Essential Question: What challenges did the newly independent African countries face?
I. Political Challenges
A. African�s greeted independence with high hopes
1. However, the end of colonial rule brought serious problems
a. New African leaders were inexperienced in politics
b. Often times, the military had to step in
-Soon, many African countries were being ruled by military
dictatorships
B. Ghana
1. Kwame Nkrumah had a thirst for power
a. No African in Ghana could criticize his authority
-In order to enforce the law, Nkrumah became more and
more ruthless
b. When the price of cocoa dropped, the economy took a turn for
the worst
-In 1966, Nkrumah was overthrown
-Over the next twenty-five years Ghana shifted from
civilian to military rule
-By the mid 1990�s, Ghana had adopted a constitutional
democracy
II. Ethnic Violence
A. Nigeria
1. By 1963, Nigeria was made up of four regions based on ethnicity
a. It was the hope of the government that this sharing of power
would satisfy people�s ethnic and regional differences
-it did not
b. Eventually, a two-year civil war followed
-the war resulted in the deaths of several million people
-The Nigerian civil war showed what ethnic conflict could
do within a country
B. Rwanda, Burundi, and Zaire
1. In the 1990�s In Rwanda and Burundi tension between the Tutsi and
Hutu exploded into violence
a. Thousands lost their lives
b. About 2 million people fled to nearby Zaire
-This posed some serious problems for Zaire
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Africa Since Independence (Part II)
Essential Question: How did rivalry superpowers of the Cold war affect Africa? How did Africa experience a revival of African culture?
III. Economic and Environmental Problems
A. Limited Economies
1. Many new African nations depended on a single crop
a. Ghana � cocoa
b. Zambia � copper
c. Sudan � cotton
d. Nigeria � oil
2. Dependence on one crop puts an economy at risk
a. When prices for that particular product drops, the whole nation
suffers
B. Population and Environment
1. Under colonial rule, health care, disease control, and nutrition improved
a. After independence this trend continued
2. To provide food, farmers overused their land and planted crops where
harsh winds stripped away top soil
a. This phenomenon combined with cutting down trees led to
desertification or the spread of desert
3. Beginning in the 1970�s and 1980�s, new diseases emerged
a. AIDS spread rapidly through many regions of the African
continent
IV. Superpower Rivalries
A. As African nations pursued peace and stability, they looked for assistance from both the Soviet
Union and the United States
1. The Cold War between these two superpowers added to Africa�s
problems
a. When civil war broke out in Angola, the U.S., Soviet Union
rushed military support to the rival factions
-For the next 12 years, Angola became a battleground for
the Cold War
V. Revival of African Culture
A. Following independence, the people of Africa experienced a rebirth of cultural
self-confidence
1. African music and sculpture were reawakened
2. African artists began to produce traditional pieces
a. Ceremonial masks
b. Decorated weapons
c. Traditional musical instruments
d. Bronze statues
3. African artists combined age old techniques with new materials and
artistic ideas
4. In addition, a film industry has developed