It's the November gathering - the root of every evil.
November 136 years ago came with the conference that would later divide Africa - the Berlin Conference of 1884 convened by Otto Von Bismarck who was then the chancellor of the German empire.
The purely economic summit dressed up as rather humanitarian was held to discuss the African problem. But how can you discuss the problem of a person when they are not present? That is, Africa's opinions were not needed/considered even when the conference was supposedly aimed at welfare.
One conference. Thirteen European countries and the US and no African representative and yet, it was for the benefit of Africa?
Fourteen countries armed with power, wealth, rulers, pencils and a map of Africa ready to be dissected.
The scramble for Africa. The beginning of the underdevelopment of Africa, of her exploitation. The beginning of almost everything evil in Africa - loss of lands, of pride and esteem. Enslavement. Natural resources.
For the Europeans, Africa was the part of the world where God paused creation to rest and so, it was the land made to bear the burden of the earth.
It was the part of the world where the Africans do not deserve the land and all of the natural resources she was/is blessed with.
From the little I've come across, I learnt that Africa was doing just fine on her own - her economy, her leadership, her religion, before the European penetration into her land. First guised as a people interested in the betterment of Africa. Expediters sent to Africa to coerce traditional rulers into signing treaties. And soon, they were all over Africa taking up as much portions as they could and growing their economy with our resources.
Although I don't know all of these stories enough yet to write extensively on them, I don't think anything positive came out of the Berlin conference for Africa. And worse, it contributed hugely to the world war 1 (1914-1918).
So yes, the Berlin Conference of 1884 was rather for economic exploitation of Africa than it was humanitarian as it was painted.
The first time I learnt about this was in late Dr Johnson's class and later, I would write drama-poetry on it. Below is an excerpt from my poem;
"We had your Bible. Your promises -
The promises of a better life in Heaven -
For suffering in the physical world.
You demonized our religion - we let you.
Because it had no idea of Heaven.
And all of the lashings meant nothing to us,
For in heaven, the slave would be rewarded.
You called us slaves.
Our hearts still break at the mention of it.
You turned us to slaves and we let you.
After all, the Book said;
Slaves, submit to your Masters, as if to the Lord himself.
You made all of the sufferings, the slavery in the Bible
About us - blacks!
And you said,
Love your enemies as yourself,
Or you will be put to hell.
And we loved you.
Of course, we are Africans!
Gullible Africans!
The 19th Century came
With the root of every evil - The Berlin Conference!
Where greed was placed over humanity.
Where the words you said condemned slavery
Even though your hearts did not.
The Berlin Conference -
Where you divided us into pieces of cakes and nothings,
Chained our legs and whipped us like donkeys.
Where you called us backwards
And thought of us a group of living things
Beyond the human level.
The Berlin Conference where you came to wage wars
Among the rival colonial powers
And there, you stripped us
Like you stripped your African mistresses
Of the rags that covered their nakedness
Before you devoured them -
And got into the secret places of their souls."