, GGH2601 ASSIGNMENT 1 SEMESTER 2 2025
DUE DATE: 18 AUGUST 2025
1. Discuss how diversity on the African continent can be viewed as fueling
conflict
Introduction
Africa is widely recognized as the most culturally, linguistically, and ethnically
diverse continent in the world. It is home to over 1.4 billion people, spread
across 54 countries, and encompassing more than 3,000 ethnic groups and
over 2,000 languages (Ndlovu-Gatsheni, 2013). This diversity, while a potential
strength, has historically been associated with numerous challenges,
particularly in terms of governance, social cohesion, and national unity. The
continent’s diversity is multidimensional, encompassing ethnicity, religion,
language, cultural practices, and political ideologies. While these differences
should ideally foster tolerance and mutual respect, the opposite is often
observed in Africa, where diversity has, in many instances, served as a catalyst
for violent conflict.
This reality can be attributed to a range of structural and historical factors,
such as colonial legacies, artificial borders, and the politicization of identity.
The arbitrary boundaries drawn during the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885
ignored pre-existing ethnic and cultural territories, creating fragile multi-ethnic
states where inter-group competition became inevitable (Englebert, 2009).
Consequently, instead of functioning as inclusive nation-states, many African
countries have been plagued by ethno-religious rivalries, resource-based
, conflicts, and politically engineered divisions. This essay provides a
comprehensive analysis of how diversity in Africa fuels conflict, focusing on
ethnic fragmentation, religious pluralism, linguistic and cultural divides,
resource competition, and political manipulation, while situating these within
the broader historical context of colonialism.
Ethnic Diversity as a Catalyst for Conflict
Ethnic diversity is arguably the most prominent form of diversity associated
with conflict in Africa. The continent’s ethnic mosaic was largely ignored during
colonial demarcation of boundaries, leading to the creation of “artificial
nations” where diverse and often rival ethnic groups were grouped together
under a single state structure (Herbst, 2000). In the post-independence era,
rather than forming inclusive national identities, many African states
experienced deepening ethnic loyalties, where allegiance to an ethnic group
often superseded national unity. This has had profound implications for
governance, development, and security.
Numerous conflicts across Africa can be traced to ethnic divisions
compounded by competition for political power and resources. For instance,
the Rwandan genocide of 1994 remains one of the most tragic consequences
of ethnic antagonism. Rooted in historical tensions between the Hutu majority
and the Tutsi minority, which were exacerbated by colonial policies that
privileged Tutsis in governance and education, these tensions escalated into a
genocide that claimed nearly 800,000 lives within 100 days (Mamdani, 2001).
Similarly, Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, is home to over 250 ethnic
groups, with the Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo being the largest. The
Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970), also known as the Biafran War, was primarily
DUE DATE: 18 AUGUST 2025
1. Discuss how diversity on the African continent can be viewed as fueling
conflict
Introduction
Africa is widely recognized as the most culturally, linguistically, and ethnically
diverse continent in the world. It is home to over 1.4 billion people, spread
across 54 countries, and encompassing more than 3,000 ethnic groups and
over 2,000 languages (Ndlovu-Gatsheni, 2013). This diversity, while a potential
strength, has historically been associated with numerous challenges,
particularly in terms of governance, social cohesion, and national unity. The
continent’s diversity is multidimensional, encompassing ethnicity, religion,
language, cultural practices, and political ideologies. While these differences
should ideally foster tolerance and mutual respect, the opposite is often
observed in Africa, where diversity has, in many instances, served as a catalyst
for violent conflict.
This reality can be attributed to a range of structural and historical factors,
such as colonial legacies, artificial borders, and the politicization of identity.
The arbitrary boundaries drawn during the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885
ignored pre-existing ethnic and cultural territories, creating fragile multi-ethnic
states where inter-group competition became inevitable (Englebert, 2009).
Consequently, instead of functioning as inclusive nation-states, many African
countries have been plagued by ethno-religious rivalries, resource-based
, conflicts, and politically engineered divisions. This essay provides a
comprehensive analysis of how diversity in Africa fuels conflict, focusing on
ethnic fragmentation, religious pluralism, linguistic and cultural divides,
resource competition, and political manipulation, while situating these within
the broader historical context of colonialism.
Ethnic Diversity as a Catalyst for Conflict
Ethnic diversity is arguably the most prominent form of diversity associated
with conflict in Africa. The continent’s ethnic mosaic was largely ignored during
colonial demarcation of boundaries, leading to the creation of “artificial
nations” where diverse and often rival ethnic groups were grouped together
under a single state structure (Herbst, 2000). In the post-independence era,
rather than forming inclusive national identities, many African states
experienced deepening ethnic loyalties, where allegiance to an ethnic group
often superseded national unity. This has had profound implications for
governance, development, and security.
Numerous conflicts across Africa can be traced to ethnic divisions
compounded by competition for political power and resources. For instance,
the Rwandan genocide of 1994 remains one of the most tragic consequences
of ethnic antagonism. Rooted in historical tensions between the Hutu majority
and the Tutsi minority, which were exacerbated by colonial policies that
privileged Tutsis in governance and education, these tensions escalated into a
genocide that claimed nearly 800,000 lives within 100 days (Mamdani, 2001).
Similarly, Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, is home to over 250 ethnic
groups, with the Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo being the largest. The
Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970), also known as the Biafran War, was primarily
