Page 22 - Afrika Must Unite

THE AFRICAN BACKGROUND 7

under the direction of Leopold II of Belgium for the occupation
of the Congo Basin. Among the declared objects of the Associa­
tion was the intention cto open to civilization the only part of
our globe where it had not yet penetrated’. At the Berlin Con­
ference of 1884-85, when the European powers divided most of
Africa up between them, Leopold obtained permission to form
the Belgian settlements into a ‘Congo Free State’ under his
personal suzerainty.
Italy, coming relatively late into the scramble for colonies,
occupied, among other places, Assab and Massawa (on the
African shore of the Red Sea); and in 1889 the colony of Italian
Somaliland was formed. Thus, by the beginning of the twentieth
century, Africa, apart from South Africa which developed
differently, was largely divided up between the various European
powers. Africa’s people, mineral resources, harbours, rivers,
forests - all were to be used to build up the economic and
political strength of the colonial powers.
Some of the territories changed hands after the First W orld
W ar, when former German colonies were distributed among the
victors as m andated territories under the League of Nations.
Britain received German East Africa, a quarter of Togoland and
a piece of the Cameroons. France took over the remaining three-
quarters of Togoland and the greater part of the Cameroons,
while Belgium got a slice of German East Africa. The Union of
South Africa received German South-West Africa.
Just as when the colonies were originally seized, the rights of
the indigenous peoples were completely disregarded. Territorial
boundaries were confirmed or freshly delimited in accordance
with the new ‘share out’ in a quite arbitrary fashion. They had no
relation to ethnic realities. In many cases boundaries cut across
tribes and even villages. Problems resulting from the cynical
parcelling-out of Africa still remain, and can only be settled by
continental union.
The reasons which led the nations of Europe to seek colonies
have been explained, with differing emphasis, by m any his­
torians. Most seem to agree that the colonial powers were guided
primarily by economic, political and m ilitary considerations,
probably in that order. Although certain individuals may have
come to Africa from purely altruistic motives the general ideas