Advertisement

Colonialism

Colonialism is the practice of one power dominating another area, country or people. It can be political, economic, social or cultural in nature. It is often achieved through violence and exploitation.

Skip next section All Content on this topic

All Content on this topic

EP3: The Dahomey Mutiny

EP3: The Dahomey Mutiny

The Dahomey Mutiny

In 1893, Dahomey men and women revolted against abuse by German colonial officers in Cameroon.

external

Queen of the Bees: Li'ti Kidanka

We meet Li'ti Kidanka one of Tanzania's most unusual and unsung heroines.

Simone Ngalula, Monique Bitu Bingi, Lea Tavares Mujinga, Noelle Verbeeken and Marie-Jose Loshi.

Simone Ngalula, Monique Bitu Bingi, Lea Tavares Mujinga, Noelle Verbeeken and Marie-Jose Loshi.

Belgium loses case over babies stolen in former colonies

A court has ruled that Brussels must pay reparations to women who were taken from their mothers and put in orpha

Nadja Ofuatey-Alazard, Director of the Dekoloniale project, speaks into a DW microphone

Nadja Ofuatey-Alazard, Director of the Dekoloniale project, speaks into a DW microphone

Activists reflect on Europe's colonial impact in Africa

"Colonialism has not entered the memory culture in Europe or in Germany," the Dekoloniale Festival director told DW.

Videostill | Sendung | 77 Percent | Explainer

Videostill | Sendung | 77 Percent | Explainer

The Berlin Conference that divided Africa

The 77 Percent explains how the Berlin Conference marked the beginning of Africa's colonization.

Videostill | Sendung | 77 Percent | Street Debate

Videostill | Sendung | 77 Percent | Street Debate

How do young Tanzanians interpret colonial history?

The 77 Percent is in Tanzania to talk to high school students about German colonial rule and how it still impacts them.

Videostill | Sendung | 77 Percent | Voxpops

Videostill | Sendung | 77 Percent | Voxpops

How does colonialism affect you today?

Youth on the streets Windhoek and Lagos talk about whether colonialism still matters.

The 77 Percent — The Magazine for Africa's Youth

This episode explores the impacts of colonialism in Africa – how it is taught and remembered by today's generation.

A black and white sketch of the Berlin Conference, white men sitting around tables

A black and white sketch of the Berlin Conference, white men sitting around tables

How the Berlin Conference spurred the colonization of Africa

On November 15, 1884, European imperialists began dividing up Africa in one of history's biggest land grabs.

DW Teaser Podcast | AfricaLink

DW Teaser Podcast | AfricaLink

How relevant is the Commonwealth for Africa?

We talk to Khalifa Ali Dikwa, Professor of Social Linguistics in Maiduguri, Nigeria, and DW correspondent Ben Shemang.

a close up of a sculpted brown face

a close up of a sculpted brown face

Should Germany return Nefertiti bust to Egypt?

An Egyptian archaeologist has demanded the repatriation of the iconic Queen Nefertiti bust from her Berlin exile.

Igiana Scego

Igiana Scego

Author Igiaba Scego explores Italy's colonial past in Africa

In her writing, Igiaba Scego tells of Italy's repressed colonial past.

DW AfricaLink

DW AfricaLink

Namibia's post-colonial relationship with Germany

Not every Namibian is happy with the €1.1 billion fund from Berlin.

DW AfricaLink

DW AfricaLink

Confronting colonial-era names in Africa

Josey Mahachi talks to Kwame Osei Kwarteng, DW's Frank Yiga, and Edith Kimani talks to a descendant of Songea Mbano.

In this film still from "Breakfast at Tiffany's," Audrey Hepburn wears dark sunglasses and a diamond necklace as she looks at diamonds in a store's window display.

In this film still from "Breakfast at Tiffany's," Audrey Hepburn wears dark sunglasses and a diamond necklace as she looks at diamonds in a store's window display.

A brief history of diamond desirability

They're the epitome of romance, glamour and status — but also have a dark side. A look at the many meanings of diamonds.

A bowl full of pearls.

A bowl full of pearls.

A cultural history of pearls

With the Abernethy expected to fetch a high sum at auction, we look back at the history of pearls.

A old postcard showing people posing next to a railway, around the photo is a handwritten note in Kurrent.

A old postcard showing people posing next to a railway, around the photo is a handwritten note in Kurrent.

AI meets colonialism: Germany develops new research tool

To untrained eyes, Germany's colonial era files are indecipherable. Now, artificial intelligence can help researchers.

Achivanjila, a queen who fought colonialism in Mozambique

Achivanjila, a queen who fought colonialism in Mozambique

Mozambique's queen Achivanjila who fought colonialism

Mozambicans celebrate the legacy of Achivanjila, Queen of Niassa, who fought against Portuguese colonialism.

Female police officers in full riot gear stand at attention

Female police officers in full riot gear stand at attention

India ditches colonial-era laws, but overhaul prompts fear

Legal experts fear India's new legal reform could pave the way to a "police state" under the guise of decolonization.

Portrait of Girley Jazama in front of a wall-sized photograph of the leaders of the struggle for independence from South Africa inside the Namibia Independence Museum.

Portrait of Girley Jazama in front of a wall-sized photograph of the leaders of the struggle for independence from South Africa inside the Namibia Independence Museum.

The woman bringing Namibia's colonial past to the big screen

Girley Jazama is a name that stands out in the world of cinema.

DW Sendung The 77 Percent | Is it time to promote African languages?

DW Sendung The 77 Percent | Is it time to promote African languages?

Street Debate: Is it time to promote African languages?

In Tanzania — the heartland of Swahili — we ask how we can promote local languages while staying ahead in the world.

DW Sendung The 77 Percent | Fatou Ellika Muloshi

DW Sendung The 77 Percent | Fatou Ellika Muloshi

Languages

This week, The 77 Percent is focusing on languages. Don't miss out on this linguistic journey!

Two Congolese artists work on a sculpture made of clay

Two Congolese artists work on a sculpture made of clay

Return of colonial-era statue to DRC funds forest revival

An art collective in DRC raises funds to restore forests by selling NFTs of a colonia-era sculpture.

View of a town in New Caledonia at night.

View of a town in New Caledonia at night.

Pacific Islands that are still colonized

Riots in Caledonia have brought the Islands and their quest for independence into the spotlight.

Looted artefacts returned by British and American museums are displayed at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, Ghana, May 1, 2024

Looted artefacts returned by British and American museums are displayed at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, Ghana, May 1, 2024

Why Europe still has not returned colonial-era loot

Is the United Kingdom's loaning of colonial-era loot back to Ghana enough?

Monument to Portugese colonial explorers

Monument to Portugese colonial explorers

Portugal says no plans to pay colonial reparations

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa had called for Lisbon to find ways to compensate its former colonies.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave to crowds from the Buckingham Palace

King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave to crowds from the Buckingham Palace

Is the Commonwealth still important to Africa?

Young Africans see few benefits to being part the international organization that grew out of the British Empire.

President of Chad's Transition Council Mahamat Idriss Deby looks on as he attends the 63rd Independence Day celebrations

President of Chad's Transition Council Mahamat Idriss Deby looks on as he attends the 63rd Independence Day celebrations

Chad: What to expect from the presidential election

Mahamat Idriss Deby, who has pursued stronger ties with France in recent years, is likely to win the vote on May 6.

The faces of two victims of Rwanda's 1994 genocide

The faces of two victims of Rwanda's 1994 genocide

Colonial roots of the genocide in Rwanda

In April 1994, the parents of two-year-old Samuel Ishimwe were murdered in Rwanda.

Director Samuel Ishimwe is seen from the back as he interviews his aunt in a schoolroom. Cameraman Robert Richter is standing to his right, and Sam's uncle is seated across from Sam.

Director Samuel Ishimwe is seen from the back as he interviews his aunt in a schoolroom. Cameraman Robert Richter is standing to his right, and Sam's uncle is seated across from Sam.

Rwanda: From colonialism to genocide

A DW documentary traces the arc from German colonial rule to the genocide in Rwanda.

A sign on a beach demarcates a "Whites only" area in South Africa during the 1970s

A sign on a beach demarcates a "Whites only" area in South Africa during the 1970s

Scientific racism's roots in colonization

Anthropologists used Germany's colonial conquest in Africa to promulgate racist theory, and create racial hierarchies.

German troops prepare for war in this archive photograph

German troops prepare for war in this archive photograph

When colonial Germany committed genocide in Namibia

Between 1904 and 1908, German colonial authorities committed genocide of Ovaherero and Nama people in Namibia.

A woman walks past an armed policeman

A woman walks past an armed policeman

France's historical responsibility for Haiti

Violence by armed groups continues in Haiti. The country's issues can be traced back to its years as a French colony.

German officers recruit Togolese men in traditional dress into the army

German officers recruit Togolese men in traditional dress into the army

Togoland: Germany's first and smallest African colony

Togo was promoted as "a model colony." But it was a self-serving myth for German colonial administrators.

Men stand around canoes during Robert Koch's Africa expedition in in 1906

Men stand around canoes during Robert Koch's Africa expedition in in 1906

How distrust in Western vaccines was born during colonialism

Many unsafe vaccinations were tested on African subjects without their knowledge or consent during the colonial era.

Cheryl McIntosh stands in front of a collage

Cheryl McIntosh stands in front of a collage

Germany's colonial era: Battling oblivion with art

Street names, monuments and graves of colonial rulers: the colonial era left its mark on Germany.

DW Sendung The 77 Percent

DW Sendung The 77 Percent

Street Debate: Does German colonialism affect the present?

What did Germany’s brutal colonial rule in leave behind. We ask Tanzanian youths and direct descendants of those harmed.

A man looks at his granddaughter sititng down

A man looks at his granddaughter sititng down

Kashmir: Choosing to live in a leper colony

One man chose to stay on at this British colonial-era leper colony for decades after recovering.

Skulls from the anthropological collection of Rudolf Virchow. Right and left are Microcephalic skulls, in the center a normal-sized skull.

Skulls from the anthropological collection of Rudolf Virchow. Right and left are Microcephalic skulls, in the center a normal-sized skull.

How Germany is handling human remains in museum collections

German museums and universities still hold thousands of colonial-era human remains. Can their origins still be traced?

external

Why Togo was not a German "model colony"

We explore how people in German Togoland suffered punitive expeditions and subjugation to benefit German imperialism.

Racism in early color photography

For a long time, photographer Robert Lohmeyer shaped the European view of Africa.

Shadows of German Colonialism EP 6 | Dibobe

Shadows of German Colonialism EP 6 | Dibobe

How Quane Martin Dibobe challenged German colonialism

Cameroon-born Quane Martin Dibobe became a pioneering human rights activist and anti-colonialist.

Shadows of German Colonialism EP 08

Shadows of German Colonialism EP 08

The traumatic legacy of colonial era vaccination programs

Colonial doctors tested unproven serums on Africans, leaving a legacy of trauma that has never been properly cured.

Aerial photo of Victoria Falls

Aerial photo of Victoria Falls

Why some African countries have strange shapes

Mosts of Africa's borders today were drawn up in Berlin in the late 19th century – and the consequences are drastic.

external

Why does Namibia have a panhandle?

African borders drawn up in Berlin in late 19th century are still intact today – and have had very drastic consequences.

Shadows of German Colonialism / EP2

Shadows of German Colonialism / EP2

Unimaginable brutality of German conquest in East Africa

German conquest in East Africa spurred courageous resistance from many local groups, despite being outgunned.

Shadows of German Colonialism / EP9c

Shadows of German Colonialism / EP9c

Unsettling continuities – from colonial racism to Nazism

Respected German anthropologists divided people by race, a new branch of science that put Europeans at the top.

Mati Diop holding the Golden Bear for Best Film.

Mati Diop holding the Golden Bear for Best Film.

Berlinale: Film on looted colonial-era art wins Golden Bear

Mati Diop's documentary "Dahomey," on the restitution of 26 colonial works to Benin, won the film festival's top award.

DW "Global Us" Sendungslogo Composite

DW "Global Us" Sendungslogo Composite

New home, new identity, new life

Climate refugees in Bangladesh, repatriation of Benin bronzes to Nigeria, turtle rescue in the USA.

An animated impression of a German medical scientist carrying medicinal products followed by an assistant as native African sit by.

An animated impression of a German medical scientist carrying medicinal products followed by an assistant as native African sit by.

How colonialism birthed distrust in Western vaccines

Many unsafe vaccinations were tested on African subjects without their knowledge or consent during the colonial era.