Congo during the colonial era (III) Before achieving independence in 1960, long before a Belgian colony, Congo was a Portuguese colony.Indeed, in 1483 King Alfonso V commissioned the Portuguese navigator Diogo Cam exploring the coast of Africa in search of a sea route to India.In 1484, he discovered the mouth of the Congo River and pushed his exploration to 22 ° south latitude.In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias brought the South African blacks to the Court where they will be "civilized".They then accompanied the Portuguese to facilitate their implantation in Zaire, the original name of Congo.Then comes the period of the "triangular trade" and the slave trade which we will return.In 1815, the British Navy sent Captain James Kingston Tuckey to discover the source of the River Congo.Tuckey found only colonial villages abandoned by the Portuguese and moribund Catholic missions.He died in 1816 in Moanda, future Kinshasa.His mission was a failure but revived European interest for the Black Africa.Then the French began to explore Africa.After two years of traveling in Equatorial Africa, French explorer Pierre Savorgan Brazzapublia in 1831 of his "Journey to the Congo and in the interior of equinoctial Africa."He will receive the gold medal of the Geographical Society.En1884, Brazza founded the city that bears his name.In 1891, Congo-Brazza formed one of the four states of the French Equatorial Africa and Brazzaville is the capital.Not to be confused with the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) whose capital is Kinshasa.In 1853, Livingstone began his exploration of Africa and saw that the Christian faith still survived in the Congo (Zaire) but the Portuguese missionaries had left.He suggested to send missionaries (Protestant pastors) evangelize blacks.From 1868 the "White Fathers" Catholic obéidance evangelized in turn Congo.Their work will also be social, providing education and health care to local populations.They will install the missions until bush, including Tandala located in northern Uélé.Development of Congo Unlike the Portuguese or English, the Belgians never had colonial experience.They did try to colonize XVIIemesiècle Manhattan (Peter Stuyvesant and his Flemish and Walloons lieutenants) and Santo Tomas in Guatemala (1841) and the American states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Louisiana but nothing to country level.They are organized around the implementation of Stanley and industrial projects and their tropical attire modeled on those worn by the English East India Company.The 1885 Berlin Act fixed the rules of occupation of new territories on the coast of Africa.Portugal kept the enclave of Kabinda (Kasai Oriental), and as we saw recognized the Congo Free State (EIC).After discussions, Belgium also finally recognized that State.The Berlin Conference also authorized the King Leopold II of Belgium are to collect export duties.The atrocities of the system Leopold (1891-1906) As early as 1884 King Leopold II sent engineers prospect the Congo's resources.Their mission proved quite difficult as they had to be supervised by soldiers who had to fight with traffickers and poachers.Belgium quite quickly discovered two resources: first ivory that would power up to 85% of world trade, then rubber (latex) but whose inhuman exploitation will make great noise until the 1920s It return.In 1891, the sovereignty of King Leopold II and his monopoly in the Congo (EIC) entered into force until 1906, allowing Belgium to exploit the resources directly from that country to its own advantage and to collect taxes in nature.A "Charter Colonial" then entered in force from October 18, 1908, founding the basis of the political organization of the Belgian Congo and the nature of relations between this country and Belgium.Despite the peaceful work and even scientific (ethnological) of "White Fathers" and the negative opinion of Europeans with regard to all forms of oppression of the natives, the enslavement of blacks will be encouraged by the Belgian Government, formally to "develop the Black Continent", but no one was fooled, it was actually for Belgium to draw like other unscrupulous countries, all the wealth in its favor.Well protected by a legal framework, far from disapproving looks, between 1885 and 1908 Belgium reduced to forced labor of millions of Congolese in brutality.The French will be equally affected by the forced labor of blacks in Congo-Brazzaville.
Slavery in Africa and in the Arab world (II)
Africa has long been ignored by the White man and land speculators.The first Europeans who visited Africa were the Portuguese.The June 13, 1415, Henry the Navigator, prince of Portugal, embarked on an expedition along the coast of Africa.In 1420, he reached Sierra Leone.His adventure was the beginning of the Portuguese hegemony in West Africa, known then as the Gold Coast because the merchants there traded gold against pepper.
In 1441, the Portuguese kidnapped several African nobles, to regain their freedom, their black slaves offered as a ransom.Three years later, the first black slaves were sold in Portugal.
An estimated 150,000 blacks and transit through the port of Lisbon between 1450 and the first voyage of Christopher Columbus in America (1492).
In 1482, the Portuguese captain Dom Diego Cao reached the mouth of the Congo River.He went up the river for several kilometers in search of opportunities and ivory.He returned home with four Congolese he presented to the king.He then returned to the kingdom of Kongo with an emissary named Roderigo de Souza accompanied by several Catholic missionaries to preach the good word.They will be joined in 1549 by Jesuit fathers.
European explorers did not enfonceront the heart of the Black Continent before the second half of XIXemesiècle and shipments Brazza, Livingstone and Stanley.
Arabs and Portuguese therefore developed alongside the slave trade in Africa.But blacks themselves are also responsible for trafficking.Indeed, several traditions explain the development of slavery in Africa.
The spirit of caste
Until XIXemesiècle the only wealth of Black Africa was its men and women.Like the tribal or ethnic wars today (Cf in Sudan, Ethiopia, Congo, etc.), conflicts between kingdoms fed traffic of prisoners who were sold as slaves to any buyer who presented himself, that it either from another tribe, Arabs or Portuguese.
It is really understands African society, animist, Christian or Muslim, if we realize that this company is not based on the same principles as in the West (democracy, industrialization, capitalism, etc).African society (primitive as it evolves) was very hierarchical, agricultural, based on ancient traditions where caste organized throughout society.Thus, in North Africa the servants had to serve to the noble image of the easement relationship between medieval serf and lord.
We understand better and why there is not so long ago people like Bokassa (Rép.Centrafricaine) Mobutu (Zaire), Idi Amin (Uganda) and others are mounted on the throne of their country.Members noble castes, they were a popular time until the day their people realized that these characters not felt indebted to them.
Targuy and his camel in the Massif of Aïr to Timia Niger.Document A.Aubert.
In keeping with the spirit of caste, to Nigerpar example nobles were exempt from any manual work, an activity reserved for slaves.This slave was attached to the family of his master who considered him a son.The slave could not have family or inherit any property.But he could marry if his master was paying her dowry.His children belonged to the master of his wife.On the death of the slave all his belongings returned to his master.The slave could be sold or exchanged, and even be part of the dowry of a daughter of the nobility.
Both the people of Zinder (Zinder, Niger's capital until 1926), the Touareg (Targuy singular) living in North or Mangas Maikoréma Zakari capita the East have always practiced slavery.They still do not recognize this practice, but the term "iklan" such a well qualified slave Tamashek, the language Touareg.
Administrative documents attest that practice.The "iklans" of Sudanese origin were servants to guard the flocks.In Mangas Maikoréma Zakari, Muniyoma the king of Munyo and absolute master had introduced a tax.Besides the removal of a portion of the harvest, each man had to pay him 2,000 cowries (cowries) per slave and 1000 cowries per adult or per head of beef.At auctions, an adult slave could trade up to 40,000 cowries, a girl until nobile 100,000 cowries!
This company was also racist.The Tuareg nomads and Mangas fed slaves first through organized trafficking from Sudan and, from the XIXemesiècle by the abduction of isolated people from South sedentary peoples (Mali, etc).At first the slaves could be acquired either by trade or by barter.
Africa has long been ignored by the White man and land speculators.The first Europeans who visited Africa were the Portuguese.The June 13, 1415, Henry the Navigator, prince of Portugal, embarked on an expedition along the coast of Africa.In 1420, he reached Sierra Leone.His adventure was the beginning of the Portuguese hegemony in West Africa, known then as the Gold Coast because the merchants there traded gold against pepper.
In 1441, the Portuguese kidnapped several African nobles, to regain their freedom, their black slaves offered as a ransom.Three years later, the first black slaves were sold in Portugal.
An estimated 150,000 blacks and transit through the port of Lisbon between 1450 and the first voyage of Christopher Columbus in America (1492).
In 1482, the Portuguese captain Dom Diego Cao reached the mouth of the Congo River.He went up the river for several kilometers in search of opportunities and ivory.He returned home with four Congolese he presented to the king.He then returned to the kingdom of Kongo with an emissary named Roderigo de Souza accompanied by several Catholic missionaries to preach the good word.They will be joined in 1549 by Jesuit fathers.
European explorers did not enfonceront the heart of the Black Continent before the second half of XIXemesiècle and shipments Brazza, Livingstone and Stanley.
Arabs and Portuguese therefore developed alongside the slave trade in Africa.But blacks themselves are also responsible for trafficking.Indeed, several traditions explain the development of slavery in Africa.
The spirit of caste
Until XIXemesiècle the only wealth of Black Africa was its men and women.Like the tribal or ethnic wars today (Cf in Sudan, Ethiopia, Congo, etc.), conflicts between kingdoms fed traffic of prisoners who were sold as slaves to any buyer who presented himself, that it either from another tribe, Arabs or Portuguese.
It is really understands African society, animist, Christian or Muslim, if we realize that this company is not based on the same principles as in the West (democracy, industrialization, capitalism, etc).African society (primitive as it evolves) was very hierarchical, agricultural, based on ancient traditions where caste organized throughout society.Thus, in North Africa the servants had to serve to the noble image of the easement relationship between medieval serf and lord.
We understand better and why there is not so long ago people like Bokassa (Rép.Centrafricaine) Mobutu (Zaire), Idi Amin (Uganda) and others are mounted on the throne of their country.Members noble castes, they were a popular time until the day their people realized that these characters not felt indebted to them.
Targuy and his camel in the Massif of Aïr to Timia Niger.Document A.Aubert.
In keeping with the spirit of caste, to Nigerpar example nobles were exempt from any manual work, an activity reserved for slaves.This slave was attached to the family of his master who considered him a son.The slave could not have family or inherit any property.But he could marry if his master was paying her dowry.His children belonged to the master of his wife.On the death of the slave all his belongings returned to his master.The slave could be sold or exchanged, and even be part of the dowry of a daughter of the nobility.
Both the people of Zinder (Zinder, Niger's capital until 1926), the Touareg (Targuy singular) living in North or Mangas Maikoréma Zakari capita the East have always practiced slavery.They still do not recognize this practice, but the term "iklan" such a well qualified slave Tamashek, the language Touareg.
Administrative documents attest that practice.The "iklans" of Sudanese origin were servants to guard the flocks.In Mangas Maikoréma Zakari, Muniyoma the king of Munyo and absolute master had introduced a tax.Besides the removal of a portion of the harvest, each man had to pay him 2,000 cowries (cowries) per slave and 1000 cowries per adult or per head of beef.At auctions, an adult slave could trade up to 40,000 cowries, a girl until nobile 100,000 cowries!
This company was also racist.The Tuareg nomads and Mangas fed slaves first through organized trafficking from Sudan and, from the XIXemesiècle by the abduction of isolated people from South sedentary peoples (Mali, etc).At first the slaves could be acquired either by trade or by barter.
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