WEEK THREE
TOPIC: ADVANTAGES OF COLONIAL RULE
- While it is true that Africans had their own ways of educating their children, the fact that people could read and write made a significant difference in their understanding of the world
- The establishment of educational institutions from the primary to the university level (The university college, Ibadan, was established in 1948 was a significant turning point in the Euro- African relationship
- Exposure of Africans to the ideas of other people: Although for Africans this was from a positions of disadvantage, many elderly people still remember, many good things about the days of colonial rule.
DISADVANTAGES OF COLONIAL RULE
- Total condemnation of the African way of life which left in Africans the feeling that they were inherently inferior to the Europeans
- Neglect of the rural areas on account of the concentration on the urban centers for the purpose of trade. Rural-urban migration remains a major problem for west African countries today
- Distortion of the socio-economic life of the people so as to preserve the interests of the colonialists
- Colonial administration introduced West African economies to the world at a time the Africans were not ready for it.
COMPARISON OF THE FEATURES OF THE BRITISH SYSTEM OF INDIRECT RULE WITH THOSE OF THE FRENCH POLICY OF ASSIMILATION
| INDIRECT RULE | POLICY OF ASSIMILATION | |
| Indirect rule of colonial administration | Direct rule of colonial administration | |
| Made use of African traditional chiefs | Did not make use of African traditional chiefs | |
| Traditional rulers served as the pivot of indirect rule | Traditional rulers did not serve as the pivot of assimilation | |
| Traditional laws and customs were used in the administration | Traditional laws and customs were not used in the administration | |
| It was not an expensive system of administration | It was an expensive system of administration |
FUNCTIONS OF THE BRITISH COLONIAL GOVERNOR IN WEST AFRICA
- He performed ceremonial functions e.g. conferment of honors and receiving of dignitaries
- He reported to the crown through the secretary of state to the colonies
- He formulated social and economic policies for the colony
- He assented to all bills passed by the legislative council
- He exercised all the powers of head of government on behalf of the British e.g. declaration of a state of Emergency, the exercising of the prerogative of mercy
EVALUATION
- See your workbook
- See past WASSCE question papers