The Berlin Conference's Paper Partition of West Africa

This episode explores how the Berlin Conference of 1884–85 carved up West Africa on paper long before European boots touched the ground. Focusing on the Anglo-French rivalry along the Gold Coast and the Niger River, Lucas and Luna examine the treaties, boundary commissions, and diplomatic maneuvers that created artificial borders like the Franco-British Convention of 1889. They discuss the role of African signatories, the use of geographical features as borders, and the lasting impact on ethnic groups like the Ewe and the Mande. The episode highlights the clash between European cartographic ambitions and African political realities, including the confrontation at Say on the Niger. #BerlinConference #WestAfrica #GoldCoast #NigerRiver #AngloFrenchRivalry #ScrambleForAfrica #PartitionOfAfrica #FrancoBritishConvention #ArtificialBorders #EwePeople #MandePeople #SayNiger #BoundaryCommissions #ColonialCartography #EffectiveOccupation #Imperialism #History #FexingoHistory #Colonialism #KingLeopold Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo