Write a 800-1,000 word essay on the struggle for independence in African countries
Write a 800-1,000 word essay on the struggle for independence in African countries.
The A-Level Assignment: Gender and the Independence Struggle
Many histories of independence movements in Africa focus on the actions of powerful men,
particularly political leaders. Your assignment is to use the assigned articles by Elizabeth
Schmidt, Chambi Chachage and Jacqueline Mgumia, and Jean Allman to comment on the role of
women and gender in shaping the struggle for independence – as well as to analyze how the
dynamics of gender changed, or did not change, after independence had been achieved.
Here are some questions to help you think about the topic:
1) According to Chacage and Mgumia and Schmidt, what ideals motivated both Bibi Titi
Mohamed and the women who joined the RDA in Guinea? In what ways did their status
as women influence their objectives, and their tactics, within the independence struggle?
Note: if you don’t need an A, you can write this paper using either reading.
2) Chacage and Mgumia and Allman both analyze how and why Bibi Titi Mohamed and
Hannah Kudjoe were politically marginalized after independence had been achieved.
What reasons do they cite for their failure to achieve meaningful power after
independence? In what ways did postcolonial governments in Tanzania and Ghana limit
the political autonomy of women? Note: if you don’t need an A, you can write this
paper using either reading.
3) Tom Mboya and Kwame Nkrumah are two of the most famous politicians of the
independence era. In what ways did their rhetoric about independence, as seen in
“Tensions in African Development” and “Africa for Africans,” match the reality of
changes to women’s lives in Ghana and Tanzania after independence, as seen in the
articles by Chacage and Mgumia and Allman?
4) Schmidt and Allman both the ways that women have been overlooked, ignored, or
forgotten in histories of liberation-era politics. What different reasons do they offer to
explain why so few people have studied women’s role in the independence struggle in
African countries? How do they try to counteract the enduring focus on men? Note: if
you don’t need an A, you can write this paper using either reading.
5) Chacage and Mgumia and Schmidt are both seeking to study the history of women’s roles
in the struggle for independence, but they adopt different methods to do so so. Chacage
and Mgumia focus on one important leader, Bibi Titi Mohamed. Schmidt instead focuses
on ordinary women within the broader independence movement. Write an essay that
analyzes the possibilities and limitations of these different approaches. How do these
approaches allow us to better understand the history of women within nationalist
movements? What are they able to do, and what are they unable to do?
As with previous essays, these prompts are here to help you, not to limit you. If you want to use
the readings to discuss a different topic, or make a different argument, you are free to do so. You
should probably ask me first, since not every topic makes a good essay, but these questions are
not the only possibilities for writing a paper. There are (hopefully) a lot of different thematic
connections between these articles, so you can pursue other topics that interest you.
The Other B-Level Assignment: Dreams of Independence
If you want to do less reading for this assignment, you can write an essay on the pieces by
Nkrumah, Lumumba, and Mboya. How did they frame their aspirations for independence? What
types of societies did they want to construct? What did they want independence to accomplish?
What aspects of the colonial past did they worry might hinder or complicate their attempts at
building independent nations? Last, how does Ake’s article evaluate the failures of
independence-era governments in realizing their aspirations?
The Details:
Just like with the previous essays, you are not required or expected to use outside sources. You
can use outside sources if you’d like, but if you do use outside sources, then you must cite them
properly or risk getting a zero on the assignment for plagiarism.
As with the previous essays, there is no word limit. Write however much you want to write. At
the same time, you should not write filler, because filler is boring, and we both have better things
to do with our time.
As with the previous essay, try to do your best to perfect your writing. If you need help, please
do not hesitate to contact me; I will be happy to provide you with feedback.
The Rubric (is the same as the previous papers, but in case you need to see it again)
An A-range paper is clearly written and well-organized. It demonstrates that the writer has
conducted a close and critical reading of all of the assigned texts, grappled with the issues raised
in the course, and formulated a perceptive, compelling work of analysis.
A B-range paper demonstrates many aspects of A-level work but falls short in one of several
ways. The writing may lack organization and clarity, or the essay may have shortcomings in the
formulation and presentation of its argument. It may be well-written, but be lacking in analysis
and interpretation. Alternatively, it may not present its insights clearly or convincingly, due to
weaknesses in writing, argument, organization, or use of evidence. Lastly, it may be a well written and well-argued essay that does not effectively use all of the available sources in
formulating and supporting its argument.
A C-range paper offers little more than a mere summary, does not respond to the assignment
adequately, suffers from frequent factual errors, unclear writing, poor organization, inadequate
research, or presents some combination of these problems.
A D paper demonstrates serious deficiencies or severe flaws in the essay, reflecting that the
student does not understand the material, or did not respond to the assignment.
An F paper demonstrates no competence. It indicates a student’s near-total neglect or lack of
effort in writing the essay.
Please use only the readings I left in the files for sources or my professor will take points off.
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