The 19th century saw the scramble for Africa colonies by the European countries following the Berlin Conference. Almost all countries in Europe had an African colony in the notion that it would civilize the native countries and help the spread of either Christianity or Islamic religion. The mode of entry was similar, and most the regulatory factors were related. Belgian entry to the Congo Free State was unlike other entries whereby King Leopold II of Belgium was in search of his colony thus sending relying on Henry M. Stanley to know everything about the Congo before moving in. He wanted to reach the heights of other European countries that had colonies in Africa. Bate’s documentary, "Congo: White King, Red Rubber, Black Death," is an acted narration that helps the viewer to get a vivid depiction of the terror of Leopold II reign in Africa and under the Belgians in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The level of terror may be different, but I agree that the documentary depicts the logical outcome of European imperialism 1 .
Industrial revolution resulted to European nations seeking raw materials for their industries back to their home countries. Leopold II’s aims and acts as depicted in the documentary are similar to that of other European imperialists. Rubber was becoming one of the leading of the main products in the market, and with Congo having many rubber trees; Leopold II did everything possible to exploit the natives and Congo’s natural resources. The documentary uses interviews of former Africans who suffered brutality to work in the rubber fields. In all the trades and earning gained they were required to pay quotas, and if they were unable to attain the set quotas their wrists would be chopped-off, villages burnt down, or their children and wives abducted to ensure the men in the rubber fields worked harder to pay their quotas 2 .
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Bate illustrated a devastating state where more than 10 million of Congolese lost their lives as a result of the rules applied to Leopold II administration. Forced labor was evident in all colonial nations where the Africans were expected to work for the benefit of the whites. The Whites had all the power, and there was no justice for the blacks 3 . In the documentary, one old man who is interviewed, recalls the tortures during the reign and states that it was impossible to fight the white since they had no power to do so and they had no one to call for help.
Exploitation of the natives and the natural resources may be seen as the only vice, but Leopold II commands were a depiction of pure evil for instance, " Village set on fire. Dinner then return… Mutilation was also encouraged where the hands would be smoked and preserved .” (Bate, 2003). The king and the Belgians covered up the situation in Congo depicting Leopold II as a hero during the early years due to the economic growth in the colony 4 . However, the interviewers claimed that almost the entire earnings were sent back to Belgium for development and the newspaper and articles about civilization was a lie following the Christian missionaries who the king had allowed in the country to hide his motives of exploiting the country.
The documentary depicts many terrors, and it is clear that the king along with the Belgians used the country and resulted in the divisions either geographical or tribal in the country thus leaving the country bare of any development but the suffering witnessed in the civil war following independence. Africa is known for its political instability, tribalism, poverty, and dictatorship which may be directly related to the many years under European imperialism as depicted in the Congo colonization by the Belgians.
Bibliography
Bate, Peter. 2003. White King, Red Rubber, Black Death . Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLaGnu20n78&feature=youtu.be.
1 Bate, Peter. 2003. White King, Red Rubber, Black Death . Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLaGnu20n78&feature=youtu.be.
2 Bate, Peter. 2003. White King, Red Rubber, Black Death . Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLaGnu20n78&feature=youtu.be.
3 Bate, Peter. 2003. White King, Red Rubber, Black Death . Ibid.
4 Bate, Peter. 2003. White King, Red Rubber, Black Death . Ibid.
