Today, June 30, 2010, is the 50th anniversary of the independence of the Democratic Republic of Congo from Belgium. But, is there anything to celebrate? It has been 50 years of war, rebellion, corruption and horrific violence. It seems to me that this is a legacy of Belgium. While all the nations which colonized Africa have abysmal records of exploitation and destructive policies, none can match the horror imposed on Congo by Leopold II and later Belgium. They made it next to impossible for the Congo to establish a stable nation after gaining independence. And, then the leader of independence, Patrice Lumumba was overthrown withing weeks of independence and assassinated within months. Belgium has accepted "moral responsibility, but not guilt" for this. Huh? Unfortunately, there is more "moral responsibility" to go around. The U.S. and the World Bank supported Lumumba's successor, Mobutu, as part of our Cold War policy in Africa. Strange how we stopped supporting Mobutu once the U.S.S.R. collapsed and let the Congo implode. Lumumba's son is currently suing Belgium for complicity in his father's murder. He wants them to admit guilt and do something to help his tortured country.
I am left with two questions:
1. Is there anything to celebrate about the last 50 years in Congo?
2. Can a nation (or person) have moral responsibility, but not guilt?
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1. No, there is nothing to celebrate about 50 years of independence for Congo.
ReplyDelete2. I think Belgium was trying to politely say that while they understand that they are, in a large part, to blame for the current state of affairs in Congo, they do not neccesarily feel bad enough about it to actually do something. It is a case of what Belgium sees as what is and is not their problem. Morally, they accept that a large part of the blame goes to them, but to say they feel guilty would mean that they feel as though they have to do something about it, which they evidently do not.
I understand Belgium's position. Congo could have stayed under their control, but chose not to in 1960. Had they remained part of Belgium, Belgium would have total responsibility to make sure Congo was livable. But since they chose independence, what goes on in Congo is really no longer any of their concern.