The Berlin Conference and How Africa was Carved Up - Part 1

Years ago, I used to show a video to people when I took African classes at the University of Buffalo, for the African Infusion Program that trained teachers on African History. The name of the video was: Africa, that Magnificent African Cake. It is a strange title, but it referred to the European countries that met during the 1880’s to divide up the country for themselves to take its wealth and resources.

They carved up the continent of Africa like it was a cake to be distributed to many people who attended this conference. This is a topic that is never taught in school. The Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 occurred when European nations sought to divide Africa. It was also known as the scramble for Africa. They looked to Africa for its resources. The Berlin Conference was a meeting of 14 nations to discuss the territorial disputes in Africa.

The meeting included representatives from the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Portugal, and Belgium. No Africans were invited. The Europeans wanted complete political control of Africa. The meeting was called to establish rules to prevent war over claims over the land in Africa. By the end of the meeting, European nations owned most of Africa and drew boundary lines that lasted until 1914.

Great Britain wanted most of the land and was given Nigeria, Egypt, the Sudan, Kenya, and South Africa after defeating the Dutch settlers and the Zula Nation. The British controlled the gold and ivory trade in West Africa. The French established themselves in northern Algeria and in West Africa. King Leopold II of Belgium claimed the Congo River basin for himself. This resulted in village massacres and forced labor by Leopold’s agents. His rule over this area resulted in millions of deaths of the Congolese people.

The European scramble for Africa was the cause of the destruction of African society for many years. It was a deliberate confiscation of African land and resources to empower European nations with power and the wealth that we see today!!