Shehu Sani, a Nigerian human rights activist and former senator, posted a color-coded map depicting Europe’s 1884-1885 Berlin Conference divisions of Africa, showing France controlling vast swaths like West Africa, Britain dominating East and Southern regions, and smaller claims by Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, and Spain, with Ethiopia remaining independent.
The conference, convened by Otto von Bismarck without African input, formalized the “Scramble for Africa,” arbitrarily drawing borders that disregarded over 1,000 ethnic groups, contributing to post-colonial conflicts as evidenced by studies like those in the Journal of African History linking such partitions to civil wars in 40% of partitioned states.
Replies highlight broader historical brutalities, including Arab slave trades and post-WWII border tweaks via plebiscites, reflecting ongoing debates on colonial legacies amid Nigeria’s ethnic tensions, where Sani often advocates for unity and reform.
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