Guyanese historian Walter Rodney’s book, ‘How Europe Underdeveloped Africa’ (1972) examines the wealth disparity between the West and much of the world, highlighting how the former has extensively exploited the latter. This illuminating work sheds light on the impact of European colonialism in Africa, the effects of which can be seen today in corrupt African governments aligned with the West. Meanwhile, the masses lack adequate infrastructure, jobs, and access to food, medicines and fuel.
In this clip from a recent video, content creator @_rathbone (X) shared his insights while reading the book. Rodney (1942-80) argued that as long as those who once exploited and oppressed African nations continue to hold economic power in these countries, Africa’s wealth will keep flowing outwards. Rathbone concluded that while countries like the US often complain about immigrants taking their resources and labour, they frequently overlook that colonialism did the same.
Video credit: @_rathbone (X)