TOPIC: COLONIAL ECONOMY IN AFRICA
SUB-TOPIC- COLONIAL LABOUR
The colonial labor simply means the group of Africans who were recruited through various methods to provide their labor in the colonial economy sectors e.g. in Mines etc.
TYPES OF COLONIAL LABOUR
Obligatory forced labor: The colonial government passed different laws and regulations in the colonies to force Africans to provide their labor power in the colonies.
Obligatory forced labor was so common in settlers’ economy in other areas the natives were needed to provide their labor power for the maximum number of time e.g. 3 months. This was used in Kenya.
Migratory Labor: These laborers were taken from their original places to colonial production centers to work. Migrant labor was taken from reserve areas e.g. Kigoma, Rukwa and Tabora.
Peasant labor: This was another type of colonial labor that provided their labor power in the colonial economy. Peasants produced for themselves and sold their crops to the colonial government at lower prices.
Civil Servants: The group included clerks, messengers, teachers, etc. this group of labor was because of the colonial education. The group facilitated the motives and goals of imperialism in Africa.
FEATURES OF COLONIAL LABOUR
- It was subjected to low wages and salaries which were not proportional to what they produced.
- Poor working and living conditions. They lived in overcrowded camps with no important services e.g. water, electricity, telephone and so on.
- Colonial harbors remained technologically unskilled so as to avoid competition with the whites.
- Worse enough this group of labor had no insurance, the colonial government considered the laborers as fools of producing profit for them. Low wages were given to them so that they could survive.
- They worked for long hours and they were not paid overtime or any relief.
- They were also oppressed; exploited, humiliated and discriminated in their own motherland this made them to remain poor.
METHODS AND TACTICS, WHICH WERE USED TO OBTAIN LABOURERS
- They introduced land alienation; the colonial government alienated the Africans from their fertile land purposely so as to force them to provide their labor power in the colonial plantations since they had no any means of surviving.
- They introduced/ established different taxes the colonial governments in different parts of Africa introduced taxes so as to force the Africans to provide their labor in colonial economy’s sectors. Examples of such taxes included, hut tax, head tax, and matiti tax etc.
- They Introduced Foreign Goods This is because Africans was made a Market of Manufacturing or manufactured goods from Europe these goods had to be obtained for cash and cash could be obtained only by selling their labor power.
- They created their labor reserves centers (regionalism). This was because some area were made to act as a source of their labor for instance Kigoma, Ruvuma, Rukwa and Dodoma were made to produce labor were as Morogoro, Tanga and parts of Kilimanjaro were for plantations these case in Uganda especially northern region was made to provide their labor.
- Introduction of colonial education: The colonial education was provided purposely so as to get few Africans who could help in colonial administration in facilitating exploitation.
- Formation of labor recruitment organizations: The colonial governments formed some special organizations for recruitment of labor from different parts of plantations for example the SILABU (Sisal Labor Bureau) was a typical example of such organizations, which dealt with recruitment of sisal laborers in Tanganyika.
- Paying low wages and salaries: The colonial government gave the Africans low wages and salaries so as they could not accumulate wealth and leave the job.
- Introduction of Kipande system: This was used in Kenya where Africans were forced to directly provide their labor in settlers’ plantations.
- Introduction of reserves areas: The colonialists set regions like Kigoma, Tabora and Rukwa as labor reserve areas. These regions were unproductive
- They destroyed the Africans Economies .This was because colonialists destroyed African such as industries and replaced European imported goods. Because at this self-sufficient economy was destroyed and introduced system of buying goods in cash.
MIGRANT LABOUR
This was a form of African Labor Employed by the colonialist in their production; they were from distant places especially those with maws men, the colonialist employed this system through transporting them in order to provide their labor in plantation and mines.
To accomplish this colonialist deliberately cart labor measures in the unproductive places in which these migrant laborers were drown.
WHY COLONIALIST PREFERED THE USE OF MIGRANT LABOUR
The following were the main reason that made the European colonialist to prefer the use of migrant labor in their production.
(a) Migrant Laborers were very cheap this was because they were paid very low wages as they left their families and concentrated on production eventually it helped the colonialists to make super profit.
(b) Migrant Labor Encouraged dis-unity among the Laborers this was because laborers come from different places with different geographical background and ways of life therefore it was not easy for them to unite and wage (start different strikes against the colonialist).
(c) Migrant laborers acted as a source of Market for European manufactured goods. In this case they were to work in the colonial plantations and mines for money so as to get money which they expected to spent it in buying needs like shoes, Blankets, and clothes which were made from Europe.
(d) Most or Migrant laborers were UN skilled; therefore they were given temporality nature of work because of not having access to education. It was easy for the colonialist to exploit them heavily.
(e) Migrant laborers had no insurance as well as a compassassions as a result the plantation owners, exploited them, without considering their physical being and humanity.
(f) Migrant Laborers had high productivity to the colonialist. This was because their time table was fixed by the colonialists were they had to work from morning up to evening, additionally, they did not come with their families therefore most of their time was engaging in agriculture thus contributing to much productivity.
(g) Migrant Laborers were Easily un skilled with inferiority complex as well raised segregation in which the colonialist did this to make them believe that they are inferior to the whites and that their job is to supply their labor power to them.
(h) Migrant laborers ensured colonial government for the payment of taxes, rent for the House and water bills thus a source of government revenue to the colonial government could be possible.
(i) It was difficult for the Migrant laborers to escape because they were as strangers form very far away to the area hence colonialists were ensured with constant of their laborers.
(j) Migrant laborers were easy to be controlled because they lived in the camps furthermore the laborers were lodged according to Ethnic groupings, each under tribal over seers.
SUB -TOPIC :COLONIAL INFRASTRUCTURES
Colonial infrastructures simply mean colonial transport and communication network systems and these included roads, railways harbors etc. which were introduced and established by the colonialists in Africa during the second half of 19thc;
The colonial infrastructures aimed at facilitating the exploitation of Africa’s natural resources. They also aimed at fulfilling the policy of effective occupation as agreed during the Berlin conference of 1884 to 1885.
AIMS OF COLONIAL INFRASTRUCTURES
- The setting up of railways and road networks started from the coast to the interior, mainly to transport raw materials from production areas to the hour.
- Transportation of laborers from labor reserve areas to different productive areas for example migrant labor.
- To transport colonial administrators from Europe to different areas of administration.
- Transportation of European manufactured goods from the hour to the interior for marketing.
- It aimed at transporting troops to different areas so as to suppress African resistance.
- It helped to transport missionaries who were going for evangelical and Christianization to the interior of Africa.
- The colonial infrastructures aimed at facilitating the exploitation of Africa’s resources and fulfilling the policy of effective occupation
IMPACTS OF COLONIAL INFRASTRUCTURES
- It facilitated maximum exploitation of Africa’s wealth e.g. Minerals and so forth.
- It led to the effective occupation of the colonies hence total colonialism.
- Colonial infrastructures created uneven development, which can be seen up to this moment since it concentrated on productive regions than in unproductive areas.
- Colonial infrastructures motivated or attracted more settlers in the colonies due to the fact it ensured them with easy transport and communication network systems.
- It helped those landlocked countries. For example, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia etc. for easy transportation and communication with the outside world.
- Colonial infrastructures established colonial administration network systems hence more impacts on Africans.
SUB- TOPIC: COLONIAL INDUSTRIES IN AFRICA
Beside agriculture and mines, colonialists established Industries in Africa because the colonies were meant to be the producers of raw materials for European Industries industrialization process in African was very little.
For-instance the colonialist Established industries like.
(i) Processing industries purposely to reduce the bulkiness for Export reasons.
(ii) They established few import substation industries, which aimed to produce consumer goods like, soap cigarette and canned beef.
(iii) They established Luxuries goods manufacturing industries mainly in settler based areas.
The industries established in African during the colonial period had the following features characteristics.
1. They were light industries and substitution industries purposely to purposely to produce raw materials that were needed to feed various industries in Europe.
2. They had weak labor force who had little education and who were paid low wages as well as who worked under poor working. Condition
3. There industries concentrated mainly on settler where as in areas dominated by peasant there were only processing industries.
METHOD USED BY THE COLONIALISTTO DE- INDUSTRIALIZES AFRICAN INDUSTRIES.
- Because the European powers aimed at making African become a source of Raw materials for their Industries, these colonialists decided to initiate a special policy, which aimed to de – industrialized African industries by destroying African Industries purposely to avoid competition.
- The method used to kill African industries was as listed here below.
- The colonialist applied direct brutal destruction of Local industries money especially in non- shelter colonies like Uganda and Nigeria.
- The colonialist also prohibitive the African form engaging in various industries activities. This was more especially in Zaire, and Senegal where as anyone who went contrary heavy punishment was given to him. E.g. cutting their hands.
- The colonialist Imported Europe manufactured goad in order to discourage African goods produced from African (Local African Industries).
- The colonialist imposed the policy of making migrant labor and forced labor this policy had negative effects to Africans simply because local African industries lacked labor as most of the laborers were. Concentrated on colonial production.
- The colonialist established the colonial education, which was provided to very few Africans who were not linked to develop Africans local industries as they were prepared to serve to the colonial production as clerk and messengers.
THE EFFECTS OF DE- INDUSTRIALIZATION PROCESS IN AFRICAN
The Policy of de – industrialization brought many effects to the Africans among them were.
(i) Local Africans economy declined.
(ii) African technology and skilled were underside.
(iii) African labor force were heavily explained through how wages with long Working hours.
iv) It prepared for the under development of African continent where as African still depend on foreign import.
v) They caused to destroy the mind of Africans through brain washing process in which African still undermine any goods produced in African and praise those produced in Europe.
Sample question.
1. Explain why industrial sector was not improved in African during colonial period 2010 mock
2. State the methods used by colonialisy to insure constant labour in the colony during the colonial economy in Africa.