The Legacy of King Leopold and Neo-Colonialism in Africa

References

Discussion Questions

Neo-Colonialism in Africa

• African countries still dependent on the U.S. and Western Europe for support
• Nations such as China and India are beginning to express interest in the continent giving
• The appeal: abundant cheap labor and raw resources
• Foreign aid to Africa appears to solve immediate needs, but merely acts as a 'band-aid' solution
• Also ties these nations to the West locking them into a relationship of dependency

Neo-Colonialism in Africa Today

Anstey, Roger. King Leopold’s Legacy: The Congo under Belgian Rule, 1908-1960. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1966.

Hochschild, Adam. King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa. New York: Mariner Books, 1998.

Lumumba-Kasongo, Tukumbi. “China-Africa Relations: A Neo-Imperialism or a Neo-Colonialism? A Reflection,” African and Asian Studies 10 (2011): 234- 263.

Katongole, Emmanuel. The Sacrifice of Africa: A Political Theology for Africa. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2011.

Pratyush. “Role of China and India as Development Partners in Africa: A Critique of Neo-Colonialism,” Review of Management 3 no. 3/4 (December 2013): 23-30.

• Hochschild mentions that the history of the Belgian campaign in the Congo has been virtually removed from mainstream discourse. What are the implications for this on perceptions of development in Africa?

• King Leopold was able to secure the rights to the Congo due to his assertion that he would spread the Christian faith. What role does Christianity play in colonization?

• The Congo Reform Association played a crucial role in raising awareness surrounding Leopold's actions in the Congo. What role does human rights movements today play in the global context?

• Christian missionaries, and Christianity for that matter, are not extensively discussed in "King Leopold's Ghost". How does religion combat and contribute to the normalization of colonization?

• How has colonization shaped the current socio-economic and political plight of Africa nations?

• What was the impact of King Leopold's Ghost on Emmanuel Katongole and how did this contribute to his views on Christianity and the colonization of Africa?

"King Leopold's Ghost"

Christianity in the Congo Free State

The Congo Reform Association

The Congo Reform Association:

The First Human Rights Campaign

• As Katongole notes in The Sacrifice of Africa, Christianity was not at the forefront of the Congo Free State
• Christian missionaries were helpful, however, in recording their personal accounts of atrocities in the Congo Free State
• Some sent their accounts to journalists outside of the colony to be shared within Europe.

• "King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa"
• Written by Adam Hochschild in 1998
• Influential analysis of the legacy of King Leopold's campaign in the Congo
• Increased the degree of consciousness on the all-too forgotten Congo Free State

• Founded in March 1904 by Edmund D. Morel and Roger Casement
• Edmund Morel was an influential English journalist
• Goal: Expose King Leopold and the barbarous actions committed in the Congo in his name
• Successfully campaigned resulting in the relinquish of the territory by Leopold to Belgian parliament on November 15, 1908.

Capturing Women as Hostages

Hand Severing

Forced Enlistment in the Force Publique

• Utilized in the efforts of intimidating the male workers collect more rubber to free their wives.
• So widespread that nearly every state or company post had an area specifically made to house hostages.
• Deliberate attacks on the female population
• “If you were a male villager, resisting the order to gather rubber could mean death for your wife." (Hochschild, 1998, p. 161)

Atrocities in the Congo Free State

• Hand severing was a common phenomenon within the colony and grew to be synonymous with the Congo Free State
• Native population risked having their hands cut off if they had not collected the required quantity of rubber
• Soldiers often had to prove that they had not wasted any bullets which they had received by severing the right hand of corpses

• Coerced the native population to work in order to cultivate rubber and serve the Belgian colonists living in the Congo Free State.
• Even the soldiers in the Force Publique were often forced to enlist in the colonial army.
• Not uncommon for the Force Publique to murder the parents of children, making them orphans

King Leopold II, of Belgium and the Congo Free State

• Reigned 1865-1909
• Founder and sole owner of the Congo Free State
• Claims to the Congo authorized at the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885.
• Oversaw brutal atrocities perpetuated in the hopes of extracting rubber from the Congo
• Relinquishes the Congo to the Belgian parliament in 1908 after overwhelming opposition by the greater European community.
• This cost Belgium 215.5 million francs
• Roughly $142,255,937.94 in today's dollar

King Leopold II, King of the Belgians

The Legacy of King Leopold

King Leopold II, King of the Belgians

Courtney Jones

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