Colonialism and Land Conflicts in Africa

Conflicting Perspectives on the Uses and Views of African Land

May 7, 2009

The colonial period marked a dramatic turn in the use of land in Africa. This revolution is responsible for the recurrence of land crises throughout post-colonial Africa.

Irrespective of the period in history or the mode of production in question, land has always held a central position in the production process. In Africa where agriculture has always been the dominant economic activity, land has directly accounted for the survival of generations. However, as a result of European penetration and conquest of Africa, the land tenure system in Africa changed significantly.

Colonialism and African Land

European colonialism triggered one of the most dramatic revolutions on African land. “The colonial period was a time of rapid and drastic change,” says anthropologist Elizabeth Colson, “never more so than with the use and view of land.” Under colonial rule, land which Africans considered as sacred became an object of economic value that could be bought and sold. Under British colonial rule for example, African land was partitioned into three categories – Crown land, Native land and Reserves.

Based on such alien conception of land, the Europeans tended to define land from a very materialistic perspective to meet with the goal of exploition. “Early European governments, intent on rapid economic development through European enterprise, recognized African land only with respect to land under obvious occupation thereby leaving large areas free for possible alienation to European companies,” observes Colson.

Such narrow definition, categorization, partition and misconception of the notion of land had a triple impact. Firstly it kept Africans off the most fertile lands. Secondly it limited

development to crown lands reserved for whites. Thirdly, it sowed the seeds of segregation throughout colonial Africa especially in settler colonies as large European populations placed a high demand on the land for agriculture, settlement, industrial and mining activities.

The Land-labor Combination Under Colonial Rule

The communal economy of pre-colonial Africa relied entirely on an efficient land-labor combination for its success. The coming of European capitalism completely destroyed this link because colonialism placed a high demand on African land and labor. New plantations, mines, roads and railways meant that labor had to be diverted from food production to meet the demands of a cash crop economy founded on capitalism which was of little benefit to Africa.

It was in settler colonies that the worst abuses took place on African land. Besides the establishment of mines and plantations, the most climatically favorable sites were used for the establishment of “European Quarters.” In many cases, these involved the most ventilated coastal lands. African labor was used for the construction of communication facilities in these settlements. African workers in the domestic service of Europeans were required to carry badges in these quarters.

Working Conditions in European Mines and Plantations

Before colonial rule, the land was still the main source of livelihood for Africans despite the ravages of the slave trade. Colonialism, however, reversed this trend. “The exploitation of land and labor is essential for human social advance,” says historian Walter Rodney, “but only on the assumption that the product is made available within the area where the exploitation takes place.”

In Africa’s case, this exploitation simply meant “… the development of Europe as part of the same dialectical process in which Africa was underdeveloped.” In Rodney’s words, the African farmer “entered colonialism with a hoe and left with a hoe.” Exploitation of African labor in the plantations and mines of colonial Africa was cruel. “The employer under colonialism paid an extremely small wage, usually insufficient to keep the worker physically alive.”

The capitalist economy implanted in Africa during colonialism continues to shape the economic and political life of modern Africa. Africa entered the global economy as a producer of raw materials whose prices were (and still are) determined by the powerful forces of the capitalist west. The Structural Adjustment Programs of the IMF and World Bank have exposed the extreme brutality of capitalism on African land. It is against this background that the current land crises in Africa should be seen.

Colson, Elizabeth. “The impact of the Colonial period on the Definition of Land Rights,” in Victor Tuner (ed.), Colonialism in Africa 1870-1980 vol.111. Profiles of Change: African Society and Colonial Rule, 1971.

Foreman-Peck, James. A History of the world Economy: International economic Relations Since 1850, 1973.

The copyright of the article Colonialism and Land Conflicts in Africa in African Colonialism is owned by Tongkeh Joseph Fowale. Permission to republish Colonialism and Land Conflicts in Africa in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.