Ethnic groups
According to the slide what does the word diverse mean?
A great deal of variety
What happened to state boundaries in West Africa after independence was achieved?
State boundaries remained unchanged.
Why did African colonies become ethnically diverse during the period of European colonialism?
Because Europe created "arbitrary borders" that forced different ethnic groups to live together within the same colony.
Based on the section regarding "National unity," what often takes priority over modern national citizenship for people in this region?
Shared ethnic identity often "trumps" or takes precedence over national citizenship.
Using the map and the text, explain how the "arbitrary borders" mentioned under Colonialism might impact the various language families (like Afro-Asiatic or Niger-Congo) shown on the map today.
The borders were drawn without regard for ethnic or linguistic lines. Consequently, as shown on the map, single language families are split across multiple modern countries, which contributes to the struggle between ethnic identity and national unity.