The Belgian royal couple were met with fanfare and red carpet on the runway in Kinshasa. The warm reception is a stark contrast to how former Belgian kings behaved towards the Congolese people. Although it has been 62 years since Congo became a free country, there are still many Congolese readers who think Belgium has never said a proper apology for the country’s actions in Congo. But then it is also the dark past that has made King Philippe and Queen Mathilde travel to Congo. King Philippe was greeted by stately music, red carpets and a jubilant crowd when he landed in Kinshasa on Tuesday this week. Photo: ARSENE MPIANA / AFP Hoping for a proper “apology” Down on the runway, it was a smiling Felix Tshisekedi who greeted the royal doctors. It is he, as the President of the Congo, who has invited state visits. He did so after receiving a congratulatory letter from King Philippe in 2020 as a completely new president. The letter stated that he was sorry for Belgium’s many crimes in the Congo. But he did not make an official apology, and in Congo many hope he will come up with it this week. As a Congolese reader, I like to say “welcome to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Your Majesty dives”. But this time he must have the courage to apologize to the Congolese people, Antoine Roger Lokongo told Reuters before the royal couple landed in Congo. Lokongo teaches history at Joseph Kasa-Vubu University in the Congo, and there is no shortage of stories about a brutal Belgian colonial power in Congo’s history books. Many Africans sacrificed much for their colonial powers during World War II. Of the Congolese who fought for Belgium, only 100-year-old Albert Kunyuku is still alive. This week, the veteran received a medal for his efforts for the European country. Photo: JUSTIN MAKANGARA / Reuters Slavery, violence, murder and rubber Belgium is blamed for trying to influence Congolese politics to its own advantage in the first years the country was independent. They are also blamed for being racist and discriminatory as a colonial power. But the most brutal shoulders are further back in time. And especially in the period from 1885 to 1908. At that time, the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is about the same size as the whole of Western Europe, was ruled by King Leopold. King Leopold’s legacy is bad. Very bad. Several times it has been tagged on a statue of him in Brussels. Here it says “Sorry”, with a clear reference to Belgium having to apologize for the king’s brutal conduct in Congo. Photo: THIERRY ROGE / AFP The king was not particularly interested in building a state and creating development. He wanted to exploit the resources, including the human resources, that were in Congo. The online lexicon Britannica is one of many sources that say that one will never know exactly how many were killed during King Leopold’s regime, but that the most common estimate is that 10 million lives were lost. Arbitrary killings, violence, threats and forced labor were common. And a large number of Congolese readers were exploited as slaves. Often to extract rubber, which was a sought-after resource in the late 1800s. Millions of Congolese people experienced a great shortage of food, and many died of diseases that would not be life-threatening if they were not malnourished. – I believe that some times, in order to be able to create a good future, I am content to face the past, said the Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, before he went to the Congo and be part of the state visit there. In the Congo, a statue of King Leopold was removed as early as 1961. Photo: AP Delivers stolen goods and a tooth With him to the Congo, the Belgian has accompanied several things that have great symbolic value. They had a Congolese mask, which was shipped to Belgium during the colonial era. But also a tooth that belongs to a deceased Congolese. That’s Patrice Lumumba’s tooth. He was killed in 1961. Thereafter, the body was buried, the grave up that, parted and laid in acid. Thus, Lumumba’s corpse was dissolved, but a small piece is found on the way. 40 years later, Gérard Soete stood up and told about how Belgium played a role in the murder of Lumumba. The former police officer said that he had taken one of Lumumba’s teeth as a kind of “hunting trophy”. The tooth later ended up in the hands of the Belgian authorities, because they took it out of the house of Soete’s daughter. Now, 60 years later, the family of the liberation hero Lumumba gets their teeth back. – When we get back part of him. Of his body. Then we can end the grieving process and move on. It is a relief for us, says the zone, Roland Lumumba, to Politico. Many European countries sit on ancient, historical objects from Africa. Many Africans believe that these items were stolen during the colonial era and wish them back. King Philippe brought a Congolese mask on the plane to Congo. Photo: ARSENE MPIANA / AFP Lumumba had fronted the fight against the Belgian colonial rule, and optimism was great when the fight was crowned with independence. But shortly after Congo had become a free country, Lumumba ended up in a power struggle. Shortly afterwards, he was transported to the breakaway region of Katanga, where he was tortured and eventually executed. A Belgian investigation in 2001 concluded that Belgian officials were involved in the transport of Lumumba to Katanga. The investigation concluded that Belgium had a moral responsibility, but not a legal responsibility. Belgium and Congo now want to look ahead, hoping to improve cooperation. – We do not forget the past, but we look ahead, said spokesman for the Congolese government, Patrick Muyaya, when Congo earlier this week announced that Belgium and Congo will now start a “new partnership”.
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King of Belgium in Congo for delivering stolen goods and saying sorry – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
