Africa Crisis Timeline
Triangle Trade
When: 1502-1808
Where: West Africa, Europe, Americas
What: During the age of Exploration, Europeans purchased or captured Africans, put them on to ships and brought them to the Americas as slave labor. These slaves worked on cotton, sugar, tobacco and other farms. The products of these farms were sent back to Europe to make goods, which were sold to Africa in exchange for more slaves, which went to the farms…
Colonization of Africa (African Scramble)
When: 1882-1914
Where: All over Africa, except Liberia and Ethiopia
What: Europe’s imperial powers needed resources to expand their growing empires. Africa was full of resources like copper, gold, diamonds, trees and coal. Europe’s countries “scrambled” all across the continent conquering up as much as they could, making the natives work in almost slave like conditions. World War I ended the colonization.
Decolonization
When: 1951-1975
Where: All over Africa
What: After WWII, European countries started granting independence to its African colonies. The cost of WWII did not allow them to keep armies there to maintain peace. After Europe left, they did not leave the area with strong or stable governments. This allowed most African nations to be ruled by dictators. Many civil wars have started between different leaders to take power. Many people have been abused or killed due to instability.
Apartheid
When: 1948-1994
Where: South Africa
What: The racial segregation of white South Africans from the non-white South Africans. White South Africans were the majority group, having most of the wealth and power. Even though they made up only 10% of the population. They could not live in the same neighborhoods, eat at the same restaurants, or go to the same beaches. Apartheid ended in 1994. In 1997 Nelson Mandela was elected as the first Black South African President.
Child Labor
When: 1980’s-Present
Where: All across Africa
What: Since the growth of globalization, farm products from Africa had found their way across the world. This has led to many farms forcing children to work rather than go to school. Some do it because they don’t have a choice; if the children don’t work they will starve. Other do so because children can be paid little or not at all. There are many organizations that are trying to get them into school to improve their lives.
Rwanda Genocide
When: 1994
Where: Rwanda, Burundi
What:The country of Rwanda has two major ethnic groups, the Hutu and the Tutsi. The Hutus controlled the government, but the Tutsis made up most of the population. In 1994 the President, a Hutu, was killed and the Tutsis were blamed. This sparked a mass killing of Tutsis. The Tutsis retaliated by killing Hutus. Many people fled to Burundi to avoid the killings. Some were forced out or killed by the Burundi army. After 6 month, the UN arrived to force a peace. About 800,000 or 20% of the population was killed.
Sudan
When: 2005-Present
Where: Sudan, Darfur region, Southern Sudan
What: The south is mostly black-Africans; the north is mostly Arab-Africans. The Arab-Africans were taking land from the south. The government formed militias to kick the Black-Africans off their land. Many escaped to Darfur, where they were pursued and killed. Hundreds of thousands became refugees in the camps. The UN sent aide, but did little to protect them. In 2011 the country split in two. Southern Sudan became its own country.
Somali Pirates
When: 2005-Present
Where: Coast of Somalia, Gulf of Aden
What: After a devastating famine in the mid-1990’s, the Somali government collapsed and a civil war broke out. The United Nations and the US came in to end the war and make peace. But most of the populations were still poor and unemployed. Many young men have turned to piracy for money. They take boats and hostages in the narrow Gulf of Aden. This makes traveling dangerous, and many countries are trying to stop it.