Africa is not one place. There are many factors influencing the development of the various countries on the continent, and despite Bob Marley’s plea, (see video) it has been hard for countries to unite and to work together.
Using what you have learned, comment here on how both geography and foreign settlement has affected Africa. Refer specifically to what you know about the Swahili Coast (Zanzibar, Tanzania) and South Africa. The information from the Leopards of Zanzibar video, and the short story, The Old Chief Mshlanga, should be used. You may also respond to other students’ comments.
I suggest writing the comment in Word, and pasting the text into the blog.
In the Swahili Coast, the wind blows west, bringing with it, the traders. Since many traders come to East Africa, they always leave a part of their culture behind. Sometimes, the culture in the land that the traders visit has changed and has altered. Even the games that they play have been changed. Now, they favor playing soccer. Issah thinks of himself as a soccer player and a fisherman. The people’s identity changes, as their culture alters.
In the short story, The Old Chief Mshlanga, a white girl has settled in the world of Africa. Foreign settlement in Africa has changed the original cultures of Africa. There are still tribes who are still under the rule of a chief. But now, because of foreign settlement, some Africans are forced to work as their maid, or cook, or just as an attendant. Even a chief’s son was made to be a cook in the little white girl’s home. Africans are afraid of the little girl and her family. They always have to be extra nice to them, and keep themselves in ‘check’.
In the song, Bob Marley talks about how it would be a perfect world if Africa united. Africa has a wide set of many different groups of people. People from South Africa may not agree with people in Nigeria. For example, in South Africa, apartheid had segregated racial groups, when apartheid came down, it caused the country to be more diverse. Some countries in Africa may not like it to be that way. Another example is in the video, The Leopards of Zanzibar. The natives to the island go to Dar Es Salaam and see how the western civilization has changed it. Settlement has changed parts of Africa. Africa is so diverse that uniting it would be as hard as uniting the world.
Wherever we go always leave our mark; when we first landed on the moon we left our footprints. Traders from the Middle East come to East Africa bringing their products along with bits of their culture. In the movie “Leopards of Zanzibar” it is noticeable that in the Swahili language there are a few English words they say. At the end of the movie a Swahili woman was seen wearing traditional Zanzibar clothes with a picture of a soccer ball on the back. Since Africa is in the center of all the rest of the continents, most the traders pass especially the Middle East, which results of traders passing by. All this proves that old traditions may shift and alter with the mixture of modernization and the introduction of other cultures.
In the story of “The Old Chief Mshlanga” it proved that even the land and the people that lives there and rule over you can adapt to your culture while you mix with theirs. Before the black people were their own master, but when the white people came and treated them differently, they now adapt a new identity from this. They became more humble, they had too. At the end of the story when the “baas” and police usurped their land, even the land had adapted some of the black people’s culture, even after they have left.
I think it is all about the Power and Change. I think that because in the video that we watched about Zanzibar and the leopards is very convenience to this question The Swahili coast is full of Arabic words and people who are mixed with Arabian. This was because the Arabians took slaves form Africa so they could use them in the Middle East. To me I think that Africa has been a lot, a lot of stuff has happened there. Not everyone in that continent is happy since it’s not that easy to live there. Just by watching the video of the leopards has changed my perception towards how people live. That showed me that a lot of people have difficulty living. The foreigners have also made Africa change in the past few years. Africa has changed some way some how it is not the same.
Foreigners influence many of the native’s lives, like the “Leopards of Zanzibar” the foreigners teaches the game of soccer. This changed the value of many natives like Isa. If he wasn’t born is Zanzibar then maybe he his passion would not be soccer but something else. In the story of “The Old Chief Mshlanga” the natives had a different value, like to help their parents. When the foreigners came they also need to protect themselves from them too.
Foreign settlement in Africa started with European Imperialism and colonization. Especially from mid 19th century, but the begin of 20th century most of the fertile areas of Africa including the coastal areas had been settled by Europeans, perfect example Zanzibar. This settlement concentrated on exploiting the natural resources of Africa through plantation agriculture. Europeans settlers started commercial farming, leading to development of factories, industries and other infrastructures aimed at tapping and processing the raw materials. In areas where geography favoured human settlement and commercial agriculture local people were either displaced to create room for settlers. In other areas forests and other lands were taken over for their family. Africa therefore became dependent on Europeans economy merely as a source of cheap labour and raw materials. Prices of finished products are determined by European markets and sold back to Africa very expensively. Africa cannot develop because the prices of her products are dependent on Europeans.
What Bob Marley sang was very reasonable. As he grew up studying Africa and discovered that his ancestors were from Africa. They were taken out of Africa through slavery. The song he sang was to send a message to every black person; Africans should wake up and fight for their rights. To stop the Europeans from taking over them. They too have a right to have land like in South Africa. The black people deserved to have land for themselves and stand up for their rights. When soldiers from Africa were fighting during the World War 2, they went to fight for the British. The apposing victims asked the black men why they are shedding their blood, dying, fighting for the queen who was not one of them. The black people went back and fought for their own independence. Some were arrested. People were following Nelson Mandela for him to then fight for rights in his country. When the black people finally chased away the Europeans, they started thinking about presidents and tribes, cultures and languages. As Bob Marley sang at least Zanzibar united with Tanganyika and formed Tanzania. Even though Africa was at peace they still had a little of the Europeanism left in them. Like Zanzibar, The leopard’s passion was soccer and the game was introduced to them by the Europeans. Now soccer has become their life for Issah.
Africa is a huge continent with 54 countries and above it is another continent called Europe. In the past many ship from Europe sailed down to Africa. There the European traded with the African which influenced their culture to change. Like in the movie called ‘The Leopards of Zanzibar’ Issa’s passion is soccer, but he wouldn’t have even known about it if the Europeans had not traded it with them. Also in the short story called ‘The Old Chief Mshlanga’ the European’s has started businesses and settled in Africa. This influence the African people to find jobs such as farmers, maids and cooks although they still go back to their tribes.
I learned that people get perceptions, values and beliefs etc. based on societies and environments they are in. For example, the white girl treats natives very cruelly and does not care about them because she has been brought up in a white society by white parents.
I learned that it is mostly about the environments and societies that affects people’s perceptions and identities. In the short story, The Old Chief Mshlanga, because of the foreign settlement, the African became under the white people. And Africans are afraid of white people, and they always have to be nice to them.
People take parts of their culture wherever they go. While it has become increasing less obvious because of globalization and diversified cultures, this still goes on today.
In “The Leopards Of Zanzibar” it is clear that the Zanzibarian culture was impacted dramatically by the arrival of European traders. Soccer was brought to the natives by the Europeans, and; as Thanya said earlier, their language has some English words embedded in it. In an effort to further enhance this point, the long shot of the woman in a cloak (Which had a soccer ball in the middle of it, a definite departure from traditional local designs) was used to end the documentary. Like they say, a picture says a thousand words.
While Bob Marley pleading for Africa to unite is indeed admirable, I believe it is overly optimistic and the chances of the various countries across Africa uniting are very slim to impossible. Considering the diverse governmental systems used across Africa, I believe absolute anarchy would occur in the power struggle to lead this one super nation, making things more chaotic than if the countries had just remained as stand-alone nations. Though I suppose if you have hair like that, you can sing about anything you like and have it make perfect sense.
“The Old Chief Mshlanga” examines the white influence over South Africa. At the beginning of the story, a young girl is described to be walking a dog through a forest, armed with a rifle. Now, most people would examine this scene and conclude that she was hunting animals, but in the story she is arming herself against the natives, who her parents believe are dangerous. She perceives the natives to be animals of sorts and treats them cruelly. Reduced to working as slaves in households or farms, the native Africans have been impacted deeply by the Europeans. This can be linked to the bitterness in Hawaii from many locals that the arrival of whites has driven them to work minimum wage jobs, occasionally there will be reports of protests to free the poor Hawaiians, but it never works.
The way you live, you’re beliefs, values, the way you perceive something partly comes from the environment you live in. The people in Tanzania have different perceptions on things then the people in Zanzibar do. In “The Old Chief Mshlanga” the little girl perceived the natives as people that have nothing and are nothing. The way she was brought up and her environment helped her form that perception of them. Everyone around her thought the same of the natives, so she believed that that was right. Later in the story though she realizes that they are people and they have a lot, maybe not the same things that she has but they still have something. She also realizes that they are not people she has to defend herself against. It all depends on the environment someone lives in and when and if you move around those perceptions, beliefs, etc end up changing. They don’t change completely but they do change.
I think people change when they move to other places. For example, if you move to your own country to Thailand, even though you are not Thai, you have to follow the laws and get used to their culture.
The traders from the Middle East come to East Africa and they did not only sell their products but also showed their culture to the Africans. For example, in the movie, “the Leopards of Zanzibar”, the Africans were playing soccer and some of their language was in English. So, from here, we can see that the traders not only came but they also spread their cultures to the other cultures.
I think it’s amazing how other cultures have the power to change the others. The other music video we saw, Bob Marley’s plea, he wanted all the 54 countries in Africa to be a one country. But I realized that it’s really hard to do that because all the countries have their unique cultures.
I think there’s a connection with the short story we read, “The Old Chief Mshlanga”. The young white girl was surprised when she saw many Africans treat one of the African better than her. So, I think 54 countries’ people will be confuse if all countries become a one country.
The geography and foreign settlements have affected Africa quite a lot. First of all, almost half of Africa is a desert, so it is very dry. There are droughts all the time, so crops don’t grow and many people starve. Therefore, the overall status of the people living in Africa is low. Secondly, since Africa is in the middle of all the frequently trading nations, like Europe and Asia. Since they wanted to trade with America and also each other, they used to pass through the Cape of Good Hope. Since the South African region is also close to the Cape of Good Hope, the Europeans started settling there and adding to the African culture like, in the movie “Leopards of Zanzibar”, soccer, modern clothes, etc. However, they also started colonizing the Northern and Southern part, so that’s why many African countries know European languages like French. Also, they started treating the native Africans like slaves, in the short story “Old Chief Mshlanga”. All these factors affect the economical and overall status for the Africans.
As trade routes blow west towards the Swahili Coast it brings many traders with new good. They not only bring their merchandise but they also bring their cultures and new unheard of ideas. As the traders come over they influence the many people they interact with in their trades. For example, in the movie “The Leopards of Zanzibar” the main character, Issah considers him self not only a fisherman but also a soccer player. This is what he considers to be his identity. The idea of soccer must have been brought to his tribe from some other visitors or traders. This shows that foreigners bring their cultures in and thus, molding and changing the identities and cultures of the residential tribal people. Also the language they speak has words from different countries too. This is also because new ideas were brought to African countries, and with them came new words.
Due to foreign settlers coming into Africa in the 19 century, there has been a large change in power and political standings. As we have read in the short story about Mshlanga we know that many very respected leaders have been forced to move into tribal reserves. It is hard to imagine how someone or group of people have gone from having so much power to having almost no say in their everyday life styles. This concept may be tolerated if the blacks migrated to another country but they lost power in there own homeland.
Africa is a well known coutry and Africa is the country that most people have perceptions of. ‘The leopards of Zanzibar’ explainened other peoples identities and the changes in Africa. Issah was the main character in the movie. He found himself as not only a fisherman but also a football player. He grew up to catch fish for money so he could buy himself many different items for his house, but as he grew older he also found that there was something more to himself than catching fish, and that was football. He wanted to play proffesionaly so maybe his life could change. Issah is changing himself and at the same time he is evolving himself.
Africa isnt the most pleasent place in the world, but that is because there is still poverty in Africa, but alot of people arnt happy on who they are and how they are being treated for. My perceptions of Africa are changing over time. The more i see what Africa is about the clearer the picture gets.
Slavery was a big thing in Africa and connected very strongly with racism. Africans were taking for slaves and ever since then, many people think of them as a lower level than themselves. I think that we should all be treated as one and no one is higher or lower than yourself.
Bob Marley was strongly against Racism and he wanted to stop Racism by making music. He made songs that made many minds think about how we are all on the same level. He also wrote songs about the past of Africa.
He tried to stop all racism in the world but did not succeed though he did leave behind his path or his legend.
If Africa had a more wealthy economy I would think that all of this racism would not take place. The explorers from England did not respect the native Africans because they were so poor. The perception of an English man is strong, clean, healthy and has money. It was totally different from the African man. If the to types would have been similar they would not have fought. The white people would like to understand and learn about the Africans more. Leading to better understanding and no segregation at all. But scene the Africans were very poor the Europeans thought they were trash not entitled to a normal living style. At a certain time a person had to grow up with the surroundings. They can’t help being racist. One only learns what one is surrounded with so racism wouldn’t stop unless one individual stood up.
I agree with Winnie because she is talking about foreign settleent in Africa based on Imperiallism and colonization. The Island of the Zanzibar is a good example of how colonization left its mark, the game of soccer, and how the Afican people ambraced tit with passion. The difference is that the Leopards Team had to come up witha a way to earn money to get to the playoffs in Dar, Tanzania. and their only option is t fish (which they’ve been doing for centuries).
Bob Marley sings about uniting African people and while this is a good i dea, the chance of this happening are less than 50%. Even today there’s war in Africa, black against black and people continued to struggle to live simply.
The trade winds blow west towards the Swahili Coast as it brings many traders with it, traders means merchandise they bring technology in exchange for sewed and octopus. In the Leopards of Zanzibar the main character perceives himself as a fisherman and soccer player, these things form his identity. Soccer was probably something that the traders brought with them. Thus showing that the traders not only bring merchandise but a little bit of where they are from, or in other words their culture.
In the story Chief of Mshlanga we found out that even the respected leaders of tribes were forced by the power of the white mans guns to move into settlements. It can be hard to comprehend, how at one time you are respected and revered but how a few months later you are treated like dirt, kicked of your own land and forced to move into the poor reserves. All this has been due to foreign settlers that have populated Africa during the 19th century.
I think that South Africa and Zanzibar are two very different countries. Zanzibar has not been through tough periods of racism, conflict and such. These things for the South Africans were big problems. The people of Zanzibar are people of trade, fishing, and football.
Zanzibar revolves around the sea, it depends on it, and it’s a fish culture. When you see Zanzibar on the map you will recognize it on the east coast of Africa. This makes a big difference on the way people live. Long ago when merchants stopped for food or goods they would probably have stopped by Zanzibar. The people of Zanzibar would have learned some new things. New games such a football or soccer and maybe language. People would trade goods and ideas.
In the movie Leopards of Zanzibar, the main character tells how he perceives himself as a soccer player, and a fisherman. Which builds up his identity. Also by living on the Swahili Coast, many traders come through the area bringing new merchandises. The main character buys and trades goods and because he is constantly obtaining new goods, they add to his culture in Zanzibar, making his lifestyle multi-cultured. Traders may have passed on games, traditions or items, which the main character learned and brought into his own lifestyle. For example, he may have learned the game of soccer from traders, which became a huge part in his identity and culture. But foreign settlers or foreign traders did not always bring good ideas into the countries of Africa because in the story of the Chief of Mshlanga, I learned that even the most respected of leaders were not respected by everyone. The white people, the foreigners had all the power over the black people or the natives. They could force them to leave their homes; they would treat them like dogs or even worse. It is hard to imagine that your own leader, the person you respect highly could be taken away because of strangers who came so unexpectedly. Not only did they kill many natives but also in the 19th century they settled in Africa and populated the lands, making many African countries their land.
I believe that perhaps if Africa had a stronger economy all the racism and hatred would not have taken place, at least not as much. The foreigners did not respect the Africans because of their low status and little amount of money and power. If the two races had more similarities than differences, perhaps there would not have been so many problems in Africa. Another reason why the white people may not have got along with the Africans is because the did not take the time to understand one another, the rich, white foreigners looked at the Africans as dirt because they were not the same as them. Although what they did not do was realize that not all cultures are the same as the foreigner’s culture and did not accept their differences.
In the story that we read the girl identified herself as a white person. She would carry around a gun and had dogs for protection. Then she changed and was influenced by the natives and she wanted to start to treat the natives the same has she was treated. Showing that her identity was influenced by the natives that she met. In the movie Leopards of Zanzibar that we watched the people on the island were influenced by the trade. There identify was soccer which was brought to them by the Europeans. The geography has affected their identity too because the winds so the can sail and trade.
In “The Leopards Of Zanzibar” it shows that the Zanzibar culture was affect by the European traders. Soccer was one sport brought in by the Europeans. Soccer and being a fisherman shows the identity of Issah. Because of this the Zanzabarian people have many words that are from English langauge.
In the story “The Old Chief Mshlanga” the girl was carrying rifle and walking with two dogs was meant to be viewed as a white being againsted with the natives which was thought to be dangerous, from her and her parents point of view. But after she saw how they treated others her view to the natives was changed. They treated each other better than how she was treated.
The wind blows west; making traders from India and Arab follow the wind and arrive at Zanzibar since it’s located at the coast of East Africa. Most of the people who cam are traders, while the traders were visiting Zanzibar, they leave some of their culture behind. For example, they taught them some of their languages, making the language of people in Zanzibar now a mixture of African, Indian, and Arabic language. People sometimes trade part of their culture to know better about other cultures.
In the movie Leopard of Zanzibar the main character viewed himself as a soccer player and a fisherman. He bought and trade stuff that he want from other people, he had to train so much to be a fisherman because he earned so little from his catch. The Europeans brought many things to their culture, for example they brought soccer to the villagers. The language he and his friends spoke had English words mixed in them
In the story of the Old Chief, the girl was carrying a rifle with 2 dogs and was meant to be viewed as a white person being against the natives (black people) which is thought to be dangerous to her and her parents. After she saw how the natives treated each other her point of view about the natives changed. She saw that they were treated better than how she was.
Since the main characters are from the coast of Zanzibar, their culture, religion, and language is affected by the foreign settlements, because since they are located on a coast close to the Indian Ocean therefore when traders came to trade goods. The trader’s culture, religion, and language were left behind. During the video of Leopards of Zanzibar, some English words were concluded within the actual language therefore that means that when the English settlements stopped by, they left a few words behind.
One main thing that might have changed the main characters life would be when soccer was introduced to the country. It changed them and their values.
And as for the story “The Old Chief Mshlanga” it then ties in with the foreign settlement because if the Europeans didn’t come to Africa EVERY thing would be different. Especially in the story, because then the natives wouldn’t have to work for white people and they would still own their land. With the foreign settlement, tribes and culture have been changed. Natives are forced to work for the foreigners, although some don’t get the job that was equivalent to their background.
In the movie Leopards of Zanzibar, the main character tells how he perceives himself as a soccer player, and a fisherman, which builds up his identity. Also by living on the Swahili Coast, many traders come through the area bringing new merchandise. The main character buys and trades goods and because he is constantly obtaining new goods, they add to his culture in Zanzibar, making his lifestyle multi-cultured. Traders may have passed on games, traditions or items, which the main character learned and brought into his own lifestyle. For example, he may have learned the game of soccer from traders, which became a huge part in his identity and culture. But foreign settlers or foreign traders did not always bring good ideas into the countries of Africa because in the story of the Chief of Mshlanga, I learned that even the most respected of leaders were not respected by everyone. The white people, the foreigners had all the power over the black people or the natives. They could force them to leave their homes; they would treat them like dogs or even worse. It is hard to imagine that your own leader, the person you respect highly could be taken away because of strangers who came so unexpectedly. Not only did they kill many natives but also in the 19th century they settled in Africa and populated the lands, making many African countries their land.
I believe that perhaps if Africa had a stronger economy all the racism and hatred would not have taken place, at least not as much. The foreigners did not respect the Africans because of their low status and little amount of money and power. If the two races had more similarities than differences, perhaps there would not have been so many problems in Africa. Another reason why the white people may not have got along with the Africans is because the did not take the time to understand one another, the rich, white foreigners looked at the Africans as dirt because they were not the same as them. Although what they did not do was realize that not all cultures are the same as the foreigner’s culture and did not accept their differences.
As the trading increased in Zanzibar, many differnt ideas were brought to this island off the coast of eastern africa. A young man that was born and raised on this island has fallen in love with something rather unusual.Soccer. The main charecter sees himself as a fisherman and soccer player, 100 years ago no one on the island would even know about the sport of soccer.
I think that the culture you grow up in influences the way you live. Even though these people grew up as fisherman and there whole life depends on fishing,they are in love with the sport of soccer. They even tried to make more money for soccer.
Things can change!
In the movie the Leopards of Zanzibar, the main character in the movie named Issa identifies himself as a soccer player and a free diver (fisherman). His identity, as well as his culture, was influenced by the European traders who brought them soccer and other goods. Therefore, geography has affected the island of Zanzibar.
In the short story The Old Chief Mshlanga, the little white girl would carry her rifle and walk with her two dogs for protection from the ‘dangerous’ Africans, is what she had been told by her parents. When she visits the African Kraals and realizes how the Africans treat other people, her perception about the Africans quickly changes. She realizes that they treated their own kind with more respect than she was from her family.
I learned that people get perceptions, values and beliefs etc. based on societies and environments they are in. For example, the white girl treats natives very cruelly and does not care about them because she has been brought up in a white society by white parents.
Until very recently, natives in many African countries were not allowed to have the same rights as whites do and it was a common place, therefore, the white girl may not feel guilty when see sees natives treated poorly until she meets the chief.
In the Swahili Coast there are a couple of African countries with partly European cultures because as the wind blows west many traders have come from the east and have shared their cultures with these countries. One example of this is Zanzibar, like in the movie, The Leopards of Zanzibar; some people in Zanzibar enjoy playing soccer or football. But this sport came from Europe and was shared. Many other parts of culture were shared like religion, language, beliefs, and even food.
The white girl in the story of the Old Chief Mshlanga was surely a descendent of a trader that decided to stay in the continent of Africa. But as culture was shared by Europeans not all the population likes changing and that’s why there were still African Kraals. But the Europeans or the ‘white race’ naively thought of themselves as a superior race simply because of their skin color. The Europeans treated the natives as slaves, and made them work hard with little break. Thankfully all this discrimination is almost over in the world.
