The History of the Congo

In this episode we see the final throes of the Independent Katanga and Kasai regions.  But Katanga in particular does not go down without a very real fight.  It holds the line against the United Nations no less, which increasingly adopts a more aggresive position to enforce a united Repulic of the Congo.  But after years of conflict and unrest people's dissapointment independence presnts opportunities for new position.  Former enemies must become friends in the face of more threatening opponents.  After years of fighting an exhausted international community leaves the Congo to it's fate.    In the dynamic politics of the region, Communism is still looking for a foothold and in our final extended episode of the season we see which superpower and ideology puts their man at the top for the next tumultuous chapter of The History of the Congo.   This part of history is a story not often told but sets the scene as we enter the modern world ....

In this episode we see the continuation of the independent Republic of the Congo.   The UN, the USSR, the US, Belgium and other continue their operations to push the new country in the direction most aligned to their own ambitions.  Amidst this the Congolese populations and regions estalblish themselves as rival power bases in the country.    These conflicts have casualaties amongst the political class as well as the combatants.

In this episode we look at the new Republic of the Congo 10 days after independence.  We see the Congolese reaction to the years of repression under colonial rule and Belgium's military response.  Faced with these troubles President Kasavuba and Prime Minister Lumumba turn to the UN, the US and the USSR for urgent help - unwittingly inviting the Cold War to their lands.  In the midst of this the provinces of Katanga and South Kasai start to see a future outside of the new Republic...

Indpendence Day has arrived!  WIth the Congolese now free from colonial rule there are celebrations everywhere.  With KasaVubu as President and Lumumba as Prime Minister the new government gets to work and for the first time the peoples elected officials start to run the country.  But as the celebrations recede not everyone feels included.  The campaigns of the elections set the expectations extremely high.  Soon people start to take their frustrations out on the previous establishment as the new world isn't quite as was expected.   Whilst this is happening other parts of the Republic of the Congo start to question their loyalty to the central government.   And this is just the first 10 days ...

In part 2 of Independence Immediate we see the Congolese parties final campaigns in the elections which would decide who would be in power once the Belgians had left.   There was a mix of great expectations, excitement, local and national interests.   It was unknown who would win the elections at the time, but here we detail the run up and the final results, with all the gamesmanship not just of the parties, but also the departing Belgians who were keen to protect their economic interests.

In this Episode we turn to The Congo in the late 1950s.   The world is changing and on the African continent independence is coming to many countries as the age of colonialism comes to an end.  In this context old identities are rediscovered as pre-colonial empires come to the fore once again.  People coalesce around parties in anticipation of local elections that have come to mean so much more.  As old friends are discovered so are old enemies and Belgium considers its options as The World, and The Belgian Congo changes around it.

The 1950s afforded the majority of the Congolese modest increases in living standards.  Wealth and opportunities were increasing, and the colonial attitude was starting to shift.  But social progress was slow.  When news came from Belgium that not everyone considered colonialism permanent, Congolese society prepared to fill the power vacuum that would be left if the Belgians left...

In this episode we how the rulers if the Belgian Congo adapted to the German conquest of Belgian in World War II.  Set against conflicting loyalties of the Belgian King, Parliament and Industry the Belgian Congo emerged as powerful part of the Allied cause.  The Congolese achieved the first allied victory in the War, and its resources were fundamental to the last battle.   The pivotal role of The Congolese in World War II is not afforded much airtime, but this diminish their huge impact!

After World War 1 the Belgian Congo's place in the world was settled internationally.   The authorities, with private backers, invested in the wealth opportunities presented by copper, diamond and other minerals to increase revenues.  Infrastructure projects were completed to connect these mining areas to the Atlantic, and some Congolese were able to seize opportunities within the system.  But for the majority this was not the case, and rising tensions were palpable.

In 1914 the Nations of Europe went to war. The African colonies of these powers had differing views on the conflict, but the Belgian Congo was drawn into war in the face of German colonial aggression. The peoples of the Congo were once again asked or coerced to support their new leaders.  Combined they created a mighty powerhouse of military might and raw materials which would help on a global stage. The strength of the Congolese was starting to be visible to all, not least of all themselves.......

International pressure forced the Belgian government to succeed King Leopold II, and The Belgian Congo was born.  The Belgian people were not unanimously behind colonialism, although the colony was supported by the socialist government on the grounds of developmental support.  But the companies who were developing were also exploiting, although now under international scrutiny their actions The peoples of the Congo entered the 20th Century in the midst of these tensions.

In this episode we see how one individual, Edmund Morel, pieces together the true facts of Leopold's Congo State to determine it's true nature.  Enraged by the injustice, and willing take on the King himself, we see the development of a humanitarian campaign which was spread Britain and the United States.  With support from politicians, churches, celebrities and President Roosevelt himself the pressure King Leopold and the Belgian government grew. Could Leopold's propaganda survive?

Here we find the people of the Congo living for the first time under one ruler in todays DRC borders. This man was King Leopold II of Belgium, and he called his territory The Congo Free State. The land people and people were ruthlessly exploited for ivory and rubber with scant regards to their own interests. Under this regime brutality and control new depths of humanity were reached ... This is often referred to as the age of Red Rubber.

In this Episode we find Msiri's migration and capture of the Katangan region.  Here he grew rich on power and wealth through the Copper mines and smelting plants that could be found here.  But his power was under threat.  Ambitious powers looked on jealously.  Msiri was clever and cunning but ultimately he didn't have the firepower to stand against the tides of history.  Here we find the last conflicts that settled the borders of the DRC as they stand today.  It marks the end of the Scramble for Africa as the peoples DRC find themselves under common rule for the first time.

Two years after the fall of the Kisangani station to the Arabs Tippu Tips son Sef held control over much of the Eastern part of todays DRC.  He lived comfortably but was sandwiched between the Leopolds Congo Free State and Germany's East Africa colony.   Ostensibly to quash the slave trade, but to expand his territory and wealth, Leopold retained his orders for his forces to drive East.  War ensued and we shall we see the demise of the Swahili-Arab Empire in the Eastern Congo.

In this Episode we see Leopolds Congo Free state buffered against the Arab powers in the East.  Cultural difference fostered tensions and their allies were dragged into conflict.   We see Leopold use the defeat of the British in Khartoum as an opportunity to extend the boundaries of his land North East to the River Nile, with Tippu Tip now an employee.   Disasi Makulo, a member of the Turumbe peoples, recounts the experience of meeting the Arabs and the Belgians in his own voice.   This episode sets us up for the Belgian-Arab war to come.

In this Episode we see the various facades of King Leopold II's philanthropy as he jostles to claim the central African lands he has just become aware of.  He maintains a three prong strategy: escalating aggressiveness in the Congo, appeasement of the European powers and an image of benevolence to the United States.  Tensions lead to the 1885 Berlin Conference and Leopold positions himself as the benign and neutral power in the Congo...

In this episode we revisit the past before looking at the lands of the Kingdom of the Kongo at the end of the 19th Century.  Outside of the Congo Stanley's journey, and details of the River Congo basin, spread through the world.  Some saw this as an opportunity to do good, as they saw it, but others saw a commercial opportunities... The chiefs of the Western Congo reacted skeptically as missionaries and traders arrived up river.   Whist these arrived in greater numbers a distant European King began to plot..

In the early 1870's the peoples of the Eastern Congo lived in a land dominated by the Arab-Swahili traders. In search of Ivory these traders had traveled hundreds of miles inland from the Indian Ocean. These traders settled in and established settlements where they loved in great comfort. This was in great contrast to the subdued peoples who had inhabited these lands for hundreds of years. But the curiosity of the American and European public was focused on this region. In 1873 The Daily Telegraph of London and the New York Herald sponsored the Victorian explorer, Henry Morton Stanley, to travel to East Africa to find the legendary source of the River Nile. This voyage of explorations sent shock waves through time to the present day ...

Stanleys life before arriving in the Congo in 1873 gives us insights in the wider world at this time.  It gives us a window to the plight of the poor in the 19th century Britain, through the American Civil war and the expansion of the American West and the impact of some of the peoples living there.  We also visit Abyssinia and West Africa, where the British Empire were in conflict with the African Empires of these lands.  It's an optional interval - but fascinating nonetheless.