46. The Mau Mau, the court case, and the hidden documents

In this episode of "Empire," Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Harvard professor Caroline Elkins shares insights from her research on the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya and the British government's cover-up of its brutal actions. The episode kicks off with an introduction to Elkins and her significant work, then explores the historical backdrop of the uprising and the government's harsh response, which included widespread torture and detentions. Elkins reveals the extensive efforts to destroy evidence by the British authorities, emphasizing the crucial discovery of 300 boxes of hidden documents that transformed the legal battle. The conversation wraps up with a look at the victorious outcome of the legal proceedings, the financial compensation for survivors, and the enduring implications for our understanding of British colonial violence. Notably, Elkins uncovers that nearly the entire Kikuyu population—1.5 million people—was detained, a shocking figure that far exceeds earlier estimates.