The activities of Cecil Rhodes

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His business and discovery of minerals in South Africa incited other Europeans to come to Africa, imagining that the whole of Africa was mineralised. At such a moment, they would not think of the existence of empty territories like Mali and Chad in Africa
In 1890. he became a British prime minister of Cape Province, a chance he used to bring a reality of his political dreams in South Africa i.e. "of painting the whole of Africa red" where red meant the colour of the British flag that was to be hoisted in the territories between Cape province and Cairo.
This worried other European coionising powers and they were forced to act urgently and effectively. for exarnple, Portugal had to impose firm control over Mozambique and Angola, Germany controlled Namibia and Tanganyika. Belgium Strengthened her control over Congo while France was in Rwanda. The purpose of such colonial mapping was to
cut off the Imperial designs of Cecil Rhodes between Cape province and Cairo thus
acceleratmg the Scramble for and Partinon of Africa.
The activities of France.
In 1879 the prime minister of France Julies Ferry had sent an imperialist and explorer in
the names De BraZza to secure the northern part of Congo basin for France in order to threaten the activities of king Leopold II of Belgium in Congo, In northern Congo, De Brazza had secured a treaty with chief Makoko of the Makonde society hence abusing the authonty or' Leopold 11 that almost erupted into war that necessitated the calling of the Berlin conferenc.e
Therefore the rivaling for territories in the Congo by these two powers created an international conflict that led to the calling of the Berlin conference in 1884-85 which officially partitioned Africa among the colonising powers.
In 1879, France acquired a republican leadership under Julles Ferry who supported the colonial expansion as a solution for psychological effects France was nursing after the loss of Alsace and Lorraine her rich territories III the Fanco-Prussian war of 1870-71.
The Activities of Leopold II in Congo.
Whereas the objective of his association were good in outlook, other European powers begun to be suspicious when he asked Henrv Marton Stanley to start signing treaties on his behalf from Afncan chiefs ill Congo It became clear that his aim was to exclude other Europeans from Congo that was considered to be the second richest country in minerals after South Africa on the African continent. This caused European countries such as france to start planning for room to jointly share the exploitation of the Congo basin an event that ended up ..y.. calling of the Berlin Conference in 1884 that officially partitioned the African continent.
It is said that his initiative ID 1876 to come to Africa (Congo) with a claim of humanitarian agenda to stop slave trade, spread Western civilisation and Christianity when in reality he aimed at the exploitation of Congo changed the European outlook towards Afnca. All European powers envied his excessive profits from minerals and rubber plantations and decided to come for them in Africa Thus as much as I ranee 1S blamed for sparking off the rush for colonies, some histonans maintain that it was not France but Leopold II of Belgium who caused the scramble and partition of Africa.
In conclusion therefore, 'the scramble for and partition of Africa had a number of causes ranging from political, social to economic. Some of them accelerated events of the scramble such as the 1882 British occupation of Egypt while others were independent causes. like the activities of France, activities of Leopold II, works of Cecil Rhodes towards colonisation of south and central Africa etc. What is clear is that by 1914 the
whole of Africa had been sliced like a piece of cake by European powers for their economic drive except Liberia and Ethiopia.