Answers To "The Dark Side Of Black History" Quiz

Did you know that there are different forms of racism?

(image from www.ernie-jones.com.)The term institutional racism was coined in the late 1960s by Civil Rights activist Stokely Carmichael, and has been defined as the collective failure of an organization to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their color, culture, or ethnic origin.

"Over time, the concept of racism has been expanded in its application. In the 1960s, social scientists applied the term beyond individual racism, which is the belief by one individual about another persons "racial" inferiority. Institutional racism exists when the political, economic and social institutions of a society operate to the detriment of a specific individual or group in a society because of their alleged genetic makeup." (definition from The Canadian Encyclopedia.)

(image from www.about.com.)

(image from en.wikipedia.com.)"On the question of racial discrimination, the Addis Ababa Conference taught, to those who will learn, this further lesson: That until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned: That until there are no longer first-class and second-class citizens of any nation; That until the color of a man's skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes; That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race; That until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained; And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes that hold our brothers in Angola, in Mozambique and in South Africa in subhuman bondage have been toppled and destroyed; Until bigotry and prejudice and malicious and inhuman self-interest have been replaced by understanding and tolerance and good-will; Until all Africans stand and speak as free beings, equal in the eyes of all men, as they are in the eyes of Heaven; Until that day, the African continent will not know peace. We Africans will fight, if necessary, and we know that we shall win, as we are confident in the victory of good over evil."

For thousands of years, Africa has given birth to many great kingdoms. Those kingdoms varied in size, and existed at different times, but none can be found on today's maps of Africa. In fact, the the original boundaries of every nation that existed before 1884 are not shown on today's maps of Africa. Why is that?

The Berlin Conference (1884)

"The Berlin Conference (German: Kongokonferenz or "Congo Conference") of 1884-85 regulated European colonization and trade in Africa during the New Imperialism period, and coincided with Germany's sudden emergence as an imperial power. Called for by Portugal and organised by Otto von Bismarck, first Chancellor of Germany, its outcome, the General Act of the Berlin Conference, is often seen as the formalisation of the Scramble for Africa. The conference ushered in a period of heightened colonial activity on the part of the European powers, while simultaneously eliminating most existing forms of African autonomy and self-governance.

In the early 1880s, European interest in Africa increased dramatically, due to Africa's abundance of valuable resources such as gold, spices, tea, opium and slaves.

King Leopold II was able to convince France and Germany that common trade in Africa was in the best interests of all three countries. On the initiative of Portugal, Otto von Bismarck, German Chancellor, called on representatives of Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden-Norway (union until 1905), the Ottoman Empire, and the United States to take part in the Berlin Conference to work out policy.

The Scramble for Africa sped up after the Conference, since even within areas designated as their sphere of influence, the European powers still had to take possession under the Principle of Effectivity. In central Africa in particular, expeditions were dispatched to coerce traditional rulers into signing treaties, using force if necessary, as for example in the case of Msiri, King of Katanga, in 1891.

Within a few years, Africa was at least nominally divided up south of the Sahara. By 1895, the only independent states were: Liberia, founded with the support of the USA for returned slaves; Abyssinia (Ethiopia), the only free native state, which fended off Italian invasion from Eritrea in what is known as the first Italo-Abyssinian War of 1889-1896.

By 1902, 90% of all the land that makes up Africa was under European control."(information from en.wikipedia.org.)


(image from uiowa.edu.)

"Of all the African powers, only the ancient kingdom of Ethiopia remained completely free from European domination by the end of the 19th century. This was no accident of history; Ethiopia secured its sovereignty by inflicting a decisive and humiliating defeat upon the Italian invaders at Adowa (or Adwa) on March 1, 1896. The battle at Adowa was, at the time, the greatest defeat inflicted upon a European army by an African army since the time of Hannibal, and its consequences were felt well into the 20th century."(introduction from www.historynet.com.)


(image from www.anglo-ethiopian.org.)

To learn about the Battle of Adowa, please check out some of the following links:

THE BATTLE OF ADOWA - www.rastaites.com
First Italo-Abyssinian War: Battle of Adowa » HistoryNet - www.historynet.com
The Battle of Adwa - www.ethiopiancrown.org