Exam Revision guide.

RFC 106: Essential Elements of Africa’s Development

Final Exam Revision Guide

This examination consists of 3 parts. You are required to answer five short answer questions in Part I and two essay questions from Part II (one each from Sections A and B respectively).

PART I. – Possible Short Answer Terms (Final Exam Will Have 8 of these 12)

Select five of the following terms and write short descriptions (a paragraph or two) for each. Use specific and factual information to support your answer.

Short Answer Questions- 4 points each, 20 points total

African Independent Schools, acting against the useless provision of technical education, the African schools though pegged with many problems managed to offer better education than the missionaries as this schools taught math and English the mission schools emphasized agriculture, crafts & rudimentary industrial education. Were formed between 1900 and 1933,many formed from break aways of the mission schools.

Alexandria Museum and Library

It was established in the third century B.C. in Egypt. It grew to become the

largest center of learning in the ancient world. The complex is estimated to

have housed more than 200,000 volumes, and supported up to 5,000 scholars

and students. Clearly, this was a large research institution, and many of the

leading Egyptian and other African as well as Greek, Roman, and Jewish

scholars of the ancient world studied or worked there at some point in their

lives.

Austerity measures

Carbon Trading- Form of emissions trading that specifically targets carbon dioxide (calculated in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent or tCO2e), This form of permit trading is a common method countries utilize in order to meet their obligations specified by the Kyoto Protocol; namely the reduction of carbon emissions in an attempt to reduce (mitigate) future climate change. This is where the major polluters namely large industrial company buy carbon credits so that they may be allowed to continue polluting the atmosphere, it affects agriculture negatively as it makes the climate unfavourable , thus in many area without climate resilient agriculture a negative decrease in yields is noted.

Dare to invent the future. This was the name given to an interview between the late captain Sankara and a reporter where he urged that Africans should dare to invent the future, their own future, which is not controlled by the whites, our own future without debt (foreign debt) the only way to achieve this was through hardwork and sacrifice, in order focus to emancipate ourselves we need to accept that we are poor, thus we need to get rid of all the unnecessary spending, in order to save the local cloth industry and some money it was suggested that civil servants must wear uniform, it was emphasized that we also do away with exorbitant salaries to public officials, and that if the president is a captain he should receive a captains salary, if a minister is a teacher then he should receive a teachers pay, when delegates travel overseas they shouldn’t fly first class nor shouldn’t they sleep in 5 star hotels.

Gender Stratification; Gender stratification: The unequal distribution of wealth, power, and privilege between men and women, has been there since time immemorial

Leave the oil in the ground

This is the campaign started by Oilwatch international that unites civil society organisations to push for the international obligations of states to not extract earths minerals such as oil, the slogan goes keep the oil in the soil, the coal in the hole, since its mining affects the environment and ultimately ruining the climate.

An early example of Oilwatch’s activism is the case of Yasuni ITT, pioneered by Accion Ecologica Ecuador’s forests sit above extensive, yet unplundered oil reserves, with the Yasuni National Park being one of the most bio-diverse spots on our planet Oilwatch deepened the campaign to ‘Keep the Oil in the Soil’ in order to preserve Yasuni and resist oil exploitation Ecuador is now asking the international community to compensate the country in exchange for keeping the oil below ground

Nationalization of land and natural resources

A principle tenet of socialism that states that since the land belongs to the nation, the Government has to see to it that it is being used for the benefit of the whole nation and not for the benefit of one individual or just a few people. (Nyererep.13)

   

Oligopoly, is a market form in which a market or industry is dominated by a small number of sellers (Oligopolists). Oligopolies can result from various forms of collusion which reduce competition and lead to higher costs for consumers.

Principle tenets of Capitalism

Individualism

Endless Accumulation of property

Exploitation of human labour

Private property

Structural Adjustment Programs

Removing Trade Barriers: Free Markets, FTAs, Liberalizing the economy .

Privatization of State industries and Public Services: PPPs.

Double standards on subsidies and incentives to farmers: PL480.

Banning production of generic HIV/AIDS drugs: Global Pharmaceuticals and Aid

Trade Liberalization, this is the supposed opening up of trade or the better of human kind by removing tariffs and trade barriers to enable easy international trade which always results in killing local industries rivatex,

PART II. – Possible Essay Questions (Final Exam Will Have 4 out of these 6)

You MUST answer the essay question in Section A. There is no choice in this Section.  In Section B, you may choose any one (1) essay question to answer.  You must write two (2) essays in total. Be certain to utilise specific and factual information to support your answers. The more specific evidence you offer to support your argument, the better.  Do write in complete sentences. A well developed answer should be approximately one page of a foolscap. Essay Questions- 20 points each, 40 points total

Sections A & B

1.      Discuss three ways in which colonial education was deliberately used as an ideological tool for domination and thus, a weapon for under-developing Africa.

Ø  Colonial education as a tool for cultural imperialism, an effective method of domination is to make the dominated believe that they have no culture and thus adopt the oppressors culture, this made Christianity an integral process of the curriculum as it was used to denounce African cultures as heathen and satanic . Africans still practicing their customs were kicked out of this mission schools, Oginga Odinga wrote that the mission schools products were clerks, secretaries and messengers (subservient positions) for the colonial government

Religious instruction wasn’t the only subject used, lessons in geography, history and civics, emphasized European cultures and white supremacy and how they struggled in a bid to civilize Africans ( lies such as that the white man ended tribal war as if it is not he who propagated tribalism by making us compete for scarce resources after a successful divide and rule policy)

African Communities richness in oral culture had no room in colonial education, at games time they played soccer and volleyball whereas during literature classes they sung London bridge is burning down. Colonial education was simply education for underdevelopment.

Ø   Racialized and disproportionate allocation of educational resources

The African population that constituted 97 % got 40% of the educational funding whereas the Europeans who were 1% got 33% of the educational funding, it is stated that there luxury standards of European schools had long surpassed British standards,This has a lingering legacy that is carried out up to today as a result people send their children to upcountry schools with the thought that they will work because of the tough conditions rather than inspite of the difficulties,whereas a child in England studies without difficulties and to the maximum number possible thus this puts our education levels subservient to theres, our numbers less as usual.  

Ø  Language and Curriculum of Colonial education

Highly technical as according to the 1926 Department of Education Annual Report it states that the African mind in Kenya has reached the sense perception stage hence had not developed reasoning faculties for literary education.

It was only until 1935 that literary education was introduced to African but even then it entailed the Rote memorization and the banking concept of teaching, where students in this system are  “ ‘receptacles’ ” that are to be “ ‘filled’ ” with the “content of the teachers narration”.(Freire, 1) These “receptacles” are expected to regurgitate information given in class, on tests, quizzes, and anything that requires an answer that is “word for word” what the teacher says.   In a banking classroom, the teacher is the authority and the students are oppressed. Freire writes, “The more students work at storing deposits entrusted to them, the less they develop the critical consciousness which would result from their intervention in the world as transformers of that world.

Education was used as a tool for cultural suppression because it showed the Africa that he had no culture, no achievements in his history and was just pegged with afro-pessimism, to be noted was the emphasis put on religious instruction as it made a submissive, peaceful African out of men.

Ø  Rigorous Examinations for Africans

Common Entrance Exam (C.E.E.) class 4, exceptionally hard out of 40 pupils only 5 or even none made it.

Kenya African Preliminary Examination (K.A.P.E.) class 7

The hard exams are continued to this day some are K.C.S.E and K.C.P.E, result being that the majority of people fail and only those who pass get good jobs in the end and are a t a greater market value, this education only makes as have black skins white masks because even content wise we study more European things than African, we study his Story hence portraying us as subservient to him, this makes some have a greater market value than others, Mwalimu Nyerere is of the view that anyone who has  a market value is a slave/Commodity.

In the alternative of what education should do and what its not doing is;

                    i.                        Re-humanize Africans and reclaim their dignity

                  ii.                        Contextualizing African education: problem-solving education

                iii.                        Pursuing African Nationalism and Pan-Africanism

2.      Define unfair trade and discuss the four weapons of unfair trade employed in Africa and other underdeveloped regions.

A.    Dependency on Primary Product Exports

. According to the UN Conference on Trade in Development, in 2003 a dozen African countries were dependent upon a single commodity for exports, including crude petroleum (Angola 92 percent, Congo 57 per cent, Gabon 70 per cent, Nigeria 96 per cent)

Challenges of Primary Product Exports

·         High levels of price volatility

·         Downward price trends for many natural resources

·         Production is highly capital-intensive

·         It offers low incentives for educational investments

·         Disincentive against industrialization and manufacturing.

·         Manufactured goods are more valuable in the world market

B.     Trade Liberalization

·         Removing tariffs and other barriers to “Free Trade.”

·         Killing infant industries: Rivatex,

·         Loss of manufacturing jobs

·         Privatization

·         Double standards on subsidies

C.     Foreign Direct Investment

Under colonialism the ownership was complete and backed by military domination. Today, in many African countries the foreign ownership is still present, although the armies and flags of foreign powers have been removed. So long as foreigners own land, mines, factories, banks, insurance companies, means of transportation, newspapers, power stations, etc. then for so long will the wealth of Africa flow outwards into the hands of those elements

The ills of FDI

·         Ecological Debt: Depletion of natural resources and dumping of toxic wastes (Poison Fire)

·         Privatization: Telkom Kenya Experience with Orange

D.    Bio-piracy

A 2005 study commissioned by the Edmonds Institute and African Centre for Biosafety identified nearly three dozen cases of African resources captured by firms for resale without adequate ‘access and benefit sharing’ agreements between producers and the people who first used the natural products. The values expropriated are impossible to calculate but easily run into billions of dollars. They include a diabetes drug produced by a Kenyan microbe; a Libyan/Ethiopian treatment for diabetes; antibiotics from a Gambian termite hill; an antifungal from a Namibian giraffe; an infection-fighting amoeba from Mauritius; a Congo (Brazzaville) treatment for impotence; vaccines from Egyptian microbes; multipurpose medicinal plants from the Horn of Africa

3.      Analyze the validity of the three theories offered to explain the colonial conquest of Africa and show which one is the most convincing. 

Economic Theory

Industrial Revolution and the need for raw materials: Capitalist Exploitation

Psychological Theories

 Social Darwinism

Evangelical Christianity

Social Atavism

Diplomatic Theories

National Prestige

Balance of Power

 Global Strategy

4.      Analyzing the four principle tenets of capitalism, explain why it is ill-advised for African governments to privatize public services as a strategy for development.

Ø  Individualism

Ø  Private Property

Ø  Endless Accumulation of capital. Accumulation by dispossession.

Ø  Unlimited exploitation of humans and nature.

5.      Discuss four market-based solutions to climate change and show why they are not real solutions to the problem.

Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) we are

now seeing granddaughters such as the Reducing Emissions from

Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD). A number of father

and mother mechanisms fall in between, dealing with one carbon

off-setting mechanism or the other. The most plausible concept

behind these market mechanisms is that they provide the basis

for private sector investment in efforts to tackle climate change.

Less subtly put, these mechanisms provide opportunities for the

private sector to control the pace and nature of projects allegedly

designed to tackle climate change, but which in reality advantage

vested interests while allowing primary corporate polluters to

evade accountability.

6.       Define patriarchy and elaborate on how it contributes to gender discrimination in various social spheres, including the corporate world, religious circles, academic institutions, legal systems, and family relations.

Patriarchy: A social system of power relations that privileges males and masculinity over females and femininity.

A.    Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV)

 a. Capitalism and deformed masculinity

 b. Gubernatorial Slap

 c. Rape: The Story of Liz

-January to May 2013, 338 reported rape cases in Kenya

- More than 25% of South African men admit to raping

-48 women raped in Eastern DRC every hour

- ONE IN THREE WOMEN ON THE PLANET WILL BE RAPED OR BEATEN IN HER LIFETIME.THAT IS ONE BILLION WOMEN. (1 Billion rising campaign)

B.     . The Sexual Objectification of women

In news T.V anchors, Models, magazines, Music videos, HipHop, Prostitution

C.     Racism and women’s bodies

Ø  Eurocentric standards of beauty and the market

Ø  Pain and the pursuit of beauty

Ø  Indian example (beauty products that makes private parts white)

D.    Religion and Gender Politics

Ø    Moral double standards: The story of Amina Lawal.

Ø    The silencing and subordination of women

E.     State and Gender Politics

Ø  . Matrimonial Property Bill

Ø  b. Women: The most affected by underdevelopment

F.      Gender and the Politics of Reproductive Health

Ø  Women and Contraceptives

Ø  Marginalization and access to sanitary towels

G.    In the Corporate world, the most number of bosses are men, in order for women to make it in the corporate world they are forced to become aggressive, manlike creating her into a female king, rather than being a queen and appreciating her significance, furthermore the women who have made it the corporate world are stigmatized against as men are intimidated by them hence many end up not married

H.    Family relations, at home the woman has been domesticated according to the Victorian woman whose work is to just stay at home pop babies and take care of the homestead they have been pulled out of active production.

I.       Academic institutions, in the onset of colonialism due to patriarchy girls stayed at home, thus many boys were sent to school at the expense of the girl because the girl was going to get married, this resulted in lesser numbers of the female gender being educated and to date the majority of scholars in academic institutions mostly public are men and not women.

J.       Legal systems, Kenya has never had a female chief justice, nor has it ever had a female attorney general,