ABSTRACT
Africa, really Sub-Saharan Africa since Africa north of the Sahara is Muslim and is usually considered part of the Middle East, is the region of the world about which most of us know the least. For many centuries, Africa was considered to be the "Dark Continent", a land of primitive civilization and, therefore, with little history worth studying. This chapter focuses on African political culture and organization as distinct from other forms of culture. It suggests some African solutions to African problems. The chapter begins with a brief review of Africa’s geography and its impact on the continent’s development. The climatic and geographic conditions in Africa also help account for some additional features that affect Africa and its place in the world. The Berlin Conference of 1884-85 divided up the rest of the continent and laid down rules, often ignored, of colonial behavior. Colonialism and imperialism led to the further raping, pillaging, and exploitation of the African continent.
