Racism In The Congolese

During the late 19th to early 20th century, King Leopold II impacted the African Continent and the larger International community more than any other European monarch. Firstly, King Leopold II sinisterly orchestrated a colonization operation that is comparative to a genocidal regime. Secondly, King Leopold II’s actions in the Congo led unified condemnation across oceans from a broad range of socioeconomic statues. Lastly, the opposition forces against King Leopold II’s colonization of Congo helped pave the way for future justice on the continent as well as internationally. Ultimately, this Europe created the competitive environment that promoted King Leopold II’s quest for colonization.

In order to achieve his dream, King Leopold II wanted to be sure that no other country got in his way. Belgium was a small country and Leopold knew that his country posed no threat to others. If he started to conquer the Congo, other

Novelist Chimamanda Adichie brings into consideration to Keim discussion, by emphasizing the connection between a “single story” and “stereotypes” regarding the subject of Africa. One of the dangers Adichie includes in her discussion are individuals being denied the opportunity to tell their story. Adichie draws similarities to Keim when discussing her own personal journey to find her authentic cultural voice, and she emphasizes the many misunderstanding that society, including herself, have made. Adichie admits to not only facing stereotypes, but addresses her own opinion regarding the topic. Adichie admits that as a child, she had initial biases regarding a servant that was employed by her family. According her explanation, she believed that the capability of someone “the servants family” coming from a certain background, made them incapable of such artistry. The same misconceptions can be seen in present day society, we often are prejudiced on who or what can be cultured.

Riches in central Africa. In what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, there was and still is a plethora of natural resources. Rubber, gold, copper, diamonds and more. That natural wealth has definitely hurt Congo in the past rather than helped. Its resources could have made it one of the wealthiest countries in the world. But yet, this future did not hold true for the Congo. At the turn of the 20th century, King Leopold II began to take notice of the central African country. (National Black United Front). King Leopold II communicated all his ideas and intentions through a speech to European missionaries. (Africa Global Network). In it, his words held the key to all things terrible. Soon, Belgium took over the Congo and began one of the

Leopold sees the trade routes as a way to gain the region. Therefore, he founds a Committee for Studies of the Upper Congo to financially support his conquest of the region. However, he changes the committee name to the IAC to better cover his own ambition for conquest, and he sends Henry Stanley to create the imperial regime (Grant). Harry Johnston, a British leading authority on African Affairs meets Stanley while traveling and documents the great deal of changes in the area since the arrival of Stanley. He draws a picture of what the Congo looks like years ago when he says, “In 1876 the European merchants had penetrated no farther than Boma, where they were all established. There was not a signal trading station higher up the river. No one knew anything of the country” (Document 4). Now, “The merchants of Boma, since Stanley’s advent, have founded fifteen trading stations between Boma and the falls at Vivi. There was not a single missionary on the Congo before 1879. Now there are three flourishing missions” (Document 4). Unfortunately, their dramatic push for trade and railroads costs many African lives that they profess to civilize and

Once the superpowers of Europe heard of this, they all begin to make their move to imperialize the whole neighborhood. This was later known as “The Scramble Of Africa”. When Leopold was colonizing Africa, he convinced explorers, politicians, and even the newspapers that he wanted to aid Africa due to the fact that there were not as developed. But in this quote said by Leopold, to the ambassador of London “I do not want to miss a good chance of getting us a slice of this magnificent African cake” shows that his intent was not to help Africa at all. He only view them as something that can eat or use until he is satisfied. Throughout history, Europeans believed that Leopold would spend a fortune of his fundings to help the congo and stop slavery as a charity, but he actually was forcing them to work for him as he owned a part of the congo. This resulted in the death of ten million people, which was more than half of the congo’s

King Leopold is fully responsible for the effects of the Congo Free State because of what he did to colonize it. First, he privately established a colony in the region through his private holding company, the Association Internationale Africaine, and through his famous explorer Henry Morton Stanley. From then on, he slowly gained full control of the area by making advantageous deals with local chiefs. In a

In 1865, King Leopold II succeeded his father to the thrown of Belgium and thus began one of the most brutal and insensitive periods of imperialism ever to exist. From manipulative treaties to straight forward intimidation, Leopold dominated his empire like no other. He was cruel, deceptive, and downright evil, yet it took the world over twenty years to recognize this. The record of King Leopold’s atrocity is an interesting account of how a jealous man could inflict some of the most disgusting forms of oppression upon his fellow members of the human race.

This chapter in Africans and Their History by Joseph Harris presents some of the roots of the stereotypes and myths about Africa in the past and for the most part are still held today. Harris discusses how the “greats” of history, geography, and literature starting a path of devaluation of Africans that writers after their time followed. Harris also denounced the language that these “greats” used to describe and talk about Africans. He asserts that this language inherently painted Africans as inferior and subhuman.

The Congo Free State was 76 times larger than Belgium and it all belonged to one man, King Leopold II. He was granted control over the state by the Congress of Berlin. The state was high in resources such as rubber and ivory. He has been labelled, on many occasions,

Being “a king of a small country with no public interest in colonies...a colonial push of his own would require a strong humanitarian veneer” (Hochschild, p. 42). In order for civilized western countries to allow for Leopold to conquer territory in Africa, he would have to do it in the name of philanthropy. In the 19th century, Christian ideals such as moral empire -the religious duty to bring modern civilization to undeveloped countries- were popular among the general public (Hochschild, p.213). Knowing this, Leopold decided that he would use “curbing the slave trade, moral uplift, and the advancement of science” in his pitch to colonize Africa; “not profits” (Hochschild, p. 42).

Leopold believed oversea colonies were the key to a country’s greatest, so he worked to obtain colonial territory for Belgium. Neither of the Belgian people and government were interested in his “plan”. Soon after he was turned down by the government and people, Leopold began to develop a colony in his private capacity as a typical citizen. After several ineffective schemes in Africa and/or Asia, he organized a private holding company which was called, “Association Internationale Africaine”. It was disguised as an International Scientific and Philanthropic Association in 1876. Leopold hired a famous explorer named Henry Stanley to establish a colony in the Congo region. Stanley gained control of the land from local chiefs through “doth and trinket” treaties. The chiefs assumed they were signing a friendship treaty, instead they were selling their land. Leopold was free to rule the Congo Free State as a personal domain, and soon he was the sole ruler of about thirty million people.

Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness stands as one of the best novellas of all time; hence, it continues to be included in the curriculum in various classes. However in 1975, Chinua Achebe, Nigerian author of Things Fall Apart, criticized the racist nature present in Conrad’s work as well as Conrad’s lack of accuracy describing the African culture in his essay “An Image of Africa.” While Achebe’s bias is present due to him defending his native country, he creates a strong, cohesive argument that unveils the true, underlying racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness as well as the overwhelming ignorance it encourages amongst Western culture. Although, he oversimplifies the role of Mr. Kurtz in Conrad’s novella who is a defendable plot point that pushes a satirical tone throughout, therefore presenting the possibility of weakening some of Achebe’s points.

At the Berlin Conference of 1884, King Leopold of Belgium was granted land, that would later be named the Congo, under the guidelines that it's intended purpose was to be used for advancement of the land such as international trade, missionaries, and education. That illusion of enlightenment was destroyed when the harsh realities of trade and greed sat in on the land and its inhabitants. No schools or churches were built within the land, the only promise kept by the King was for international

The belief that African societies were primitive and uncultured is not only bogus, but it is an example of white racist-framing that is utilized to perpetuate and excuse the oppression of people of color (Feagin, 2014). African civilizations prior to the Atlantic slave trade, like the Songhai Empire, Kanem-Borno Empire, and the Kingdom of Kongo were modern, innovative, technologically advanced, and politically savvy. African societies were advanced in grain cultivation, the creation of tools and weapons, art, and architecture (Walker, 2015; Harty &Allen, 1997) A commonality among all African cultures prior to the Atlantic slave trade is the emphasis on the importance of family relations, kinship, and close ties with extended family (Harty & Allen, 1997).