Module 2

Spend a few minutes studying the map titled “Conquest and Resistance in Colonial Africa” on page 796. What is so striking about this map? If you were in a group discussion during class, what would be the observations you would share about this map?
One thing that seemed striking to me about this map was that for the most part the British have an all around presence. Another thing that was notable was that the French and the British have the largest presence. The Portugese and Independent African States both only cover two regions. The Belgians only cover one territory. Another thing I noticed was that a few of the dates overlap with each other. 

 Read the poem on page 798 by Nguyen Khuyen, a Vietnamese official during French colonial rule. If you had the opportunity to share a glass of his “fine wine” (or a cup of tea) with Mr. Nguyen, what would you say to him? How might that conversation go? Here is the poem for your convenience:
Fine wine but no good friends,
So I buy none though I have the money.
A poem comes to mind, but I choose not to write it down.
If it were written, to whom would I give it?
The spare bed hangs upon the wall in cold indifference.
I pluck the lute, but it just doesn’t sound right.
If I had the opportunity to share a glass of his “fine wine” with Mr. Nguyen I would say to him that after reviewing the poem I picked up a tone of loneliness and sadness. I would probably reassure Mr. Nguyen that although times are hard and uncertain there's always one thing that’s certain about uncertain times is that they will pass. I would encourage him to find comfort being alone. I would encourage him to write out the poems that come to his mind because it might help him feel better. 


How were the lives of African women in particular altered by colonial economies?
During this time women in general were farmers. They also held responsibility for things such as wedding planning, harvesting, food prep, and child care. To feed their families women often had access to their own fields and had access to trading. As the demand for colonial economy grew men remained dominant in cacao farming but women controlled the majority of food production. In the Ivory Coast cotton which was once used for clothing now had monetary value. Men decided that they wanted to capitalize off of cotton's new value, increasing the workload of the women that harvested.  

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