The 1893 Luluabourg Fort: Belgium's Kasai Outpost and the Tetela War

When Belgian officers built a fort at Luluabourg in the Kasai region in 1893, they thought it would secure their rubber and ivory trade. Instead, it became the flashpoint for one of the most brutal campaigns of the Congo Free State — the Tetela War of 1895. This episode follows the construction of the fort, the forced labor of local Luba and Tetela peoples, and the chain of events that led to a full-scale revolt of Force Publique soldiers under a former slave named Mulumba Nsanda. We walk through the siege of the fort, the Belgian counterattack using Maxim guns, and the forgotten legacy of the Tetela diaspora scattered across the Congo. We also touch on how Kasai's diamond wealth later reshaped the region in the 20th century. Names you'll hear: Mulumba Nsanda, Commandant Henry, Captain Lothaire, the Tetela, Luba, Songye, and the Kasai Company. #Luluabourg #TetelaWar #Kasai #CongoFreeState #ForcePublique #MulumbaNsanda #BelgianColonialism #Luba #Songye #MaximGun #1895 #CentralAfrica #ColonialFort #History #FexingoHistory #Belgium #Congo #19thCentury Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo