Western Theories and the Exploitation of West Africa since the Slave Trade Era

Abstract

Much of the literature on development issues in West Africa has been dominated by the impact of the interaction between this region and the West, specifically Western Europe and North America. While scholars disagree sharply on the nature of the impact, what is perhaps beyond dispute is that the West has dictated the pattern of the interaction since the era of the slave trade, with the result that the benefits have been disproportionate. This situation was facilitated in large measure by the military and technological superiority of the West over West Africa. In another sense, iniquitous as the slave trade was, philosophical explanations were proffered to justify it, while it ensured the economic development of the West. With the obsolescence of the slave trade in the late 18th century following the industrial revolution in Europe, new theories were propounded which painted the slave trade as evil and immoral. West African Kings and merchants who wanted to continue the trade were compelled to change to the 'legitimate' trade as defined in Western economics of the period. It is argued that the same trend has continued till this era of neo-liberalism. The task of this paper is to show how Western economics and the knowledge it engenders have facilitated the exploitation of West Africa since the era of the slave trade. It also discusses the task before African scholars in their application of Western theories to the African cultural milieu. (The Journal of Cultural Studies: 2001 3(1): 90-98)