148. The Training School for Elephants: A quest into the Heart of Africa

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12:45 - 13:45

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Sun, 29 June

148. The Training School for Elephants: A quest into the Heart of Africa

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Sophy Roberts

Join author and journalist Sophy Roberts for a captivating dive into one of history’s strangest colonial episodes. Roberts retraces an extraordinary – and almost forgotten – 19th-century expedition, when Belgium’s King Leopold II sent four Asian elephants from India to East Africa, dreaming of taming African elephants to aid his brutal plan to plunder Africa’s resources.

Led by the flamboyant Irish adventurer Frederick Carter, the ultimate goal was to establish a training school for African elephants. This bizarre mission unfolded with all the hubris and chaos of imperial ambition. From Belgium to the Congo, Roberts follows the elephants’ path across continents, uncovering lost stories and rich histories along the way.

Blending meticulous research with vivid storytelling, Roberts weaves together voices past and present – from ivory traders to Catholic missionaries – to explore our complex, often troubling relationship with nature and empire. A powerful tale of greed, delusion, and the enduring legacy of colonialism