Late 1800s to 1990
Colonialism Yields to Independence
“Africa will tell the West that today it desires the rehabilitation of Africa, a return to the roots, a revalorization of moral values.”
First prime minister of present-day Congo
In Africa, the 1960s was the “Decade of Independence,” as country after country overthrew European colonial rule. Freedom followed nearly a century of foreign domination, a fate sealed in 1884-85 at the Berlin Conference, when European powers set rules for their division of Africa.
Colonialism denied Africans basic rights and control over their own destinies. Africans adapted their lives and cultures to colonial rule, even as generations struggled for independence.
History Matters
Newly independent African countries inherited the institutions and policies of the colonial powers. Many countries are still determining what to retain, reform, or discard from this legacy.