Colonial social services
refer to the services that were provided in Africa by colonialists purposely to accelerate colonial exploitation and improve the welfare of colonial civil servants during colonial period. Such services include public health, education, transport and communication, water and housing and many others. For the purpose of this course our major concern will be on the following outlined aspects
These were the services e.g. Health services, education, water supply etc. which were introduced and provided by the colonial governments in Africa so as to facilitate the ambition and motives of imperialism in Africa.
AIMS OF COLONIAL SOCIAL SERVICES
The major aim of colonial social services was to facilitate the ambitions and motives of the imperialists in Africa.To enable extensive exploitation of Africa’s wealth.
It also aimed at supporting those few Europeans who happened to be in Africa.
It also aimed at preparing few Africans to assist colonial administration.
FACTORS THAT DETERMINED THE DISTRIBUTION/ PATTERN OF COLONIAL SOCIAL SERVICES.
Due to the existence of production. This means that some developments of social services were established near, plantations, so as to attract the laborer and facilitate the production. For instance, workers quarters for accommodation and transport net – work like roads and railways were established
COLONIAL EDUCATION
On the other end of spectrum culture can be defined as the totality of people’s ways of living as they struggle to live, continue living and develop as nation. It is the total ways of living of a particular group of people in a given environment and time.
It generally includes items like language, traditions, customs, arts and crafts, social institutions e.tc. In other words, culture refers to as all that has been created by man except those created by God.
Education is of paramount importance in any society since it ensures the preservation of the lives of its members and the maintenance of its social structure. So far, there are two main types/forms of education, namely formal education and informal education.
FORMAL EDUCATION: Is the type of education, which follows specific programs and maintains a clear division between professional teachers and the students.
It is offered in special designated institutions like schools, colleges and Universities. It follows specific programs, syllabus and curriculum. It is further guided by the rules and regulations of the state/government.
INFORMAL EDUCATION: An Informal education can be defined as a set of values that youths as members of the society acquire (get) from the elders through direct observations.
It is mostly based on one’s observation. Informal education does not follow specific programs; it has no syllabus, curriculum as opposed to the formal education.
Informal education was predominantly practiced by every society in pre-colonial African societies. This was the most predominant type of education that existed almost in every society, it greatly based on the nature of the environment and the needs of the society.
AIMS/OBJECTIVES OF COLONIAL EDUCATION
The following are/were the aims of colonial education- Colonial education aimed at paving the way for the colonization of Africa.
- It also aimed at destructing African culture and introducing the western culture.
- It further aimed at preparing few Africans for white-collar jobs.
- It also aimed at preparing puppet leaders who could be used in neo-colonialism.
- Colonial education aimed at creating classes amongst Africans so as to bring about disunity this delayed Africa’s independenc
- It aimed at fulfilling the aims and ambitions of the imperialistic nations.
FEATURES OF COLONIAL EDUCATION
- It was pyramidal in structure. There were many students at the lower levels but the number diminished as they went to higher classes.
- It was more theoretical than practical this contributed to the decline of African technology.
- It was taught in foreign languages and not in African vernaculars. (Local language).
- It was discriminative in sex. In this way, girls and children of the lower class were denied to acquire education it was only boys and children of the chiefs that were given education this was because girls were regarded as less productive other than working in kitchen.
- It was racial oriented. i.e. based on color. This was because, Europeans got higher level, followed by Asians who got middle level, and Africans were the last who were in poor schools. There were separate school for each race and the syllabus differed accordingly, Europeans received better education where as African got poor education.
- It was religions biased. This was because, in the missionary schools non – Christians could not attend the missionary school, for instance Muslims and those who had not been converted to Christianity missed education.
- It only favored the sons and few daughters of chiefs for future administration in this way many of the people from ordinary families had no chances to secure education.
- It had specific syllabus unlike the informal education in Africa
- Exams were set so as to reduce the number of students.
- It was provided to few Africans especially the sons and daughters of the African chiefs only.
- It involved professional teachers.
THE STRUCTURE OF COLONIAL EDUCATION.
The structure of the colonial education consisted of levels, which were in form of a pyramid. Its structure on the pyramid as follows.
Primary education acted as elementary education, which mainly prepared children to remain peasant cash crops producers or farm laborers. It started from standard 1 to 4 in Tanganyika.
In secondary or middle level (school) this was a post primary education; it had only few children who could offer services in colonial offices and industries a low wages. In Tanganyika they built, Tanga School, Tabora boy’s school, secondary schools started at standard 5 up to 8, in Uganda, Mengo day school and Kings College, Bodo and Kisubi area etc.
Colleges like teachers and technical colleges n East Africa, makerere technical college in 1921, which offered vocational training in medicine, agriculture, mechanics, carpentry and teaching professionals, others were, Ukiruguru in Morogoro in 1939, Achimota in Ghana in 1924, Yaba higher college in Lagos in 1934.
Higher education (University level) this was provided by universities, in this way few people who managed to get university education had to be taken abroad.
THE CONTENT AND METHODOLOGY OF COLONIAL EDUCATION.
- The syllabus based largely on Europe and nothing about Africa.
- It promoted inferiority complex among the Africans that even Africans were punished when spoken their local language and everything evil has a black face and white is an angel.
- It produced job seekers and not job creators.
- On primary level, concentration was put on agricultural education and school gardens so as to teach Africans how to cultivate cash crops.
- It was not free; school fees were to be paid that is why very few acquired education white the majority did not.
- Learning was too bookish emphasizing on cram work, which was impossible for application in African situation.
WEAKNESSES OF COLONIAL EDUCATION
- The education, which was given to Africans, was too inferior from that which was given to the whites.
- Few Africans received this kind of education especially the sons of chiefs while majority remained illiterate.
- It was based on race and religion. This was because there were schools for the Africans and other races. Muslims could not join the missionary schools.
- There was regional imbalance in the provision of this education.
- Boys were much preferred to girls this led/contributed to poor development/ gender imbalanced kind of education.
- Education always aimed towards serving the colonial state rather than indigenous people their environment and development.
- The curriculum was on European countries, therefore the learners were taught geography of Britain instead of geography of Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana or Senegal.
COLONIAL INFRASTRUCTURE
The colonial infrastructures were also important social services established in colonial Africa. These colonial infrastructures were roads, railways, ports, harbors and airports. Examples are central railway line from Dar es Salaam to Kigoma via Tabora to Mpanda and Dar es Salaam to Tanga.
The Germans firstly built Tanga line in 1893, and reached Mombo in 1905, it was later extended to Moshi in 1912, where it served the settlers in Usambara and plantations owners and African peasants in Kilimanjaro. They also constructed the central line from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro in 1907, and reached Tabora in 1912 and Kigoma in 1914.
It was 1928 after WWI when it was extended from Tabora to Mwanza. Other railways was in Kenya – Uganda made by British, it started at Mombasa in 1896 and reached Nairobi in 1898. It was in 1928 when it was extended to Jinja and Kampala.
FEATURES / CHARACTERISTICS OF COLONIAL INFRASTRUCTURE.
- They ran perpendicular to the coast. This was done so as to ease importation of manufactured goods from Europe and exportation of raw – materials from the interior to Africa.
- Roads and railways were very few only covered short distance concentrated in the areas of production and not much developed
- Construction of these roads/ railways was done through forced labor but under the supervision of white man.
- There was no international linkage in transport. Colonial infrastructure did not run from one territory to another except where only the colonies belonged to the same colonial master e.g. Uganda and Kenya shared railway because they were under British.
- They were seasonal. This means that, most of the roads were mostly used during production and harvest season only hence in effectiveness roads and railway.
- They experienced frequent reconstruction. This was because, in some areas Africans used to destroy them more especially during night e.g. Nandi and Masai, thus frequent repair became very important to make it function able.
REASONS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF TRASPORTATION SYSTEM OR INFRASTRUCTURE.
- To facilitate transport of raw materials from the interior to the coast for easy shipment to Europe. E.g. cotton, minerals and coffee.
- To facilitate the transportation and distributed imported European manufactured goods from the coastal areas to the interior.
- To easy the transportation of African laborers from one colonial economic sector to another.
- To interlink various important colonial centers or zones such as colonial districts, provinces, projects, e.g. plantation and mines.
- To easy transportation of colonial officials and solders from one place to another in running and administering the colonies.
- To easy the colonial states to collect revenue from communication system in form of taxes from goods and raw – materials.
- To open up the interior of Africa for exploitation of cheap labor, markets and raw – materials.
WHY MOST OF THE COLONIAL ROADS AND RAILWAYS RAN PERPENDICULAR TO THE COAST.
- Most of the roads and Railways in colonial Africa were directed towards the coast. This was due to the following reasons.
- Roads and railways were directed to the coast so as to transport various raw – materials such as cotton, sisal, tobacco from the interior to the coast for easy shipment to Europe.
- They were constructed perpendicular to the coast so as to take manufactured goods from Europe like, clothes and distributed them in the interior of Africa.
- They were directed the coast so as to transport African migrant laborers to the various economic projects which were established along the coast e.g. Sisal in Tanga
- They were constructed towards the coast so to transport colonial officials who could supervise colonial economic projects, which were established along the coast.
- They were constructed towards the coast so as to facilitate transportation of European soldiers to the economic projects, which were constructed along the coast. These soldiers were sent mainly to ensure that all economic activities went on smoothly.
COLONIAL HEALTH SERVICE
This involved the provision of medical needs to the white men and colonial subjects it was affected by the construction of government and missionary hospitals, dispensaries in the colonies mostly were found in key forces stations like; armed forces stations, in production areas and Urban centers.
Objectives of the colonial health services
- Health services aimed at giving medicine to Africa peasants and labors in order to maintain the labor power.
- Were designed in order to improve the living standards of the whites since they received the best services than the other races.
- Aimed at destroying the African medication services.
- Aimed at preventing and cure the white imposed diseases such as tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases etc.
- Aimed at maximizing the interests of capitalism in Africa.
- Features of colonial health services
- Many hospitals or dispensaries were built in urban areas, plantations areas and in areas, which had settler’s farms i.e. Tanga, Kilimanjaro, Arusha and Bukoba
- Had racial discrimination i.e. the whites received the best health services followed by Asians and Africans.
- The hospitals/ dispensaries only provided western medication.
- Highly medical personnel were the whites e.g. the British, French, Portuguese, Belgians etc Africans served as dressing sweepers and other lower rank jobs.
- They were religious biased i.e. there were catholic hospitals, Lutheran hospitals etc. The impact of colonial health services.
- Expanded the market of the western capitalism industry in Africans consumed various medicine from Europe.
- They maintained the labor power for peasantry settler and mining sector of colonial economy.
- Provided employment to their people in Africa.
- African herbs were almost replaced by the consumption of western medications.
- Strengthened classes during the colonial period i.e. the white civil servants, settlers and managers got high quality health services while the African received poor health services.
Other social services were such as; electricity, water, infrastructure, housing.
THE ROLE OF HEALTH SERVICES, HOUSING, ELECRICITY AND WATER SUPPLY IN THE PROMOTION AND CONSOLIDATION OF COLONIALISM IN AFRICA.
- The colonial health services such as hospitals and dispensaries ensured good health condition to the African laborers who were working in various colonial economic sectors such as Agriculture, mining etc hence consolidated and promoted for colonialism.
- The health services ensured good health condition to the colonial administrators who effectively supervised various economic sectors thus promoted and consolidated colonialism.
- The colonial housing services helped the African laborers to attend the work at right time hence promotion and consolidated in Africa.
- The colonial housing helped to reduce resistance from African since the laborers stayed in the camp under close supervision of the European soldiers’ police etc. thus promoted colonialism.
- The colonial housing also to some extent reduced expenses to the colonialists who regularly recruited the laborers from the distant areas which is very expensive, thus under this situation the colonialists minimized expenses and maximize colonial production.
- The colonial electrical services provided in Africa facilitated exploitation in the colonies since some of the colonial works were due up to right time.
- The water supply attracted the European to feel comfortable to live in Africa and they supervised
QUESTIONS
QN.1. state the factors that determined the distribution of social services during colonial period .
QN.2. Texplain the role of colonial social services in the consolidation of colonialism in Africa.
QN.3. Why colonial infranstructure constructed from coast to interial?