Latest / The History of Belgium: A Small Country with a Giant Colonial Legacy — Fexingo History
The 1925 Ruanda-Urundi Coffee Mandate: Belgium's Agricultural Empire
In 1925, Belgium imposed a coffee cultivation mandate on the newly acquired territories of Ruanda-Urundi, forcing farmers to plant arabica coffee for export while uprooting traditional crops. This episode follows the story through the eyes of a Hutu farmer named Ndibwami, who led a quiet resistance by burying coffee seeds and replanting sorghum. We explore how the mandate tied into Belgian colonial economics, the role of the Office des Produits Agricoles du Congo (OPAC), and the long-term social and environmental consequences. The episode also touches on the legacy of this policy in…
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