The African Independence Movement: A Call for Self-Rule,What factors prompted the independent movement that swept across Africa from the late 1950s through the decade of the 1960s

The African Independence Movement: A Call for Self-Rule

The African independence movement of the late 1950s and 1960s was a period of immense political and social upheaval across the continent. The movement was driven by various factors, including a growing sense of nationalism, a desire to end colonial rule, the emergence of strong African leaders, and the example of successful independence movements in other parts of the world (Nkrumah, 2019). These factors combined to create a widespread call for African self-rule.
The movement was furthered by the emergence of strong African leaders. People such as Kwame Nkrumah, Patrice Lumumba, and Nelson Mandela emerged as significant figures in the calls for independence. As these leaders pushed for independence, their vision of self-rule resonated with the people of their respective countries. Nkrumah famously argued for African unity, stating that “freedom is not something that one people can bestow on another as a gift.” The example of successful independence movements around the world also served as an inspiration to Africans (Mazrui, 2018). India, Algeria, and other countries had achieved independence in recent decades, showing that it was possible. African leaders looked to these cases to inform their own liberation struggles. These inspiring examples of successful independence campaigns combined with the growing sense of African nationalism to create a continent-wide push for self-rule. Cont…