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Nick Rause

Dr. Martino

The Developing World – SRT 340 01

Due 3 December 2020

Congo Stories Assignment

Throughout the semester, I feel like we have been building up to this assignment. We

have learned about what the developing world is and how it impacts us. Whether the connection

is from our international affairs to court cases, the developing world needs to be examined. The

history of the developing world, particularly for this assignment on the Congo, we can see how

we are so interconnected with it. We began the semester talking about the differences between

the different “worlds”. However, the numerical classification of “worlds” into first, second, and

third may be pernicious and the “third world” should be thought of as the “developing world”.

Previously, as seen with the Congo, the states were very dynamic in their culture before the

invasion of the Portuguese. Before taking this class, I really did not have much knowledge of the

developing world. However, I did have some insight on developed countries and outside

organizations possibly trying to help it with monetary funds or prosecutions of criminals

committing atrocities. It was very interesting to me to learn about the organizations that are

directed to help these countries such as HIPC Initiative. The developing world continues to

struggle with their development compared to developed countries. However, the introduction of

these organizations helps the developing countries by setting up markets to sell good, increasing

the quality of infrastructure such as roads, and improving societal necessities such as healthcare

and improving education. All of what was previously described are topics I learned in the class

but still want to dive deeper into the discussion about particular countries where these
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improvements are happening. The Congo is located in Africa and this is where most of the

developing countries are located, too. The Congo has had a huge history going back hundreds of

years. The history is filled with greed of colonizers and exploitation of the Congolese people. As

mentioned in class, written by Frantz Fanon, and also reiterated in Congo Stories, “Africa is

shaped like a gun, and Congo is the trigger” (Congo Stories, p. 7).

The Congo used to be a flourishing place. The land was split up into states. Each state

was ruled by a king who would govern the land, protect the people and support them (Congo

Stories, p. 12). Also, these kings would dissolve disputes and care for people who were in need

(Congo Stories, p. 13). It seemed like a prosperous place. Not only was there a well-orchestrated

overarching government governing the respective lands, the people of the states had a system of

working with one another. There were family roles where the women fed their families while the

men would collect materials to produce cloth, utensils, medicines, palm wine, and building

materials (Congo Stories, p. 13). This system seemed to work for the people of the Kongo.

Continuing with the advancements of the Kongolese people, they also had detailed belief

systems as well as a communication system. The communication system known as language

tambourine that was similar to Morse code but developed 1,500 years prior (Congo Stories, p.

13). To add, the Kongolese people produced magnificent works of art and luxury cloths. Some of

these works were considered priceless and also influenced some of the most decorated artist

known today such as Picasso and Matisse (Congo Stories, p. 14). Lastly, the military of the

Kongo Kingdom was 80,000 men strong (Congo Stories, p. 15). Only a very sophisticated and

progressive country could achieve these aspects. However, all of this changed when the

European colonists arrived at the Kongo as European life was quickly imposed onto the

Kongolese. Kongo experienced frequent civil wars, culture change, and exploitation of the
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Kongolese people. The idea of domination is described in the first set of lecture notes. The

European raiders domination began as they used the Kongolese peoples’ innocence against them.

The Europeans, I think, felt a sense of superiority. We mentioned this as the White Man’s

Burden. Specifically, in Congo Stories, it is stated that, “because the kingdom was so well

organized, these researchers quickly dismissed the possibility that indigenous people initiative

might have played a role in Kongo’s development” (Congo Stories, p. 14). This idea, though

presented about 500 years after in the 1960s, is probably what the European colonists thought

when they first arrived in the Kongo.

Destruction and domination of the Congo is seen in many catastrophic events that

occurred hundreds of years ago but are still occurring today. In the 1600s, civil wars broke out

because of the slave trade. Previously, in the Kongo, enslaved people had the chance at

eventually becoming free. But, with the European raiders, they aimed to “remov[e] Kongolese

authority figured in order to destroy the indigenous symbols of community leadership and this

undermine any resistance to Europe’s expansion of human trafficking” (Congo Stories, p. 17).

This horrid act turned the local Kongolese people against each other as there was a chance that

local leaders could kidnap Kongolese people themselves and sell them to the Europeans;

bypassing the loyalty to the king and keeping profit for themselves (Congo Stories, p. 17). From

the time of arrival of the Europeans at Kongo to today, the people of the Congo and their lands

have been exploited and their culture has been deconstructed. The lives of the Congolese are

being lived in fear of the Europeans. Women are being raped and tortured. The lands are being

stripped of resources and there is no compensation to the people of the Congo. All of these

horrible things are being done for the profit of the rich colonizers.
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“When the US and Europe needed some ingredient to help advance Western progress or

interests, they turned to the Congo to provide it” (Congo Stories, p. 19). The land and people of

the Congo were exploited for the benefit of others. There was no equal trading or fair exchange

between the Congolese people and other people in the world. It seems when there is a need for

an item in the world, all eyes are focused on the Congo to either provide it or the components to

make it. There are many different resources and materials that were seized from the Congo such

as diamond, oil, uranium, elements, and rubber.

Rubber is a huge part of our society as we need it for tires, rubber hoses, tubing, gaskets,

and insultation for wiring (Congo Stories, p. 30). The second Industrial Revolution really drove

this “rubber boom” as many people could now afford material things. People had good paying

jobs. The production of goods increased, and the prices were driven down. This led to a

catastrophic impact on the Congo because half the of territory was covered in rubber vines

(Congo Stories, p. 30). As we have seen before, the Congo will be abused for the gain of people

who are not Congolese. King Leopold drove the exploitation of Congo rubber harvesting and

Belgium profited. King Leopold was known as the “Builder King” because he used the profits

from the selling of Congo rubber to fund works in Brussels (Congo Stories, p. 30). Because of

King Leopold’s domination, many of the Congolese faced force and slave labor. Also, the

Congolese faced cruel and heinous actions as they were subjected to meet unrealistic quotas.

Nearly all of the male population of the Congo was put into forced labor and whole villages

would be killed if they did not meet quotas (Congo Stories, p. 31). This was a scare tactic that the

Europeans used.

Throughout the semester, we have learned about destruction and domination. The harm

inflicted on the Congolese people for rubber resulted in the destruction of their lives, culture, and
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society. The killing of entire villages to demonstrated superiority and insinuate fear directed at

other villages to meet quotas is genocide. As discussed earlier in the semester, genocide is

characterized by serious bodily or mental harm to people. Also, genocide is deliberately

inflicting physical destruction on a group’s life conditions. The Congolese peoples’ environment

was ravaged, and this resulted in the destruction of the culture. The family roles and religions

were probably forgotten as the people were capitalized upon. The statement, “Keep in mind the

context of how little African lives mattered to the European colonists at that time” is atrocious

and barbaric because this was actually the European’s belief about people in the Congo post

1400s (Congo Stories, p. 32). I think that the rubber harvesting and the atrocities that occurred

because of it aligned most with the class because we can see the whole destruction of the culture

and environment because of a single resource. Also, the use of rubber is so eminent all over the

world, especially in the United States in the early 1900s with the second Industrial Revolution.

The Congolese people experienced horrific conditions throughout their lives. The horrific

acts, such as rape, torture, and murder are not new to the Congo and have been occurring for

hundreds of years. Huguette’s personal story really gripped my attention compared to the others.

Not only is her story inspiring as she was able to overcome adversity from her family and

community, but she was also able to overcome the struggles of internal hardships such as

depression and multiple suicide attempts. Huguette was a thirteen-year-old girl when she was

viciously raped by a young solider at school (Congo Stories, p. 112). Her shy personality led her

to keep the rape a secret from her family. I believe that she may have kept the rape a secret out of

fear from being disowned by her family. Unfortunately, this is what exactly happened when she

told her mother. Huguette’s father kicked her mother and her out of the house (Congo Stories, p.

113). This was just the beginning of the suffering she would experience in years to come.
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Huguette was pregnant with the soldier’s baby and gave birth to her at the age of thirteen. After

her daughter’s birth, Huguette faced a lot of animosity from her teachers, peers, and the

community. She attempted to kill her daughter as well as killing herself multiple times (Congo

Stories p. 113). She faced great stigmatization, but her mother stuck by her side. After realizing

that the government in the Congo was broken, Huguette decided to set herself on a journey to

achieve an education while being a new mother. Huguette explains, “So I made this decision

when I started high school that I am going to study law in order to try to do something, and I

don’t know whether it is fate that has come back to affect me” (Congo Stories, p(s). 116, 117).

Huguette faced oppression within her community on top of the oppression that is already

occurring in developing countries.

Huguette’s story has really captured my attention because of her drive to overcome

adversity and oppression. In the Senior Integrative Seminar course I am currently enrolled in, my

peers and I completed an assignment on privilege versus oppression. I realized how fortunate I

am to live in the United States and attend college. I had to personally work hard to become a

college student through my own hardships but in comparison to Huguette’s story, my barriers are

not are complicated as her. Huguette is a very hardworking woman, and this is leading her to

success as a law student at Goma University.

The film, Merci Congo, has really opened by eyes to the world of the Congo. I had asked

my father if he had ever heard of the Congo. His response was, “Isn’t that the most dangerous

place in the world.” I told him that we needed to watch the film, Merci Congo, because it shows

the horrific encounters that occur in the Congo but also the work that is being done to raise

awareness about them. A woman who I found very interesting and did some more research about

after watching the film was Neema Namadamu. She was the women with the disability who
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helped educate the Congolese women about technology. It was an eye-opening experience to see

her teach the women to use technology. It is so unfortunate that the women did not even know

how to open a computer but in the United States, children of five years old have iPads and

iPhones. None of these children even know how fortunate they are to have the access to these

machines at the expense of people in the Congo. I read the book, Congo Stories, after watching

the film. The film really helped me visualize the environment of the Congo and realize the

separation between the Congolese and people of developed countries. Also, the film was a great

introduction to the lives of the people living in the Congo and I felt a human connection to them.

I find it very easy to connect to people when I can visually see them and hear their stories. The

connection to class, as I mentioned in the introduction, is that I felt like we have been building up

to this assignment all semester. We can see how a developing country can be tainted by

corruption, murders, and exploitation. I want to end with a point brought up in Congo Stories but

also seen throughout of the movie. The idea of solidarity. After taking the Developing World, I

feel more aware of situations occurring in the developing world. There is constant work that

needs to be completed to improve the lives of people in the developing world. Developed

countries, like the United States, can help these developing countries progress toward a more

developed way, improving the lives of the citizens that live there. “The situation is complicated,

yes, but there are solutions and there is a multitude of activist in the Congo—and many in

solidarity with them all over the world—standing up for change” (Congo Stories, p. 8).