 A political cartoon illustrating the way Africa was carved up at the Berlin Conference |
The
Berlin Conference was held in Berlin, Germany, from November 15,
1884, to February 26, 1885. Among those present at the conference were
representatives from fourteen different countries: Austria-Hungary,
Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands,
Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden-Norway, Turkey, and the United States
of America. Due to conflicts that had arisen concerning claims to
African territory, in particular the disagreement among Belgium,
France, and Portugal over possession of the Congo Basin, the diplomats
assembled to partition Africa and to settle territorial claims, as well
as to discuss matters of future trade in the abundant continent.
However, no African delegates were present at the Berlin Conference to play a part in deciding the fate of Africa. Thus, when the diplomats from the fourteen represented nations partitioned Africa, they were not aware of the locations of various indigenous tribes in Africa, and the boundary lines established during the Berlin Conference did not accommodate to the needs of the African peoples. |
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