The Struggle in Africa

"Il est permis de supposer cependant que peut-être un jour l'Europe, expulsée de l'Asie, ou s'étale en ce moment toute son activité industrielle, par l'envahissement progressif et intense de la race jaune, trouvera son dernier point d'appui en cette Afrique qui, de nos jours seulement, ouvre ses sécrets si longtemps gardés, et la nation la plus forte sera celle qui aura su prévoir cet avenir." -- Lieutenant-Colonel Gallieni, "Deux Campagnes au Soudan Français," 1891.

UNTIL the last twenty-five years the continent of Africa, as far as the white man is concerned, has not only been Dark, but in vast areas it has been Deserted. East Africa was occupied only in 1895, and although the French, Dutch, and British maintained trading posts along the West Coast for several centuries, it was only in 1900 -- 1902 that the British annexed the Gold Coast and declared a protectorate over Northern Nigeria; it was only in 1914 that the French succeeded in pacifying the Ivory Coast...

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