We'll return to Africa again today. After we look at the various
paths to independence followed across Africa, we'll turn our attention
to the Rwandan genocide of 1994. (We'll return to Africa one more time
to focus on the apartheid era and its aftermath in South Africa.)
Case Studies: Africa - Let's hear what you learned about the process of decolonization in these African nations.
- Ghana
- Kenya
- Algeria
- Zaire (Congo)
- Angola
As a reminder, you were asked to do the following:
- Describe the way in which independence was achieved in your country.
- Explain key events and/or people in the move to independence.
- If applicable, discuss the legacy of colonialism/imperialism in your country.
- Evaluate the success of decolonization for your country.
- Mention anything else that you believe to be important.
We'll
take a quick look at a couple of additional "stories" that took place
in the process of decolonization across Africa. In particular, we
should check in on Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and a few others.
BBC: The Story of Africa
- This website does a nice job with the independence movements in
Africa. You might be interested in browsing around here a bit.
"The Season of Blood" - The Rwandan Genocide - Around the time many of your were born, the tiny nation of Rwanda witnessed
the most concentrated killing of the 20th century. Your reading
for today mentioned the event, but we'll spend some time trying to make
sense of these events.
Download this Rwanda - note guide to help you with some of the terms and the chronology of events.
Here are some resources you might find interesting:
These are news articles from the time. What's most interesting is what isn't mentioned in them...
- "Deeper into the abyss" - Newsweek, April 25, 1994
- "A descent into hell" - U.S. News and World Report, August 1, 1994
These are the very good websites that accompanied two PBS "Frontline" episodes.
- "The Triumph of Evil" - PBS website
- 100 days of slaughter - A timeline of the "season of blood"
- "Valentina's Nightmare" - PBS website
Here's a chart that speaks for itself...
HOMEWORK for next session - Monday, March 8th
Continue
your reading in Chapter 33 with Section 4, "Conflicts in the Middle
East" (pp. 1017 - 1023). The quiz will be fill-in-the-blank.
