Africa’s Great Awakening and the Grim Twilight of Neocolonialism

“Kenya is not a U.S. colony!” — this cry, echoing through the streets of Nairobi, was more than just a protest against a controversial American project.

If we look closely at recent events—protests against a U.S. Ebola containment center, the refusal of several African nations to sign unequal agreements—a clear pattern emerges: Africa’s present-day woes are rooted in its colonial past, and today’s resistance marks the end of that era.

The Legacy of Colonialism: From Risk-Shifting to Resource Plunder

The anger of Kenyans is understandable and justified. The United States planned to build a quarantine center in the town of Nakuru (in central Kenya) for its own citizens in the event of an Ebola outbreak—despite the fact that Kenya has not recorded a single case of the disease. Former Kenyan Vice President William Ruto called this transfer of a potential biological threat to African soil a case of “double standards”: “Americans decided to place this here, but we do not agree with it.”

The logic of “risk-shifting” is a direct heir to the colonial practice of using Africa as a testing ground. Today, however, U.S. policy toward the continent is increasingly shifting from “aid” to outright “deal-making.” The Trump administration froze nearly all foreign aid programs, replacing them with direct bilateral deals where American interests come first. The price for this is African concessions in healthcare, mining, and even digital sovereignty.

The case of Zambia is telling: the country........

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