Tracing contemporary Africa’s conflict situation to colonialism: A breakdown of communication among natives

Afisi, Oseni Taiwo

Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria. E-mail: oseni.afisi@lasunigeria.org, Tel: 08023223278, 08075921393.

Accepted 04 September 4, 2009.

   Abstract

The problems of violent conflicts in Africa today can be traced back to situations deeply rooted in exploitation and colonial domination of Africa. As far back as the days of the Atlantic slave trade to the period of colonial subjugation, Africa witnessed one form of violent conflicts or the other virtually unprecedented in the life of a typical African. Further on was the scrabble for African territories which eventually created artificially bounded nation-states.  Similar was the divide and rule method, which alienated Africans from Africans. This method characterized the policies of the various colonial administrations. This paper admits that conflicts, not on a large scale, existed in pre-colonial Africa. It also examines the traditional methods of resolving these conflicts in pre-colonial Africa particularly among the Yorubas. However; the paper traces the incessant ethnic/tribal conflicts or the civil wars on a large scale that have pummeled various African societies since independence to the invasion of the continent by European colonialism. It examines the implication of the partitioning and creation of artificial boundaries in Africa and how it leads to a breakdown of communication among artificially bound natives. The paper submits that the various violent conflicts in Africa are a direct consequence of colonial domination.       

Key words: Colonialism, conflict, native communications, African, ethnic.