The Belgians in the Congo — a propaganda publication aimed at softening and glorifying the Belgian colonial ...

The Belgians in the Congo — a propaganda publication aimed at softening and glorifying the Belgian colonial enterprise, presenting the colonial reality as an African success story

Les Belges au Congo – The Belgians in the Congo, by G. D. Perier. Published by Thone, Liège [Belgium – early 1950s]. A deluxe booklet aimed at whitewashing Belgium’s image by presenting Belgian colonialism in the Congo as the region’s “golden age, ” while deliberately omitting the atrocities committed by the Belgians during the years the territory was under their rule. “Published under the auspices of the Colonial Foundation for Economic and Social Propaganda in Brussels.” In French. Rare.

“There is no doubt that Belgium owes its overseas expansion to a lineage of colonies that upheld colonial traditions. Since the time of Leopold I and Leopold II, these traditions have been faithfully preserved by their successors. They have always ensured the health, social welfare, and intellectual well-being of the local population.” (from the foreword)

A distorted publication printed on glossy paper, portraying the years of Belgian Congo as a time of prosperity and flourishing for the African people, and presenting Belgian presence, role, and “culture” in the Congo in an overwhelmingly positive, even idealized light. Throughout the booklet, the author glosses over, flatters, and conceals the violence of the regime, forced labor, military rule, and the demographic crisis that accompanied Belgian colonial rule  including the notorious rubber era under Leopold II, creating the false impression that Belgium brought nothing but progress to the Congo. Although it is well known that between 1885 and 1908, over 10,000,000 Black Africans were murdered by the Belgians, according to historians, the author presents this period as a time of renewal in the Congo, without even the faintest mention of such facts. Even in the later period leading up to Congolese independence, the author depicts an idealized region enjoying prosperity and progress, entirely ignoring the fact that until the early 1950s, the colony suffered from profound inequality: certain areas were closed to Black residents, others restricted their movement to daylight hours, and hospitals maintained segregated wards for whites and Blacks. The author describes an idyllic reality in which Belgium developed the local infrastructure, building railways, providing employment to the local population, increasing industrialization, protecting wildlife, expanding the number of educational institutions, and more. All of this is framed in a falsified historical narrative, as though Belgium had consistently worked to establish the rights of the Congolese people throughout its colonial rule. The booklet is accompanied by photographs portraying the Congo as a developing region with schools, employment, and modern progress.

Extremely rare. A single copy is recorded in the WorldCat global library catalog.

39 pages. Very good condition.