European nations intensified their imperialist drive over Africa from the 1870s until the beginning of the twentieth century through economic policies, political ambitions, and an imaginary objective of assimilating the African 'civilization'. European nations, which only recently exploited African slaves through the Atlantic slave trade, now shifted their attention to exploiting Africa’s abundant natural resource wealth together with its manpower for their conquest. During the 1884–1885 Berlin Conference, European countries established their rights to partition Africa by ignoring its people's cultural peculiarities and existing political institutions. The colonists imposed foreign military control over indigenous lands, and followed this up with affluent exploitation during economic control and through rejection of native linguistic heritage and tribal systems.
Colonial administration faced opposition throughout its existence. African people showed their resistance by reasserting control over their land and cultures through various local resistance movements and revolution. By the end of the 1960s, many African societies had gained their independence, with many others at various levels of progress in their quests for self-determination. Colonialism however remains active in various manifestations, including through neo-colonial fiscal and economic policies, while Africans continue to fight for socio, political and economic self-determination Africa demonstrates resilience through its history of endless resistance to colonial powers, which demonstrates its people's continuous fight to establish their own promised and developed future- the Africa we want.
African countries continue to demand that former colonial powers take responsibility for the negative consequences left by the colonial crimes. The peoples of Africa still suffer from the lasting impacts of these crimes, affecting them culturally, economically, environmentally, and socially. Among the most severe consequences are the effects of nuclear radiation from tests conducted by colonial powers in African countries, which have had catastrophic repercussions on the health of both current and future generations and on environment.
