The Berlin Conference and the Anglo-French Race for the Niger

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore one of the most consequential but overlooked flashpoints of the Scramble for Africa: the Anglo-French contest for control of the Niger River. While the Berlin Conference of 1884-85 is often remembered for carving up the Congo, its real-time impact on the Niger basin was immediate and violent. Lucas traces the story from the 1884 Hewett and Goldie treaties that outmaneuvered the French, to the explosive 1898 Fashoda Incident that nearly brought Britain and France to war. Along the way, he unpacks the role of the Royal Niger Company, the brutal Brass Oil War of 1895, and the complex figure of Jaja of Opobo, whose palm oil monopoly was smashed by British gunboats. The episode also delves into the French military expedition of Louis Archinard and the bitter struggle for the inland Niger delta, culminating in the capture of Segou and the fall of the Tukulor Empire. Lucas brings the maps, dates, and treaties to life, while Luna asks the sharp questions that keep the conversation grounded in human stakes. This is the story of how a river became a line on a map—and who paid the price. #BerlinConference #NigerRiver #AngloFrenchRivalry #RoyalNigerCompany #GeorgeGoldie #JajaOfOpobo #BrassOilWar #FashodaIncident #TukulorEmpire #LouisArchinard #Segou #HewettTreaty #PalmOil #ScrambleForAfrica #ColonialHistory #AfricanHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo