Africa is the continent on which the human species probably originated. It fostered some of the earliest known civilizations, and contains a vast array of cultures to this day.
30
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5answers
2k views
Why was Africa colonized last of the continents in the Age of Discovery?
One thing that I always wondered is during the time where European powers were dividing up the world amongst themselves (1500-1900 roughly), why was it that Africa seemed to lag behind in ...
26
votes
4answers
781 views
Why are many African nations poor?
Many African countries are currently in the bottom parts of socioeconomic rankings like GDP per capita, life expectancy, literacy, HDI, etc. Some of them possess a decent amount of natural resources ...
14
votes
3answers
1k views
Why isn't Somaliland recognized as a separate country?
The modern country of Somalia is pretty much universally considered a failed state. Within Somalia itself, however, is the de facto state of Somaliland, which if I remember correctly is almost ...
13
votes
2answers
147 views
How does Nigeria stay together?
My naive mental picture of Nigeria - the second largest economy in Africa - is as follows:
A Muslim North scratching out a living in the Sahara desert
A nominally Christian South making money on the ...
10
votes
2answers
336 views
Why did Mozambique join the British Commonwealth?
In short, the Commonwealth originated in the British Empire, as an association of Britain and its former colonies.
Why did Mozambique (a former Portuguese colony) join?
10
votes
1answer
100 views
“Year without a summer” 1816 effects on Africa
I have found quite a bit of information on the farming and societal effects of the volcanic eruption of Mt Tambora in 1815, but they all talk about North America, Europe and Asia.
I wondered if there ...
9
votes
2answers
158 views
What was the contemporary German public opinion on the Herero Genocide?
The genocide took place during 1904-1907, organized by General von Trotha. Wikipedia says:
Von Trotha's methods caused a public outcry which led the Imperial
Chancellor Bernhard von Bülow to ask ...
8
votes
2answers
151 views
How long would it take to travel from England to western Africa in the late 1890's?
I am trying to do some research for a book I am planning to write, and I would like to know how long it would take for a troop transport ship to travel from England to the Gold Coast region of Africa. ...
8
votes
3answers
137 views
Why did France put so many resources into fighting Algeria in comparison to its other former colonial holdings?
Why did France put so many resources into fighting Algeria in comparison to its other former colonial holdings? Was there anything unique about the French-Algerian relationship. On Wikipedia it says ...
8
votes
1answer
93 views
Why was the area now known as Liberia chosen as the location for repatriation of African slaves in the US?
The American Colonization Society thought that colonizing Africa for the purpose of returning US slaves to Africa was the solution to slavery problems. Why, and how, did they come to decide that the ...
7
votes
3answers
167 views
What was the impetus for some African nations to participate in the slave trade?
I know that some African nations participated in the slave trade by providing captured enemies as slaves to Europeans, but what are some of the reasons they did? Was it simply a new economic ...
6
votes
4answers
188 views
Why does the monarchy of Belgium still exist after Leopold 2?
I was browsing the internet and came across the post Which Dictator Killed the Most People. It seems that Leopold 2 had a lot of people killed.
This got me thinking, I don't see for example heirs of ...
6
votes
4answers
159 views
Resources on the History of African Civilization
I was wondering if anyone might be aware of any good resources on the history and development of African civilizations? I will of course be seeking council from the Most Wise and Great God Google, ...
6
votes
1answer
173 views
How did the Tutsis win the civil war in Rwanda after 70% of them had been killed?
I read an assertion that as high as over 70% of Rwanda's Tutsis were killed in the Rwanda genocide. Yet immediately after the genocide the anti-government Tutsi rebel group NPF successfully defeated ...
6
votes
0answers
49 views
What led to election violence in Kenya in 2007?
What were the historical circumstances that led to the violence in 2007? Do any of those circumstances still exist today, and if so, is there a possibility for the violence to happen again?
4
votes
1answer
378 views
Sources for letters written during the Boer Wars
For a project at my school i need to make a 'letter home' of a canadian soldier that participated in the second boer war. I need to draw from primary sources and im not having luck finding any. so ...
4
votes
0answers
38 views
Were does Tifinagh come from?
Because all of my knowledge of Tifinagh came from the Wikipedia article, I was quite puzzled to read this.
For those of you that just don't bother checking, the author describes the different ...
3
votes
1answer
236 views
What is the origin of Rap?
I want to know the origin of Rap.
Does it's origin really go back to arabian poets? Or can Rapping also be traced back to its African roots?
3
votes
1answer
174 views
When was the African National Congress added to the US terror list?
In 2008, the ANC was removed from the US terror list.
From BBC:
US President George W Bush has signed a bill removing Nelson Mandela and South African leaders from the US terror watch list, ...
2
votes
1answer
38 views
When was the Eastern Front founded?
I am talking about the Eastern Front coalition in Sudan. Although the article on Wikipedia is informative, I can't see when it was founded, or when the groups that make it up were founded (except for ...
2
votes
1answer
93 views
Historically, have African nations had a higher proportion of coups than nations on other continents?
The president of the Central African Republic was recently ousted by rebel forces. According to atlanticwire there have been over 40 coups in the past 60 years. Do African nations have a higher ...
1
vote
2answers
342 views
To what extent did the “Arab Spring” protesters meet their goals?
Too what extent did the protesters throughout the Arab spring in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt achieve their aims?
What happened after the various regimes resigned, what has changed and what would the ...
1
vote
2answers
126 views
How is Gaddafi viewed outside the West? [closed]
It seems to me that Gaddafi is viewed in the West only as a lunatic dictator. However, after a naive investigation about his life I have realized how a complex figure he was. We know most of his ...
0
votes
1answer
90 views
Ancient Civilization in non-Egyption Africa? [closed]
Is there any evidence of ancient civilization in central and south of Africa? Were there any ancient cities, such as Timbuktu, Benin, or Zimbabwe for which there are scientific tools or other ...
