Why is Africa Struggling in the 21st Century?

I am doing a research paper for my History class and I want to know why is Africa behind in the 21st century in terms of technology, medicine, economy, and few others. Is it because of the environment, the government, their skin color, what is it? And I have a specific time frame- before the 1500s because that's what my teacher wants me to focus on as I am taking the first part of History- 1500 and earlier and he wants me to disover what happened to Africa during that time period.

I know Africa is struggling with the AIDS epidemic and I want to know why- but I don't want to soley focus on that. I want to know why there are poverty, why is the government not doing anything about it?

And with that, I would like information on where I can find more information about that. I already have one book- "Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Jared Diamond and I have found some insightful information on why Africa is where they are today.

Your help/input would be greatly apperciated!

What happened in the around 1500 does not have a darn thing to do with Africa today. There are places on this planet that was a pile of rocks and dirt as little as 100 years ago that are now thriving.
Hong Kong for example, which owes it success to colonization.

If you want a different viewpoint of what is going on in Africa today, here is a good interview with a Kenyan economist.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/spie...
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The person being interviewed is one of those who has benefitted from the state of affairs.Sacrifice those poor people who have no jobs,no homes so that the able can find something to do.even the western countries assist there poor or those unable.africas problems is the mentality Report It

If you cannot understand that you should go there and become a Rhodes Scholar.

The Slave trade completey devastated most major African economies. Then racism comes into play......Africans were kept from gaining any social status. Plus with the slave trade, the African economy became increasingly dependent on imports, making few other exports than slaves. Most slaves were able men leaving lesser abled people. Years of this leaves us with extreme poverty.
Plus!!!! outdated farming techniques totally exhausted the land leaving future generations to struggle.

I'm not entirely sure when the portuguese first came over

I know nothing about Africa in the 1500's so good luck. My feeling of the reason Africa is in such bad shape now is that the government in many of the countries is corrupt. There has been a lot of press lately about how the top officials take all the money the countries earn in jewels, agriculture, metals, etc. and keep it for themselves.

There are many reasons for the poverty and lack of economic development in Africa. Structural problems include African economies that are externally dependent as a result of European colonialism, are primarily rural, and are lacking in capital and technical know-how to increase productivity and produce a variety of export goods. Dissatisfactory political and economical relationships with other non African nations, also unfavorable exchange rates and trade policies.
Colonization
鈥eizure of their land deprived many Africans of their means to self-sufficiency and their ability to control their own destinies.
鈥aintaining a viable number of manual laborers was a dual program of low wages and heavy taxation.
鈥he creation of single product economies.

Slave Trade

The slave trade had a negative effect on sub-Saharan economic development primarily because it caused a mass reduction in the native populations.

In addition to being:
鈥njust
鈥nhumane
鈥mmoral

In order to develop economically, a nation, region, or even village must make maximum use of both its labor and its natural resources. The slave trade prevented this from happening because it deprived the local African communities of their strongest and healthiest members. Population growth is also essential for economic development in that it generates a larger labor pool, bigger markets, and the necessary social pressure that leads to further advancement. The slave trade deprived local African economies of a primary means to grow and prosper, further exacerbating the problem. The effect that the slave trade had on the development of African economies is profound.

africa is still suffering from technology shock .most african countries got independence in the 50s or 60s,by that time some countries had already sent guys to the moon.at this time all kinds of foreign gadjets and technology was introduced to africa, and africans were made to believe that you need these things to survive. that is why you find such a big poverty rate in africa because many people cannot afford all this crap. also many african countries were rulled by corrupt people,but many are becoming more and more free societies,not necessarily democrasioes (eg egypt).also,developed countried are pushing most african countries to have free markets,but that would be a bad idea in africa because local industries would be destroyed when such big companies as walmart and GM set base there and take over,it would be the second colonization of africa,but this time the west would be using money instead of guns.most western countries give aid to africa, but many give it as loans that earn interest and are supposed to be paid back.some countries cannot afford to pay back so they drown in debt.in the 1500s, africa was still an unexplored continent, nothing much was happening at the time there.most of africa is comming out of poverty though, but not the way most people think.if you can afford a place to live,food,education,and some luxuries,then you are ok,and most of africa is heading that way at this point.

The World Bank is helping to keep Africa in poverty. They lend capital, which is mostly squandered or stolen, in exchange for unsustainable repayment plans or corporate takeover of resources. Even in countries with oil or other resources, people have no clean water, healthcare, electricity, education, etc. because all of the income from their resources is going to pay off their debt to the World Bank.

"Guns, Germs, and Steel" was a terrific book, and it's a great place to start.

After reading that, and forming your opinions on it, I think I'd go to the Amazon site and read reviews of the book written by other people who have read it. People who are interested in the topic have probably read other books related to it, and probably mention some of those other books in their reviews.