“African political and cultural disunity was the main reason for partition.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?

The question requires that candidates consider the merits or otherwise of the statement that African political disunity was the main reason for partition. Reasons may predate the timeframe but they must be clearly linked to the issue raised in the question. Candidates may offer equal coverage of the role played by African political and cultural disunity and other factors, or they may prioritize their assessment of one over the other. However, both aspects will be a feature of the response. Candidates may refer to how the enmity between African societies, caused by their political and cultural differences, weakened their ability to join forces to fight against the colonial powers. They may also address the weak military organisation and a lack of sophisticated weapons. Candidates may consider humanitarian and economic factors among others, but these must have a focus on the issue in the question. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

The question required that candidates consider the merits or otherwise of the statement that African political disunity was the main reason for partition. This was most popular question on the paper and many candidates were able to demonstrate knowledge of the reasons for partition. Better candidates addressed the specific demands of the question in some depth, which is the issue of African disunity and its contribution to partition. Many candidates simply produced a list of reasons for partition without the focus required by the question.