Ivory & the Colonization of Africa (opens in new tab)

European colonising powers sought to exploit Africa's resources from the 15th century onwards. Arab traders had been doing the same in North Africa and East Africa through the Middle Ages, but it was from the 17th century that European traders began to penetrate deep into the interior in search of high-value goods. Traders, often alerted by the work of explorers and missionaries, were interested in anything that could be sold, such as gold, palm oil, rubber, and slaves. One of the most valuab...