“Congo Free State was not a colony, but a Free State ruled by King Leopold II.” Quote by André de Maere d'Aertrycke
“The custom of chopping hands of death enemies was a local custom and was introduced in the Congo by the Arabs from the Muslim sharia law to punish thieves. The first penal code introduced by Leopold II in 1888, strictly forbids this cruel practice. The report of "The Inquiry Commission" of 1905 is absolutely clear in this respect. Though this report was extremely severe in denouncing such crimes, King Leopold II did not hesitate to have it published - in extenso - in the "Journal Officiel de l'Etat Indépendant du Congo" and issued no less than 24 royal decrees to put an end to all those malpractices.” SlaveryCongoLeopold IiCongo Free StateArab SlaveryArab Slave Trade Author:André de Maere d'Aertrycke
“At the time when the Arabs were ruling our country, they were taking us, our wives and children, as slaves. They burned our villages. The white man never burns villages and when we bring him hens or bananas, he pays us well. He also pays us fairly for the mupira (rubber) that we collect. The white man has put an end to slavery… But we, black people, nevertheless wish that the white men go home, since we are forced to maintain roads and may no longer fight neighbour tribes and eat our prisoners, because if we eat them, we are hanged!” SlaveryCongoLeopold IiCongo Free StateArabsArab Slavery Author:Manangame of Avakubi
“You must know that there were many people that worked for Leopold II, and they were really abusive — but that does not mean that Leopold II was abusive.” CongoLeopold IiCongo Free StateBelgian Congo Author:Prince Laurent of Belgium
“We want to stay in Ruanda-Urundi because in the lives of peoples and people there are interests other than purely economic interests. We want to stay there just because there is still much to do, because we have begun a great human work in that country that we want to bring to a successful conclusion; because we have accepted a mission of guardianship that we want to fulfil to the end. And when the objectives laid down in the [UN] Charter are achieved, thanks to us, thanks to our help, that people will be able to decide its future in full awareness and in full freedom.” United NationsCongoRwandaUnBurundiRuanda Urundi Author:Pierre Ryckmans
“De afgelopen maanden hebben we ons land zien veranderen. Er zijn veel veranderingen geweest, sommige goed, sommige slecht. Maar de belangrijkste verandering is dat het Congolese volk nu de leiding heeft over zijn eigen lot.” CongoBelgisch CongoCongo CrisisRepubliek Congo Author:Gaston Eyskens
“She's Devine. She's Magic. And she didn't have to wait for anyone to tell her in order for her to believe that about herself. And that's what made her so magically beautiful.” InspirationBeautifulBeautySelf Preservation Author:C.R. Bittar
“Ik ben ervan overtuigd dat we, door samen te werken en onze krachten te bundelen, een nieuwe toekomst kunnen opbouwen voor België en Congo. Een toekomst van vrede, welvaart en geluk voor alle burgers.” CongoBelgisch CongoBelgieRepubliek Congo Author:Gaston Eyskens
“We moeten het Congolese volk helpen bij het opbouwen van een sterke en levensvatbare economie, een economie die gebaseerd is op de beste praktijken van het moderne tijdperk.” CongoCongo CrisisRepubliek CongoBelgische Congo Author:Gaston Eyskens
“We moeten samenwerken met andere landen om de uitdagingen van de moderne tijd aan te pakken. We moeten onze grenzen openstellen voor handel en investeringen, en we moeten actief deelnemen aan internationale organisaties en initiatieven.” CongoBelgiëHandelBelgisch CongoEconomie Author:Gaston Eyskens
“Ik spreek tot u als een Belg die diep is betrokken bij de toekomst van Congo. En ik spreek tot u als iemand die gelooft dat België en Congo een gemeenschappelijke toekomst hebben.” CongoBelgiëBelgisch CongoCongo CrisisRepubliek Congo Author:Gaston Eyskens