Who Owns Africa?

The independence of African countries from their European colonizers in the late 1950s and 1960s marked a shift in the continent's political leadership. Nevertheless, the economies of African nations remained tied to those of their former colonies, raising questions of resource control and the sovereignty of these nation-states.Who Owns Africa? addresses the role of foreign actors in Africa and their competing interests in exploiting the resources of Africa and its people. An interdisciplinary team of scholars examines the concept of colonialism from a historical and socio-political perspective. They show how the language of investment, development aid, mutual interest, or philanthropy is used to cloak the virulent forms of exploitation on the continent, thereby perpetuating a state of neocolonialism that has left many African people poor and in the margins.Bekeh Utietiang Ukelina is Associate Professor of History and Africana Studies and the Director of the Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies at the State University of New York, Cortland.In exploring the dynamics of Africa’s relations with global powers, this book connects Africa's past with its present and future development. It explores intricately, the parallels between today’s discourses of “development aid” and earlier narratives of the “civilizing mission.” By offering new and compelling viewpoints on this defining question, this book marks an important contribution to African studies and post-colonial studies. Bonny Ibhawoh, Senator William McMaster Chair in Global Human Rights, McMaster University, Canada, and Expert-Rapporteur, UN Expert Mechanism on the Right to DevelopmentThis important book by multidisciplinary contributors focuses attention on the fact that African countries do not fully control their economies, an issue of continuing concern for Africans and those interested in the continent’s past and future.Robert Maxon, Professor Emeritus of History, West Virginia University, Morgantown