On the other side of the world, a conference had just been concluded in Berlin by the European nations. Fourteen nations were in attendance, and the issue at steak was Africa, or more accurately, the partitioning of Africa among themselves. These nations included Austria, Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Turkey, and the United States of America. Each nation was represented by an ambassador.

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The ambassadors were seated along the L-shaped table at the center of the large conference hall, which was rectangular in shape. On the other side of the hall, a large map of Africa hung, mutilated by marker lines and pins, depicting the irregular portioning of the continent into fifty geographical entities, with each colonial power’s name written on it to indicate ownership. Among the fourteen nations, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Portugal had the largest shares of the carved Dark Continent.

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The meeting was presided over by Otto Von Bismarck, the Minister-President of Prussia, Germany, also known as the ‘Iron Chancellor.’ He organized the conference in response to Portugal’s request concerning the conflicts among the leading European nations over colonizing Africa. They were on the brink of war, and the only solution was to hold a ‘civilized’ meeting and divide Africa like a large piece of beef among themselves, with total disregard for the welfare of the Africans. The conference lasted for three months, from November 1884 to February 1885. After extensive arguments and compromises, they divided the continent as follows:

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• France, with the majority share of the continent, claimed the following territories: Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, Niger, Gabon, Burkina Faso, Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, Djibouti, Madagascar, Comoros, and French Equatorial Africa.

• Great Britain, with the second-largest share, laid claim to Egypt, British Somaliland, Zimbabwe, (Orange Free State), Botswana, British South Africa, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Ghana, Sudan, Uganda, and Malawi.

• Portugal secured the following territories: Angola, Portugal, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde Islands, Sao Tome, and Principle.

• Spain claimed Rio de Oro, Ceuta, Saguia el-Hamra, Morocco, Melilla, Rio Muni, part of Equatorial Guinea, and Ifni.

• Germany took control of Cameroon, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Namibia, and Togoland.

• Belgium’s territory included the Democratic Republic of Congo (Congo Free States).

 

The Berlin Conference’s decisions led to the arbitrary division of Africa by the European powers, disregarding the diverse ethnic, cultural, and historical backgrounds of the African nations. The scramble for Africa had profound and lasting impacts on the continent’s history, leading to colonization, exploitation, and the disruption of traditional societies.

At the end of the allotment, Fombina fell into the hands of two very powerful nations: Germany and Great Britain, an outcome that spelled doom for the once-great kingdom.

[End of Chapter Six]