An Essay I Wrote on the Decolonization of Africa

Both Europeans and Africans were in approval of the decolonization of the African continent, and felt that the world was becoming freer without the discrimination against the natives that came with imperialist rule. Europeans were satisfied by the ending of their restriction of the freedoms and development of Africans, and Africans were glad to be in control of their own destinies and were optimistic that they would be able to unite, get rid of the poverty, and become economically prosperous through their resources by themselves. Although not all of the hopes of the first African leaders became true, the decolonization process of the continent has overall had a positive impact on history.

Europeans felt as though they had done a service to the world by decolonizing around the world, and especially in Africa. The satisfaction of the Duchess of Kent and the Governor General in document three is seen in their faces and in the fact that they were willing to participate in a procession with African leaders. Europeans were willing to work with Africans and others in international organizations such as the UN, and they understood that the world had turned against the continuation of colonialism and imperialism. They also had realized by the writing of the UN resolution that the ideal of freedom that they had championed for a long time was not being given to African individuals and nations (document five). A missing voice that could be added to the documents would be a European leader who used the ideal of freedom to persuade other Europeans that the decolonization process was the right thing to do. Having this document would allow the reader to truly understand the attitude of Europeans towards African decolonization, as the document would include the view of the persuader as well as views supporting colonialism of Europeans that the persuader would have to argue against. Although some European nations took longer than others to grant independence to their African colonies, as shown in document one, they all knew that independence was inevitable.

Africans desperately wanted the ideal of freedom through decolonization, and when they were granted independence they finally felt that freedom. The lack of freedoms of speech, association, and worship, the restriction of human rights, and the forced militarization of Africans against other Africans were listed as complaints at the All-African People's Conference in 1958 (document four). As shown in document one, most African countries were finally free of imperialist rule by 1970. The first president of Guinea valued the fact that his country was free of colonial rule so much that he said that it would be better to be free and in poverty than be rich and in slavery (document eight). His statement underscores the fact of how hard it was for Africans during colonization, and refers to an earlier period that was still in many Africans' minds, the horrific slave trade.

Africa was a poor continent at the time of the decolonization process, and still is, but it is a continent full of natural resources and human potential that its first native post-decolonization leaders wanted to use to make it prosper. The first leader of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, wanted Africa to unite after decolonization. He had this dream because he thought that the continent could become prosperous and therefore could do good in the world due to of its resources of mined materials, water power, timber, and cash crops (document two). Africa did not unite politically after decolonization, and international disputes on the continent have been common there. However, the newly independent nations in it felt that cooperation with each other was necessary, economically and culturally, by 1960 (document six). African leaders wanted to keep relations with their former colonizers, but also wanted to fix the poverty of their countries themselves (documents seven and eight). Jomo Kenyatta emphasized that African citizens must play a substantial role themselves in fixing their own problems (document seven). However, Ahmed Sékou Touré, stated that Africans must collaborate with Europeans so they can both be prosperous. Touré was a leader of a smaller country than Kenyatta's, so he understandingly wanted more help from Europeans economically (document eight). Nkrumah also asked for the cooperation of Europeans in remedying the damage caused by imperialism (document two).

Decolonization in Africa was an important time in history in which granting freedom won over continuing the injustices of the European imperial system, such as discrimination, in the feelings of Europeans. Africa did not completely become prosperous after decolonization, and it is still poverty-stricken and divided politically today. In spite of this, its first leaders felt as though they had gained needed rights for their countrymen, as though they could work together with Europeans and other Africans to become economically prosperous, and as though they could to start to stop the problems of disunity and poverty that plagued their nations.