Contextualization

Understanding the African continent and its complexities is essential to comprehend global geopolitical, economic, social, and cultural issues. Africa, the cradle of humanity, is rich in diverse cultures, peoples, and natural resources. However, its development has been marked by various colonial and decolonization processes, resulting in interdependence with other continents, especially Europe and Asia.

Understanding African dependency is understanding how these historical processes still affect the lives of Africans, national economies, international relations, and power dynamics around the world. It is understanding how the ownership, control, and management of the continent's natural and human resources have developed, often benefiting those outside the continent more than the Africans themselves.

Theoretical Introduction

The concept of dependency is central and widely discussed in the social sciences and geopolitics. It is generally used to refer to the situation of countries or regions whose economy, politics, and culture are deeply influenced by other countries or international organizations. This dependency is often a direct or indirect result of colonial and imperialist processes.

Colonization was a process that deeply affected Africa. During the 19th century, various European powers such as England, France, Portugal, and Belgium dominated extensive regions of the continent, imposing their culture, language, political and economic systems. This process left deep marks that go beyond the borders drawn against the will of local peoples.

Decolonization, which mainly occurred in the 20th century, did not mean the end of dependency. Many African countries continued to have their economies linked to former metropolises, depending on the export of raw materials and the import of manufactured goods. In addition, the political interference of former colonial powers and new global actors such as the USA and China continued to influence the stability and development of these countries.

Practical Activity

"In the Paths of African Interdependence"

Project Objective

The activity aims to explore and analyze African dependency in the international context, through the creation of an Interactive Presentation, with the goal of fostering discussion and critical reflection on the topic.

Detailed Project Description

Each group will be responsible for choosing an African country and analyzing the historical aspects of its colonization and decolonization, the country's natural resources, international economic relations, and the current situation of dependency. This analysis should be transformed into an interactive presentation.

The interactive presentation may include resources such as videos, maps, interactive graphics, interviews, testimonials, simulations, and games, in addition to traditional written text. These resources should be used so that the presentation is not only informative but also engaging and attractive to other colleagues.

Necessary Materials

• Internet access for research and presentation creation
• Software or platform to create the presentation (Google Slides, PowerPoint, Prezi, or similar)

Step by Step

1. Group Formation: Form a group with 3 to 5 colleagues. Choose an African country to be the focus of your research and presentation.

2. Research: Research the chosen country. Focus on the historical aspects of its colonization and decolonization, the country's natural resources, international economic relations, and the current situation of dependency. Use the sources suggested in the theoretical introduction and seek other reliable sources.

3. Presentation Planning: Based on the research, plan an interactive presentation. Define which information will be presented, how it will be presented, and which interactive resources will be used.

4. Presentation Creation: Use the chosen software or platform to create the presentation. Remember that the presentation should be not only informative but also engaging and attractive to other colleagues.

5. Presentation Rehearsal: Rehearse the presentation within the group. Check if all interactive resources are working correctly and if all information is clear and understandable.

6. Final Presentation: Present the finalized work to the class. Be prepared to answer questions and comments from colleagues and the teacher.

Final Result

• Interactive presentation about an African country and its situation of economic, political, and cultural dependency.

• Written report containing:

  1. Introduction: Provide context for the chosen country and explain why it is relevant to the topic of African dependency.

  2. Development: Explain the research conducted, including the theory addressed, the details of how the presentation was built, the interactive resources used, and the results obtained.

  3. Conclusion: Conclude the work by summarizing its main points, explaining the learnings obtained, and the conclusions drawn about the project and the dependency situation of the chosen country.

  4. Bibliography: List the sources used for research and presentation creation.

Students will have one month to complete the project. Each student should spend between five to ten hours working on the project.