Episodes

  • The Berlin Conference: The Blueprint for Africa's Colonization

    The Berlin Conference: The Blueprint for Africa's Colonization
    Jul 4 2026
    In 1884-85, fourteen European nations and the United States gathered in Berlin to settle their competing claims in Africa. Otto von Bismarck hosted the conference, but its driving force was King Leopold II of Belgium, who manipulated the proceedings to secure his personal colony, the Congo Free State. The General Act of Berlin established the principle of 'effective occupation' — the idea that a European power could claim African territory only if it actually controlled it. But in practice, the conference carved up the continent with almost no regard for African societies, economies, or borders. This episode explores the conference's key players, the cynical negotiations, and how a map drawn in a Berlin boardroom set the stage for decades of violence and exploitation. We also examine the conference's impact on African political structures, the rubber atrocities in the Congo, and the diplomatic fallout between Britain, France, Germany, and Portugal. Specific figures include Otto von Bismarck, King Leopold II, Jules Ferry, and the African delegates who were excluded from the room. #BerlinConference #ScrambleForAfrica #LeopoldII #OttoVonBismarck #CongoFreeState #GeneralActOfBerlin #EffectiveOccupation #JulesFerry #Colonialism #Africa #19thCentury #Diplomacy #Imperialism #Belgium #Germany #France #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    11 mins
  • The Berlin Conference 1884-85: How Europe Carved Up Africa

    The Berlin Conference 1884-85: How Europe Carved Up Africa
    Jul 4 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the Berlin Conference of 1884-85, the infamous meeting where European powers carved up Africa without a single African present. They trace the motives behind the conference, from Otto von Bismarck's diplomatic maneuvering to King Leopold II's relentless pursuit of the Congo. The conversation explores the General Act's 'effective occupation' clause, which ignored existing African polities and sparked the Scramble. They examine the conference's role in setting borders that still cause conflict today, and highlight key figures like Leopold and Bismarck. Listeners will learn how this event shaped modern Africa, the hypocrisy of 'free trade' rhetoric, and why the conference is a turning point in colonial history. A sobering look at how European greed drew lines on a map that African people still live with. #BerlinConference #ScrambleForAfrica #Colonialism #OttoVonBismarck #KingLeopoldII #CongoFreeState #EffectiveOccupation #HistoryOfAfrica #1884 #1885 #EuropeanImperialism #GeneralAct #PartitionOfAfrica #Diplomacy #ColonialBorders #AfricanHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    9 mins
  • The Berlin Conference 1884-85: How Europe Carved Up Africa

    The Berlin Conference 1884-85: How Europe Carved Up Africa
    Jul 3 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Berlin Conference of 1884-85, where European powers formalized the Scramble for Africa without a single African representative present. They discuss how German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck orchestrated the conference to secure Germany's colonial foothold, the General Act's stipulations for effective occupation, and the arbitrary borders drawn with little knowledge of African geography or societies. The conversation highlights key figures like King Leopold II of Belgium, who exploited the conference to gain the Congo Free State, and examines the conference's legacy of ethnic fragmentation and conflict that persists today. Specific attention is given to the infamous 'Map of Africa' drawn by cartographers who never set foot on the continent, and the rivalry between Britain and France that shaped the carve-up. Listeners will gain insight into how a few months of diplomatic maneuvering in Berlin reshaped millions of lives for generations. #BerlinConference #ScrambleForAfrica #OttoVonBismarck #KingLeopoldII #CongoFreeState #GeneralAct #EffectiveOccupation #Colonialism #Africa #History #EuropeanImperialism #Borders #1884 #1885 #FexingoHistory #Imperialism #ColonialLegacy #AfricanHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 mins
  • The Herero and Nama Genocide: Germany's First Holocaust

    The Herero and Nama Genocide: Germany's First Holocaust
    Jul 3 2026
    This episode examines the Herero and Nama genocide in German South West Africa (modern Namibia) from 1904 to 1908. Lucas and Luna explore the roots of the uprising under Samuel Maharero and Hendrik Witbooi, General Lothar von Trotha's Vernichtungsbefehl (extermination order), the battle at Waterberg, the brutal Omaheke desert pursuit, and the horrific concentration camps on Shark Island. They discuss the death toll—tens of thousands of Herero and Nama men, women, and children—and the long-term consequences, including the suppression of memory and the ongoing debate about genocide reparations. The conversation also touches on the Herero's sacred cattle, the role of German colonial settlers, and how this genocide foreshadowed later 20th-century atrocities. A reflective episode on a dark chapter of African history that still reverberates today. #Herero #Nama #Genocide #GermanSouthWestAfrica #Namibia #LotharvonTrotha #SamuelMaharero #HendrikWitbooi #Waterberg #SharkIsland #Vernichtungsbefehl #Omaheke #ColonialAtrocities #1904 #Africa #History #FexingoHistory #Colonialism Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins
  • The Samory Touré Empire: West Africa's Last Stand Against France

    The Samory Touré Empire: West Africa's Last Stand Against France
    Jul 2 2026
    Long before the Berlin Conference carved up Africa, Samory Touré built a powerful empire in the West African savanna that held off French colonial forces for nearly two decades. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the rise of the Wassoulou Empire, Samory's military innovations—including his own rifle factories and scorched-earth tactics—and his eventual capture in 1898. They examine how Samory balanced Islamic reform with traditional power, his use of cavalry and fortifications, and the complex legacy of a leader who was both a conqueror and an anti-colonial hero. The episode also reveals how the French finally broke his resistance by targeting his supply lines and using African auxiliaries. A story of resilience, adaptation, and tragedy that reshapes how we understand the Scramble for Africa. #SamoryTouré #WassoulouEmpire #FrenchColonialism #WestAfrica #Mandinka #ScrambleForAfrica #AntiColonialResistance #Kankan #SierraLeone #CôteD'Ivoire #Guinea #MilitaryHistory #RifleFactory #ScorchedEarth #Almamy #Tukulor #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins
  • The Scramble for Africa's Maps: How Cartography Shaped Empire

    The Scramble for Africa's Maps: How Cartography Shaped Empire
    Jul 2 2026
    In the decades after the Berlin Conference, European powers raced to map Africa—but their maps were often fantasies. This episode explores the rise of imperial cartography during the Scramble for Africa, focusing on the Royal Geographical Society, French mapmakers in West Africa, and the German mapping of East Africa. We discuss how explorers like Henry Morton Stanley and Friedrich von Stülpnagel used blank spaces on maps to justify conquest, how African knowledge was erased, and how inaccurate borders drawn in European capitals still cause conflicts today. Key figures include Dr. John Rae, who mapped the Niger; the German cartographer Dr. Richard Kiepert; and the French officer Colonel Charles-Michel de Vauix, whose surveys of the Sahara were used to claim territory. We also look at the 1911 Anglo-French map of the Niger-Chad frontier and its legacy. Warning: this episode contains discussions of colonial violence and erasure. #ScrambleForAfrica #HistoryOfCartography #ImperialMapping #RoyalGeographicalSociety #JohnRae #RichardKiepert #CharlesDeVauix #NigerRiver #SaharaSurvey #GermanEastAfrica #FrenchWestAfrica #BerlinConference #AngloFrenchBorder #NigerChad #ColonialCartography #BlankSpaces #ErasedKnowledge #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    5 mins
  • The Herero and Nama Genocide: Germany's First Holocaust

    The Herero and Nama Genocide: Germany's First Holocaust
    Jul 1 2026
    Before the Holocaust, Imperial Germany committed the first genocide of the 20th century in its colony of German South West Africa—modern-day Namibia. Between 1904 and 1908, German colonial forces under General Lothar von Trotha waged a war of annihilation against the Herero and Nama peoples. This episode tells the story of the Battle of Waterberg, the brutal Omaheke Desert march, and the concentration camps on Shark Island. We explore the origins of General von Trotha's Vernichtungsbefehl (extermination order), the role of settler colonialism, and the long shadow this genocide casts on German memory. Learn about Samuel Maharero's uprising, Hendrik Witbooi's leadership, and how the Herero and Nama are still fighting for recognition and reparations today. #HereroGenocide #NamaGenocide #VonTrotha #Waterberg #SharkIsland #GermanSouthWestAfrica #Namibia #SamuelMaharero #HendrikWitbooi #Vernichtungsbefehl #ConcentrationCamps #ColonialGenocide #OmahekeDesert #1904 #ImperialGermany #NamibiaHistory #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 mins
  • The Siege of Mafikeng: Boer War, Empire, and African Lives

    The Siege of Mafikeng: Boer War, Empire, and African Lives
    Jul 1 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna examine the Siege of Mafikeng (1899–1900), a key event in the Second Anglo-Boer War that exposed the brutality of British imperialism in southern Africa. They explore the role of the Barolong people, led by Chief Wessels Montshiwa, who defended the town alongside British commander Robert Baden-Powell. The siege highlighted the contradictions of empire—white settlers fighting for control while black Africans bore the brunt of violence and displacement. Lucas explains how the Mafikeng siege became a propaganda tool for the British, with Baden-Powell's successful defense launched his career, while the African population suffered famine and forced labor. The episode also touches on the wider devastation of the Boer War, including the concentration camps where tens of thousands of black Africans died. This is a story of survival, manipulation, and the forgotten casualties of imperial conflict. #SiegeOfMafikeng #BoerWar #RobertBadenPowell #Barolong #WesselsMontshiwa #BritishEmpire #SouthAfrica #Mafikeng #ConcentrationCamps #Imperialism #ScrambleForAfrica #BitterEinder #MafekingMenchen #SolPlaatje #SecondAngloBoerWar #ColonialHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    9 mins