In the late Middle Ages, say 1500, the West was by no means the world's most affluent or most powerful civilization. Indeed, those of China and of the Arab-Islamic world exceeded the West in wealth, in knowledge, in exploration, in learning, and in military power. So how did the West gain so rapidly in economic, political, and military power that, by the 19th century, it was able to conquer virtually all of the other civilizations? That question demands to be answered, and the oppression theorists have never provided an adequate explanation. The answer is: The Renassaince
We have gone through it and much of the world, including the middle east and Africa, have not. Not only have these regions of the world not experienced an enlightening phase, many of them have out right rejected enlightening ideas to the point that they have descended back into savagery: such as in the middle east and Africa.
I think Africa is literally at the same time in history as was Europe at it's darkest time- the years 500- to 1000- the dark ages. It is really amazing but we know more about late American Indian history than we do about Europe from 500 to 900ad. Europe during that time was a weird brew of tribalism, paganism, primitive Christianity, and the remenants of Roman culture in small weak states that often controlled nothing more than the major cities (and a major city in Europe during this period was no more than 20 thousand people.) Sub Saharan Africa is much like this today in certain respects- it is halfway between A grwoing Chritianity and paganism. It is tribal but coexists with false and weak states. This is Africa's dark age. In fact Africa is even worse off than Dark Age Europe. Northern Europe at least had the benefit of being ruled for several centuries by Rome and absorbed some of their beliefs. Africa was only ruled by Europe for 50 years or so.
It is amazing to me that England under the rule of Rome had things such as glassware production, cement, advanced mathematics, plumbing, sewer systems. The economy of High Rome England was not reached again in England until the middle of the 16th century!
Much the same in Africa today. It is often heard today that Africans who lived under colnial rule actually think back on those times as a Golden age- as better times. As did Europeons- who were constatnly trying to re-invent the idea of "Rome". For Northern Europeons in the Dark ages Roman civilization was a time of milk of honey- a nirvana they were trying to get back to.