AFRICAN BORDERS AND THE POLITICS OF EXCLUSION: REVISITING THE COLONIAL PAST

By Emmanuel C.Mbaezue

Once known as the cradle of civilization, a land endowed with a rich cultural heritage, and a communal style of living that was almost equal to none, Africa’s position in the World was once enviable.The Continent’s conservative but still “uncorrupted” nature made her remain secluded and hidden to the rest of the world for centuries. For some, she was “the unknown world,” and for some others, the Dark Continent, but still in her solitary state, Africa amazingly thrived. However, that tranquil and serene environment, and the gradual and peaceful evolution of the Continent came to an end by decree of the West. In the years 1884-1885, the Continent’s fate was decided by the European powers in Berlin
, Germany. Without her consent, an unwilling and un-participating Africa was arbitrarily divided into 53 mostly incompatible units, with little or no cognizance taken of her geo-demographic peculiarities. 

Led by Otto Von Bismarck but mostly guided by their economic interests, the Europeans scrambled for the resources from Africa, resources they so desperately needed to keep the industrial revolution going on in Europe. In the course of all this, Africa not only suffered environmental and physical abuse in the form of the vast number of slaves and mineral resources that forcefully left her shores, she also experienced deep sociological harm. 

The arbitrary demarcation of African lands without any recourse to its different constituents and cultural landscapes not only led to the forceful fusion of incompatible national groups into single entities and the imposition of artificial boundaries on them, it also resulted in the distortion of entities that naturally belonged together. By their “divide and rule” system that not only magnified the differentials existent in Africa’s diverse ethnic groups, and also in some cases, the arrogation of more powers and privileges to one ethnic group to the detriment of others (as in Rwanda when the Belgians favored the minority Tutsis over the Hutus), Europe set the stage for most of Africa’s bloodiest conflicts. 

   

The artificial boundaries and the false foundation laid by Colonialism accounts for the present day features of the African continent. It was largely a system that not only bred chaos in the internal politics of most African countries, but also continues to threaten the peace of the entire region. From inter-state border-related conflicts caused by poor and depleting economies, high levels of forced migration and weak/porous borders, to intra-state conflicts fueled by undemocratic and exclusive governments, inept/moribund political institutions and weak nationalistic projects, it is evident that Africa’s mostly political woes are symptomatic of a malignant, external involvement that never prioritized the interests of the continent. 

Courtesy of western civilization, the unique African communal ownership of lands that de-emphasized territorialization gave way to private ownership with all its extortionist tendencies. There was basically an anachronism between the continent’s colonial heritage and the dynamics of its societies. The African cultural boundaries experienced difficulty assimilating the new notion of an “independent State.”

As more African States gained their independence, there also came a general awakening to the realities left behind by colonialism. It was a distasteful heritage that could not be erased, or made to operate properly. While some African countries called for the maintenance of the incompatible borders that the continent inherited, others agitated for a re-delimitation and re- demarcation of African territories.  It was in the midst of this dilemma that the now defunct Organisation for African Unity (OAU) in July 1964, at its first Summit of the African Heads of State, resolved that Nation States on attainment of independence should preserve the existing borders. Also, the hallmark of the OAU’s effort to resolve the continent’s increasing number of border-related conflicts was attained with the establishment of the African Union Border Programme (AUBP). Nevertheless, problems stemming from colonization continue to plague the continent today and more horrific is the role they have further played in compounding the challenges posed by present-day religious extremism in the continent.

While we are certainly not calling for a revocationof the resolution of the July 1964 meeting of the African Heads of State on the inherited borders, we however cannot downplay the inefficacy of that resolution. Worse still, there is apparently a clear lack of commitment on the part of the African leadership to proffer workable solutions to this quagmire. Till date, some African countries are annexing lands that do not belong to them, and in the process displacing a lot of border communities. The influence of ethnic Diasporas can still be felt aggravating the civil unrest in most countries like in the case of Rwanda, the DRC and Burundi. Religious extremists still take advantage of the similar socio-cultural backgrounds existing between their countries and those they share borders with to spread radical ideologies in an undetectable manner.

These continental problems that never seem to abate are particularly reflective of a societal gap yearning to be filled. Our take therefore remains that unless pan-Africanism is given the same place as nationalism, politico-economic trivialities and partisanship will continue to remain the bane of the African society, regardless of any efforts made to remedy the ills of her colonial past.