Africa in The Twentieth Century
Social Issues
| GRADE LEVEL | THEME | TOPIC | DURATION |
| 12 | WORLD HISTORY | AFRICA IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY | x LESSONS |
Africa in The Twentieth Century |
Social problems in Africa have emerged from the political and economic history of the continent. High expectations of independence and the failure of these expectations to materialise have resulted in great disillusionment and despair. Social problems originated before the arrival of the Europeans, but were drastically heightened by the clash of two cultural systems. The Western ideas of personal wealth and the role of the individual over the group, urbanisation, education, democracy and industrialisation were brought into Africa with colonisation. Those educated during the colonial period were taught to see the European beliefs and way of life as superior to their traditional system. This led to a breakdown in the tribal way of life, and the loss of African religions and traditional identity. Africans also started to focus on the position of the individual rather than the well-being of the community. Aside from this, new African countries were faced with the challenge of cultural clashes as different traditions and ethnic groups came to share one nationality. The government had to address these tensions while building a national identity. The Africanists tried to support the African way as equal to or better than the European, while many educated in Europe still saw the European culture as superior. This led to a mixing of ideas, which was not always very successful or positive. Most social problems have resulted from poverty and famine. It became the rich government officials versus the poor rural community. The African continent began to show sharp divisions. These inequalities have come to mark African countries and the divide between the few rich people and the mass of poor people continues to widen. The spread of HIV/Aids currently poses one of the greatest risks for African countries. Aids has already made a huge social and economic impact on Africa. It is spreading at a phenomenal rate in many African countries, with South Africa being one of the worst. Uganda had huge problems with HIV, but was able to reduce the infection rate. Millions of Africa's most productive people are dying leaving important services without a workforce. Clinics and schools are left without doctors and teachers. Thousands of children have been orphaned. The strain on the public health system has left it barely able to cope.
Ribbon worn to show support for the victims of HIV/AIDS and a commitment to help combat the pandemic.
Much is being done to address the continent's problems. Not only are Africans themselves committed to dealing with the problems, international support is gowing and there are demands for a fairer trade relationship. Support also exists for the promotion of democracy and accountability to address corruption and party dictatorships. In terms of the various conflicts, regional and continental efforts such as the African Union and the African parliament have also emerged. The best way to assess the problems and successes of post-independence
Africa is to look at case studies on some countries. This will show you how they developed
after independence. Here are some examples where developments can be followed from the begining of resistance movements
until today. Learning outcome: Learners will be expected to demonstrate an ability to work independently, formulating enquiry questions and gathering, analysing, interpreting and evaluating relevant evidence to answer questions.
Learning outcome: Learners will be expected to demonstrate an ability to work independently, formulating enquiry questions and gathering, analysing, interpreting and evaluating relevant evidence to answer questions.
Learning outcome: Learners will be expected to demonstrate an ability to work independently, formulating enquiry questions and gathering, analysing, interpreting and evaluating relevant evidence to answer questions.
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