Development 5

According to this, in addition to undeniable colonial atrocities, social destruction, structural changes at the economic level and mental trauma, there are also changes without which no development would be possible, such as the development of school and health systems, infrastructures and the penetration of the “European spirit”.

Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (2007): Afrika Verstehen Lernen. Bonn: Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, p. 148.

The Federal Centre for Political Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, bpb) was founded in 1952 to make a German contribution to education in the service of democracy. It is part of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The bpb creates and publishes materials, organises events and promotes other political education institutions.

This quote is based on the colonial and racist argument that without Europeans, Africans would have no education or health systems, nor any form of infrastructure. Behind this lies the idea that Africa did not have complex social structures before colonisation. This logic also justifies “civilizing” colonial intervention from outside. By contrasting the supposedly positive with the negative, the bpb conceals the fact that colonial infrastructure was created primarily for the exploitation of resources.

*Walter Rodney (1972): How Europe underdeveloped Africa. London: Bogle-L'Ouverture Publications. *Chimananda Ngozi Adichie (2011): Narratives of Europe. Stories that matter. *David Harvey (2000): Cosmopolitanism and the Banality of Geographical Evils.  

2007