The Great Ethiopian Famine 1888-1892: Nature, War, and Survival

The Samorian Model: Precolonial African Statecraft and Resistance

Lucas and Luna revisit one of Africa's most formidable resistance leaders, Samory Touré, but from a fresh angle: the state-building genius behind his seventeen-year war with France. They explore how Samory constructed a centralized, professional army with firearms manufactured in his own workshops, how he used scorched-earth tactics, hostage diplomacy, and mobile governance to hold together a sprawling empire that stretched across modern Guinea, Mali, and Côte d'Ivoire. The conversation digs into Samory's early life as a Dyula trader, his alliance with the jihadist state of Tukulor, the pivotal battle of Bate, his capture of Kankan, and the French betrayal of the treaty of Niako. Lucas explains how Samory's empire was a deliberate, organized counter-colonial project—not just a resistance but an alternative political order. They also touch on the internal fractures caused by the Sofa army's reliance on enslaved soldiers and the role of his son, Saranké-Mory, who betrayed him. The episode concludes by connecting Samory's legacy to modern debates about precolonial African statecraft and the shadow it casts on postcolonial borders. #SamoryTouré #WassoulouEmpire #WestAfricanResistance #PrecolonialAfrica #SofaArmy #BattleOfBate #FrenchColonialism #ScrambleForAfrica #DyulaTraders #Kankan #Tukulor #NiakoTreaty #ScorchedEarth #HostageDiplomacy #SarankéMory #AfricanStatecraft #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Anglo-Zulu War: Isandlwana and the Clash of Empires

In this episode of The Scramble for Africa: Greed, Empire, and Borders, Lucas and Luna delve into the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, focusing on the Battle of Isandlwana and its aftermath. They explore the Zulu Kingdom under King Cetshwayo kaMpande, the British invasion led by Lord Chelmsford, and the stunning Zulu victory at Isandlwana on January 22, 1879. The conversation also covers the defense of Rorke's Drift, the brutal reprisals that followed, and how the war reshaped southern Africa. Specific terms like 'impi,' 'amabutho,' and 'iKlwa' are discussed in context. Listeners will gain insight into Zulu military organization, British imperial strategy, and the legacy of the conflict in both British and Zulu memory. #AngloZuluWar #Isandlwana #RorkesDrift #Cetshwayo #LordChelmsford #ZuluKingdom #iKlwa #Impi #Amabutho #BritishEmpire #1879 #SouthAfrica #MilitaryHistory #ColonialWarfare #FexingoHistory #History #ScrambleForAfrica #AfricanHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

King Leopold's Ghost: The Congo Rubber Terror Exposed

In this episode of The Scramble for Africa: Greed, Empire, and Borders, Lucas and Luna delve into the horrific system of forced rubber collection in the Congo Free State under King Leopold II. They explore how the demand for wild rubber in the late 19th century led to a reign of terror, with the Force Publique enforcing quotas through hostage-taking, flogging, and mutilation. The hosts discuss key figures like Edmund Dene Morel and Roger Casement, who exposed the atrocities, and the role of the Congo Reform Association in pressuring Leopold to relinquish his private colony. The episode also examines the chilling practice of using severed hands as proof of bullets expended, and the devastating long-term demographic impact on the Congolese population. Lucas and Luna contextualize the rubber terror within the broader scramble, showing how economic greed drove colonial violence. #CongoFreeState #KingLeopoldII #RubberTerror #ForcePublique #EdmundDeneMorel #RogerCasement #CongoReformAssociation #WildRubber #SeveredHands #ColonialViolence #ScrambleForAfrica #19thCentury #BelgianColonialism #HumanRights #History #FexingoHistory #Africa #Atrocities Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Congo Free State: Leopold's Private Empire of Terror

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the brutal reality of King Leopold II's Congo Free State, a vast territory in Central Africa that was not a colony but a private enterprise run for profit. They discuss how Leopold used the Berlin Conference of 1884-85 to gain international recognition, then imposed a system of forced labor to extract wild rubber, leading to millions of deaths. The conversation covers the role of Henry Morton Stanley in establishing Leopold's claim, the infamous Force Publique, the practice of taking hands as proof of bullets used, and the global campaign against the atrocities led by Edmund Dene Morel and Roger Casement. Lucas explains the economic drivers: the rubber boom and the shift to concession companies. They also touch on the legacy of this period in Congo's modern history. A stark look at one of the darkest chapters of European imperialism in Africa. #CongoFreeState #KingLeopoldII #ForcePublique #RubberTerror #HenryMortonStanley #EdmundDeneMorel #RogerCasement #BerlinConference #BelgianColonialism #CentralAfrica #Atrocities #19thCentury #Imperialism #ScrambleForAfrica #HumanRights #History #FexingoHistory #ColonialHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The African Auxiliary: Carrier Corps in World War I

More than a million African porters and soldiers served in World War I, yet their story is often reduced to a footnote. This episode focuses on the Carrier Corps — the tens of thousands of men from British East Africa, Nyasaland, and the Rhodesias who carried supplies, food, and ammunition for the campaign against German East Africa. We explore the brutal conditions of the march through the bush, the devastating toll from disease and starvation, and the long-term social disruption caused by conscription. The episode highlights the experiences of men like the Nyamwezi porters and the Kamba soldiers, and examines how the war's demand for labour reshaped African societies. We also touch on the official neglect after the war, when many veterans received little recognition or compensation. This is a story of endurance, loss, and the hidden cost of empire in the First World War. #CarrierCorps #WorldWarI #GermanEastAfrica #BritishEastAfrica #AfricanPorters #Kamba #Nyamwezi #EastAfricanCampaign #JanSmuts #PaulvonLettowVorbeck #Conscription #ForcedLabour #ColonialHistory #AfricanSoldiers #WWIAfrica #History #FexingoHistory #TheScrambleForAfrica Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]