ADDIS ABABA: China’a growing influence in Africa in recent years, initially welcomed with enthusiasm, has started to cause concern, with some experts speaking of the risk of neo-colonialism Chinese style.

“Africa must not jump blindly from one type of neo-colonialism into Chinese-style neo-colonialism,” cautioned Rene N’Guetta Kouassi, the head of the African Union’s economic affairs department.

This attitude contrasts sharply with the enthusiasm that prevailed before the 2000 China-Africa summit in Beijing when many African leaders saw Chinese aid, which unlike aid from most other countries, was not conditional on democratic reforms as a way of diversifying their sources of financing.

“Today it’s China but tomorrow it will be India or Brazil, who also have their sights set on Africa,”

After the invasion of European countries into the African continent during the African Partition, life as the natives knew it was over. Not only did they have to deal with the changes that the Europeans enforced on them, but they then had to deal with the aftermath after the European countries pulled out when the Atlantic Charter was signed and World War II was over.

As the countries began to rebuild, many of the larger cities grew too fast. The expanding populations put great pressure on the economy of the cities and resulted in problems such as high crime rates, excess traffic, and overcrowding. Ghettos popped up all over the outskirts of the cities, leaving many people in poverty.

As the Africans struggled with the colonialism that Europe left behind, they were forced to try and fit the only form of true government they had ever known into a society that it did not fit. The only way that these Africans had ever seen this type of government work was with corrupted colonists, this resulted in the African government also being corrupt. Many of the officials would exploit others and situations to further their political careers. One of the most corrupt leaders was General Bokasa of the Central African Republic. His taking over the republic resulted in riots and killings. Under his rule, there also existed a large gap between the rich and the poor which was indicative of the social classes found in Europe.