Merits and Demerits of Colonialism from 1800 to Present , with the Reference to Colonial and Postcolonial Films

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Question From your analysis of colonial and postcolonial films discuss the merits and demerits of colonialism from the 1800s to present day. Answer Colonialism as defined in Concise Oxford English dictionary is “the policy or practice of acquiring political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically”. Africa as a continent had its inhabitants (the blacks) before the Europeans (whites) knew about it. These inhabitants had their own ways of surviving amongst them hunting and gathering. There were experts in various trades such as blacksmiths, potters, weavers, hunters and miners just to mention a few. The Africans used to trade amongst themselves until the period when the Europeans discovered Africa. Colonialism existed within the African states like the Ndebele over the Shona, the Zulu’s over the other Nguni clans and the Xhosa’s over the Khoi/San. This colonisation did not bring any difference to the lives of these inhabitants since their standards of living were almost the same. The European Colonisation of African states became probably the worst thing that the African states had ever encountered during that time. Europeans first came to trade and when they discovered that there are vast minerals and ivory, they decided to settle and subsequently colonised the Africans. The colonisation has its advantages and disadvantages thus:- Advantages -Transport made travelling easy as compared to footing. -Permanent structures like houses and work places made people to settle and be focused. -Use of modern medicine, health facilities and good hygiene ensures chances of survival and recovery. -Modern farming methods improved food security. -Large scale mining ensured the good utilisation of mineral wealth. -Education and Language (Most African tribes did not have a written Language) but people

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