Respond to one of the following two essay prompts. Your essa…
Respond to one of the following two essay prompts. Your essay (approximately five to seven paragraphs) should draw on specific examples to demonstrate your mastery of course readings and lecture materials. This section is worth 25 points. I recommend that you spend approximately 1 hour on this section. Essay Prompts Ade Ajayi, a Nigerian historian, famously referred to the colonial era as a mere “episode” in the long sweep of African history. Other historians have used the term “a colonial parenthesis” to describe this period. In thinking about these terms, explain whether decolonization constituted a rupture between the colonial and postcolonial eras. Was national independence a significant shift in African history? Or was postcolonial life largely continuous with colonial modes of social and political organization? Depending on your argument, your response may address some of the following questions: How did new African nations differ from their colonial predecessors? How did the first generation of African presidents seek to define and develop their politics, economies, and societies? On the flip side, what legacies did the newly independent states inherit from the colonial period? How have these legacies influenced the course of postcolonial African history? Use two examples from this course to make your case for how we should understand the significance of decolonization in African history. Your response must reference at least two course readings. Imagine you are writing a Netflix series concerning an important period or event in African history. Write a pitch for the show and describe its first three episodes. The first two paragraphs should introduce the topic and make a case for (1) why it’s an important event or period in African history; and (2) why US audiences should be interested in it. The following paragraphs should describe each of the first three episodes of the series. As you design the series, consider your show’s setting, characters, and key themes. Your response must reference at least one course. Note: You may not pitch the story of Njinga, who already features in a Netflix series 🙂