Adwa, 1896
Ethiopia's army, led by Emperor Menelik II and Empress Taytu, defeated Italy. That's why Ethiopia stayed free (except in 1936–1941).
Chapter 1 · Before 1880
A continent of kingdoms and empires
About 150 years ago, Africa had kingdoms, empires, sultanates and cities, each with its own kings and queens, its own laws and its own markets.
- The Asante Empire (today Ghana) was famous for its gold. The Sokoto Caliphate (today Nigeria) had cities with thousands of people.
- Christian Ethiopia had more than a thousand years of history and its own alphabet.
- Europeans only controlled a few bits: spots on the coast, Algeria and the far south. On the map they are the colours blue, red and green.
What about the sand-coloured areas? They weren't empty! Many peoples lived there who organised themselves without a big state with borders drawn on a map, the way Europeans did.
Move your finger or mouse over the map to see the names.
Chapter 2 · Many peoples
Hundreds of peoples, thousands of languages
Each little piece of this map is a people: a group of people who share a language, festivals, stories and a way of life.
835peoples on this map (and there were more!)
2,000+different languages across Africa
There were herders, farmers, fishers, traders, blacksmiths, musicians and storytellers. Some peoples were neighbours and friends, others were rivals. But the land was theirs.
Map of peoples: G. P. Murdock (1959). It's an old map with mistakes, but it's the most complete one there is.
Chapter 3 · Berlin, 1884–1885
The meeting where they divided up Africa
In the winter of 1884, representatives of 14 countries met in Berlin, in Germany, to talk about Africa.
How many African people were in the room? Not a single one.
In Berlin they didn't draw the whole map, but they set the rules of the game: whoever occupied a territory and told the others could keep it. Then, in many treaties, they drew borders with a ruler and a pencil, often without ever having been to those places.
Now you be the diplomat
Draw a straight line on the map: drag your mouse or finger from one point to another.
Waiting for your line…
Chapter 4 · The year 1914
Africa sliced up like a cake
In just 30 years, seven European countries took almost the whole continent. They did it with treaties, tricks and, above all, wars of conquest.
96% of African territory under European rule
Only two countries stayed free: Ethiopia and Liberia .
Imagine it at your school: one day seven kids from another school turn up, share out your desks, your backpacks and the playground among themselves, and then tell you which language you have to speak. Unfair, right?
Chapter 5 · Split peoples
Lines that cut through families
The new borders didn't take into account who lived where. They cut right through 230 of the 835 peoples on the map. Families, friends and neighbours ended up in different countries, with different laws and different official languages.
Tap a people to learn their story:
Chapter 6 · The darkest part
Colonialism caused a lot of harm
This chapter tells sad and hard things. If it upsets you, you can talk about it with an adult. It's important to know about it so that it never happens again.
- In the Congo, King Leopold II of Belgium turned the country into his private estate. People were forced to collect rubber, for making tyres, and those who didn't bring enough were cruelly punished. A huge number of people died. Some historians speak of millions, but there are no exact figures.
- In Namibia, between 1904 and 1908, the German army killed most of the Herero people and many Nama. It is often considered the first genocide of the 20th century. Germany recognised it in 2021.
- Forced labour, taxes to make people work for the settlers, stolen land and schools where children were punished for speaking their own language.
Chapter 7 · Resistance
African peoples did not give up
Everywhere, there were people who fought to defend their land and their freedom.
Samori Touré
He resisted France for sixteen years in West Africa, until he was captured in 1898.
Yaa Asantewaa
An Asante queen mother who in 1900 led the war against the British to defend the Golden Stool, the sacred symbol of her people.
Maji Maji
In 1905, in what is now Tanzania, many peoples joined together against the Germans, who were forcing them to grow cotton.
Chapter 8 · 1950–2011
Free again
After the Second World War, African peoples demanded their independence. Press the button and watch the map turn gold!
1950
4 of 54 countries independent
But… the new countries inherited the borders drawn in Europe. And today, Western Sahara is still waiting to decide its own future.
Chapter 9 · Languages
The wound you can't see
More than 2,000 languages are spoken in Africa. But in many countries the official language, the one used by the government and often at school, is the language of the former colonisers.
23of 54 countries only have European official languages
In Angola, for example, many people speak Kimbundu, Umbundu or Kikongo at home, but at school they study in Portuguese.
There's good news too: Swahili is official in Tanzania and Kenya and is spoken by tens of millions of people. And more and more schools teach in African languages.