Like a lot of people, I suppose I am a mixture of Belgian and Congolese. Leopold II took the enormous profits and built lavish buildings in Belgium. Being the de facto European capital, its economy is massively service-oriented. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd, Nicolas Maeterlinck/Belga/AFP via Getty Images, Lecturer in Environmental Art - School of Art and Design. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. It is the first time that a Belgian . The Belgian government and Catholic missions tried to aid the inhabitants by improving health and education and building an infrastructure, but the Belgians still exploited the region's gold, copper, and diamonds. The second stage is that it is absolutely necessary that children are taught the reality of what happened in Congo. I want the government to accept that Belgium, and its king, created a lot of suffering in the Congo. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. The economy of the region is now diversified, the most important centers are mechanical industries (aircraft engine and Spacecraft propulsion), space technology, information technology, biotechnology and also production of water, beer or chocolate. And if it could lead to a new partnership between the two countries. On the same day, then Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilms also expressed her regret regarding Belgiums colonial past. [citation needed] In 2009 Belgium suffered negative growth and increased unemployment, stemming from the worldwide banking crisis. Jean-Claude Ilunga lives in Belgium but is Congolese by birth and says it is time for the former rulers to apologise to Congo. The museum, in the Brussels suburb of Tervuren, was founded in 1897 by Leopold II at the height of colonialism. Metallurgy, steel, textiles, chemicals, glass, paper, and food processing are the dominant industries. In April 1884, seven months before the Berlin Congress, the US became the first country in the world to . With limited education about Belgium's rule in Congo, there is little awareness of the brutality of its colonial past in the broader society. In the interior, gold, diamonds, copper, tin, cobalt, and zinc were mined; the colony became an important source of uranium for the United States during World War II. The older, traditional industries of Wallonia, particularly steel industry, began to lose their competitive edge during this period, but the general growth of world prosperity masked this deterioration until the 1973 and 1979 oil price shocks and resultant shifts in international demand sent the economy into a period of prolonged recession. I have family there and I can't be indifferent to the suffering I see there. Nonetheless, most traditional industrial sectors are represented in the economy, including steel, textiles, refining, chemicals, food processing, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, electronics, and machinery fabrication. Historically, coal was Belgiums most important mineral resource. Belgium could fix the electricity system, for instance. Between 1884 and 1885, there were a series of negotiations between European powers to formalise claims to territory in Africa. Congo was first taken as the personal property of the Belgian King Leopold II. Refineries, located principally in the Antwerp area, process crude petroleum. Belgian King Philippe and his wife Queen Mathilde recently led a delegation on a week-long visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). [21], For 50 years through World War II, French-speaking Wallonia was a technically advanced, industrial region, with its industry concentrated along the sillon industriel, while Dutch-speaking Flanders was predominantly agricultural with some industry, mainly processing agricultural products and textiles. Change the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the Settings & Account section. The Ghent University, the second largest university of Belgium by number of students, and a number of research oriented companies are situated in the central and southern part of the city. The Congo became an independent republic on June 30, 1960. Begonias have been cultivated in the Ghent area since 1860. or It is accessed by the GhentTerneuzen Canal, which ends near the Dutch port of Terneuzen on the Western Scheldt. Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. In the end, Leopold's own ministers took his private fiefdom from him and his vast territories became the Belgian Congo - to distinguish them from the French colony on the other side of the Congo River. Diplomatic talks and pressure from many quarters would later make Leopold II renounce his rule over the Free State of the Congo, and subsequently handing it over to the Belgium government, and then Congo was named the Belgian Congo. 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Vlaams ABVV Socialistische vakbond in Vlaanderen Algemeen Belgisch Vakverbond ABVV", "Le march du travail en chiffres absolus", "GDP per inhabitant in 2006 ranged from 25% of the EU27 average in Nord-Est in Romania to 336% in Inner London", "Taux de chmage stable (20,6%) mais augmentation du nombre de chercheurs d'emploi sur base annuelle", "Report for Selected Countries and Subjects", World Bank Summary Trade Statistics Belgium, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Economy_of_Belgium&oldid=1152252013, engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, transportation equipment, scientific instruments, processed food and beverages, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, base metals, textiles, glass, petroleum, chemicals, machinery and equipment, finished diamonds, metals and metal products, foodstuffs, raw materials, machinery and equipment, chemicals, raw diamonds, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, transportation equipment, oil products, This page was last edited on 29 April 2023, at 02:53. Belgian colonists collected and smoked these severed hands to preserve them for later counting and recording. The Democratic Republic of Congo is widely considered to be the richest country in the world regarding natural resources; its untapped deposits of raw minerals are estimated to be worth in excess of U.S. $24 trillion. Until his death in 1909, Leopold II never set . European adventurers experienced great difficulty in exploring and colonizing the Congo River Basin, due to the region's tropical climate, disease, and the resistance of the natives. In addition, sands from the Kempenland supply the glass-manufacturing industry, and clays from the Borinage are used for pottery products and bricks. Belgium was, of course, the colonial power in Congo until 1960, and links between the two countries remain strong. (Colonizing other peoples, regardless of the justification, is wrong. Unemployment has remained consistently more than twice as high in Wallonia than in Flanders, and even more in Brussels, during most of the last 20 years (2012: Flanders: 4.55%; Wallonia: 10.12% and Brussels: 17.47%[28]). Leopold's cruel, greedy activities in the current Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi continue to affect the welfare of these countries today. It has since developed a highly-developed transportation infrastructure made up of ports (most notably the Port of Antwerp), canals, railways, and highways, in order to integrate its industry with that of its neighbours. Leopold promised that he would develop his private property to improve the lives of the native Africans. * As many as 10 million people are estimated to have died in Congo from killings, famine and disease . How much money did Belgium make from the Congo? It is thought the king's letter would not be considered as a "full apology", for fear that this would lead to claims for reparations. By the 1950s, many African countries embraced anti-colonialism, nationalism, equality, and opportunity under the Pan-Africanism movement. Why? Belgium Colonialism. As a possession of Belgium, the Congo Free State became known as the Belgian Congo. Joseph Conrad set his popular novel Heart of Darkness in the Congo Free State and described European abuses. Needless to say, Caroline profited greatly from the King's attention, earning her the nickname "Queen of the Congo.". About one-fourth of Belgiums land area is agricultural and under permanent cultivation; more than one-fifth comprises meadows and pastures. In general, productivity in Flanders is roughly 20% higher (per inhabitant) than in Wallonia[citation needed]. However, most of Belgium's government leaders and citizens did not want to spend the exorbitant amount of money that would be needed to maintain distant colonies. Severed hands became the infamous symbol of the colonial state where officials brutally maimed those failing to deliver harvest quotas. They too are now exhausted, but the refining of imported metallic ores remains an important component of Belgiums economy. [20] A slight decrease in the accumulated public debt compared to GDP has been seen, however, thanks to a higher economic growth rate compared to the budget growth rate, which pushed the percentage from 99% of GDP in 2009 to 95% of GDP in 2011, a four-point decrease in two years, a feat rare enough to mention in the Western World. Richard, Katherine Schulz. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. [24] The second biggest union is the socialist General Federation of Belgian Labour (ABVV-FGTB) which has a membership of more than 1.5million. But my life is here, in Belgium. [20], Belgium's industry is concentrated mainly in the populous region of Flanders in the north, around Brussels and in the two biggest Walloon cities, Lige and Charleroi, along the sillon industriel. This problem is addressed through elaborate water-transfer systems involving canals, storage basins, and pipelines. Mined since the 13th century, these coal reserves were instrumental in Belgiums industrialization during the 19th century. personalising content and ads, providing social media features and to King Leopold and his European rivals created the conditions for chaos in Congo a century ago, the most the former colonial powers will do now is withdraw their nationals and stand well back. 9. He was born in Congo, but moved to Belgium around 40 years ago and has made his life here. [20], The social security system, which expanded rapidly during the prosperous 1950s and 1960s, includes a medical system, unemployment insurance coverage, child allowances, invalid benefits, and other benefits and pensions.
