First Meeting of the Berlin Conference
GETTING STARTED
At the time of the conference, 80% of Africa remained under traditional and
local control. What ultimately resulted was a hodgepodge of geometric boundaries
that divided Africa into fifty irregular countries. By the time independence
returned to Africa in 1950, the realm had acquired a legacy of political
fragmentation that could neither be eliminated nor made to operate
satisfactorily. Now, it is YOUR chance to turn back the clock and
establish a system of boundaries and countries (a minimum of 20 for this simulation) that
will improve the future of the African continent, while maintaining your
region's perspective during that time period.
You are a member of a delegation representing a particular region at the Berlin Conference, so in effect, we are reinventing history. Your delegation must create an original boundary system for the entire continent of Africa. To complete this task, you will create a document containing your region's position on the adjustment of the African boundaries, and a resolution to the issue. You will also create an original map depicting your new Africa. 1) Research: your first responsibility is to research your assigned region; the areas of particular interest are Northern, Western, Central, Eastern, or Southern Africa. There are several links provided on this site to get you started. This will allow you to represent your assigned region intelligently, and to act “in character” even when specific information about a topic may not be available (e.g. what types of governments exist in your region? What types of problems have occurred in your region's past that could have been prevented?, etc.). 2)
Division of labor: secondly, you must familiarize yourself
with the continent of Africa through resources, maps,
and data, and not solely information on your assigned region. You must then
establish criteria by which you will prioritize the delimitation of the
boundaries of Africa. There are many priorities you may consider, however, it is recommended (but not required) to use the acronym "SPIRE" in order to divide the researching duties within your group: 3) Regions you can represent (UN Geoscheme for Africa):
POSITION PAPERS AND RESOLUTIONS When you have gathered enough data and maps, and have established the underlying criteria and philosophies guiding your region's decisions, you are then ready to construct your position paper and proposed resolution. Your position paper will contain your region's underlying criteria and philosophies in dealing with the establishment of the borders of Africa. It is divided into three sections, A) the background of the topic, B) positions taken by your delegation, and C) justification for your positions. Your resolution will immediately follow the position paper. It begins with the Subject (e.g. North Africa on the Issue of Establishing a New African Border System), then uses Preambulatory Clauses to describe the resolution’s intent and motivation before moving on to describe the specific action which will be taken by the Berlin Conference in the Operative Clauses, which offer specific solutions to the problem (some samples are provided in this site). The correct format must be used to demonstrate organized thinking and professionalism. Remember to represent to goals and desires of your respective nation to the best of your ability. A map containing all new countries must be created, either by hand or using a computer program, to be attached to the position paper and resolution. Use the blank map of Africa provided in this website. In addition to the position paper, resolution and map, each project must contain a section describing the amount of work each individual has contributed. Finally, each member will fill out a group evaluation by the end of the simulation. TO SUMMARIZE
RESOURCES In addition to your textbook, encyclopedias, and other books available to you, the following internet sources will help you to complete this task. Maps of Africa (several African maps) Blank Map of Africa (.pdf format) Country Studies: Library of Congress World Geography (PantherWeb Database)
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