The White Man's Burden Analysis

Europeans held Africans and the African culture lightly, they did not value anything of African descent Hrituleac (2011). Lephakga (2015), mentions the philosophical measure that the Europeans applied which were ego conquiro (I conquer, therefore I am sovereign), which was followed by ego cogito (I think), these measures formed part of the European process of socialisation and they were both particularly introduced because they gave a moral justification for colonialism. These measures enhanced their beliefs of superiority and justified them to invade and dispossess those who lacked that kind of superiority. One of their greatest moral justifications in terms of civilising Africa was “The White Man’s Burden”, which was a poem written by Rudyord

The lack of machinery, as well as a land dominated by inferior natives was said to be a backward economy, compared to a powerful economy of the Europeans with heavy machinery and dominated by civilised beings, it was concluded that Africa was a slow rhythm of life (Balandier, 1982). The colonial powers justified their invasion in Africa through the investment of transport infrastructure and economic investments of which African entrepreneurs benefited from (Austin, 2007). The ideology of “The White Man’s” burden also applies here because the colonial powers saw their invasion as a moral task to rescue the native people from poverty and suffering, they viewed it as an act of kindness. The Europeans built industries which provided job opportunities for the indigenous people, they learnt new skills and discovered new tools that they did not know about prior, which improved their daily tasks. For example, they were taught new measures of growing crops faster, with fewer effects but with a great profit. The Europeans led Africa out of the economic isolation with the rest of the world, trough trade partnerships. Even though their invasion was solely based on their own economic benefits and to establish economic control over Africa and extracting all raw materials that the land possessed, they continued reasoning their invasion and domination as a form of emancipation, which was saving the Africans from barbarism and poverty. For, example, in Zimbabwe, cash crops such as cotton, sugar and tobacco were farmed and there was an attempt made by the British South African Company to hone in on the state’s gold