Most African nations remain entrenched in the cultural, legal and other practices of their former British, French or Portuguese colonizers, a generation or more after achieving independence, according to Joan Mulondo, program coordinator of the Institute for African Development at Cornell.

“A Kenyan student often will know more about British history than African history,” she said. “Kenya sends its best-educated students on to continue study in London, and when they return to Kenya, they are even more entrenched in the British culture.”

What are the implications of such enduring Anglophone, as well as Francophone and Lusophone, influences for development in modern Africa? Scholars from Cornell and elsewhere will ponder that weighty question in a semester-long seminar, “Africa and the Colonial Legacy: Implications for Development.” All sessions are open to the public and will be held on Thursdays from 12:20 to 2 p.m. in Room 153 of Uris Hall on the Cornell campus.

The seminar begins Aug. 29, with an overview presented by David Lewis, director of the Institute for African Development. The series continues in September, with sessions on issues relating to Francophone Africa; in October, with sessions on Anglophone Africa; and in November and early December on Lusophone Africa.

“It’s been  a whole generation now since most of the countries in Africa obtained independence, and there is a lot of discussion on the extent to which the legacy of the colonial period clouds the future of these countries,” Lewis said. Some aspects of colonization have had positive impacts on development, he said  – “there was a lot of infrastructure built, a lot of important institutions created” – but other institutions created were inappropriate to the African context.

“Often, the colonial legacy gets treated as a very flat dimension, as entirely negative; but that is overly simplistic,” he said. "Colonization is very complex, and the intention of these seminars is not to push a particular point of view, but to explore diverse viewpoints, providing a forum for discussion.”

According to Don Ohadike, associate professor of African history at Cornell who will discuss the Portuguese in Africa, the sessions on Lusophone Africa are highly unusual.

“I haven’t come across anyone at Cornell from the three main Lusophone African countries — Guinea-Bissau, Angola and Mozambique,” he said. He noted that while Portuguese colonizers entered Africa before those from Britain and France, the Lusophone African colonies, five in all, were among the last to achieve independence.

The dates, speakers and titles of each presentation appear below; all presenters are affiliated with Cornell unless indicated otherwise.

General Overview:

• 8/29 - David Lewis, Institute for African Development

Francophone Africa:

• 9/5 - N’Dri Assie-Lumumba, Africana Studies, “The French in Africa: A Historical Overview”
• 9/12 - Mohamed Toure, graduate student in education; Jean Kouadio, graduate student  in international development; and Jarra Jagne, Veterinary College: “Education and the Colonial Legacy in Francophone Africa”
• 9/19 - Francis Terry McNamara, senior fellow at the Association for Diplomatic Studies in Washington, D.C.: “Post-Colonial Francophone Africa”
• 9/26 - Jonathan Ngate, Romance Studies, “African Development: A Contradiction in Terms?”

Anglophone Africa:

• 10/3 Omari Kokole, Binghamton University, “The British in Africa: A Historical Overview”
• 10/10 Muna Ndulo, Law School, “Constitution Making in Africa: Post-Independence Arrangements”
• 10/17 Abdul Nanji, Africana Studies, “Language and Culture: Implications for Development”
• 10/24 Kwbena Sabby, graduate student in real estate, “African Government and the Colonial Legacy”
• 10/31 Ndunge Kiiti, graduate student in communication; Khandikile Sokoni, grad in Law School: “Women, AIDS and the Law in Africa”

Lusophone Africa:

• 11/7 Dan Ohadike, Africana Studies, “The Portuguese in Africa: A Historical Overview”
• 11/14Steven Kyle, agricultural economics, “A Comparative Economic Analysis of Mozambique and Angola”
• 11/21Assis Malaquias, St. Lawrence University, “Angola’s Struggle for Peace and Democracy”
• 12/5 Michele Del Buono, Institute for African Development, “Africa in the Global Economy”

For more information about the seminar, contact Joan Mulondo at (607) 255-6849.