THE SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA

Activity 1. We are going to watch a video about the SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA. What does it mean? Watch the pictures with your teacher and your classmates and try to answer the questions.

In picture n. 1, they are having a meal and they are sharing a pie. What kind of pie is that?

In picture n. 2, what are the men doing all around Africa? Are they from the same country or do they have different nationality?

In picture n. 3, there is a cow named Africa and a man is milking the cow. What does it mean?

In picture n. 4, four men are cutting a giant block of cheese. What is written on it?

Activity 2. Watch the video The Scramble for Africa and the Berlin Conference.

Alessia Antiga, Imperialism, the Longest Journey… (Modulo Didattico CLIL) Activity 3. Complete the Five W’s chart and H chart.

WHO Who was involved?

WHAT What happened?

WHEN When did it happen?

WHERE Where did it happen?

WHY Why did it happen?

HOW How did it happen?

Activity 4. Answer the questions.

1. What did European countries do in Africa? 2. Why did European people want Africa's resources? 3. Which were the most important resources in Africa? 4. Why was the control of Suez canal so important? 5. What did European think about having colonies? 6. Which were the most important countries at Berlin conference? 7. What happened at Berlin conference? 8. What effect did this have on the native African population? 9. What did Europeans to African people groups in order to maintain their controlling power? 10. Why did the Industrial Revolution in Europe push countries to acquire colonies?

Activity 5. Put in the right order.

The Scramble for Africa and the Berlin Conference

What effect did this have on the native African population? While Europe their primary goal to be the end of slavery in Africa, their actions resulted in the increase in the women and children slaves. They also claimed to be the "most civilized" but in reality they carried out horrible travesties in their colonies. In particular in King Leopold II's Congo River Basin over 5 million were murdered and hundreds had their hands chopped off.

Alessia Antiga, Imperialism, the Longest Journey… (Modulo Didattico CLIL) Overall, the Europeans thought: the more colonies they had, the larger their military would be, making them a more powerful country. In the midst of this scramble to place flags on crucial African lands disputes popped up over who had the best claim. When this began to disrupt trade and travel, Otto Von Bismarck called together a meeting called The Berlin Conference.

The Industrial Revolution in Europe pushed countries to acquire colonies which could supply raw materials while at the same time become a captured market to sell their manufactured goods. This rush for colonies (a.k.a. The Scramble for Africa) led to the drawing of arbitrary boundary lines, resulting in tragic unintended consequences that are still affecting Africa today.

In 1884, 14 countries (minus anyone from Africa) met in Berlin. The major countries at the conference were: Britain, France, Belgium, and Portugal. These countries gained much of the most strategic pieces of land. The French gained control of northwestern Africa (including Algeria). The British had control of both South Africa and Egypt (which included influence over the Suez Canal). King Leopold II of Belgium gained the Congo (in Central Africa) and the Portuguese established their control of the Western and Eastern edges of Africa.

What was the Scramble for Africa? In the 1800s, European countries were rushing into Africa to plant their flags into the land and claim colonies. Because of Industrialization, Europe wanted Africa's valuable resources. Some of these included: palm oil, cotton, gold, diamonds, and rubber. The control of the Suez canal was also extremely important for countries wishing to trade with India and China.

Europeans also arbitrarily drew boundaries without any regard for the local people groups. It was common for the controlling European power to exploit any existing animosity between people groups in order to keep the population divided and weak. This led to countless disputes, civil wars, and even genocide. You might recall the recent stories of thousands upon thousands murdered in the Sudanese Civil War, in the ongoing conflict between the Hutus and Tutsis, and in the Darfur Massacre.

Alessia Antiga, Imperialism, the Longest Journey… (Modulo Didattico CLIL) Activity 6. Match the words in the box with the right picture and definition.

FLAG - PALM OIL - COTTON - GOLD - SLAVE - DIAMOND - RUBBER - BOUNDARY - CIVIL WAR - GENOCIDE - RAW MATERIAL - MANUFACTURED GOOD

• A conflict between different groups of people who live in the same country ______• The basic material from which a product is made ______• A piece of cloth or similar material used as the symbol of a country ______• A person who is the legal property of another ______• A yellow precious metal ______• The murder of a whole group of people, especially a whole nation, race, or religious group ______• An elastic substance made from the milky juice of a tropical tree ______• An oil from the nuts of some types of palm tree ______• A very hard, precious and usually colorless stone ______• A soft, white material that grows on the seeds of a tall plant ______• Product made from a raw material using machines ______• A real or imagined line that shows where an area ends ______

Activity 7. Write a sentence with each word of Activity 6.

EXAMPLE: The national FLAG of Ireland is a vertical tricolour of green, white and orange.

Alessia Antiga, Imperialism, the Longest Journey… (Modulo Didattico CLIL) Activity 8. Watch this map about the Partition of Africa (1885-1914), find a current map of Africa and make a comparison between the two maps.

WHICH ARE THE DIFFERENCES? MAP OF AFRICA (1885-1914) MAP OF AFRICA (2018)

Alessia Antiga, Imperialism, the Longest Journey… (Modulo Didattico CLIL) Activity 9. These are political cartoons like the ones of activity 1. Try to understand their meaning using your knowledge about African situation and discuss in group.

What is a political cartoon? It’s an illustration or a drawing with a political or social message.

Activity 10. Now realize your own political cartoon about Scramble for Africa and then show to the class sitting in Circle Time.

Alessia Antiga, Imperialism, the Longest Journey… (Modulo Didattico CLIL)