Mysterious Africa Essay example - 881 Words

Africa has always been mysterious to the rest of the world. The Greeks and the Romans traded with the peoples of Northern Africa. However, they thought that the land mass went no farther south than present day Somalia. In fact, Alexander the Great even considered shipping supplies for his armies around this smaller Africa to India. This same idea continued well into the 15th and 16th centuries until it was discovered that Africa has an extremely large southern protrusion making the second largest continent in the world after Asia. These vast areas used to bring Africa wealth well into the 18th and 19th centuries, trading gold, salt, and also people. Their greatest wealth actually came from this slave trade; they wouldn’t trade their†¦show more content†¦The homeless rate is helped by this and the Arab invasion of the 800’s causing it to be shameful if one didn’t help their own family and friends. It has been this way through most of history. The percepti on that Africa suddenly got poor is totally false, the rest of the world suddenly got very rich. The rest of the world was then collectively egotistic towards the Africans. The peoples of Africa were seen as backwards for the lack of writing systems, complex societies, sewer systems, et cetera that were seen in the supposedly â€Å"civilized† countries of the planet. What the world didn’t realize was that these people had been doing perfectly fine for the last several thousand years. What they also didn’t realize is that people who don’t know they could be living better generally don’t want it, until a few have it, then all want it en masse. This caused several problems directly following the Napoleonic Wars in Europe, the repercussions of which are still felt today as slowly receding echoes. In the early 19th century there was an extreme land grab, when countries started seeing Africa as a land of much wealth. However in 1885 there was a conferenc e in Berlin to determining rules for land grabbing. Then in approximately 1910 the same â€Å"brains† that would a few years later split up Arabia split Africa among a multitude of countries, even giving King Leopold II a huge swath of land called â€Å"The CongoShow MoreRelated20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Essay1935 Words   |  8 Pagesarriving at the Bourse to become occupied with his regular occupation as a stockbroker. In the following years, the increasingly popular author published his first long fiction book, Five Weeks in a Balloon. This book fascinated to many since Central Africa was a vast and unexplored territory. Verne, soon after, would retire and devote his time to create stories that many will now called the greatest works in science fiction (â€Å"Jules Verne†). His works were soon interrupted in the years 1870-71, a timeRead MoreThe Phantom, By Lee Falk1369 Words   |  6 Pagespurple outfit and the skull mask there lurked a white man, the man with white skin and black mask. And though there was the mysterious Anglo credit â€Å"Lee Falk† on the top of each Phantom comics, the signature of the author Lee Falk was unremarkable and the readers didn’t know him as a person. What the readers do know is the mysterious exotic Phantomic setting: â€Å"darkest part of Africa with its big games, the witch doctors and the almost naked black natives† (Friese n.p). The Phantomic paraphernalia is associatedRead MoreRacism And Its Effects On Africa896 Words   |  4 PagesAfrica is one of the most under-looked and misunderstood areas within our world. Unfortunately, this issue stems from a history of oppression and disruptive influences from outside countries. Also, it does not help that the practices of recording history in the past were not the most ethical and sensitive to the people of Africa. With that came the opportunity for stereotyping and not really seeking to understand the complex dynamic of the continent. Africa is vast in size with great diversity withinRead MoreAn Analysis of Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay1465 Words   |  6 PagesCompany to where he believes is exciting uncharted territory at the heart of Africa, still black with mystery on the map. The rising action continues to build up as Marlow witnesses how cruelly the Company employees treat the natives and how the Europeans (including himself eventually) break down ment ally and physically in the African environment. Marlow also grows more intrigued at the prevalent reputation of the mysterious trader Kurtz who is rumored to be a remarkable and humane man. Conflicts ariseRead MoreEssay on Conrad’s usage of imagery in the - Heart of Darkness -1640 Words   |  7 Pagesall across Eastern Asia and the Africa. Regarding Africa, British colonies could be found in the southern and central part of the African continent. British settlers scrambled all across Africa to collect raw natural resources. Their purpose was to establish new markets for the benefit of their homeland country (Dahl 168). When Conrad set out to explore the Congo in 1890, he experienced the horrors of colonialism and imperialism that plagued central Africa. In comparison to Marlow’s journeyRead MoreAids: Is It a Modern Plague?943 Words   |  4 Pagesthe spread of this hideously lethal disease. Scientist believe that the disease originated somewhere in Africa about 20 years ago. HIV antibodies were found in serum drawn in parts of Africa in the early 1970, leading many investigators to believe that the disease originated in Africa, spreading to the Caribbean, and then to the United States. In Africa it first appeared as a mysterious ailment afflicting primarily heterosexuals of both sexes. It probably was spread especially fast by female prostitutesRead MoreThe Various Religions in Africa and Religions African-Americans Preach1030 Words   |  5 PagesThe Various Religions in Africa and Religions African-Americans Preach My assignment is to write about the various religions that are situated in Africa and religions African-Americans preach. There are many different religions in Africa because there are various regions and countries in Africa. Also Africa and its inhabitants have been around for many, many years. One reason that there are so many different religions. The first and most widespread religion I am going to talk about is ChristianityRead MoreMaps And Its Impact On The Borders, Conflicts Over Territories, Citizens And Resources1587 Words   |  7 Pagescreator unlike others which are usually mysterious. By inspecting and analysing this Dutch map of Africa it can be immediately understood that this map wasn’t created by Africans or people who were residing in Africa. It looks as if this map has been drawn by a foreigner as many of the illustrations on the map give the clues. The heavy use of ships drawn on the areas of oceans that covers a good deal of the map suggests to the audience that this is the view of Africa from a maritime standpoint. Even thoughRead MoreAncient Islamic Worlds And The Medieval Period1434 Words   |  6 Pageselements of the expanding Christianity also change the way people thought about how Christianity would work with its own country. Overall modern Europe wouldn’t have been the same if it were not for the spread of Christianity during this time. In Africa, they were the most squeezed by negative trading through the Europeans and Americans use of slave trading. While a lot of the countries took their slaves or servants from their own countries or countries that they controlled at the time, the AfricanRead More Gideon’s Freedom in Doris Lessing’s No Witchcraft For Sale Essay1059 Words   |  5 Pagesmoved into the bush of Southern Africa and realized that they were hopelessly outnumbered, they had to develop ways to create and maintain their authority over the native population. They had tremendous advantages in the obvious areas, as author Jared Diamond writes in his Pulitzer Prize winning book: The proximate reasons behind the outcome of Africa’s collision with Europe are clear. Just as in their encounter with Native Americans, Europeans entering Africa enjoyed the triple advantage