Why is Africa as a continent generally so poor?

[jammy 0]

 I was just wondering why there should be so much poverty and so little development in Africa both economically and socially? I know there are richer parts of Africa such as South Africa, but as a whole it is a continent where little is going on and little seems to be looking good.

I can understand in places such as the Sahara Desert area it is impossible to grow crops, but only a very small % of the just over 1 billion people live here, and those that do tend to live near major rivers or the Mediterranean so they have access to pleniful water for crop growing.

Africa though is very rich in natural resources, and as you may have read in another recent thread about over population, has enough fertile land, that if managed properly good grow enough food to feed the entire world. So why is Africa so poor?

it has the labour, the land, and I'm sure the want to be wealthy but it isn't...?

[Muck308 55]

Well, British influence is the reason for South Africa's good fortune... but there is not good fortune for all. Many parts of South African cities, especially Cape Town, are horrible slums ruled by murderous gangs. And it wasn't just the British who got their hands into Africa. Ever notice how many African countries speak French? The continent, as a whole, has been exploited for many years. As we all know, Somalia is notorious for pirates... and terrorists in general. There is a lot of fighting going on in Africa. Partnered with economic instability, famine, and poverty. These things cannot be fixed quickly. I'm sure there are many Africans interested in industrialization... but large companies typically do not want to invest in an unstable land. Anyone care to do a better job of explaining this? Because I'm no expert.

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

North Africa has been famous for piracy going back to the middle ages, long before colonization.

There is a Biblical explanation for Africa's woes... but there's no way I'm opening that can of worms on ST.

[hym 358]

Capital (as understood by an economist) is key to the development of modern nations, and this is something of which Africa is in desperately short supply.  Most engage in sustenance farming so they have little capital.  This lack of capital restricts their ability to buy equipment that would boost their crop output and thereby bring them more money.  It's a self-reinforcing loop; they have little money, so they can't afford the equipment that would make them more money, and because they can't afford the equipment to make them more money, they can't gain an appreciable amount of money.

There is the possibility for outside influences, but most governments aren't willing to put forth the level of commitment to solve the problem, and most companies that possess the resources to make an impact aren't willing to invest in such an unstable region.

Originally posted by: manticorefan

There is a Biblical explanation for Africa's woes... but there's no way I'm opening that can of worms on ST. quote>

Indeed, discussion of that explanation isn't going to be happening on ST.  If anyone else is thinking of posting the explanation manticorefan is referencing, don't.

[Duke87 1,070]

Colonialism certainly didn't help. Borders were drawn arbitrarily without regard to the local people. Nations then gained their independence but failed to be politically stable largely because the international borders do not reflect the borders between various groups of people, although also because lack of economic prosperity means they weren't getting up off the ground and people got away with staging coups d'état and other forms of power grabbing.

But by and large another problem is that Africa simply isn't modern. Like Afghanistan and other parts of central asia, the people are still largely tribal. European "civilization" was forced upon them, it is not their natural, traditional way of life.

But then, that's why they were subject to colonization in the first place. Their societies were nowhere near as advanced; they were easy picking for the more developed nations of Europe.

Europe isn't ruling there anymore, but they are still in the bad position of having access to modern knowledge and some basic modern technology without having a modern society to properly use it.

Prime example is the population issue. They don't like using condoms because they're associated with promiscuity, and less rudimentary forms of birth control are too expensive for them to afford or for aid groups to distribute to them. So, they're having lots of kids, as they always did. That hasn't changed. On the other hand, children of theirs which previously would die of disease or other issues at a young age now are surviving into adulthood because of foreign aid, and all of a sudden there's an overpopulation problem.

So, in this case, some modernization is actually worse than none. The "natural" method of population control by disease and famine isn't being totally permitted to take its course, but the unnatural replacement for it - contraception - is not always accepted or available.

In a way, if we just let all those kids starve to death or die from malaria, the people of Africa would be better off than their current situation, bacause it would solve the population issues.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Well, historically, Africa has been quite rich in places.  However, the exploitation of the less developed peoples by the more developed in Africa is well known.  Pharonic Egypt did a good job of using up most of the local resources along the Nile, including the slave labor. 

Then along came various conquerors who were only interested in pillage.  Most of the material wealth of the continent has been exploited by many other cultures.  The 17th, 18th and 19th century Europeans did a pretty good (bad?) job of this, while doing nothing to break up the tribal culture.

I believe that the current problems are mostly due to millenia of tribalism that simply will not go away unless somehow forced.  Charitable organizations and other do-gooders tend to make band-aid fixes, but the only real fix would be imposition of a general peace.  No one, not even the U.N. has the will to do this. 

Many of the African states are U.N. members, many by courtesy only since they do not pay dues for membership.  Many are dictatorships that seek only to take the main chance and care for little except the size of their get away funds hidden in various off-shore banks.

And so, the many are exploited by the few, and this will go on for the foreseeable future.

[(x+x 20]

not all afrcia is so poor, you never heard of tunisia, libya, algeria, moroco??!! i'm from tunisia, we odn't have much oil, just a little bet, but we have the 32 place in the world ranking life style and healthy happy life, also, tunisia is considered, and it may be, the capital of north africa, it's also the best country in africa, not all africa is poor!!!! or black, here in north africa we're not poor, not black, not terrorists or extremist relegious people, or anything like that, we are wayy that how you think we are

DUDE! educate your self!!!

to duke:

DUDE!!! we're not a ancient people, or not modern, we have every thing you do, we have a normal life, like you do, we have the technology, like you do, we have the modern buildings and places, like you do! but we don't have much skycrapers, but they are udner construction, cause for example here in tunisia, we're just a 10 millions population, we're not much,

also, tunisia from an example, we have the one of the best flying companies in the world, in our flying history, we only had one or two accidents, also, tunisia is a place for the eyes of many investements companies, like airbus,Citroen , here, enjoy your selfe, here's a site,

http://www.tunisiaonlinenews.com/

duke: hey dude, oh my gooodd!!!! you dont really think that we have many kids, and, we're dying cause such ancient deseses like malaria, and we famine, and we don't even know the technologie or anything???!!!!!!!!!! and we are easy picked, and we're not developed??????!!!!! dude!!! don't you study geographie there?????? oh my gooodd!!! easy picked, week, unuducated, very very low technologie, many kids, famine, what's more? euuh, traditonel, what's next??!! dark magic, and living in trees or in holes???!! it's ok, you can add how much you want budy, add how much you want, next time, before you tell any informartin, try to make a little search, ok???

[Meg 368]

okay, let's take a breath.

You are correct that there are a lot of misconceptions about Africa.  To answer one of your questions, no, I never studied it in school.   But the cirriculum didn't include the Middle East, Asia, or Oceania either.   One could easily say my education didn't pay enough attention to history or world geography.  (It was focused on math and science instead.  Sputnik kinda freaked people out.)

Another perception here is that "Africa" does not include the northern or southern part of the continent, just the middle.  The countries you mention -- Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco -- are considered to be Mediterranean, not African.  I'm not saying that makes sense; it's just a common perception.

I'm glad you have posted the pictures from your country.  They show life there more clearly than a textbook can.

[(x+x 20]

thnaks, and yes, i don't pay much entention to geographie and history much, but i just memories what i hear at class : )

[Duke87 1,070]

Originally posted by: (x+x²)²/x

{stuff}quote>

Dude, chill out. I wasn't talking about your country. Most people around here when they say "Africa" are talking more about Subsaharan Africa, not the countries along the southern shore of the Meditteranean (as Meg pointed out) which, yes, are much different and generally better off.

My previous statements stand, however, in regards to the Jungle and Savanah parts of Africa, the parts in question when discussing poverty in Africa. Those are tribal societies, by and large. Tunisia and its neighbors up north (the parts that were ruled by the Caliphate and, earlier, the Romans) are not, but they're not really the subject of the discussion here.

[fukuda 351]

tunisia is considered, and it may be, the capital of north africaquote>

Oh wow. I guess Egypt is no longer counted in northern Africa.

[Kryptowhite 9]

Africa as a continent has kind of been screwed by its location. Aside from Egypt and the meditterrenean coast, it wasn't really involved in the slow globalization of society. So when Europeans where exchanging ideas/technology with India and China, Africa was still living tribally because a) everything south of the Sahara is pretty difficult to reach, and b) there was no reason to go anywhere south of the north. Europeans didn't even know of south africa until the late 1400's early 1500's.

Africa during colonization wasn't in bad shape, but its pretty hard for a continent that has been one large colony for years to get liberated and succeed right away. And even though most of Africa has been independent for more than 50 years now, its still experiencing trouble. Alot of countries like Somalia still haven't established stable powerweilding governments, and other nations have intense poverty/class gaps due to the discrimination from back in the colonial era. I'd expect parts of Africa will figure it out eventually...

[Easy Bakes 253]

The Sahara used to be non desert, very long ago but scientist suspect it was a savannah like climate.

As for why sub Saharan africa remains poor, so many factors contribute to that, after colonialism ended most of those countrys have been in constant civl war, tribal wars,and no consistant govt to speak of. hard to  create a national/racial identity that was suppressed for 500 years.Some of these countrys have not even existed  in thier current forms for very long, countrys parceled out by the colonial powers for the slave trade, after the colonialism ended someone else drew other lines. and in a few years more lines will be drawn.

And the relief  charitys  have no  real long term plan either,Some of the methods  they have, taking irrigation water from aquafirs for instance,  will have the same problem that it has here, eventualy the aquifers will dry out, but only after the population booms from  the reliable food supply.

N_O_Body And so, the many are exploited by the few, and this will go on for the foreseeable future.quote>

that will go on forever.

[(x+x 20]

sorry duke, i miss understood 

egypt is georaphicly a part of north africa, but it belows to the middle east, the north africans country, wihc they have their owne union, are tunisia, libya, algeria, moroco, and muritania

and also, tunisia is counted the capital, cause tunisia have the best democracy and safety and economy, also the comment federation of the hall north africa together are centered in tunisia, in tunis, like the commet t.v channel that relate the hall north is nessma, is centered in tunisia, also the union of the north africa, bytheway, the north africa regions and country, wich i already said , calls the arab maghreb, 

so when i say the arab maghreb, i mean the tunisia, algeria, libya, moroco, muritania together 

and during the war,and after it, in tunisia, libya and algeria, those what i know about then, i didn't study about the others yet, anyway, after the war, they didnt had civil wars, algeria, get rid of the colonization of france in about 70 yearrs, tunisia about 40, years, libya was colonized by u.k., i cant remeber how long,

algeria, to get it's indenpendince, it loosed 1 million population because of fighting with the frensh military, tunisia, was colonized when it economy had a big shut, that's when france came in, when france came in, the tunisian poeple get the change to remove the baii, it's means the king, or something like that, anyway, they get rid of it slowly, then they replaced it with the democratic goverment, but tunisia didnt have it's total freedom, that time, because of france, so it started to liberate tunisia from france, by spying on the core, it means france, slowly, the well educated people and the old governalists, started to exchange with france, i mean, each time, they ask from france for a few things, and france without knowing, was heading to loose this contry, by accepting small and small needs of tunisia, advantually, tunisia get rid of france, take back it's land, with the information, algeria helped us too, also we did, algeria is the closer sister tunisia,we had a comment history in that time, but we had the dependency before them, sorry, i'm not very specific, but i'm not very good with the hisotry, that's a conclution for the story

[Barbarossa 51]

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  Edited September 8, 2012 by Barbarossa  

[Evillions 552]

Well, the government(s) in Africa couldn't do much anyways. I remember watching World News at some of the cable channels such as FOX or something like that. Anyways, one of Gambia's or something around that area, the Prime Minster resigned his position since he pretty much didn't have much power due to terrorists and all that other stuff.

[Meg 368]

Originally posted by: Evillions

. . .the Prime Minster resigned his position since he pretty much didn't have much power due to terrorists and all that other stuff.quote>

Which is one way of saying that the "rule of law" is not in place.

[fukuda 351]

cause tunisia have the best democracy quote>

Absolutely. Tunisia isn't exactly the highest ranking democracy in Africa.

[(x+x 20]

wait, let me check my list, well, freedom of publiching, check, well it's not 100percent, it's 90 percent, saying what ever youwant, check, expresiing your opinons, check, elections, check, ecaulize between women and men, check, the right for a woman to do anything from what the men do eithercheck, no race or colour seperation, check, the rule is for the majorty, it means if 51 percent of the people are christian, so tunisia is christian, if 51 percent of tunisia wants that thing or dislike that thing, so it's, what's more, euuh, freedom to choose relegious, to wear what you want, check, to go to anywhere you want, check, to do what you like, check, you defende your self, check, what do we need more??!! if there's anything else maybe i didn't muntion it tell me,

well, there's another thing, you want call it democracy, and i'm not sure of it, or like it, no offence to any one, wich is gay marriage wich it's illegal here,

maybe we're not the best democratic country in africa, but we're just fine, you're not the model of perfection either, you have you have some black points too, like we have 90 percent in freedom of publiching, i mea, to not care of the inner politics stuff of the country, wich no one already cares about it, and gay marriage, wich, not too many people like the idea, and, what's more? tell me if i'm wrong, well we're not the model of perfection, but we do our best, and we're just fine with it, and happy you can say that tunisia 95 percent democratioc or maybe 90, those are our black points, wich i already mantioned them,

i dont know why, but i feal that you are angry or somethign like that, chillout man! if i'm right that you're angry

[Kryptowhite 9]

Originally posted by: fukuda

cause tunisia have the best democracy quote>

Absolutely. Tunisia isn't exactly the highest ranking democracy in Africa.

quote>

well if the tunisian government IS obsessive in control of information, than you can't exactly expect a tunisian citizen to know that. Unless they replace articles criticizing the president with articles about how they censor stuff lol.

[(x+x 20]

 euuh, lol, no! we see every thing, not from our websites, but from other wbsites, also, i saw the elsection , i went with my father, also, those freedoms are true, or atleast what i see every day, i don't beleive every thing i read but i beleive every thing i see with my eyes 

[Muck308 55]

It sounds like Tunisia is still miles ahead of other African nations

[(x+x 20]

yeah ,it is

[SimFox 803]

Africa is so desperately poor because it doesn't have a local culture that would promote development. Other cultures that may lead to it are viewed as foreign and hostile (with a good reason for it too). But in the end it is culture that determine prosperity or poverty of a nation, not it's natural resources, climate etc. Of course certain climates may lead to the development of certain cultures. Mind you all great civilization had emerged in areas where people were forced to work hard for to sustained themselves, but where such work would be fruitful, non the less.

This is uncomfortable truth... you wouldn't read about it in magazines or newspapers, will not hear it on tv, but open any serious scientific book on socioeconomic development and you'll see it there.

[(x+x 20]

yeah, you're right, the middle and south africa never had their own cultures, maybe some of them, but it werent ennuf, the culture is what controls with the modern countries, ofr example here in north africa we had many civilisations, roman karthago, arabian(wich had many ages and civilisations that they have the same relegious wich is islam), othman, ancient egyptient, bizanty, aghlabid, most civilisatons here were arabians, actually, the norh african people are not from origine from there, our origine is from the midle east, and from there we expanded, we have been mixed with europian, barbarian(original north african people), and pearsian ...

[thepokemaniac 18]

I think 2 major factors are:

1. Lack of major resources

2. Unstable governments

These can destroy countries, much like they have done in Africa.

[(x+x 20]

also, don't forgot the hight population growth rate, the politics and the borders prob. , the deseises, also when the western countires help them, they don't relie on their selves, they just relie on that help

africa is vrey beautifull place, misticall place, i would be sad to loose it, for those prob.

it would be very wonderfull, it would be the best place in the world, if they had good economies and stuff, and if they kared aboyt the nature,

that would be like heaven,

imagine, appartements, and parks, elephents, gerafs and the other peacefull animals, and some other meat animals in a natural places,

a cabanas, imagine it

and a good church, some where, and a good mosque somewhere too,

i mean, if africa didn(t had such bad politics, it may be the best countinent and the most beautifull in the world, also it have some many resources, our deserts, wich we already use it

the uranium,

the gold, dimonds, silver, trees, water, sea, animals, savanas, .... and so so many

[DanWalker8 3]

thanks (x+x

[DazzaDazza 29]

well infighting, constant war, dictatorships , along with corruption in government, and large company taking advantage of the rich lands, may have something to do with it

[saltandsauce 0]

which is more valuable the gold bar or the faberge egg?

that's why.