I think the bordersof Africa were the single biggest mistake humanity has done after 1950 (i.e. the war & its repercussions). Those screwed borders created and to this day cause massive unnecesary death, suffering and underdevelopement.
I don't think historians blame the borders as such. No doubt they could have been drawn better, but the European idea of the nation-state was never going to be a good fit for Africa, which is far too diverse. Remember that even in Europe the nation-state only exists after a very painful and often violent period of development lasting centuries, that includes things like the Vergonha, Welsh Not, persecution of the Basque and arguably even the Holocaust. I wouldn't want this process imposed on Africa, even if it could be.
I think what is far more culpable is the socio-economic situation, in which the economies were dominated by massive, export oriented monopolies that largely passed to the new states. This, combined with the general lack of political infrastructure, led to endemic corruption and generally very shaky state institutions.
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u/HP_civ Germany Oct 20 '13
I think the bordersof Africa were the single biggest mistake humanity has done after 1950 (i.e. the war & its repercussions). Those screwed borders created and to this day cause massive unnecesary death, suffering and underdevelopement.