King Philippe of Belgium has condemned racism in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the colonial rule of his forefathers.
Philippe and his Wife Queen Mathilde are currently in the Democratic Republic of Congo for a week at the invitation of President Félix Tshisekedi.
The king speaking in Kinshasa, on the grounds of the DR Congo’s parliament reaffirmed his sincere sorrow for the past wounds.
He said “On the occasion of my first trip to Congo, I wish to reaffirm my sincere sorrow for these past wounds in front of the Congolese people and those who continue to suffer from it now,” the 62-year-old king stated.
“This regime was one of unequal relations, unjustifiable in itself, marked by paternalism, discrimination and racism.”
Belgium’s colonial record in the Democratic Republic of Congo was among the deadliest in Africa.
King Philippe on Monday, handed back a massive Congolese mask, one of roughly 84,000 relics that Belgium has consented to repatriate from the colonial past.
The mask, known as Kakungu, was formerly on display at the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Belgium.
The Suku community from the country’s south-west used the freshly recovered mask during healing ceremonies.
Before being displayed at the Belgian museum, it was purchased by an art dealer 70 years ago. It’s unclear how it ended up in the dealer’s hands from the Suku tribe.
Previously, the mask was housed in a museum near Brussels.The artefact was on “indefinite loan” to the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to King Philippe.
Many more artifacts will be returned from the Royal Museum for Central Africa, where nearly 70% of the artifacts were confiscated during the colonial period.https://www.tvcnews.tv/2022/06/court-orders-remand-of-cameroonian-accused-of-defrauding-pastor-in-warri/
During the reign of King Leopold II, who possessed the Congo Free State as his personal property, millions of Congolese were subjected to acts of cruelty.
From 1865 to 1909, Belgium was ruled by King Leopold II.
King Philippe’s apology for colonization on Wednesday was not his first gesture of reconciliation.
In 2020, he wrote to President Tshisekedi on the 60th anniversary of the country’s independence expressing his “deepest regrets” for the colonial abuses committed under his ancestors.
People have had mixed reactions to King Philippe’s week-long visit, which is his first since taking to the throne in 2013.
King Philippe also visited Corporal Albert Kunyuku, the last surviving Congolese World War II veteran who fought alongside the Belgians, during his visit. A wreath was put at a memorial for former fighters, and King Phillipe honored Corp Kunyuku with a medal.
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