King of Belgium does not apologize to Congolese for colonial atrocities – “Apologies alone are not enough”

Many had waited, or at least hoped, for the King of Belgium Philippe would directly apologize today for the country’s cruel colonial policy in the territory of the current Democratic Republic of Congo.

It happened differently. On his first trip, the king in the Congo repeated his previous “deepest regrets about the wounds of the past.” The confession a couple of years ago was significant, but it was noteworthy that no direct apology was heard from the king at the time. As it is now.

– As a Congolese, I would like to say: welcome to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Your Majesty. But this time, be brave enough to apologize to the Congolese. Mere apologies are not enough, said the history professor Antoine Roger Lokongo news agency Reuters before the king’s visit.

Also under the royal visit is the Princess of Belgium, known for her political activism Esméralda reiterated its call for Belgium to apologize to the Congolese for much.

“As in a relationship, an apology is important for relaunching a balanced relationship,” the princess said in an interview with AFP news agency in February.

– We are not responsible for the actions of our ancestors, but we have a responsibility to talk about them, the princess said.

The Belgian rule in the territory of the present-day Democratic Republic of Congo was one of the darkest and most brutal figures of the colonial period.

Millions of Congolese were killed and mutilated in the production of rubber when the area was king at the turn of the 20th century. Leopold II: n privately owned. The exploitation of people and natural resources continued for more than 50 years after Leopold, when Congo was the official colony of Belgium.

The international wave of anti-racist protests in the summer of 2020 was strongly visible in Belgium, where statues of Leopold II were stained with red paint and some of the statues were removed from the street scene.

In the 21st century, Belgium has taken small steps towards mediation, but the subject is politically volatile in Belgium. On Tuesday, the royal couple and the prime minister Alexander de Croo was solemnly received at Kinshasa Airport, the capital of the Congo.

– Despite what the Belgians did to us during the colonial period, we are ready to forgive. We are delighted with the arrival of the royal couple, said the royal airport to see arrived Antoine Mubidiki To Reuters.

Wednesday in his speech (you switch to another service) In Kinshasa, King Philippe painted future co-operation between Belgium and Congo, but acknowledged the colonial history in a few sentences.

The King acknowledged that colonial rule was based on exploitation and subjugation, and that a system based on racism and discrimination was not justified. He then reiterated his previous apologies. He did not mention his predecessor, King Leopold II, by name.

As a concrete gesture of reconciliation during the royal visit, the restoration of cultural and historical objects once looted from the Congo is to be initiated.

Tens of thousands of artefacts have been on display for decades at the Museum of Africa in Belgium, which has been revamped in recent years and has begun to account for its colonialist role.

One of the most important objects to be returned is the example of the Congolese anti-colonial struggle and the country’s first prime minister’s independence. Patrice Lumumban tooth.

Lumumba was abducted and murdered in 1961, after which his body was dissolved in sulfuric acid – with the exception of the tooth. The Belgian gendarmerie, who had been involved in the destruction of the body, had taken it as a personal keepsake.

It was not until 2002 that Belgium admitted its involvement in the assassination of the Prime Minister and apologized.