What a possession it was – to the British a space more than twice the size of their homeland with wild savannah and mountains of eerie beauty packed with exotic wildlife. ibid.
The British worked hard in the 1950s to spin their own version of events. ibid.
Central Nairobi, once a backwater railway silo, was transformed into a modern metropolis. ibid.
As the [First World] War spread it would draw in millions of diverse people of every race, every colour and every religion from all over the world. They fought alongside their European comrades and they died in terrible numbers. David Olusoga, The World’s War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire II: Martial Races, BBC 2014
Lettow-Vorbeck and his Askari troops set off on a thousand-mile journey. Armies from South Africa, and the British, Belgium and Portuguese colonies all set off in pursuit, and he drew them deeper and deeper into East and Central Africa … leaving behind them a trail of famine, disease and death. ibid.
The more I learnt about colonialism, the more I realised it always started with men like Kurtz [Heart of Darkness]. And their effects linger to this day. Arena: African Apocalypse, Femi Nylander reporting, BBC 2021
At the same time as Conrad was writing his book, life was imitating art in an astounding way. A French army officer was leading an invasion of west African, and his true story was even more terrifying than Conrad’s fiction. ibid.
Mutilation as punishment for refusal. ibid.
The are a few candidates: a notorious German captain in Namibia, a Belgium ivory hunter, even the arch-imperialist Cecil Rhodes, whose statue stands in Oxford high street. As a student, I campaigned to bring his statue down … [and] a French army officer called Paul Voulet … ibid.
It is about how African bodies became properties and source of labour. Exterminate All the Brutes s1e1: The Disturbing Confidence of Ignorance, Sky Documentaries 2021
Joseph Conrad’s book Heart of Darkness was influenced by the Battle of Omdurman. Exterminate All the Brutes s1e3: Killing at a Distance or … How I Thoroughly Enjoyed the Outing *****
This knowledge is a fundamental prerequisite. That is why the narrator can tell his story as he does in Conrad’s novel, Heart of Darkness. He has no need to count the crimes Kurt committed. He has no need to describe them. He has no need to produce evidence. For no-one doubted it. Exterminate All the Brutes s1e4: The Bright Colours of Fascism
It is quite clear that a desperate attempt is being made to create confusion in the Congo. Extend the Cold War to Africa ... The United Nations must not allow this to happen. Kwame Nkrumah, United Nations, 1960
10 years ago the US Empire honed its sights more intently in a profitable region of the world: Africa … Its unimaginable treasure of minerals and raw materials. Abby Martin & The Empire Files: Empires Feed on Congo’s Treasure, Abby Martin online 2016
Congo: 80 million people … It’s considered the richest country in the world. ibid.
Cobalt: Among Congolese who literally risk their lives working in Cobalt mines – tens of thousands are children working twelve hours a day for a dollar. ibid.
Africa has endured over five centuries of oppression and theft by European empires. ibid.
Africa: One of the fastest growing parts of the world and with the youngest population. Africa Rising with Afua Hirsch I: Morocco, BBC 2023
Morocco: A country of 38 million. And Africa’s most popular tourist destination. Famous for mosques and medinas and more recently football. ibid.
Nigeria: On Africa’s west coast, home to 220 million people, a fifth of Africa’s inhabitants and Africa’s largest economy. Africa Rising with Afua Hirsch II: Nigeria
South Africa: Home to a population with an average age of just 27. You immediately feel the buzz … Now it’s in transition. Africa Rising with Afua Hirsch III
We’re on the west coast of Africa in Portuguese Guinea, a country twice the size of Wales. World in Action: Frontline Africa, ITV 1970
These people don’t want to be called Portuguese and are fighting for their independence. The war is a miniature Vietnam … There’s is not a headline war. ibid.
Independence spreads steadily across the continent. Except for the three Portuguese territories. ibid.