Colonialism and Its Effect in Nigeria Essay Example for Free

Colonialism and Its Effect in Nigeria Essay Ekundayo Falade Professor Baldwin MA5- Research Paper Final Draft 5/6/2013 Colonization Colonization is term used to refer to a specific type of interaction between states, countries, or territories. Colonization is said to have taken place in the event one country, state, or territory induces and or claims total sovereignty over a different country, state, or territory, which lies outside its geographical boundaries or influence. The country, state, or territory that loses its sovereignty becomes the colony while the other nation is labeled as the colonizer. The entire phenomenon created therein is referred to colonization. It is important to note that the impact of colonization is long felt even after the colonizer has left the colony. This is because the changes that take place during the course of colonization stretch far much beyond the administration take over. Here, the changes that take place with regard to the social, economic, and cultural settings of the society are the main reminders of colonization long after the colonizers have left. The influence of the colonizers with regard to the socio-cultural environment of the colony is the main scar of colonization long after the wounds have healed. In any environment where colonization has taken place, the main impact of colonization is analyzed with regard to the element of stagnation that is birthed out of losing the ability to institute development and progress from a society’s own point of view. In the analysis of colonialism, it is important to not only analyze the administrative activities, but also take into serious considerations the various economic, social, and cultural activities within the discussion. The Falade ? impact of colonialism – under effective analysis is divided into social, cultural, political, and ecological assessment topics. Throughout the course of this essay, the various influences of colonialism in the various ecological and political settings of the third world countries are analyzed with the main aim of underscoring the stagnation that is caused because of colonialism and the influence therein. There are varied explanations with regard to the term third world. In these – varying definitions – there are some common definitive elements that feature in the distinctive definitions. Generally, third world country is a term employed in referring to a country that does not belong to the soviet bloc of nations, the state-socialist nations, the west, or the European countries. The third world countries that will be analyzed in the course of this paper are from Africa and the region around India. There are two sides of the coin presented the phenomena of colonization. Here, there are both advantages and disadvantages contained in the activities shaping up and general impact of colonization. The most prominent advantage – as it is refereed to of colonization, is the progress instituted by the colonizing power. In most – if not all – of the colonization activities, the colonizer has instituted both direct and indirect progressive measures. The negative implication of colonialism is presented in the general oppression of the colony presented in the lack of freedoms and fundamental human rights. One of the benefits of colonization can be traced back to the impact of colonialism in India. Here, the colonizers instituted irrigation measures that had a profound impact on the food security in the country. This increase and enhancement in food production also brought about negative effects with regard to health. Because of the establishment and widespread of the irrigation system, there was an increase in the spread of malaria because of water logging. The irrigation system brought with Falade ? it a rich environment for the breeding of mosquitoes, which caused harm on the health of the people near the various areas. The third world has benefited from colonialism in different ways but the most prominent is presented in the exposure of these countries to the developments in the developed countries. Colonization is presented as the link through which the third world was connected to the developed world. The exposure from colonization has helped the various nations to achieve development in the various social, economic, political, and cultural settings. Most – if not all – scholars argue that the infrastructure through which the economic process was not only triggered, but also developed was through colonization. Even though this is the case, the negative implications of colonialism are too big a topic to be left untouched. The scars from the experiences and activities that shaped up colonization stretch way beyond the healed scars into different time eras. Numerous profound changes have taken place with regard to judicial and legal practices because of the implementation of the Human Rights Act of 1998. Although it might have become operational in 2000, the changes that have been made within the judicial setting far much surpass the reforms that took place since the inception of the Human Rights Act up until the time it was implemented. The difference that has been brought into the functionality of the judiciary can be likened to the difference between day and night. Given the chance to undertake the same research again, I would major on the institutional reforms that have been birthed out of the implementation and integration of the Human Rights Acts into law. Ecological exploration The colonization of Nigeria dates back to 1959. Nigeria was colonized by Britain and the interaction between these two nation dates back to hundreds of years before the 16th century. During their initial exploration, the British interacted with people from modern day Nigeria and Falade ? the surrounding areas in different ways. Today, the boundaries that define the state of Nigeria were as section of larger region that was targeted by the British in their explorations. A close analysis of the interactions that existed between the British and the locals in Nigeria prove that the British were not out to colonize the nation. Initially, the first British citizens to settle in Nigeria and the surroundings were merchants and missionaries. The initial interactions between the Nigerians and the British led to knowledge about Christianity and economic improvements. There were also extensive interactions that led to the alteration of culture with regards to the interaction that existed between the Nigerians and the British. For instance, there was English being spoken in Nigeria as early as the 16th century. Here, the natives learnt English from the British who either chose to settle among them or pay them occasional visits. Military conquest of Nigeria by the British forces can be traced back to the 1800’s. During this time, there was some little resistance but the vast machine-gun armed British forces overcame this. These forces conquered any form of resistance that stood in their way with ease. By the first decade of 1800, the British had taken over the entire state of Nigeria. The region was home to over 200 ethnic groups and these were strategically divided into three distinctive regions. The regions housed different administrative units and each of these differed from the other with regards to the economic, social, and cultural evolution taking place therein. The three regions that were formed out of the strategic division by the British were Western, Eastern, and Northern Regions. In their division of Nigeria, the British took minimum – if any – consideration of the diversification that existed in the communities shaping up Nigeria. They went on to divide the country among lines that would see entire nation revolutionized. There were important and historic factions of society that went under as the result of the division that took place in the Falade ? course of colonization by the British. The natives lost their sense of identity as well as ethnic attachments as a result of the division that took place in the course of the colonization. It is important to note that the boundaries that exist in modern day Nigeria were not as an African creation, but a British vision. In 1903, the name Nigeria was birthed by the Wife of one of the Commissioners that had been assigned authority over Nigeria. The wife of the British Commissioner saw it fit to name the region Nigeria since it was home to the Niger River. The presence of the Niger River in the northern region of the country was the main motivation behind the naming of the country. When the British took over Nigeria, they had one thing in mind; to satisfy their needs. A closer analysis on the activities shaping up the colonization of Nigeria brings out detailed information with regards to the economic and political setting of the country during colonization. Here, the British administration established a political and economic setting through which the country was aligned to the vision of the British government. There was an economic diversification instituted as the colonization kicked in. The Nigerians traded their cheap raw materials for British goods. Here, the natives would be found trading goods such as rubber, palm oil, tropical wood, and cotton for the metal tools, guns, and clothes from the British. Long before they knew it, the natives had been stripped of their goods through the economic traditions established by the British. Nigerians were left at the mercy of their British trading counterparts. The British had established an unbalanced trade practice that was designed to ensure that the British got enriched at the expense of the Nigerians. Politically, there were major oppressions that took place with regard to the rights and freedoms of the Nigerians. The British set up a system through which they exercised oppressive rule over the natives. Here, they ensured that a government system was in place through which the management of their affairs would not only Falade ? be made easy, but also favor their colonial undertakings. The British colonizers that ensured the Nigerians were constantly advising the British about the affairs taking place in their society set up a government system. With time, the natives developed a negative attitude towards the government system and the parliamentary system established therein. The study of colonialism on the African nations seems to take the same course in most – in not all – studies. Here, the main element under analysis is the influence of the colonial power over the colony. Although much is being done to ensure that there is a restoration of the various local sensibilities, there is still much to be achieved with regard to the deep and negative impacts of colonialism. The influence of colonialism is the main source of the social inequalities and economic discrepancies that define third world countries can be traced back to colonization. Colonialism is responsible for the various globalization, economic integration, and neocolonialism cultures. One of the most attractive factors with regard to colonization was the environment of the colonies. During the course of colonization – as presented in the scramble and partition for Africa the colonizers were out to look for land and forest resources. Here, fertile lands and vast forests were one of the main elements through which the various lands were prioritized with regard to colonization. When colonization was at its peak, the vast forest had been reduced to farming land through deforestation and the various highlands became settlements through which cash crop production took place. So important and productive was the cash crop business in the course of colonization that the British industrial revolution was because of cash crop production. The food security in the various nations – within both the colony and colonizer’s settings – was because of the production that took place within the course of colonization. The deforestation that took place in India was the main source of timber in the ship building activities Falade ? in Britain. In the same country, there was an extensive railway system, which was built by the timber produced from the deforestation. The establishment of the railways system benefitted different parties within the colonization setting. Here, the colonizers established and developed effective means through which they would transport their various resources and extend their colonization while the improving the infrastructure for the locals. Through this – improvement in infrastructure – the access to and transfer of natural resources became easier and more continent. Works Cited Arnold, D and R Guha. Nature, Culture and Imperialism: Essays on the Environmental history of South Asia. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1995. Arnold, D. The Problem of Nature; Environment, Culture and European Expansion, New Perspectives on the Past. Blackwell Publishers Limited, 1996. Brett, E A. Colonialism and Underdevelopment in East Africa; The Politics of Economic Change. Heinemann Educational Books Limited, 1973. Daszak, P, A A Cunningham and A D Hyatt. Emerging Infectious Diseases of Wildlife – Threats to Biodiversity and Human Health. Wildlife Ecology Review (2000). Sartre, Jean Paul. Colonialism and neo-colonialism. Oxon : Routledge books, 2001.