140 years ago, on November 15, 1884, the Berlin Conference kicked off. The leaders of fourteen European countries and the United States came together to discuss control of Africa’s resources. They sought to discuss the partitioning of Africa, establishing rules to amicably divide resources among the Western countries at the expense of the African people. Of these fourteen nations at the Berlin Conference, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Portugal were the major players. Notably missing were any representatives from Africa.
It was a grim declaration that all of Africa could be claimed by anyone who had the military power to seize it.
Under the guise of humanitarianism, King Leopold II of Belgium took control of the Congo, branding it the “Congo Free State” with the false promise of ending slavery. His infamous quote, "I do not want to miss a good chance of getting us a slice of this magnificent African cake," reveals the exploitative mindset that drove European colonization.
Leopold's reign in the Congo was marked by unimaginable brutality. While the world remembers the Hol*caust, where 6 million people were killed, it’s crucial to acknowledge that Leopold's regime was responsible for the deaths of over 10 million Africans. His administration enforced a ruthless rubber collection system, where failure to meet quotas often resulted in murder or horrific mutilation. Villagers were forced to work on their own land as if they were slaves, all to satisfy the booming rubber market in Europe.
The suffering didn’t stop there. Villages were burned to the ground if they failed to meet imposed quotas, and the brutality extended beyond the Congo.
The Naz!s were not the only ones who operated concentration camps. Britain used them in South Africa and Kenya.
In Kenya, the camps were sites for random executions and Interrogation involved stuffing detainees mouth with mud and stomping their throats till they passed out.
The legacy of colonialism is also evident in the artifacts housed in museums around the world, many of which were taken from Africa. The Cullinan Diamond, the largest diamond ever found, was stolen from South Africa and now adorns the British crown jewels, a symbol of the exploitation that occurred during colonial rule.
German colonizers in Namibia, due to their interest in evolutionary theory & missing links executed inmates and decapitated them. Herero women were required to remove all flesh from the heads to create clean skulls suitable for shipment for study in German Institutes.
These are just some of the horrors that a group of western world leaders agreed upon. It seems the same mindset still exists today..