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Homework Help > History
How did Africans resist colonial rule?
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Asked on May 17, 2011 at 9:56 AM by jasminenid
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3 Answers
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thanatassa | College Teacher | (Level 1) Distinguished Educator
Posted on February 20, 2017 at 1:34 AM
The first thing one should note is that Africa is a huge continent with many different countries, languages, cultures and traditions. European colonization of Africa actually started in antiquity, with Phoenician colonies in what is now Tunisia (Queen Dido in Virgil is actually the descendant of Phoenicians) and Greek colonies in Egypt (Cleopatra was actually of Greek descent, part of a Ptolemaic dynasty that ruled Egypt until it was conquered by the Romans). Starting in the Renaissance, different parts of Africa were colonized by Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Holland, and Portugal. Both the types of colonialism and manners of resistance were tremendously varied.
Several countries obtained independence by direct, violent rebellion. An example of this would be the Algerian War of Independence against France. The Republic of Liberia was founded as an independent republic, and was recognized as an independent nation shortly after the US Civil War; it did not actually rebel against a colonial power. Nigerian independence was gradual, with both Nigerian nationalists and British colonial administrators converging in a transition to self-government and then formal independence.
Overall, resistance ranged from violent to non-violent and from armed conflict to cultural protest by revival and preservation of local traditions.
