The New Scramble for Africa

Fifty years after colonial battles were fought and independence won, Africans are still chafing under postcolonial regimes led by former liberation warriors transformed into power-hungry, super-rich, authoritarian autocrats. Socialist rhetoric has been replaced with talk of capitalist investment, while multinationals of the west are vying for place against the emerging development interests of China and other Asian countries.
Newly discovered oil fields, fertile lands, diamonds, rare minerals and export crops are being sold off to the most cooperative bidders. While African billionaires are created overnight, the gap between the rich and the poor widens tremendously. Is this colonialism in a new dress? How does this new accumulation of enormous wealth in a few hands compare to the pre-independence period – and what are the strategies of progressive Africans to retake control of their countries?