Africa, The Burning Continent © Brian Rolfe 2009

n the case of Africa, development has been severely affected if not halted, by repeated conflicts created by outside forces in their struggle to control African land and the wealth underneath. Under colonialism, it was land seizure. Independence saw frantic attempts to redress the imbalance in land ownership. This land reform as it was known, produced its own conflicts which hampered development in many African societies. Globalization brought in a new system known as land grab.