During a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, King Philippe of Belgium expressed his “deep regret” over the suffering of the colonial era. The colonial regime aimed at “exploitation” and “supremacy” and imposed on the Congolese an “unjustified and paternalistic way of life, marked by discrimination and racism,” Philippe said before parliament in Kinshasa on Wednesday.
However, the monarch, who expressed his regret in a letter to President Félix Tshisekedi in 2020, avoided apologizing for the colonial era. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde have been in the Democratic Republic of Congo since Tuesday afternoon. On the second day of his visit, Philippe paid tribute to the last veteran of the colonial troops who fought for the Belgian army in World War II. The 100-year-old Albert Kunyuku and the Belgian monarch shook hands for a long time during the ceremony.
Colony considered personal property
Belgian colonial policy was one of the strictest imposed on African countries by European states in the 19th and 20th centuries. The then Belgian King Leopold II ruled the country now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1885 to 1908. He regarded the colony as his own personal property.
After that, the country became a colony of the Belgian state. According to historians, millions of people were killed, maimed or died of disease when they were forced to collect rubber. The country was also exploited for its mineral resources.
Visit to the National Museum
King Philippe also visited the National Museum of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he presented a giant Kakuungu mask of the Suku ethnic group. The mask was on permanent loan to the museum by the Africa Museum in Tervuren near Brussels.
After further appointments of the Belgian royal couple in Kinshasa on Thursday, a trip to Lubumbashi in the southeast and to Bukavu in the east was scheduled. The clinic of gynecologist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege is located in Bukavu.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
