Who Owns Africa? : Neocolonialism, Investment, and the New Scramble

The independence of African countries from their European colonizers in the late 1950s and 1960s marked a shift in the continent's political leadership. Nevertheless, the economies of African nations remained tied to those of their former colonies, raising questions of resource control and the sovereignty of these nation-states. Who Owns Africa? addresses the role of foreign actors in Africa and their competing interests in exploiting the resources of Africa and its people. An interdisciplinary team of scholars, all experts in African studies, examines the concept of colonialism from a historical and socio-political perspective. They show how the language of investment, development aid, mutual interest, or philanthropy is used to cloak the virulent forms of exploitation on the continent, thereby perpetuating a state of neocolonialism that has left many African people poor and in the margins. Contributors: John K. Marah (State University of New York Brockport), Nene-Lomotey Kuditchar (University of Ghana), Bekeh Utietiang Ukelina (State University of New York Cortland), Tokie Laotan-Brown (Merging Ecologies, Athenry), Asher Lubotzky (Indiana University Bloomington), Seth N. Asumah (State University of New York Cortland), Kudakwashe Chirambwi (National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe), Phillip Murray (United States Military Academy West Point), Paul Chiudza Banda (Tarleton State University), Gift Wasambo Kayira (University of Malawi) Why in spite of Africa's abundant natural and human resources its people are still poorThe independence of African countries from their European colonizers in the late 1950s and 1960s marked a shift in the continent's political leadership. Nevertheless, the economies of African nations remained tied to those of their former colonies, raising questions of resource control and the sovereignty of these nation-states. Who Owns Africa? addresses the role of foreign actors in Africa and their competing interests in exploiting the resources of Africa and its people. An interdisciplinary team of scholars examines the concept of colonialism from a historical and socio-political perspective. They show how the language of investment, development aid, mutual interest, or philanthropy is used to cloak the virulent forms of exploitation on the continent, thereby perpetuating a state of neocolonialism that has left many African people poor and in the margins.Contributors: John K. Marah (State University of New York Brockport), Nene-Lomotey Kuditchar (University of Ghana), Bekeh Utietiang Ukelina (State University of New York Cortland), Tokie Laotan-Brown (Merging Ecologies, Athenry), Asher Lubotzky (Indiana University Bloomington), Seth N. Asumah (State University of New York Cortland), Kudakwashe Chirambwi (National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe), Phillip Murray (United States Military Academy West Point), Paul Chiudza Banda (Tarleton State University), Gift Wasambo Kayira (University of Malawi)This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content). Cover Table of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction From the European Scramble for Africa to the New Scramble Bekeh Utietiang Ukelina Chapter One The Political Economy of Contemporary Africa John K. Marah Chapter Two Decoding the Realpolitik of African States Nene-Lomotey Kuditchar Chapter Three Doing Good Bekeh Utietiang Ukelina Chapter Four The New Scramble and Its Economic Impact on West African Women Tokie Laotan-Brown Chapter Five “We Are Returning to Africa, and Africa is Coming Back to Us” Asher Lubotzky Chapter Six China in Africa Seth N. Asumah Chapter Seven Governmentality of China in Africa Kudakwashe Chirambwi Chapter Eight China’s Incidental Empire Major Philip J. Murray Chapter Nine Malawi-China Relations Paul Chiudza Banda & Gift Wasambo Kayira Conclusion Reflections on Neocolonialism and the New Scramble Bekeh Ukelina About the Authors