Europe’s Representation of Africa and Africans, African- Americans and Asians in Its Imperialistic Explorations and Colonization as It Appears in Literary Texts

Abstract

In order to justify their annexation and subsequent subjugation and colonisation of Africa, the America and Asia, European imperalist nations had to depict Africa in a way that supported their missions. First, Africa had to be portaryed as a savage continent that needed the benevolence of the white man in order to attain civilisation. Second, Africa and the Americas had to be depicted as virgin lands that could provide all the raw materials that modern Europe needed for its indsutrial take-off. Third, one of the characteristics that was used in that project was that of the African man in genral and the "black" man in particular as a dangerous beast that is always in hot pursuit of the white woman's virginity. As a consequnence, the black man in Africa and in America had to be kept under constant check. This paper examines the problem whihc is represented by the fallacies put forth by Europe or the gap between the apologia and the reality in modern Europe's subjugation of the territories that it needed to posses for its own survival. The paper castigates the injustice and cruelty behind European colonisation and it also stresses the negative impact of such representations on today's post colonial citizens. Library research is the main approach. The main literary materials used are the racist and anti-racist texts and movies on Africa. Emphasis is laid on ideology and characterisation. Post colonial and Marxist Literary and Cultural theory and disaporan theory inform the research.