Central Africa Basics
What major river is the “lifeline” of Central Africa?
A: The Congo River
What country did King Leopold II control?
A: The Congo (Congo Free State).
What did Europeans want from African colonies?
A: Land, resources, and power.
Who helped end apartheid and became president of South Africa?
A: Nelson Mandela.
Name one traditional dance in Southern Africa.
A: Gule wa mkulu, Vimbuza, or Benji dance.
Who were the people whose migrations spread farming, iron tools, and language?
A: The Bantu.
What was the main resource Leopold wanted from Congo?
A: Rubber (also ivory).
What is the name of the system where borders were drawn randomly, mixing rival ethnic groups?
A: Artificial boundaries.
Name one natural resource that made Southern Africa economically important.
A: Diamonds or gold
What makes Central African cultures rich and unique?
A: Music, storytelling, masks, and community traditions
What did the Bantu migrations spread across Africa?
A: Language, farming, and technology.
Name one method used by Leopold’s men to force people to work.
A: Beatings, cutting hands, hostage-taking, threats.
How did colonialism weaken African societies?
A: Took land, destroyed leadership, divided tribes, forced labor.
What was the system of racial separation in South Africa?
A: Apartheid.
What ancient kingdom is known for huge stone walls and gold trade?
A: Great Zimbabwe.
Which African region suffered severe famine due to drought and war?
A: The Horn of Africa (Somalia).
What was one effect of Leopold’s rule on the Congolese population?
A: Millions died (population fell by 50%)
What long-term problem is still caused by colonial borders today?
A: Civil wars and ethnic conflict.
Who fought in the Boer War?
A: The British and the Dutch Boers.
What is Fang art known for?
A: Masks and carved ancestor boxes.
What natural resource is abundant in the Democratic Republic of the Congo but still doesn’t make the country rich?
A: Minerals (gold, diamonds, copper).
What was the global impact of exposure of Leopold’s crimes?
A: Congo was taken away from Leopold and placed under Belgian rule.
What meeting in 1884–1885 divided Africa without Africans present?
A: The Berlin Conference.
Why is poverty still high in Southern Africa even with diamonds and gold?
A: Wealth is not shared; profits go to only a few.
What modern artist was inspired by Fang masks?
A: Pablo Picasso