In
1909 Conan Doyle, fueled by "a burning indignation, which
is the best of all driving power", wrote a book in
only eight days. The Crime of the Congo, filled
with graphic descriptions of violence and illustrated with
photos of mutilated people, dealt
with the atrocities committed in the Belgian Congo on behalf of
King Leopold II.
Leopold II ascended
to the throne of Belgium in 1865 at the age of 30. As he compared Belgium to other
European countries he noted that several of them had colonies
while Belgium did not. In public forums colonization was
presented as a movement to bring religion and civilization to
the "dark continent" and other undeveloped
regions. However Leopold noticed that these colonies were
rich in natural resources. Why shouldn't Belgium have a colony
to increase its prestige as well as its pocketbook?
When Leopold read of the African
adventures of Henry Stanley he saw an opportunity to make his
dreams come true.
In 1878 Leopold hired Stanley
(who allegedly voiced the famous phrase, "Dr. Livingstone,
I presume?") for a large undertaking. Leopold wanted
the Congo. It was Stanley's job to get it.
From 1879 to 1884 Stanley
negotiated agreements with native chieftains that gave Belgium
and King Leopold power over their regions. Obviously the chieftains
didn't understand the intent of the documents. While they
were familiar with friendship treaties, the concept of signing
away tribal lands was unfathomable.
In 1885 the Congress of Berlin
gave Leopold administrative powers over the Congo. Leopold
assured the world community that he would bring civilization to the
area. What he really brought the area was death and
suffering. Leopold was interested in the Congo's natural resources.
He used the native population as forced labor to acquire those
resources.
The human toll under Leopold's
administration was staggering. People who resisted were
beaten, tortured, mutilated or killed. Writer Algis
Valiunas described the situation as "wickedness triumphant".
Word of the violent
crimes occurring in the Congo began to leak out.
In 1904 Edmund Dene Morel and Roger Casement founded the Congo
Reform Association. The movement was formed to aid the
people of the Congo by drawing attention to their plight.
Because of the Congo reform
movement Leopold was forced turn administration of the Congo
over to the Belgian government in 1908. Sadly, the
new administration did not bring much relief to the people of
the Congo.
After meeting Morel in 1909 Conan
Doyle was inspired to write The Crime of the
Congo. He didn't stop there. He contacted
newspapers. Conan Doyle also appealed to world leaders
including Theodore Roosevelt and Kaiser Wilhelm II. Then
he went on a
three-month lecture tour on the subject.
The situation in the Congo
gradually improved. However the region, today known as the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, is still haunted by the
legacy of its violent past.
"There are times, young fellah, when every one of us must make a stand for human right and justice, or you never feel clean again."
Lord John Roxton in The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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700's
A.D. - Advanced civilizations developed in
what is now the Congo.
1482 - Diogo
Cão, a Portuguese navigator, became the first European to visit
the Congo.
1885 - King
Leopold II of Belgium took control of the area and named it the
Congo Free State.
1904 - The
Congo Reform Association was founded.
1908 - The
Belgian government took control of the Congo Free State.
The country is renamed the Belgian Congo.
1960 -
The Belgian Congo gained independence from Belgium. The
country is renamed Congo.
1971
- The country changed its name to Zaire.
1997 -
Rebels led by Laurent Kabila overthrew President Mobutu and
renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Edmund Dene Morel
and Roger Casement were the founders of the Congo Reform
Association. They were also the inspiration for the
characters of Edward Malone and Lord John Roxton of
The Lost
World.
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