Why Colonialism Was Actually Good for Africa – Part 3
By Michael Chishala, 2nd May 2025
There were several important benefits of colonialism that are not immediately apparent. The “Scramble for Africa”, driven by selfish economic motives by the European colonial powers had many unintended positive consequences. Rival African tribes that fought bloody wars for many decades were now forced to stop fighting. The Bisa vs Bemba, Zulu vs Ndwandwe, Ngoni vs Chewa and Ndebele vs Shona are a few examples.
Colonialism stopped all these long-running conflicts because slavery, which had become the main driver of endless tribal wars, was eliminated by the colonialists. Colonial rule did not tolerate tribal warfare, as it would take away labour that was needed for mining, infrastructure building and farming. The peace and certainty that came out of this was invaluable for trade and commerce, transportation, human population growth and perhaps most importantly, increasing agricultural output because men were no longer needed to fight wars with other tribes. It now made sense for people to invest in commerce and long term agriculture and adopt modern farming methods since they were no longer under the threat of attack. This led to much faster economic growth, higher incomes and increased life expectancy for Africans.
Another massive benefit was the introduction of modern medicine alongside basic education in hygiene, including boiling drinking water. Before that, Africans died like flies from malaria, cholera, smallpox, tuberculosis, yellow fever, etc. Penicillin was discovered in 1928 by a Scottish Physician and French Chemists synthesised Quinine from the Cinchona tree of South America in 1820. These two were a game changer for both Europeans and Africans by making malaria and other diseases more easily treatable. Ironically, Europeans failed to colonise Africa in earlier attempts precisely because of malaria.
Average life expectancy in Africa in 1900 was around 30 years but in Europe, it had already risen to 40 years. Africans adopted modern medicines. Colonial mass vaccination programmes for under 5 children increased African life expectancy. By independence in the 1960s, many African countries were already at around 50 years. This rise from 30 to 50 years was a nearly 70% increase within a generation! Millions of African kids survived childhood and millions more lived longer better lives.
Then there was education, originally introduced by Missionary Societies to get Africans to read the Bible and learn Western customs and values. The motivations were mixed; the desire to civilise the “savage” Africans, introduce Christian morality, hopes of ending slave practices as European values were adopted, a ploy to create soft power for Europeans, preparation for colonialism, etc. Mission schools provided education for black kids for decades before colonialism, alongside ad hoc educational arrangements for the early white settlers. Then the European colonialists introduced public education. In Northern Rhodesia, the British built well funded public schools for the children of the white settlers and most of the education budget was spent there as educating the natives was not a big priority, not to mention segregation. However, they gave grants to mission schools and they eventually built public schools for blacks with Munali, Livingstone and Chikuni Secondary Schools being among the earliest efforts.
By the 1950s, Northern Rhodesia had more than 1,000 Primary Schools with over 100,000 black kids in them. The numbers for Secondary education were dismal, with just about 10 schools for the entire black population. Higher education was worse with zero institutions. Nevertheless, the education introduced by the missionaries and colonialists was a game changer for Africans to bring them into the modern global economy and increase opportunities for upward financial mobility over generations.
Zambia’s first president Kenneth David Kaunda and much of his first cabinet were educated at Munali Boys Secondary School at colonial government expense. They could never have taken over Zambia in 1964 without that colonial education. Even Zambian independence itself would not have succeeded had there not been a pool of an informed, educated, literate, leadership that could engage with the colonialists at their level and organise resistance to oppressive rule.
The first black members of the Northern Rhodesia Legislative Council – Henry Kasokolo, Nelson Nalumango, Dauti Yamba and Pascale Sokota – could never have taken up their positions in 1948 without being able to read, write, and speak English, courtesy of British education. The first two Speakers of the Zambian Parliament, Wesley Nyirenda and Robinson Nabulyato went through Munali Boys, as did the first Secretary to the Zambian Cabinet, Valentine Musakanya.
Hastings Kamuzu Banda, Malawi’s first president was educated in Edinburgh, Scotland with his monthly stipend paid by the British Nyasaland government. Seretse Khama, Botswana’s first president was educated at Oxford University using funds from what was then the colonial Bechuanaland Protectorate administration.
To be continued…
Michael Chishala is a Zambian analyst with interests in Philosophy, Law, Economics and History.
Email: [email protected]
This is why we should never allow imperialism to take hold of our continent ever again. When you look at history from the perspective of the victor and assume Africa’s evolution dates back 100 years you do yourself an injustice. The author assumes the invading foreigners never fought themselves in their respective continents. Please read European history and learn how barbaric and primitive these invading forces were. If the Europeans arrived in Africa more than 400 years ago, then why did they only introduce schools as you put it, by the early 1950’s? The negative impact of colonialism on Africa is how it’s devastated our freedom to express ourselves due to decades of suppression and rewiring for generations.
He has no idea that in colonial times everything was segregative.In schools,colonists children were taught science and technology while natives were taught how be good laborers;speak good english but don’t ask too many questions
Europeans have done more harm to us than we did to ourselves. yes every society on this planet has it differences, but if really Europeans wanted to help us they wouldn’t have colonized us, instead they took advantage of the issues we had. China, Japan, most of Asia had similar issues like us including the Americas all societies have differences. What we forget is that colonizers murdered millions of Africans during the partitioning of Africa. The European and the Arabs had the market for slavery paid strong African tribes to capture slaves. We have lost a lot of things because of colonization it has done more harm than God. I respect the writers opinion, but i think he’s forget the implication and the price we paid to be where we are as Africans in the name of civilization.
Walasa! Ubututu bwaba so-called Zambian analyst is so shameful I stopped reading after 3 sentences
You are missing the author’s point….he is right!
Africa has a rich history dating back thousands of years and yet we assume history started when the colonisers arrived more than 400 years ago. It’s interesting how we view and measure success of a species based on lies and greed. Europe and North America are on the decline simply because their lifestyles are unsustainable. As Africans we should cherish and value our village setups which have sustained our people and cultures for thousands of years. Changing this setup for sky ghettos will simply signal the beginning of the end for Africa as we know it.
@Futurezed Most Africans think everything started when the white man arrived on the continent. When Van riebek landed at the Cape to “discover“ the Sotho and the Hottentonts or when David Livingstone “discovered“ the Victoria Falls sorry Musi ua tunya Falls. Just imagine some European man had to DISCOVER the African natives. How condescending!
Then like Chishala, they are “educated“ to think it is the white man who made the sun to dawn on Africa. Its the politicians who can unbrainwash these citizens by introducing liberating curricula in the system of education. For now people like Chishala who think the sun came with Europeans need to be shown the signpost: “Beware of the Dawn“!
The fact you have migrants risking their lives day and night to leave Africa is a clear sign that African self rule is a failed project. However it doesn’t mean it cant be fixed.
How do we fix it? We outsource the management of govt to the same nations that have better and we’ll managed economies. People crying that this is subject to neocolonialism are the same clowns that are ready to leave the motherland to go and clean toilets in Europe, Dubai and USA.
That narrative of using people traff1cking as an excuse to self h@te will not deceive anyone anymore. We have seen how immigration is used as a stick by the immigrants themselves. Colonisation in fact is a classic example of illegal immigration and occupation. Neo-colonialism did not only rob Africa of it’s identity, it ensured that future generations would continue as enablers. When the Chinese come and sell in Zambian markets, you don’t say someone needs to fix the Chinese economy do you? Trumps own mother left Scotland for better pastures in America and yet we don’t hear cries from the American people for Britain to go back and colonise the US do we? I bet you didn’t even know that the US was once a colony of Britain.
And when we had European migrants risking their lives coming to colonise Africa it didnt mean European self-rule had failed? ?
@future zed and field negro, some comments are the exact reason why we have been making the same mistakes and expecting a different outcome. Such thinking is very akin to madness. 63 years of self rule has done what exactly for us? Yet we are here using our former colonizers language.
Not all of America was a British colony FYI, the States of Louisiana, California, New Mexico were French and Spanish respectively, Alaska was a Russian territory until it was sold to the Americans sometime in the 1800s. Can you compare the status of Africa to Europe at the time those explorers and colonizers came to Africa? In terms of technology how and where do you even start from? Them migrating here was under a different context.
@2020vision, what makes you think that Zambia is making the same mistakes and expecting a different result with self rule? You are the one advocating for someone else to come and make things right for you. I hope you are not one of those lazy students who have been asked to research on a topic and you want others to do all the work for you. Free your mind before contemplating on looking at technology or solutions. You need to love yourself a bit more.
@futurezed if I told you I’m the proud father of a specialist in heart surgery based in Europe or I call you an angry commentator that is new to this platform and you are arguing with those that have been here long before you knew about it what difference does it make? You have your beliefs and you will grow either wise, frustrated or even more stupid with them.
All I can say is God bless you, young or old man.
@2020vision, I know who you are, judging from your ranting. You just changed your display name thinking you can fool the world. You are just an attention seeker looking for validation. Ati “proud father of a specialist in heart surgery based in Europe”, does that make you the heart surgeon? You think being in Europe is a qualification? You sound confused…I can tell you that I’m a proud Zambian. Zambians shouldn’t depend on anyone else but themselves to determine their destiny. Freedom doesn’t come cheap.
@2020vision, I know who you are…you think you can fo0l people by changing your display name. Ati ‘proud father of a specialist in heart surgery based in Europe’, that says it all. You think being in Europe is a qualification? I’m a proud Zambian and every Zambian should be proud and free to determine their own destiny without relying on handouts. By the way, if you plan is to extract information, you need to try a little harder.
Ctn…We need out if the box thinking to progress and not the same madness of doing the same thing over and over again, I also blame IMF, World Bank for being perpetual sadists who have encouraged this mindset of fake Aid which leads to dependency and corruption which they know very well and yet continue to allow our govts to accrue unsustainable debts.
@future zed, zoona, I’m proud of the achievements I as a Zambian have made to see my son perform at the highest level in a developed nation and to support local medical institutions back home which he is doing, what have you done for Zambia? Your inferiority complex is really at display here. Take it easy, learn more about history, and get your facts right when you make fake claims. I corrected you about the history of the US, be grateful rather than angry at such a gesture. But then again such is the case with those with inferiority complexes, with such mindsets we have a long way to go but I trust the Biblical saying of separate the wheat from the chaff. As I said before may God bless you, old or young man.
History of Colonialism is very dark, its a painful picture full of bloodshed some of us who had a chance to see our grandfather who were born before the first world war would share the dark days of how they lived under white gods. We didnt read books for some of us we heard it directly from the horses mouth. Colonialism freed our hands and enslaved our brains.
Muntu oral history and education was the norm and you would be amazed at the ernomity of it before literal education arrived. Modern Africans can’t believe that their ancestors had so much knowledge and are amazed at how it was passed on via song, poetry what you now call rap and various dramatic performances.
I do feel like most commentators here are already appalled at the title and therefore are quick to add their own emotion without fully analysis of the content.
It remains true that the process of colonialism was brutal. The Europeans did fight their own tribal wars and they had developed weapons capable of mass murder. Our skirmishes in Africa were meele using handheld spears and we were no match for the Europeans who were were trained for killing each other as a result of the many wars Europe engaged in.
Why would they be appalled at the title? Ask yourself.
Bola, because colonialism doesn’t seem to sit well with development or anything positive prima facie
Did we live normally before whites came? Yes (since that was our standard and quality of life).
If I challenge you and ask if there is anything positive about colonialism (after effects perhaps and not the process), what would your answer be?
You could be right because the title boldly asserts that colonialism was ACTUALLY good yet it wasn’t. That clearly states the writer ultimately wants us all to his point that colonialism was inevitable and of good benefit to us.
To say that means one ignores the colonisers decapitation of natives in congo, committing genocide in Namibia, murdering thousands of Kenyans etc etc And to naively ignore the main intent of the invader. To make us extinct so he could make this his new home
Continued. The author is simply challenging us to see whether the process of coloniazation was all bad. He gives his reasons, stating the positives that came as a result of colonialism. It is difficult to disagree with him really.
Also, a side note. African history is as old as every other history. But to ignore the fact that only parts of northern Africa have a written history is being unfair to this discussion. What do we know about southern Africa prior to the arrival of the missionaries? We can’t rely on oral history.
The author is NOT simply challenging us to see whether the process of coloniazation was all bad. He could have dwellt on Positive criticking if he was
Chanda, I am not in the mind of the author. Was just spit balling, but I do find some points that one cannot argue against. Oddly enough, he does state that western education allowed our founding leaders to fight colonialists. It is funny since they colonized us in the first place.
However, it doesn’t take away some of the merits of this piece.
Europeans actually found a civilised Africa and looted it’s wealth and resources. There are no merits to colonisation regardless of how you attempt to package it. As Africans we should demand the truth about who we really are and perhaps when you discover that truth, you will understand why we have suffered so much till this day.
FutureZed, if Africa was so civilised, why were its tribes butchering each other and falling over themselves to sell each other as slaves to get European products like mirrors, cloth and rum?
@Unwina Toyaz, you could ask the same question on all the other races you think are superior to you. When you pick a small section of history and then make assumptions, you do yourself an injustice. The only reason you believe that Africa has never been civilised is because the Europeans told you so, but did they tell you the truth? Your job is to find out. Oh…by the way, Europeans were worse at this butch3ring game than the so called primitive Africans.It’s not difficult to find that out, at least this part is not hidden from you.
@FutureZed, Africa before colonialism had no clean piped water, flushing toilets, schools, wheeled transportation, factories or clinics and hospitals. Africans were throwing spears from a distance in battles which is nothing compared to a machine gun operated by one person.
’Another massive benefit was the introduction of modern medicine alongside basic education in hygiene, including boiling drinking water’
How brainwashed! How uneducated!!! So this “analyst“ thinks hygiene (and education) was brought to us by Europeans! Ask your dumb self, How did a massive settlement like Zimbabwe exist without residents going extinct if the residents had not known hygiene?
And…So the “analyst“ thinks Modern equals Western medicine !! What is Modern? Dr Rodwell Vongo please educate this African! The Chinese for example practice, in 2025, traditional medicine alongside Western medicine which one is modern? Africans of the modern era do practice traditional medicine. Dr Vongo And What do you think initiation camps were for? EDUCATION you d**** Know that, Education is not restricted to what the white man brought to brainwash you.
Wowzers ! that’s so true .
Let’s be honest guys. If it’s true we were just fine without modern Western medicine, then why don’t we close these hospitals down and go back to what we had before? Why do we consider it “development” every time we take a modern hospital to a village?
Ba Pinto any wise man knows that you don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater!
All progress comes out of cross pollination of traditions or culture
This is a very weird set of articles by this rather short-sighted researcher or writer… my opinion obviously.
Researcher?? Copying stuff from the internet and regurgitating it is not RESEARCH !
Give your counter-argument. Not just insulting. We will all learn by hearing your counter-argument, not your insults. Unless may be you have nothing else in your brain besides the insults?
@John D, Section 5 of the Public Order Act of the UK (a constitution so diligently aped from 1964) had the word “insult(ing)” removed. You must work harder than that to talk about insult. This short retort by @Kalok is in itself a very good argument.
Muzungu anikonde type of article. So sad that the author such tunnel vision.
The epidemic is that there are many who think like him. The challenge for African leaders is to unbrainwash their population via education
Seems a lot of people are against this piece. That is a good thing in my view. But would be nice to see points being attacked as opposed to ad hominen responses.
My curiosity here is on what people think about our continued membership of the commonwealth if we are so against this article? My personal view is that we should have left a long time ago.
Hopefully I can preampt the author if he wants to add it as a positive of colonial history.
People who generalise ad nauseam because they have nothing whatsoever to say baulesi. Everything has positive sides. Even despair. But does that mean you should just surf the net and spew articles about it
Rival African tribes that fought bloody wars for many decades were now forced to stop fighting. The Bisa vs Bemba. This is a Fake Hypothesis. Its not the coloniser who stopped tribal wars. For example, When colonisation occurred the Ngoni and Bemba had stopped their war.
Ba Chishala ndemona muli baLala: The Bisa vs Bemba,
The Bisa were not enemies of the Bemba. Nkolemfumu split from the Bemba royalty of Chitimukulu moving East to Mpika where he set up the Bisa
Imagine, the author doesn’t even know the history of his own country. Then makes broad pronouncements on the same
We should worry because this appears to be a generational thing. The author must be either a late 90’s or 2000 model. We need to go back to our roots for our country to prosper.
@Umubiza, the author says slavery became the main driver of those tribal conflicts and slavery was stopped by the colonialists. So obviously some tribes stopped fighting because the market for slaves was greatly diminished. Bembas did fight with local tribes when they came into Zambia and defeated them.
@Toyazz I dont know the point you are making. Bembas and other conquerring tribes including the Ndebele Ngoni Makololo s fought the tribes they found not for slaves but for settlement and expansion. The Bembas wars were mainly around the 14th century. The Ngoni and Makololo who were fleeing Mfecane wars were not looking for slaves but for settlement. When the Ngoni arrived in the early half of the 19th century the war against Bembas was about settlement (for the Ngoni) and the Bemba who had now settled were defending their land
@Umubiza, Bembas only came into Zambia in the 17th Century and not 14th. Bembas were slave traders just like the Ngoni, Lozi or Chikunda. Where do you think they were getting slaves from to sell to East Africa if not from tribal wars over a long time?
Sorry, Correction; the Bemba migration to Zambia was in the sixteen hundreds. Their migration from Cameroon to Kola or Angola-Congo is what must have been in the 14th Century. It must be the Lunda who came earlier. I forget who came to Zambia first the Lunda or the Bemba? Deja-Vu where are you? When did you invade our beautiful country?