Happy Wednesday

• Take out your class notes and be ready to start when the bell rings!

Post-Colonial AfricaToday’s LEQ: What challenges did Africans face

after gaining independence?

Political Challenges

Apartheid in South Africa

• “Apartness”• Segregated population into four groups:

White, Black, Colored, and Asian• Laws especially harsh on black South

Africans, for example:–Required to carry ID books–Couldn’t vote–Restricted to low paying jobs

Protesting South Africa’s Apartheid

• Early 1900s, African National Congress formed to peacefully protest apartheid• 1940s, younger, more radical members

joined, including a young lawyer – Nelson Mandela• 1952, Mandela organized a campaign that

urged blacks to break apartheid laws

Protesting South Africa’s Apartheid• 1960, ANC changed its peaceful policy

after police killed more than 60 demonstrators in the Sharpeville Massacre and more than 600 in the Soweto Uprising• ANC members decided that they had to

meet violence with violence.• In response, the government banned

ANC & jailed Mandela

Protesting South Africa’s Apartheid

• 1990, under President F.W. de Klerk, South Africa created new constitution that ended apartheid, granted universal suffrage, and released Mandela• Democratic elections were held &

Mandela was elected the first black president of democratic South Africa

Military Dictatorships• Almost all of the newly independent

African nations adopted a one-party system–a single political party controls the

government–Maintains power through fear,

intimidation, and patronage

Ethnic Conflicts & Civil War• After independence, rival ethnic groups competed

for control and led to civil wars– 1967, Nigeria: 2 million Nigerians died from fighting & 2

million died from starvation.– 1992, Somalia: hundreds of thousands of Somalis died

when rival militia stole food sent by the US & UN.– 1994, Rwanda: the Hutu-led government encouraged

genocide of Tutsi. 1 million died.

Democracy for Some

• Dictatorships stopped receiving money from U.S. & USSR – Cold War over!• Early 1990s, many countries moved

towards democracy• However, most struggled to hold free

& fair elections, maintain stability

Economic and Environmental Challenges

• Struggling Economies– Lack of infrastructure; dependent on one or

two exports• Disease–Malaria; HIV/AIDS

• Desertification–Contributes to cycles of drought and famine