The Great Game of Africa (Scramble for Africa AU)

What if, instead of outright European colonization and conquering of African Nations, instead influenced them in a “informal” way, like a Great Game of Africa, as I like to call.

Let’s say, as much ASB it is, Indirect rule remains in use, rather then Direct rule. Europeans can still have coastal Colonies, and large bits of territory, but don’t expand them inwards. Heck, we can get even more Countries in on the pie, like America, and Russia.

Instead they supply and influence different African kingdoms and empires, picking favorites, in exchange for Resources. Like for hypothetical examples:

Britain supporting an expanding Ashanti Kingdom, against Dahomey, who are supported by the French.

Or Britain supporting the Zulu against the Boers, who are (possibly) supported by Germany

Or Italy influencing various Somali States, against Ethiopia, who is supported by (possibly) Russia.

Or America taking a greater interest in Morocco and Liberia

Questions:
Which African Countries could possibly expand?
Which Country could have the greatest Influence?
How would these various African Kingdoms and Empires develop, would they eventually modernize, and even westernize?
Should I make a timeline of this later?
 
This was the case from the 14th to 19th century and in essence Eurafricans are critical in the establishment of a European cultural sphere.
 
Or Italy influencing various Somali States, against Ethiopia, who is supported by (possibly) Russia.
You might see Ethiopia end up annexing OTL's Eritrea and Djibouti while the Somali-inhabited regions of the Ogaden end up becoming a battleground between an expansionist Ethiopia and various Somali Sultanates.
 
I'm betting that this whole European influence thing would have some African nations aspire to industrialize to catch up with them and others try their best to rid the influence. Either way an AU like this would make the pre-1900s African continent a lot more "interesting" to say the least.
 
I could see the Omani-Zanzibar sultanate expand into more of East Africa, similar to what happened in the Male Rising TL by Jonathan Edelstein.
 
What are Eurafricans exactly?

https://networks.h-net.org/node/287...-western-africa-commerce-social-status-gender

The book also expands on the linguistically and culturally creolized populations of people without genetic input.

It's not just say half or even a quarter European people but rather the identity of europeaness and whiteness in African populations.

These people were critical in the colonized of not only West Africa but basically all along the coast and riverine regions of the Sub-Sahara.
 
If I’m making a timeline about this, I need a good POD, so here a few ideas I have:

1. Germany doesn’t take Alsace-Lorraine, not ruining France’s dignity and prestige, and lowering its Imperialist ambitions for colonial ambitions
2. Leopold II of Belgium doesn’t colonize all of the Congo, only a small portion, and making a Congo Confederation with himself as “protector” and a Belgian Millitary presence as “Protection” (in reality, still just exploitation)
3. During the Berlin conference, Otto Von Bismarck explains why colonizing all of Africa is a huge waste of resources, and not worth the prestige, and should just have small coastal colonies, and Puppetize the Rest, creating a sort of “Game”
4. Britain does not annex Egypt, only a small part (Sinai)
5. A mixture of all the above.

Those are a few PODS I came up with, but if anyone else have one they want to share, can I use it?
 
If I’m making a timeline about this, I need a good POD, so here a few ideas I have:

1. Germany doesn’t take Alsace-Lorraine, not ruining France’s dignity and prestige, and lowering its Imperialist ambitions for colonial ambitions
2. Leopold II of Belgium doesn’t colonize all of the Congo, only a small portion, and making a Congo Confederation with himself as “protector” and a Belgian Millitary presence as “Protection” (in reality, still just exploitation)
3. During the Berlin conference, Otto Von Bismarck explains why colonizing all of Africa is a huge waste of resources, and not worth the prestige, and should just have small coastal colonies, and Puppetize the Rest, creating a sort of “Game”
4. Britain does not annex Egypt, only a small part (Sinai)
5. A mixture of all the above.

Those are a few PODS I came up with, but if anyone else have one they want to share, can I use it?
Stunting the global quinine supply would go a long way to preventing direct European colonisation in Africa. Lacking protection from malaria makes African settlement too dangerous and costly a venture for any sane individual, organisation, or entity to pursue.

That could be achieved by having the cinchona tree go extinct somehow (overharvesting, intensive warfare, some nonnative species wiping them out, etc.) or have the Quecha never share its medicinal properties with the Spanish (more intensive warfare? Alternatively, have the Quecha never discover its properties?).

But yeah, without quinine Africa remains 'the white man's grave'.
 
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