The Black Man's Burden: The Exploitation of the Congo (due Sun. Dec 21)
 

Post: The Black Man’s Burden: The Exploitation of the Congo
(due Sunday night, December 21)

For Friday, you read Adam Hochschild’s disturbing and unsettling account of what happened to the Congolese people when they were ruled by King Leopold of Belgium. So much of what happened occurred to benefit Leopold personally. Moreover, he was the master of propaganda and clearly was able to hide what he was doing from most of the rest of the world.

In tonight’s post, I’d like you to comment on what you read from the perspective of a person concerned about the obvious human rights violations that occurred in the Congo in the last decade of the 19th- first decade of the 20th century. I ask that you address what you would have done about this, as fellow human citizen, at the time. Remember: no United Nations, no Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International. There’s only you.

Before you dismiss this request as ridiculous or unrealistic, remember what Edmund Morel—a shipping clerk!—did. And then post your thoughts!

Unfortunately...once the imperialism snowball starts rolling, it gets harder and harder to stop. When one Congolese person succumbs to the Belgian force in his home, the rest lose hope. It is incredible that Edmund Morel stayed with his cause for so long. As an individual, it seems nearly impossible to overtake a king. I think that if I were living at that time, I would not have the patience to wait for justice while more and more people are killed. In all probability, if I really had the knowledge of such human rights violations and I was as disturbed as much as Morel was, I would go to the Congo. Once there, I would try and stir up people's morale in order to battle their oppressors. This is far-fetched, but there are other things to be done along those lines. I could try and form an alliance with resistance forces in the Congo, such as the warriors led by Mulume Niama, or Nzansu. Once connections were established, I could try and (illegaly) smuggle in weapons. Maybe a system could be set up to smuggle people out of the Congo. Although fleeing is not an honorous way to escape from oppression, it was necessary.

While reading the piece I quickly became disgusted. The fact that people can be treated so harshly by others is unbelievable. Unfortuantely, at this time there was no Human Rights Watch, United Nations, or Amnesty International and individuals had to act on their own to stop these horrible acts. I agree with habeascorpusnow and if I was in this situation i would too think that "it seems nearly impossible to overtake a king". However, I would try to gather the Congolese to work as a whole to put down the king. It weould be very difficult, but I too would try to stir up the people's morals in order to fight the oppressors. You can't just sit back, action must be taken. If it weren't for people like Edmund Morel who took action I think that King Leopold would have gotten away with much more then he did.

habeuscorpusnow, your comments were very interesting...it's definitely a way to deal with it all, and I do understand your point and your FRUSTRATION...as did i feel when I was reading about this...I also wanted to do something simliar...but then I thought of ways that the congolese would have a lesser chance of being hurt in the process.

When I read about this, I was not only shocked (only 100 years ago!!!!!...my house was already built by then...maybe the wiring or insulation contained some rubber from the congo!...it's a disgusting thought) but completely uninformed. I learned about this in World History and it was a completely downscaled account! It just got jumbled in with the rest of African Imperialism...obviously, that's already violating so many human rights, but it wasn't just imperialism that was going on...I never learned about the rest of the story...all this cruelty, immorality, sadism!, abominable neglegance of human rights, killing, mangling..etc...maybe it was breifly mentioned, but not emphasized AT ALL!..which is just as good as not having learned it at all. This is in the same neighborhood as the Holocaust, but it's much less publicized. NOt many people know about it.

If I could have done something at that time, I would have done something similar to Morel and Shepard. assuming it were even possible, I would have gone to the leader of a very powerful country, or find King Leopolds family members (given that some were even still alive)..someone who could control Leopolds actions or even just influence them and explain to them what I know about what was happening(with evidence)...requested that they go over to the congo and give him a peice of their mind. Meanwhile, if I were not able to attain a family member, and if I had to appeal to a leader of a powerful country, I doubt that they would have listened unless I went straight to the media and handed them proof and let it spread among the people. Maybe pressure from the media and/or people would have rallied someone to take action.

i agree with everyone that what happened in the Congo was awful, but yet knowing myslef, i would still have a far less active approach. I would probally first alert the media (after maybe snapping some photos). The media plays a key role in any conflict. This would not only inform people of what's actually going on but makes your group of supporters grow. Then, like Ben said in class that day, have the masses put pressure on governments to do something about it. then hopefully, wanting to get re-elected, they would take action.

I feel angry after reading the article. I am stunned and speechless. I want to believe that it is not true, things like that didn't happen at all, the book is just a fiction... But I have to face it, it is true. And they are just one of the victims of imperialism. People living in other parts of Africa were treated in just the same way. I can't imagine what would happen if nobody exposed King Leopold's crime and the he gotten away with this.

If I was a citizen at that time, I would first start with the media. Like cows go moo, I think that the media is the most effective way of informing people about what was going on at Congo. Let the media spread the news and let people know that King Leopold was a big liar. I am sure that the public will do something about it and press their government to help to stop the brutality. I think making an alliance among resistance forces would help too, but won't be as effective as seeking help from other governments. First, some people out there might still believe that if they did what they were told to do, they may survive. And also how were they going to fight the Europeans with outdated weapons?

Actually, if it wasn't of Morel, I really won't believe that a small figure like him would make a difference about Congo's situation.

Consciencious Consumerism
 

I cannot blame the people of the congo for thiking cans of corned beef were filled with the hands of their relatives. I would like to think I would have been on one of the missions to the Congo that helped expose what was going on. At the very least, I would certainly have protested in a letter of my own. I would have made my own little amnesty-esque letter writing campaign. Write to the US government, to the Belgian government, to the rubber factory CEO's, all those will add up. I cannot guarantee that I would be another Edmund Morrel. Those people are good and necessary, yet rare. He should be admired by more people, I certainly hadn't heard of him before. Another idea for action would be to boycott anything rubber. Support electricians who don't use Congalese rubber. Buy bike and car tires from manufacturers who don't exploit Africa like the Belgians did. It is that type of consciencious consumerism that allows everyday people to make a difference while continuing on with their daily lives.

Reading this account of the Congolese rights violations was very sickening indeed, and unfortunatly, since things like this have happened so many times in history, not as shocking and new as it should be. In Ms. Tsai's class last year we watched this aweful video about what the Japanese soldiers were forced to do and DID do to Chinese civilians- forcing fathers to rape daughters, cutting off limbs, etc, and i guess the difference that i saw between what the Japanese soldiers did and what the Belgians did was this: people were seeing the Congo as a great new business opportunity with which they could get rich, and where there isn't "no ten commandments." And so people weren't forced to go and work there... so why weren't more people appauled by what they saw they were partaking in, like Morel? Its a puzzle to me.
What would I have done? I agree with habeuscorpusnow- first thing i would have tried to get a sort of underground railroad/escape method and find a decent temporary home for Congolese refugees. I think that would have saved the most individual lives- getting media attention and trying to notify really important officials takes time, and each day so many were being killed, because they were thought of as so dispensible as working tools. Then, i would have tried to get a lot of publicity in there. Were I a Congolese official promoted medals to kill my own people, i cant say i would have been able to do anything - ive never been in a situation where ive had to risk my own life for other people, and i dont know that i would in that situation.

I was totally shocked by Hochshild’s account. It was amazing to see how the world was so easily deceived by Leopold’s actions. The most chilling aspects of the account are the excerpts from letters or diaries of the Belgian officers, how coldly they regarded the executions of the Congolese people and even considered them learning experiences. They were proud of not being moved when they witnessed such horrific events as if the Congolese weren’t human…

At a time when there were no organizations to protect the human rights of all people, making a difference would have been very difficult, but not impossible. Like Morel, I would try to spread awareness of what is taking place in the Congo. I would go to powerful people trying to raise money for the cause. With the money I would try to form some type of group that would help the Congolese to resist Leopold’s forces, like Habeuscorpusnow suggested. Another approach may be to rally other political leaders, who are against what is being done, to send in help to the Congo. Perhaps with the interference of other more powerful countries Leopold’s regime would not act as brutally and the Congolese people themselves would feel more support to resist their Belgian oppressors.

after reading the chapters about leopolds greed and concern for his own personal benefit, i thought it was horrible that so many people could be exploited and abused for so long without anyone stopping it. Some of the things they did to the people of the congo were horrendous (sp?) and only after remembering talking about them in class did i realize that they were really upsetting. If i were a person in those days trying to combat the colgolese peoples human rights (or lack thereof), i would bring to attention the fact that these people were not only being inhumanely treated but at least 50 percent of them dies doing some of the tasks they were appointed to.

Reading the account, my belief of self importance. He staked claim in the land and therefore did with it as he saw fit. He knew he had a crop in rubber and therefore he plundered the country for all it was worth. He also knew, as much as he could hide the facts, he had to hurry because sooner or later he could get discovered. Therefore he forced the natives to help him. He brutalized the population to further subjugate them and so fear kept everyone under control.

As an individual, I don't know what i could or would do. Edmund Morel discovered the facts and therefore would be able to do very little. Assuming, I was well informed, i would do exactly what Morel did. I would tell it to everyone who was able to listen in power. To those of you who said you would help the Congolese fight Leopold, I commend you. However, it would far too dangerous for me. It seems as if Leopold didnt care of the Cogoleses' lives at all and killed them with reckless abandon. I would fear for my life if i were to personally plan a rebellion. I'm almost certain Leopold would order my death and there would be those still loyal to him for one reason or another and kill me.

Morel's idea is the only plausable solution i can think of. I would continually spread the information on the horrid actions he was commiting and hope for some country to look down on him and reprimand him. Other than that, I can't do anything that would have an effect.

Leopold was a cruel cruel man, but in the end, he was a captialist. From a moral standpoint, he was a cruel cruel man, but to him, he made money, so he felt it was justified. Money is one of the roots of all evil.

I agree with those that suggested spreading the word of Leopold's atrocities. I think that that would be the only way to stop Leopold. The more people that become aware of an issue the more power exists to do something about that issue. Leopold was a very lucrative and awful man, and it would be very very hard to stop him all by yourself. You would need as many people to back you up as you could find.


While reading the excerpt, i was very astonished at the atrocities that occurred. They werent just massive killings but methods and processes that i would never have thought of. Cutting off hands, whipping children for laughing, and throwing babies in fields to die.....those were the images that stuck with me.

Morel was an amazing man. He was one person and he stopped a king. Like T-rider said, I can hardly guarantee that I would be another Edmund Morel. I mean, he figured out what was going on just by working as a shipping clerk. And he took action and didn't back down. I think that people should be taught about people like Morel so that we can all realize that we can all make a difference.

What would I do? I think that alerting foreign countries was a good idea. Although, in today's society, it doesn't seem like other countries have very much interest in helping other countries out of altruism. Maybe I would have to convince them that they could get in on some of the rubber profits if they overthrew Leopold. Unlike Snowwhite, I don't think that alerting Leopold's family woulod do much good. he was known as the philanthropic king, and if I was his family, I probably wouldn't have wanted to believe Morel, much less act on the information. I would go to the media and write letters to governments. When awful stories like this get out to the public, they can force the government to take action.

Sickening. Just plain ol' sickening... I mean, it disturbs me that countries actually exploited other peoples in an exhaustive manner only to leave them in ruin and to increase their wealth. And today, those peoples are still living in dismay. We could say what many holocaust survivors say and tell the congolese: they need to take action themselves. But we all know that sitting here and not taking action and watching this happen to people is just wrong, and that studying history will only teach us to prevent what has happened in the past from reoccuring. I think it would be all of our duties to make the media aware and try and bring down the allies of the exploiter through press so that they might take action. Why not form NGO's and lobby? Or even, living in the democratic country we do today, get the people to force the gov't to do something. A boycott the bike industryand tires would certainly work effectively, right?

It is unbelievable that even after people found out about what was going on in the Congo, that it took so long for it to be stopped. It was at least 6 years before it mentions that anyone else said anything about his discovery, so it took even longer for it to be stopped. I agree that people have to circulate news like this, because something like this can't be stopped by one person. First you need to get a lot of people on your side so that people in power will take you seriously. The things that were done were so disgusting, the severed hands and the chicotte whippings. But I don't how much speaking about it would help after reading this, because it seems that it takes a very long time to get a result, so I think that there needs to be more action, because, although it was finally ended because people spread the word, many more people would have been saved if some action had been taken in the Congo earlier. I guess that if the Belgians felt this way that there would really be no way of getting them to see the horror of what they did, so I maybe you would be out numbered in an attemped to stop these massacres through some kind of force.

senioritis setting in early....
 

I think the part that most disturbed me was the whipping of the children for laughing in the presence of a white man. That's denying children the right to be children--to be having fun and cheerful. Just, wow. And since when did humans become crops?

I don't know what exactly I would do if I were in this situation in the Congo. I guess I would start going to the media and more powerful countries for support, but I don't know how that would work out. I mean, in one of my classes we were watching a movie about reporters bringing a story back to their news station and the company refusing to run it because it lacked definite evidence. Assuming I was living 100 years ago, there wouldn't be any real pictures of the atrocities in the Congo, so I don't know if anyone would believe me.....but I would damn well try to get my voice heard. If that didn't work, I would smuggle in weapons like habeuscorpus did and try to get the people to revolt.

This article was very disturbing. I was extremely angered by the rubber making, and also by the whipping of the young children. I could not understand how someone could cause such ruthless, massive killings. Leopard was so, so, I don't know, no-human, I guess. How could one just sit and watch young children be lashed fifty times or more across their backs, and enjoy it? It doesn't make sense, and I was also deeply disgusted by the
Anyways, if I had been alive, I would have gone to the White House and proposed we send in troops and doctors to the Congo. If nothing was done by the prseident, I would have gotten a bunch of people together who had the same views as me and gone to the Congo myself to try to help people escape. To be honest though, I don't think I could have taken down King Leopard. This is why I would go and try to help the people get away and fight while I was able.

Like what many people have mentioned, and what Morel did, I would try to get word out to other countries, to write letters, to visit rulers. I, like Coltello and some others said, would probably be too scared to take any physical action against Leopold and his doings - and I'm also not sure if fighting with a rebellion or something wouldn't just incite more harshness from Leopold's men to the Congolese.

I really liked T-Rider's idea boycotting the rubber from the Congo. I would definitely do that, first personally, and then trying to get the problem some media attention and inform the public about this boycott and why they should join in on it. I think that puts pressure on the government and can make a large group of people very easily involved - because they don't have to do anything. Brilliantly, the whole point of a boycott is to NOT do something, so it works great for the lazy masses (that's a crude generalization, but we all know it can be hard to convince people to take action).

...Does anyone else feel kind of hypocritical writing this? I know there are so many horrible things going on in the world that I'm not doing anything about, people being oppressed and abused, and here we are, talking about how to make it better. But in our real lives now, are we doing anything?

As purplemoonite and cowsgomoo suggested i would try to saturate the media with facts and accounts on what is going on. If you look at it from Leopold's view he didn't care about the people, whether they lived or die. He just wanted to milk the land and people dry, so since he worked many people to death i would encourage organized resistance. Leopold wiped out so much of the population so if the Congolese were going to die at least it wouldn't be from getting rubber pulled off their bodies. By mass rebelion it would have become harder for Leopold to take advantage.

Then as habeuscorpusnow said i would also try to have some protective armed forces, of course the Belgians had more fire power but with organization they could have done some damage, they knew the area better because they live there. I don't think Leopold would have continued this crime if it became to troublesome to commit. The media watching and organized resistance may have worked...

I believe the terms "disgusting and disturbing" can describe how this article and what Leopold's actions were. All people are humans and should not be punished, but obviously Leopold didn't see this that way. Edmund Morel is definitely a person that should be greatly recognized for his actions.

I don't know if I could do much as a fellow human citizen, but I would try my best to either spread proposals, or like what many said, I would spread the word about the atrocities of Leopold. Many other actions are pretty much impossible especially when no United Nations, no Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International is present.

The vision of all the cruel intentions placed on these people continues to disgust me, but it is nice to know that there are mortals that are able to do big things in the world.