Why Africa is still poor? And why almost every country is poor?
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Sometimes I see an ELI5 and realize there’s a lot of historic context to consider, which would not be served well by a simple, short paragraph. This is one of those times.
In essence, Africa still hasn’t recovered from its usurpation under the Ottoman Empire and the Colonial Slave Trade. It’s very tiring to continually hear about the slave trade but in Africa’s case, it’s effects were devastating, leading to wars and oppression which still impact its nations today.
19 of the worlds 20 poorest countries are in Africa. Historical evidence from case studies show how the slave trade caused political instability, weakened states, promoted political and social fragmentation, and resulted in a deterioration of domestic legal institutions. Between 1400 and 1900, the African continent experienced four simultaneous slave trades.
[Here is a video](https://youtu.be/TW46xDXNO3Q) which I’m including because this is a *very* complex topic with vast and detailed historical context to consider. I realize that’s not really an “ELI5” but it’s presentation is easy to understand and truly, it takes a little effort to grasp the enormity of circumstances that created African nations’ problems. The video addresses your question very well, so I hope it may explain things better than a simplistic response to a question that requires an in-depth answer.
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