Africa is typically thought of as being a continent full of violence and revolution. This concept may have originated from the poor treatment of Africans by the rest of the world through colonization, forced labor in Africa, and the enslaving of Africans in other regions of the world. The danger and violence that stemmed from many countries gaining independence and experiencing political upheaval has been thwarted by peacekeeping efforts from outside agencies, like the United Nations. Africa has had a violent past, but only because of the exploitation by the Europeans, and eventually Americans. Ultimately, their ethnocentrism led to violence and the stereotype of danger in Africa. In order to determine whether or not there is a still a strong
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Approximately 12 million Africans were traded across the Atlantic, however, the number of slaves originally bought was much higher. The passage from Africa to North America had a very high mortality rate. (Segal 4) If Africans reached their destinations alive, they were used to fulfil a labor shortage in the new American colonies. Because many crops could not be grown in Europe, agriculture was a necessary industry in the colonies, and this required more labor than the colonists could supply. Unsurprisingly, forcibly removing someone from their home and enslaving them to work on another continent, if they did not die on the dangerous trip there, does not foster peaceful relationships. This tension, built upon hostilities over colonization, and other poor treatment of African people, has helped contribute to the violence in Africa in the past. Furthermore, it is clear Europeans, and in turn, Americans, have always had a superiority complex towards Africans. This would lead to views of Africans as being inferior, which can lead to ideas of them being less civilized, and more dangerous. This compounds on the actual violence in Africa, and results in the world viewing the entire continent and African population as violent and …show more content…
For example, a survey for the period 1990–2000 compiled by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ranked South Africa second for assault and murder (by all means) per capita and first for rapes per capita in a data set of 60 countries (NationMaster 1). In addition, there are still 15 countries either at war, or experiencing post-war conflicts in Africa (United Nations 2). However, comparing Africa to the rest of the world this way ignores the ways Europe hindered African development in the past. Many African countries are still developing, and should not be held to the same standard as developed first world countries. When modern day Africa is compared to its own history, there has been great progress. There are far fewer political conflicts and civil wars, and there is much more outside assistance than in the past. Africa’s violence today consists more of domestic violence than the political upheaval and genocides of the past. Though Africa still has a long way to go, it has also come extremely far, despite the obstacles it already had to
Approximately 12 million Africans were traded across the Atlantic, however, the number of slaves originally bought was much higher. The passage from Africa to North America had a very high mortality rate. (Segal 4) If Africans reached their destinations alive, they were used to fulfil a labor shortage in the new American colonies. Because many crops could not be grown in Europe, agriculture was a necessary industry in the colonies, and this required more labor than the colonists could supply. Unsurprisingly, forcibly removing someone from their home and enslaving them to work on another continent, if they did not die on the dangerous trip there, does not foster peaceful relationships. This tension, built upon hostilities over colonization, and other poor treatment of African people, has helped contribute to the violence in Africa in the past. Furthermore, it is clear Europeans, and in turn, Americans, have always had a superiority complex towards Africans. This would lead to views of Africans as being inferior, which can lead to ideas of them being less civilized, and more dangerous. This compounds on the actual violence in Africa, and results in the world viewing the entire continent and African population as violent and …show more content…
For example, a survey for the period 1990–2000 compiled by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ranked South Africa second for assault and murder (by all means) per capita and first for rapes per capita in a data set of 60 countries (NationMaster 1). In addition, there are still 15 countries either at war, or experiencing post-war conflicts in Africa (United Nations 2). However, comparing Africa to the rest of the world this way ignores the ways Europe hindered African development in the past. Many African countries are still developing, and should not be held to the same standard as developed first world countries. When modern day Africa is compared to its own history, there has been great progress. There are far fewer political conflicts and civil wars, and there is much more outside assistance than in the past. Africa’s violence today consists more of domestic violence than the political upheaval and genocides of the past. Though Africa still has a long way to go, it has also come extremely far, despite the obstacles it already had to