The Democratic Republic of Congo or DRC is the second largest country in Africa and the largest below the Sahara Desert. A former Belgium colony the DRC is the most populous francophone (French Speaking) country in the world.
“Few individuals managed to extract as much wealth from Africa as Leopold, King of the Belgians. The Berlin Conference (2.1a) granted him authority over the Congo River basin. The colony, called the Congo Free State, was not, however, an actual colony of the country of Belgium but a concession personally controlled by Leopold. In an act of eponymous hubris surpassed only by Cecil Rhodes, the capital was named Leopoldville (changed after independence to Kinshasa).”
Jacobs, N. J. (2014). In N. J. Jacobs, African History Through Sources: Volume 1, Colonial Contexts and Everyday Experiences, c.1850–1946 (p. 129). New York: Cambridge University Press
King Leopold terror in the Congo can be rivaled to Hitler during the holocaust unfortunately people are unaware of the terror he caused during his reign. It is not until recently after the global impact of George Floyds death in Minneapolis, past atrocities are coming to light, King Leopold is one of them. Essentially King Leopold reinstated slavery in the Congo, his personal colony made him an extremely wealthy man.
It is estimated that 10-15 million people were killed as a result of actions or inactions of King Leopold. The people of Congo were “bought” like any merchandise and “owned “by the king making the entire Congolese population slaves to King Leopold. To exert his influence and not seem cruel, he created a philanthropy and a humanitarian guise called International African Society, which was used as a vehicle to extract rich resources through use of forced labor, torture, mutilation, and executions by the king’s private army. This is one of the least advanced genocides and slavery to have taken place on the Africa continent and yet utterly ignored or conveniently forgotten. On the orders of King Leopold, thousands of Congolese were either hung, their hands amputated for failure to meet the daily ratio of sap collection for rubber making. King Leopold took over about 905,000 square miles of African rain forest with the vast mineral resources for his personal use. What is often today described in international criminal justice discourse, as the “Command and Responsibility” fell squarely on King Leopold. For example, he commanded his generals to:
“Cut off the heads of the men and hang them in the villages, have sexual intercourse with the native women and hang children and women on crosses.” He ordered the cutting off of heads and hands, flogging them to death, starvation, burning villages and severe punishment for those who did not meet the quota for rubber production. The sad part though is that despite the overwhelming evidence of such brutality, King Leopold was never held criminally liable for the genocide and ills in Congo.
Atrocities Watch Africa. (2017). From Atrocities Watch Africa: http://atrocitieswatch.org/king-leopold-of-belgium-in-congo/
Figure Above: A father stares at a hand and foot of his five-year-old daughter, severed as punishment for harvesting to little rubber.
Prior to the colonization of the Congo, the Bantu people populated the region dating back to 2nd millennium B.C. to the 16 century. The Bantu people primarily occupied central Africa from the savannahs to the rain forest, “the Bantu people’s iron tools improved agricultural yields and their iron weapons made them formidable military opponents. They were also hunters, animal herders (goats, sheep, and cattle), potters, weavers and traders, exchanging such goods as salt, copper, and iron ore for those things they needed.”
Cartwright, M. (2019, April 11). Bantu Migration. From Ancient History Encylopedia: https://www.ancient.eu/Bantu_Migration/
Throughout the country’s history the DRC had numerous names: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, the Republic of Congo-Léopoldville, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Zaire, before returning to its current name the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since colonization, the DRC cannot seem to catch a break, instability continually plagues the nation. Various conflicts, civil war, poaching, deforestation, corruption, civil rights, and violence against woman occur in the DRC, however, despite all that may seem negative the DRC still manage to have their own culture.
Culture
Music is by far the art form for which Congo is best known. Kinshasa is widely regarded as one of the great music centres of the world, and the influence of Congolese music is felt especially throughout sub-Saharan Africa. In the 1950s musicians playing in nightclubs in the Matonge quarter of Kinshasa, foremost among them Kabesele Tshamala and François Lwambo, forged a style called African jazz (or OK jazz), a style that went on to influence contemporary musicians around the continent—and in Europe and North America as well. The rumba and soukous styles became popular in the 1960s, with performers such as Papa Wemba and the Grand Zaïko Orchestra eventually earning worldwide followings. Coupled with their sound were new dance steps such as the cavacha and silauka, which were widely adapted throughout Africa. The country’s most revered musical figure is Papa Wendo (Wendo Kolosoy; 1925–2008), a singer and musician who helped lay the foundations of Congolese rumba and whose career spanned seven decades. He was coaxed out of retirement in the late 1990s when African-music enthusiasts rediscovered his 1955 hit “Marie Louise” and urged him to perform again. He later appeared with his group, the Victoria Bakolo Miziki Orchestra, at festivals throughout Africa and Europe. The most popular indigenous musical style today is a blend of Cuban merengue, Congolese rumba, and West African highlife sounds, reflecting the many influences that meet in Congo. (Wiese, n.d.)
Arts very by region throughout the DRC, from mask to statues, despite the nations hardships the artwork is vibrant and reflects how the people face adversity.
Data From: https://www.indexmundi.com/democratic_republic_of_the_congo/demographics_profile.html
- Over 200 African groups which the majority are Bantu
- The four largest tribes Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu) and Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population
Language
- French (official)
- Lingala (a lingua franca trade language)
- Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili)
- Kikongo
- Tshiluba
