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 Periodical article |
 Leiden University catalogue |
 WorldCat |
| Title: | Population Policies and the 'Creation' of Africa |
| Author: | Pearce, Tola Olu |
| Year: | 1994 |
| Periodical: | Africa Development: A Quarterly Journal of CODESRIA (ISSN 0850-3907) |
| Volume: | 19 |
| Issue: | 3 |
| Pages: | 61-76 |
| Language: | English |
| Geographic term: | Africa |
| Subjects: | population policy Miscellaneous (i.e. Demography, Refugees, Sports) Politics and Government |
| External link: | https://www.jstor.org/stable/43657958 |
| Abstract: | From a Western perspective, uncontrolled population growth in Africa is seen as one of the obstacles to development. Thus population control policies have become part of development strategies. Before the mid-1970s, most of the African nations resisted pressures to institute population policies, arguing that more people were needed to develop national resources, to absorb the cost of establishing an infrastructure and offset problems emanating from low densities. However, between 1975 and 1980 most of them accepted the idea to develop official policies and to set up family planning programmes. This article looks at the ways in which population policies have played a role in the debate about African identities and culture. The impact of the population policies is considered in regard to three African groups: the target population of (largely rural) women, males, and intellectuals. Finally, the author argues that, while the interpretation of data on population growth remains a problem, population control and the distribution of contraceptives go beyond the issue of population control. All aspects of life on the continent (the meaning of children, the density of family life, marital relations, educational process, etc.) are affected by population policies. Bibliogr., sum. in French. |
