the Congo
Located in the middle of Africa bordering Zambia, Angola. Tanzania, Uganda, etc.
Underwent a period where many people people were enslaved and mistreated
10 million people were killed in a genocide
They were colonized. I think Belgium was involved
King Leopold, one of the main people behind what happened in the Congo became king of Belgium in 1865 during the Industrial Revolution
By the 1870s most of Africa was still uncolonized and led by Indigenous rulers. 'ripe for colonization'
Explorer Stanley (worked for Leopold) became the first white men to chart the Congo river’s course. Many died on the exposition
Ivory was the treasure of the land
The Force Publique was the name of Stantley's private army
Leopold made his colonization seem philanthropolic. 'savior of the savages' and that he was opening Africa up for trade. He also convinced America that he was stopping the Slave trade. All lies masked behind his explotation for their monopoly of resources, land, and labor
The Indigenous tribes didn't have a written language and didn't speak the same language as the Colonizers, so they ended up blindfully signing unequal contrasts and giving away the rights to their land
The land of the Congo was 76x the size of Belguim
George Washington Williams (American) went to the Congo, saw how abusive and horrible it was, wrote journalism about it, and caused the U.S. and Europe to write about it in newspapers. Leopold dismissed the claims
b/c many of the adults died from cruel work methods of Slavery, the Force Publique, and disease, there were many orphans. Some were recruited to Leopold's army
The colony was financed on the backbone of rubber
Methods of collecting rubber were extrememly painful. The punishments for returning with less than the required amount were even worse. They included lashings to unconciusness and possibly death, as well as burning their hands off. Known as the 1890s red rubber terror
Joseph Congrad, Edmund Dene Morel, and Roger Casement were all important figures in exposing Leopold's actions through journalsim
Leopold sold rubber at a 700% profit
With photo evidence of the torture and protests, the question of the Congo was debated in the British house
Leopold had to give the Congo up. He didn't free it though, he sold it to Belguim
Leopold sent judges to clear his allegations. Didn't work b/c they hears the villager's stories and reported back
Britian, the U.S., and other countries supressed the reports of what was actually going on in the Congo. Payed by Leopold to do so.
Leopold burned the entire state archives to get rid of the awful legacy he put upon Belgium
Women children and elders were kept hostage in the village until the villagers came back with the required amount of rubber
Leopold died of an intestinal blockage. His legacy was moreso about his relationship with his wives and daughters than what he did in the Congo
1958: Patrice Lumumba, president of the Congolese National Movement, spoke at the assembly of African People
Up untill 1957, there was no legislative council in the Congo
There is a minority of Europeans in the Congo, yet they still have an equal # of seats in the councils
The Congolese National Movement (1958) marks a decisive step in moving towards emancipation. It is meant to free the Congolese people from the effects of colonization and earn their independence.
They base the movement and their actions on the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man set by the United Nations.
They eventually want the Congo to be a democracy, but they are still facing the reprocotions of colonization. In additon, they want to end tribalism and be united
The Congo has only just begun political awarness after being told a wrong single story by their colonizers in schools and other settings. Taking back the narrative is a step towards freedom
All the political figures from African countries have the same mission: to make the African contident free and happy
Emancipation: The freeing of a people or place from the rule of an external power.
Self-determination: Taking control of one’s own country or life; doing things on your own
New annotations from Patrice Lumumba's Speech
5/17 Video about Patrice Lumumba's assasination:
1908: Belgium takes over the Colony
During Belgium's reign, the U.S. gathered many resources in the Congo. It is believed that it was there that they got the raw materials to make the atomic bomb used on Japan
In 1960 the Congo becomes a free state
Lumumba became the first prime minister of the Congo, and he was faced with an army revolt right after being innogreated
Lumumba and the Congo needed resouces to combat the Belgium armies, so they went to the U.N. when the U.N. didn't help, they got resources from the Soviet Union
This made the American and Belgium governments scared and increased tension because this was during the Cold war
6 months after in January of 1961, Lumumba was seized and executed
There were 4 different governments in the Congo. The one instored after Patrice Lumimba's assasination was pro westetrn
In 1963 Lumumba's ideal government was repressed
Lumumba remained a symbol of freedom and hope amongst African countries, and his death was a factor in the radicalization of the civil rights movement in America in the 1960s