Resistance

Colonialism is when one nation or group takes control of another. Africa has a long-rooted history with colonialism. Historians debate the nature of colonialism in Africa. However, two things are clear. First, colonialism caused much change. Second, colonialism was not good for Africans.

Africans found ways to resist colonial rule. Below are some conclusions about African resistance:

1. Most resistance was not against “colonialism.” Resistance usually began because of a new policy or rule from colonial powers. One example is taking away land.
2. Most people lived their lives normally until a new policy like this came about. They resisted the policy as much as possible and then returned to their lives as best they could.
3. Most resistance is invisible to us today. It did not take the form of big battles. It happened when workers slowed down their work, or people gave fake directions to visiting colonial officials, or clerks lied on forms. These sorts of acts don’t appear in records, but they probably happened often.

However, that does not mean societies didn’t use military force to resist colonialism. They did, especially when Europeans first arrived. Military resistance also emerged when conditions became particularly difficult. Sometimes, people organized around a skilled leader. Here are three examples of military resistance.

Samori Ture

In West Africa, many states and independent societies resisted colonialism. One state that resisted was the Mandinka state led by Muslim leader Samori Ture. Samori did not inherit a kingdom but created one for himself: the Wassoulou Empire.

Samori brought merchants and traditional rulers together. By the 1880s, he had a military state with an army of 30,000 to 40,000 men.

The French first began to push into his territory in 1881 and Samori attempted to negotiate. He also pursued a strategy to balance the British and the French against each other. He constantly tried to update his weapons. Unfortunately, his weapons were less advanced. His forces were defeated in several battles. He agreed to a treaty with the French that gave them some territory in return for peace. However, the French military consistently broke this treaty. They encouraged Samori’s people to rebel against him. In 1892, the French army and Samori’s army fought in a battle, but Samori was defeated.

Then, Samori decided to move everyone in his empire. Burning everything man-made behind him, he moved his entire population eastward. This brought him into conflict with the British. The French captured him in 1898, after fighting him for almost 18 years.

Tanganyika

In East Africa, resistance to colonial invasion in the 1890s was divided at first. The Germans fought several states and communities in Tanganyika. This divided resistance could not stop the German invasion.

By 1905, Tanganyika was mostly under German rule. Many people were now poorly paid workers. Many were required to work for free on cotton plantations for 28 days a year. The prophet Kinjikitile Ngwale used religion to unify the people. He claimed that God had told him that if everyone fought for their freedom, their ancestors would return to help them. He attracted many followers. Many leaders of the movement told their people that they would be saved from German bullets. One, Selemani Mamba, told his followers: “We shall not die. We shall only kill.”

However, German bullets proved to be deadly. The Tanganyikans were badly defeated in battles. The uprising was relatively short-lived. But because conditions were so bad, resistance continued. New groups joined in, and the rebels improved their strategies. They used ambushes and guerrilla warfare to make German weapons less effective. In the end, German forces managed to put down the rebellion, but it took two years. Perhaps as many as 100,000 people were killed.

Conclusions

When colonialism began in Africa, military resistance could sometimes be effective. However, this was rare. Europeans usually could defeat African armies. Battles like this mostly ended for the next 50 years. Other types of resistance endured. But military resistance reemerged after the Second World War. Then, the changing global politics and new weapons and tactics made it possible for Africans to remove Europeans from the continent.