I did a whole series about neo-colonialism in Africa- something that absolutely should not be happening considering Africa's wealth of natural resources.
No, the other way round. Because there is natural richness, there a dictatorship with a few rich and lots of very poor people.
Because the dictator does not need his people. He does not need them educated and free (as in free trade, free speech etc. which is the core of commerce), quite contrary that would be a thread. So the dictator presses out as much as he can from the people.
Poor, uneducated people make bad revolutionaries.
I'm not sure what you're trying to say... sounds like you didn't understand what I wrote. Sounds like we're saying the same thing. Also I'm not advocating revolution- not a violent one at least!
You are looking at the outside forces, I am looking at the inside forces.
Generalized example: Without the big oil industry from US (or whereever) Dictator Bighead in SmallAfricaCountry would not be able to extract and sell oil.
He would instead need to rely on local people. Means he has to educate them and allow them to meet and travel etc.
But he does not need them. So he extracts as much money out of them as possible, with an army paid for by the oil. He has to because if he does not, some general or other cronie would promse more money to the other cronies and kick him out to be BigBoss instead.
see also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resource_curse
@dwinblood yes, I really should do this series ;)