The 26th of February marked the day 136 years ago, on which the notorious Berlin Conference wrapped up and led to what became known as the "Scramble for Africa". After weeks of negotiations, 13 European powers and the USA concluded the gathering having carved up Africa in what they saw as just over 50 countries. They did this ignoring the 1,000s of indigenous cultures on the continent. Many would say that beyond slavery, there is no single event in modern African history whose consequences have been so dire for the continent as the Berlin Conference of 1884-85. Held over three months, the conference set the ground rules for the partition of Africa and tragically no African was invited or even made privy to the conference decisions. To help us understand what the legacy of this conference has been, I spoke to Historian Prof Mathole Motshekga and began by asking him what the effect of the Berlin Act of 1885 has been on Africa
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28 фев 2021
