A grim account of the construction of the Congo-Océan Railway

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A new book about the Congo-Océan Railway exposes the divide between the often admirable intentions of colonial bureaucrats, who did genuinely think they were lifting Africans out of poverty, and the grim reality that they enabled

Leopold’s exploitation of Congo was a scandal. In 1908, after years of campaigning by journalists, the Belgian state stripped the king of his private possession. The Belgian Congo joined other European colonies in Africa where wanton extraction was to be replaced by a supposedly civilising mission. Yet though less transparently murderous, the “benign” colonialism of elsewhere was often not that different from what happened under Leopold. A new book, “In the Forest of No Joy”, by J.P.

The railway was the idea of Pietro Paolo Savorgnan di Brazza, an Italian-born French explorer who conquered much of central Africa for France “by exclusively peaceful means”. The French state imagined itself as a bringer of civilisation to Africa, and the railway was to provide a way for the Congolese to take part in world trade.

 

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Admirable intentions like displaying severed limbs and establishing 'rape huts'? Or killing half the population of Congo? These people helped commit genocide for fucks sake.

Well intentioned colonial bureaucrats in the fucking Congo, the Congo! Is the Economist high, or do they just not know the history of the Congo? Shame on whoever wrote this.

looks like a lot of people need to do some research jfc

'Often admirable intentions' is not only crazy but really disrespectful to say the least.

Is forcing people to work to death good? Find out!

Damn, what a trash magazine

Whoever wrote this headline makes me wish hell was real

'Admirable intentions,' gtf outta here. Most of the world was fine until Europeans decided to play rulers of the world.

una paralisse per ogni parola

oh my fucking god, jesus

This oyinbo people think say Africans are actually mumu.

i’m sorry what?

Do you know anything about colonialism actually?

'Admirable intentions.'

By 'admirable intentions' do you mean their intentions to cut off people's hands? Or is it the killing their children thing?

At the 29 min mark, BBC4 'Scramble for Africa' series talks about how the Europeans got together and cut up Africa 'like one big cake.' 'Kongo and the Scramble for Africa - History Of Africa with Zeinab Badawi [Episode 19]

BBC 4 Scramble for Africa series covers some of the exploitation of the people, the land, and lasting effects in Congo. See 2:55 how right hands severed for not meeting rubber quotas. In 1896, German newspaper reported how 1,308 hands gathered in 1 day.

The weren't poor before the Europeans came to create misery.

You guys have become a cheap parody of yourselves.

Colonialists had good intentions for whomest exactly.This publication speaks for wealthy people who only want to listen to this kind of nonsense. It's appalling to say the least.

“…often admirable intentions of colonial bureaucrats,”?! You must really hate Africans to write this.

Next issue: those gosh darn hard-working torturers of the Inquisition, “who did genuinely think they were… (saving souls? idk) and the grim reality that they enabled.” But wait, there’s more! Witch-burnings! Community expressions of anxiety? American slavers: our kind brothers.

'news and analysis from a global perspective' 😂😂😂😂😂

What the fuck is wrong with you?

Did those words just fall out of your mouth? King Leopold II was such a monster that the other colonial powers looked down on him and that's saying a lot.

Uh….lifting them out of poverty by murdering and enslaving them?

Exploiters often lie about why they are exploiting people yeag

Algo_Ridam

“We take your hands and your lives and you get a railroad that we loot your country with. It’s a win win” say the progenociders

You gotta go bankrupt. You just gotta. How are you even able to survive your shit sucks ass.

well, that's a new and bullshit take

I didn't know getting lifted out of poverty entailed having your limbs chopped off, your family murdered, and being enslaved

They didn’t give a shit. The Congo Free State was created solely to enrich Leopold II

Ahh no

Oh yeah, of course. They had the same kind of honorable intentions that Genghis Khan had.

Fucking what

This is a little mask off even for you 'Genocide ok because we 100 years later like to pretend they wanted to lift people put of 'poverty''

what admirable intentions do you speak off

Admirable intentions

WTF WTF WTF WTF Also your literally English

Shut.

What kind of dipshit juice are you lot drinking today?

They genuinely thought what, sir?

Leopold and the Belgians did not have a single admirable intention in Congo-they went there to strip the country of all resources at any cost, including mass murder and mutilation.

The Economist using the word 'intentions' about as liberally as they self describe as providing a 'global perspective'

there's nothing admirable about colonization, just like there's nothing admirable about The Economist, one of the trashiest publications out there

the what intentions

Oh yeah, we gotta examine the good intentions behind enforced slavery and brutal exploitation 🙄

Hello Economist, By Leopold's ghost, we have to give you a hand for this one. Regards, Customer Support

'Admirable intentions'... Right.

Instead of wasting good money and precious time reading this crap, read Fanon, Losurdo and Césaire instead. And if you don't like reading, watch Raoul Peck's excellent documentary (in four parts) 'Exterminate All The Brutes' on HBO Ma(r)x.

Lenin was right about you lot.

Is the Economist click baiting or what? Wtf is 'admirable intentions of colonial bureaucrats' doing with Congo in same statement 🤔

Very 'admirable intentions'

Well, that's certainly a take.

The economist? What a joke

Admirable intentions What an abuse of the word admirable!!!!🙆🙆🙆🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

are you insane? what kind of stupid headline is this?

Admirable intentions of colonialists and Congo in the same sentence?. Stop the cocaine 😂😂😂

A lot of snowflakes melted after reading this headline...

Who the hell wrote this ?

capitalist press still likes to pretend that the racism of Europeans was 'meant to help' when it was the blind racist arrogance of white supremacists that forced Afican into poverty and Africans into slavery at home and abroad

Who is responsible for this idiocy especially with Congo of all places mentioned in the same sentence? Who is responsible?

I didn’t know that the mass murderer King Leopold was admirable o The Economist employees.

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