# Why Africa stays poor?

Алекс Ней

Социо-экономический взгляд на причины "бедности" Африканских народов и роль колонизации.

Что случилось с Африкой:


Свободолюбивая Черная Африка избавилась от ненавистных колонизаторов, которые развили Черную Африку до такой степени, что у Черной Африки оказалось достаточно еды для того, чтобы удесятерить свое население. Самостоятельно Черная Африка этого не сделала, это сделали ненавистные колонизаторы.


Свободолюбивая Черная Африка не может поддерживать этот уровень развития без ненавистных колонизаторов. Свободолюбивая Черная Африка понимает, что без ненавистных колонизаторов Черная Африка будет вымирать в виду недостатка еды. Свободолюбивая Черная Африка самостоятельно не может функционировать, пребывая в таком состоянии, до которого ее довели ненавистные колонизаторы. Свободолюбивая Черная Африка, избавившись от ненавистных колонизаторов, возвращается к своим корням, к своему естесственному состоянию, при котором в Черной Африке могло прокормиться вдесятеро меньшее население.


Свободолюбивая Черная Африка не хочет вымирать; ненавистные колонизаторы не хотят возвращаться свободолюбивую в Черную Африку: ненавистные колонизаторы боятся свободолюбивых Черных Африканцев. Но раз ненавистные колонизаторы не возвращаются в свободолюбивую Черную Африку для того, чтобы обеспечивать достаточное количество еды для десятикратно увеличившегося свободолюбивого населения Черной Африки, у свободолюбивой Черной Африки имеется только один способ избежать вымирания: самой переместиться поближе к ненавистным колонизаторам и устроиться у них под боком.


Долой колониализм и расизм! Да здравствует отсутствие границ! Свободу въезда свободолюбивым африканским беженцам! Земля - крестьянам, заводы - рабочим, кабаки - пьяницам, а Евпропа - свободолюбивым африканцам!


Рецензия и источники:

Post-Colonial Africa: Infrastructure, Population Dynamics, and Migration


The legacy of European colonialism in Sub-Saharan Africa has left an enduring imprint on the region's economic, social, and demographic landscapes. While the end of colonial rule marked an essential step toward self-determination and national sovereignty for African states, it also revealed deep systemic dependencies established under imperial governance. One prominent consequence has been the challenge of maintaining infrastructure and supporting populations that grew significantly during the colonial era, often beyond the levels local economies can sustainably support. This essay seeks to analyze the relationship between colonial legacies, post-independence development, and contemporary migration patterns from Africa to Europe.


Scholars such as Walter Rodney (1972) and Daron Acemoglu et al. (2001) have outlined the dual nature of colonialism: while colonial administrations built essential infrastructure, their efforts primarily served extractive economic goals rather than the long-term development of African societies. Rodney emphasizes that the economic growth during colonial times was tightly coupled to European interests, often sidelining indigenous systems of self-sufficiency.


Similarly, Acemoglu, Johnson, and Robinson's (2001) empirical studies demonstrate how the political and institutional designs of the colonial period have lingering effects on modern governance and economic performance. These works highlight the tension between inherited infrastructures, designed for extraction, and the need for independent, inclusive growth models in postcolonial states.


The colonial period accelerated Africa's population growth and urbanization beyond what its pre-colonial systems could sustain. With the establishment of transportation networks, medical facilities, and administrative hubs, colonial rule inadvertently created conditions for population expansion by reducing mortality and improving access to resources, albeit unevenly.


Post-independence African states inherited these infrastructures but often lacked the financial and technical capacity to maintain them at the levels established during the colonial era. As a result, many nations have struggled to support their burgeoning populations within the limits of their national economies. This imbalance frequently leads to outward migration, as individuals seek economic opportunities and stability in former colonial metropoles or other developed regions.


Migration from Africa to Europe can thus be understood not simply as an economic choice or an escape from hardship, but as a consequence of a historically conditioned structural imbalance. The infrastructure, population growth, and global economic integration fostered by colonial rule are no longer matched by sufficient investment or global economic positioning to sustain them under self-rule.


The post-colonial trajectory of Sub-Saharan Africa illustrates the complex interplay between inherited infrastructure, population dynamics, and global economic structures. While the end of colonial rule represented a significant political achievement for African nations, the economic and demographic systems established during the colonial period created enduring challenges. The ongoing movement of people from Africa to wealthier nations is not simply the result of local failure or external interference but rather a reflection of the historical and structural imbalances that continue to shape global development patterns. Addressing these issues requires an honest and collaborative approach, informed by history, economics, and international cooperation, rather than one-dimensional political rhetoric.


References:


Acemoglu, D., Johnson, S., & Robinson, J. A. (2001). The colonial origins of comparative development: An empirical investigation. *American Economic Review*, 91(5), 1369-1401.


Rodney, W. (1972). *How Europe Underdeveloped Africa*. London: Bogle-L'Ouverture Publications.


Austin, G. (2010). African Economic Development and Colonial Legacies. *International Development Policy | Revue internationale de politique de développement*, 1(1), 11-32.


Ferguson, J. (2006). *Global Shadows: Africa in the Neoliberal World Order*. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.


Herbst, J. (2000). *States and Power in Africa: Comparative Lessons in Authority and Control*. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.