Nigeria Colonialism and Ethnic Conflict

FOUR DIFFERENT lessons? Or ONE 8-12 DAY unit? It’s all included here. These materials can be used independently or together.
All student materials are provided in greyscale for photocopying and also in in color if you wish to load the material onto tablets or computers.

Part 1: Nigeria’s Ethnic History
Time Frame – three to four 50-minute class periods OR a shorter version which takes one to two 50-minute class periods. The longer version is a group hand-on project. Student handouts, a PowerPoint to guide students through the instructions, sample student projects to help the teacher, and detailed instructions are provided.
The shorter version is an individual or paired activity creating a Triple Venn Diagram. Background information for students, the Triple Venn template with headings, and an answer key are provided.

Part 2: British Colonialism in Nigeria
Time Frame – one to two 50-minute class periods. A richly illustrated PowerPoint gives information on the impact of the industrial revolution on Europe’s rush to colonization, the Berlin Conference, and how British management of Nigeria impacted northern Nigeria and southern Nigeria quite differently. Optional fill-in-the-blank notes are provided (with an answer key). A video link (good as of June 2014) to a British video from the time period is provided.

Part 3: Independent Nigeria – Challenges
Time Frame – one 50-minute class period. This PowerPoint – again with many illustrations – helps students understand the challenges faced by a multi-ethnic Nigeria with competing oil interests and an often-corrupt government. Optional fill-in-the-blank notes are provided (with an answer key).

Part 4: Modern Day Conflicts
Time Frame – three to five 50-minute class periods. This interactive activity integrates a fun reading strategy with analysis skills. The emphasis is on comparing perspectives (including what information is omitted) using news reports. One emphasizes Muslim guilt, one emphasizes Christian guilt, and the third gives a broader view and addresses issues that go beyond religion (culture, economics, history). Three articles and a response template are provided, along with easy instructions for the teacher.
A video link (good as of June 2014) and note-taking template is provided for a video the students find fascinating – individuals from the three main ethnic groups of Nigeria stating stereotypes they believe about one another. Part 4 also builds the concepts students will later need if they study ethnic conflict in Rwanda or in the Darfur region of Sudan.

Uploaded July 2014