The Congo Drawn in Belgium (By Pascal Lefevre)

Pascal Lefèvre is a renowned Belgian comics historian and theorist. Since the late 1980s, he has written several studies on reading comics and graphic narratives and he has participated in the creation of several books, expositions and documentaries about comics and their authors. In 1995, he made some short experimental comics under the title 'Berlin' for the French publication Frigobox. Also he has worked as a researcher for the Belgian broadcasting company BRTN, as a research assistant at the Belgian Comic Strip Center in Brussels, and as a teacher at several art schools

In his essay Pascal Lefevre talks about the reinvigorated interest of Belgium in their former Colonies. There were many events in the last two decades causing these discussions such as the parliament investigation (2000-2001) into its responsibility for the murder of the former Congolese prime minister Patrice Lumumba (1925 – 1961), a popular colonial exhibition ‘Memory of the Congo’ (Musee Royal de l’Afique Centrale 2005) and the controversial documentary on television ‘White King, Red Rubber, Black Death (Bate 2003)on abuses under the King Leopold II (1835 – 1905).

Doctor Pascal Lefevre illustrates the change of the Belgian nations view on the people from their former colonies by comparing French language Belgian comics in three different periods of time.

The first period begins from the early colonization period in the 1880s until the second World War. In this period King Leopold II claimed it was his intention to civilize the people of Congo. In Contrast to Nederveen Pieterse’s analysis (1990) doctor Pascal Lefevre says during this first period there was not only negative impression of the black people but also good descriptions such as brave black people and prudent black people.

In the second period after World War two until mid-1970s publisher censored their comics from  political backgrounds to prevent their publications being prohibited by the new laws in France protecting national comic productions against foreign imports. So Belgian comic writers tried to avoid using Belgian colonies in their stories and used French instead. They also used just African countries without stating a specific one.

Finally in the last period from the late 1970s until today we can see the Belgians opinion on their colonies today. From 1978 Belgian comic authors started writing about Congo again and present the formal colony in most violent picture so far influenced by the Shaba crises 1977-78.

 I like to mention one famous comic story is called The Adventure of Tintin which is created by one Belgian cartoonist Georges Prosper Remi (known by name Hergé).
The story tells of young Belgian reporter Tintin and his dog, who are sent to the Belgium Congo to report on events in the country. For this story, Hergé will improvise Tintin becomes a sorcerer in the Babaoru'm Kingdom. He will outsmart the traps of the gangsters who want to take control of the diamond production of Congo.His popularity well established, this is to Africa that Tintin now sets off. The Adventures of Tintin, reporter at Le Petit Vingtième, in the Congo(1931) is a naïve depiction of the colonial times and paternalistic views as they existed in Belgium in the early 1930's.

The presence of American bandits in Tintin in the Congo was based on reality. The rich Congolese subsoil, especially that in the region of Katanga, was coveted. Copper, gold and diamonds are in plentiful supply: "All you need to do is help yourself", enthused one colonial governor.

The Congo soils are also rich in Uranium which Belgium sold to the United States during the Second World War, facilitating the construction of the two first atomic bombs which were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. Traffickers of all kinds and unscrupulous explorers were also part of the colonial adventure, and in this regard Hergé again proved to be an astute observer.