Berlin 1885: The Division of Africa

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On February 26th, 1885, at Chancellor Otto von Bismarck's official residence in Berlin, the 'Berlin Conference on Africa' came to a successful conclusion. After three months of negotiations amongst the leading diplomats from all the major European powers (and the US), the 'General Act of the Berlin Conference' had been agreed. And a large part of Africa's subsequent fate had been set in motion.

For at a time when an estimated 80% of Africa remained under traditional and local control, the purpose of the Berlin Conference had been for the Great Powers to establish rules amongst themselves for the colonization of Africa and the exploitation of Africa's resources. Including the division of territory, the drawing of maps, and the establishment of Congo -- as a personal possession of the Belgian King. Not surprisingly, no Africans had been invited to the Conference.

Using actual transcripts taken down at the time, BERLIN 1885: THE DIVISION OF AFRICA combines reenactments of the Conference proceedings and previously unexplored archival materials, with the insights of historians and scholars from six nations, to discuss the politics, implications, and legacy of the first international conference about Africa.

'BERLIN 1885 is a remarkable and entertaining-if exasperating, only because of the smugness and duplicity of its participants-portrayal of a critical moment in modern history. It is an interesting and laudable decision that the filmmaker chose to render the story as a dramatization rather than a conventional documentary...as a representation of how colonialism really worked-and how politics worked then and still works today-it is an estimable addition to our educational and scholarly resources on an ignorable chapter in World History.' -Anthropology Review Database

'Cleverly using the exchanges put down in the diplomatic archives, BERLIN 1885 never sacrifices the demand of the documentary to the virtue of fiction. The seriousness of the program comes nonetheless with a skilful direction that maintains our attention. This a model of the genre, educational but without heaviness.' -Telerama

'A film well carried through, with a rhythm given by the chapters and the addition of some very instructive perspectives (...) The fiction-documentary by Joel Calmettes, a moment of outstanding television, would perfectly find its place in numerous history classes in high school and college.' -Le Monde

'Undoubtedly not to compromise its great historical rigor, BERLIN 1885... refuses to exploit the tricks of fiction.' -Liberation

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Main credits

Calmettes, Joël (screenwriter)
Calmettes, Joël (film director)
Pernel, Florence (narrator)
Spiesser, Jacques (actor)
Rajot, Pierre-Loup (actor)
Brandt, Carlo (actor)

Other credits

Photography, William Leroux; editing, Stephanie Mahet; music, Philippe Miller.

MARC Record See Worldcat record

Keywords

Berlin; Conference; Africa; Bismarck; Division of Africa; 1884; 1885; Joel Calmettes; documentary; film; video; DVD; colonization; borders; Stanley; Great Powers; ; "Berlin 1885: The Division of Africa"; Icarus Films;

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The scramble for Africa is an attempt by uh… the
major Europeans to grab as much territory in Africa

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as they can. Uh… to circumvent uh…
other European powers from doing so

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before they can… can do so.

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That it the first time
that a whole continent

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of 11.7 million square miles

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we are partitioned by
Europeans among themselves

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without bothering to ask
how the Africans felt.

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The British aren\'t interested in drawing boundaries at this point because they\'re
really not interested in establishing political control for these regions.

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I mean, I think they wanna have claims to

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influence over many of these states.
And keep in mind there are some,

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there are some really quite powerful African states
in… in West Africa and parts of Central Africa.

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And I think the view of the British
is that umm… you… you work with them.

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Umm… uh… That\'s, it\'s a lot cheaper,

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it\'s a lot easier, It\'s a lot more convenient.
All right. Uh… To establish direct rule

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over that region would be an enormous
region. And in fact, once it happens,

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once the scramble really takes over then uh… the British were
forced to draw these boundary lines with their… with their rivals,

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the French and Germans and so on.

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With pleasure!

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Gentlemen, prior to 1874,

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vast sways off Central Africa including much of the
more hospitable interior was completely unexplored.

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An American citizen Henry Morton Stanley,

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renowned face intelligence,
his courage, his (inaudible)

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and his skill is an explorer
resolved as far as it\'s possible

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to shine the light of civilization
on these unknown lands.

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My government would be in favor of any
agreement which rendered these lands neutral.

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And we\'ve protected them from
armed attack and to the…

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The idea here was to setup a series
of stations along the Congo river

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for the purpose is of science

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and also

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uh… to and the slave trade.

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And they were also supposed to be saved centers
of hospitality for the Europeans who main

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would be involved in
settling at these stations.

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[sil.]

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Gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to
show you some illustrations of my journeys

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into the Dark Continent.

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First, I circumnavigated late Victoria.

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Until I reached the Atlantic Ocean.

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Gentlemen, I solemnly declare to you

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that a longer journey of 7,600 miles

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I never saw the flag or any emblem

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or symbol to indicate
that I had come across

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civilized power or authority.

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[sil.]

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[sil.]

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Thank you very much. You\'re welcome.

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The conference is to meet in Berlin
to examine the question of the Congo

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and to lay them binding roads to follow hence
forth taking position of territory in Africa.

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Germany is well dispersed towards us,

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Germany intends to take a considerable
portion of the (inaudible) Congo.

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France leans little for this (inaudible) so it\'ll
be best to not to mention that against speeches.

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The king thanks you for the trouble
you\'ve taken in charge with Congo.

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Signed your friend Leopold II.

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[sil.]

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[sil.]

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Gentlemen, there is a problem, the
Congo has no effluvial Delta.

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It issues into the Atlantic
ocean in one unique stream.

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But it influences territories
both southwards and northwards.

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The commercial boarder is even far larger.

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The main exchange market all
across central Africa is 325 miles

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up to the Congo from the sea. But
you cannot go to ocean by boats

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because of the series of
large and dangerous falls.

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You have to use different
ways to export iron,

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ivory, and rubber. One example
could be using Ogowe River

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The Congo influences are
much larger territory

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than is comprised within
the geographical base.

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You can easily get what it defines,

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what I call the commercial
basin of the Congo River.

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Gentlemen, it is so
important for the future.

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The Congo should produce a trade with

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10 millions pounds annually.

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The goods required by
the French settlements

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by the association internationality Congo

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and the native Caravans require a railway.

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According to my calculations,

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if they were to pay for the railway, the
same price is now used for human transport,

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it would be sufficient to bring
a return of 5% on a capital

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of 860,000 pounds needed
for the construction.

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Stanley gives figures for

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what rate of the interest one can
expect to return on investment.

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There wasn\'t any systematic way
he could have counted any of it.

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And he didn\'t really know
the full potential of the

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Congo basin in turns of
its… of its resources. Uh…

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So I suspect these are just figures
Stanley was pulling out over his hat

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to impress people and to sway them

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in terms of the importance of the Congo
basin and remember at its outset

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this was to be free trade, so
that trade was going to be

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accessible by all parties.

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[sil.]

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And Stanley these really representing
are the interests of Leopold

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to define what was called
the commercial basin,

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and of course that was quite huge.

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Gentlemen, I would propose
within the following limits.

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At the Atlantic ocean

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at latitude 1 degree 25, a
line should run along east

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to longitude 13 degrees 30. Then it\'s
north along the meridian of 13 degrees 30

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to north latitude 5 degrees.

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Then it\'s easterly over to the
waters flowing into the Tanganyika

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and lake Victoria until the
ocean at 7 degrees 50 south.

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Gentlemen, I respectfully submit

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that the more unrestricted this spacious
commercial territory should be,

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the sooner it will be subjected to the influences of
Christina civilization and (inaudible). Thank you.

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[sil.]

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The Ogowe river

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must still so be considered
as a stream belonging

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to the commercial basin of the Congo. In
1881, I received from Savorgnan de Brazza,

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a letter in which he strongly
recommended that I use

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this route to send officers
in capacitated by owners.

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He judged

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the Ogowe River to be shorter than
that of the Congo to the sea.

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I bound to take Savorgnan de Brazza\'s own
written statement as in this beautiful proof

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of correctness of my suggestions.
Thank you.

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[non-English narration]

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The relationship between Britain and Zanzibar is a
complicated one. The British had uh… used their influence to

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umm… get the uh… Sultan of Zanzibar to sign several
treaties over the course of the 19th century

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uh… promising not to export slaves.

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Umm… on the other hand the British
really have very lower control

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uh… over the interior. And umm…

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from their perspective uh… the uh…
state of Zanzibar is the only

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force in East Africa I think that that really sort
of can manage and control that interior and ensure

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the continue and serve legitimate
trade as well as… as the slave trade.

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I don\'t… one might
describe this is hypocrisy

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on the part of the British. One might
also describe it simply as a realism.

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Then there was 30-35 effective occupation.

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It was one thing to say that
this is nice way of influence,

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or this is my hinterland, you
know… you know, doctrine

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but you must prove to us that you have
established administration there.

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That was one of the scramble for
Africa became a steeple chase.

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Everybody now was running
from here to there

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to occupy their territories
within their flag.

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