THE IMPACT OF MIGRANT AND COLONIAL LABOUR IN AFRICA
Uneven development: It led to different levels in economic, social and political development in the same colony. The production areas were favored by investors with better social services, labor recruitment areas where abandoned e.g. In colonial Tanganyika the production areas such as Kilimanjaro, Tanga, Mbeya, Morogoro, Coast etc. were developed than the labor reserve areas such as Ruvuma, Tunduru, Rukwa, Kigoma, Dododma etc. sisal plantations were established by the Germans in coastal areas Tanga and Morogoro in 1892.
Coffee was established by the Greeks and Italians in Kilimanjaro and Tanga, rubber was established in Rufiji by the German in 1913. Cotton was established in Mwanza and Rufiji.
The fall of food production: The labor reserve areas were left with less productive men. Most of the able bodies’ people migrated to work as migrant laborers leaving behind women, old men and children. This led to a drop of food production in labor reserve areas.
Increase of infrastructure: The colonial government built infrastructure such as railways, feeder roads and trunk roads so as to ease labor recruitment exercise from the interior of Africa.
Integration of culture: Migrant labor copied the elements of culture from the strange places they went to dwell. They also imported these new elements of culture such as dressing styles, language etc. to their homeland.
Constant poverty: Due to low wages and low production in the labor recruitment areas, the natives experienced a constant famine and poverty.
African resistance management: The migrant labor were kept in camps far away from home. They were collected from different places and kept in camps where the workers had no unity and the ideas of rioting; boy cutting etc. this minimized the administration cost to Europeans.
Urbanization: It was the beginning of the growth of urban near the productive areas it also led to depopulation to the rural areas due to rural urban migration.
Stagnation of African skills: Because of migrant labor, the laborers weren’t taken to schools, colleges and were provided with short term contracts. African labor remained unskilled and underdeveloped.
Creation classes: the African chiefs who were involved in labor recruitment exercise because rich than others. They were paid by labor recruiting agencies.
Temporary or permanent separation of families: Most of the men who migrated as laborers left behind their wives, children and other members for many days. This denied them the family right of living together.
Exploitation: The migrant laborers were treated as markets for European goods, paid low wages, taxed by the government, paid rent for their rooms etc. in so doing they were intensively exploited.
