions sometimes ledto human rights violations andeven genocide.

Yes, independence broughtits own set of problems butit also brought possibilities.

Founded in 1963, the Organization Of African Unity promoted cooperation amongall African states and sought

to eradicate all forms of colonialism.

The road to freedom was notan easy one but with thetalent and resources of theAfrican people and continent, freedom was gained.