By Silas Mwaudasheni Nande
Introduction
Centuries after the chains of formal colonialism were supposedly shattered, the Global South remains deeply entangled in systems of control and exploitation orchestrated by the Global North. While the world parades under the banner of independence, globalization, and development, the reality is that colonialism has not ended – it has merely evolved into a new form of colonialism. Today, the Global South is a neo-colony: economically dependent, politically manipulated, and culturally dominated by the wealthier and more powerful countries of the North. This is just a modern-day colonialism under a different guise.
Economic Imperialism Disguised as Global Trade
Global trade is perhaps the most visible form of modern exploitation. The World Trade Organization (WTO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Bank are institutions supposedly built to foster global economic cooperation and development. In reality, they are gatekeepers for the Global North’s interests.
Take the IMF’s structural adjustment programs (SAPs), for example. These programs, imposed on Global South countries in exchange for loans, have devastated public sectors across Africa, Latin America, and parts of Asia. Countries were forced to cut funding for health, education, and agriculture, dismantling local industries and making them forever dependent on foreign imports.
What was the result? Worsened poverty, unemployment, and weakened governance structures. The Global South was told to “open up their markets” while the Global North continued subsidizing its own industries, effectively dumping surplus goods in Southern economies and destroying local production. A classic colonial tactic – strip the colony of its capacity to self-sustain.
Resource Extraction: The New Scramble for Africa and Beyond
The colonial rush for gold, slaves, ivory, and spices has transformed into today’s scramble for oil, cobalt, lithium, and rare earth minerals – essential resources for smartphones, electric vehicles, and military technology. Where are these resources found? Mostly in the Global South.
Multinational corporations, often headquartered in Europe and North America, extract vast amounts of these resources from the South under contracts that are one-sided, exploitative, and secretive. Take the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where child labor and environmental destruction are normalized to feed the Global North’s appetite for electronics and electric cars. Meanwhile, Congolese people remain some of the poorest on the planet and in the end fighting the brothers and sisters in Rwanda, escalating to the people of South Africa and other innocent nations.
Is this not colonialism? When the land is pillaged, the people exploited, and the profits exported?
Debt as a Chain
As of 2024, African countries alone owe over $600 billion in external debt, much of it to Western financial institutions. Despite having paid back far more than they borrowed in interest over the years, these nations are still crushed under the weight of loans. This is not mismanagement of resources by the Global South; it is a deliberate trap by the Global North.
Debt is no longer a tool for development; it is a mechanism of control. Indebted countries cannot invest in social services, cannot dictate their economic policies, and cannot say “no” to the geopolitical demands of their creditors. Whether through IMF conditionalities or World Bank-led privatization, these debts serve the same purpose colonial rule once did – to keep the South obedient and impoverished. The Global North is writing the rules and the Global South is to follow the rules.
Cultural Imperialism and the Erasure of Identity
Colonialists once used the church and schools to destroy indigenous cultures and languages. Today, the weapons are mass media, education systems, and digital content. Hollywood, European fashion, and Western academia dominate the minds of youth from Namibia to Nepal, Kenya to Cambodia, Botswana to Myanmar and from South Sudan to Sierra Leon.
The Global South’s cultural expressions are often viewed as “exotic,” “primitive,” or inferior, while the Global North’s values are projected as universal. English, French, and Spanish remain the official languages in many African countries – not because they serve the people, but because they perpetuate dependency and status. The Global North is deciding for the Global South of what values to follow, food to eat, clothes to wear, norms to follow, traditions to change to and define what ‘values’ are for the Global South. The job for the Global South is to follow and dance to the tune.
The Global South often faces external pressures from international actors, including Western governments and organizations, to adopt laws and policies related to LGBTQ+ rights. These pressures are frequently tied to foreign aid, trade agreements, or diplomatic relations, creating a dynamic where compliance becomes a condition for economic or political benefits. Critics argue that this approach undermines national sovereignty and disregards cultural contexts, as many countries in the Global South have deeply rooted traditions and religious beliefs that conflict with Western perspectives on LGBTQ+ rights. While proponents of international advocacy emphasize the importance of universal human rights and equality, opponents highlight the risk of neo-imperialism, where external forces impose values without considering local priorities or engaging with grassroots movements. This tension underscores the need for a more collaborative approach, where global efforts to promote LGBTQ+ rights are guided by local activists and tailored to the unique social and cultural landscapes of each nation.
And what of education? African children are taught European history in depth, while their own heroes, scientists, philosophers, and civilizations are erased. If colonialism aimed to destroy a people’s pride and self-image, today’s system has perfected that art under the name of “modern education.”
Political Interference and Puppet Leadership
From CIA-led coups to support for despots and manipulation of elections, the Global North has a long history of meddling in the politics of the Global South. When leaders like Patrice Lumumba, Thomas Sankara, Kwame Nkrumah or Muammar Gaddafi dared to pursue independent paths for their countries, they were either assassinated or ousted.
Even now, global superpowers decide which leaders are legitimate and which are “dictators,” often based not on democratic values but on who opens the door to Western interests. Anyone who has the key must must only and only be able to open the doors of the interest of the Global North but shall not be closing such doors. Puppet governments are propped up not because they serve their people, but because they serve foreign capital.
Western embassies often behave as colonial outposts, issuing instructions to sovereign nations about whom to arrest, which laws to pass, and what policies to adopt. When was the last time an African country told a European one how to govern itself?
Climate Apartheid
Ironically, the countries least responsible for the climate crisis – those in the Global South – are the most affected by its consequences: droughts, floods, cyclones, food insecurity. Meanwhile, the Global North continues to pollute disproportionately while making empty promises at climate summits.
Worse, climate financing – supposedly meant to help the South adapt – is often given as loans rather than grants, further indebting already struggling nations. This is climate apartheid: where the poor suffer, and the rich profit.
Technology and the Digital Divide
In the name of innovation, the Global South is being transformed into a consumer base and data mine for Northern tech giants. While African entrepreneurs struggle to raise capital, Western companies enter the scene with billion-dollar investments – controlling everything from e-commerce to mobile money.
The data of Southern citizens is harvested, often without consent, monetized by companies like Meta and Google. The profits go North. The privacy and autonomy of the South? Sacrificed. This is digital colonialism; the next frontier.
Medical and Pharmaceutical Colonialism
The Global North maintains a firm grip on the medical and pharmaceutical industries, effectively colonizing the Global South through patent monopolies, regulatory barriers, and unequal trade agreements. Major pharmaceutical companies, predominantly based in the United States and Europe, hold patents on life-saving drugs, vaccines, and medical technologies, making them unaffordable for millions in the Global South. The TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) agreement under the World Trade Organization enforces strict intellectual property laws that prevent developing countries from producing or importing generic versions of patented drugs – leading to situations where vital HIV/AIDS or cancer medications are priced far beyond the reach of poor nations.
Production and research facilities are largely concentrated in the Global North, while the Global South is reduced to a market for consumption and testing. During global health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Western pharmaceutical giants prioritized wealthy nations for vaccine access, leaving African and Asian countries at the back of the queue despite being among the hardest hit. In many cases, vaccines were hoarded or sold at inflated prices, while Global South countries were forced to rely on donations through programs like COVAX, which themselves were underfunded and poorly managed. Moreover, pharmaceutical trials are often conducted in poorer countries due to lower ethical oversight and reduced costs, yet the results and benefits rarely return to those populations.
Additionally, the Global North continues to dictate global health policies through funding bodies such as the WHO, GAVI, and the Global Fund, influencing what diseases are prioritized and how interventions are carried out. This vertical approach to healthcare development often sidelines local healthcare systems, knowledge, and needs. Instead of empowering nations to build their own pharmaceutical industries and medical supply chains, the North maintains dependency through aid, tied donations, and conditional funding that favor their own economic interests. In effect, medical colonialism ensures that health, like wealth, remains unequally distributed across the globe.
Military and Nuclear Colonialism
The Global North exercises military dominance over the Global South through arms sales, military alliances, and control over nuclear technology. The world’s leading arms manufacturers, primarily the United States; France, the United Kingdom, Russia, and China; export vast amounts of weapons to Global South countries, often exacerbating regional conflicts and fueling proxy wars. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), over 70% of global arms exports come from the Global North, while over 80% of the recipients are in the Global South. These weapons are frequently sold under the guise of “defense cooperation,” yet they often strengthen authoritarian regimes, destabilize regions, and keep Southern states militarily dependent on their Northern suppliers.
The production of military hardware is tightly controlled and protected by intellectual property laws, export restrictions, and strategic alliances such as NATO. Global South countries are discouraged or outright prohibited from developing independent defense industries through international sanctions and political pressure. Even when they attempt to produce domestically, they rely heavily on components, technology, or licenses from the Global North, keeping them subordinate in the global military-industrial complex. This dependency is not accidental; it is a calculated strategy that ensures the North maintains superiority in defense capabilities while the South remains a consumer of foreign weaponry rather than a producer.
In the nuclear domain, the imbalance is even more glaring. The Global North monopolizes nuclear weapons and enrichment technologies under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which effectively divides the world into “haves” and “have-nots.” While countries like the U.S., UK, France, and Russia are allowed to possess and modernize their nuclear arsenals, Global South nations are prohibited from developing similar capabilities; even for peaceful purposes such as energy. Attempts by Southern nations to pursue nuclear enrichment, such as Iran or even South Africa during apartheid, are met with sanctions, sabotage, or military threats. At the same time, the Global North continues to mine uranium and other nuclear materials from African countries like Niger and Namibia, often under exploitative agreements, leaving behind environmental devastation and little local benefit. This form of military and nuclear colonialism ensures the strategic and geopolitical subjugation of the Global South while the North continues to profit and expand its global military dominance.
North Korea–Namibia Naval Base Incident: A Case of Neocolonial Control by the Global North
In 2016, it was revealed through a United Nations Panel of Experts report that North Korea had been involved in the construction of a military and naval facility in Namibia, in violation of international sanctions imposed on Pyongyang due to its nuclear weapons program. The North Korean company Mansudae Overseas Projects, which had long operated in Namibia constructing state buildings and monuments, was reported to have also undertaken military projects, including the construction of the naval base. This prompted immediate international backlash, especially from the United States, which pressured Namibia to sever all military ties with North Korea.
The Namibian government, despite asserting that its relationship with North Korea predated the sanctions and was based on historical solidarity from the liberation struggle, yielded to Western pressure and announced the termination of all military cooperation with North Korea. Namibia’s then-deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the current President of Namibia, confirmed that the country would abide by UN Security Council resolutions and had stopped all military-related activities involving North Korea. This incident clearly demonstrated how Global North powers, particularly the U.S., exercise control over the sovereign decisions of Global South countries by leveraging international diplomatic pressure and threat of sanctions.
This case represents a classic example of neocolonialism, where sovereignty is undermined not through direct occupation, but through global power structures dominated by the Global North. Namibia, a sovereign state with the right to choose its development and defense partners, was coerced into compliance not by democratic persuasion, but through hegemonic enforcement of international norms shaped by Northern interests. The United States did not act to protect Namibia’s autonomy or regional peace but to maintain a geopolitical status quo where military and strategic relations are policed by the West. The incident also highlighted the double standard: the U.S. and its allies freely build bases and sell arms worldwide, but deny Global South nations similar freedoms. Such asymmetrical relationships reinforce a system where former colonies remain politically and strategically subordinate to global powers.
A Call to Wake Up and Rise
It is time to discard the illusion of independence. What we have is economic dependency, political subservience, cultural brainwashing, and environmental injustice; all orchestrated by the same powers that colonized us centuries ago.
The struggle for liberation must continue; not with guns, but with policy reform, Pan-Africanism, South-South cooperation, youth empowerment, and systemic resistance to neocolonial institutions. The Global South must stop begging for aid and instead demand reparations, build self-sustaining economies, and reclaim its narratives.
We must rewrite our own history, teach our own children the truth, and choose leaders who prioritize dignity over donor dollars. Let us not merely wave flags of independence while wearing mental chains.
The colonizers may have changed their tactics, but their objective remains the same: control, profit, dominance.
The question is: How long will the Global South remain blind to it?
