Question

Describe how superimposed boundaries have impacted the cultural landscape in Africa.

Compare how a sphere of influence impacts the economy in a colonizing and colonized country.

Answer 1

Africa is a continent that was colonized by the European powers after the Berlin Conference of 1885. The European nations divided their territories based on natural borders, and not on the socio-cultural borders of the different African tribes and nations. Thus, many colonies in Africa divided tribes, or included enemy tribes within their territories. A clear example is the case of what is now Rwanda, colonized by France, which encompasses the Hutu and Tutsi tribes, historically estranged. These issues generated ethnic conflicts, which affected the African nations politically and economically once they acquired their independence.