illustriouscongo

[illustriouscongo]

Map of the Congo during Belgian colonization

Often enough, African nations are described as unstable and insecure, which are sometimes proven as misconceptions. However, this is can be often seen as true as almost all post-colonial African nations have experienced political violence and severe economic mismanagement during the mid and late twentieth century. Belgian colonization began in 1884 when the Berlin West African Conference had divided up the African continent between the Great Powers of Europe. King Leopold II of Belgium had obtained the Congo and had seen it more as a “personal concession” rather than a colony. Leopold had administered brutal control over the span of area, using it to for his own personal wealth. Suddenly, the Congolese people were experiencing a whole new world. Leopold had allowed 587 missionaries to educate the indigenous people, which would total around educating 46,075 students, which was not a considerably significant part of the population. Many Congolese villagers at first avoided the missionaries’ teachings because they had a religious agenda that would have threatened to undermine their cultural values and beliefs.

This map shows the areas that were divided up and distributed to the different nations to use to their discretion. Major changes were underway soon after in these areas, especially in the Congo where there was Belgian rule. Many natives had a hard time adapting to the new way of living and would often call into question their identity and their values. This was something that was certainly seen in The Poisonwood Bible with the Price Family. Nathan Price was adamant about changing the way the people in the village had thought and believed his views were the only correct ones. Throughout the book, various characters had made their opinions clear on what they thought of Nathan Price’s religious views. Brother Fowles made it clear to Nathan that if he did not support the views of those in Kilanga, they would not support him. Nathan, as stubborn as he was, would not accept those terms and had only caused more discourse in the village with his preaching. Overall, this goes to show how a sudden change in societal rules can impact ancestral culture and also express a feeling of subjugated identity within a group of people such as the indigenous people of the Congo during Belgian colonization and in Kilanga because of Nathan Price’s beliefs.

[illustriouscongo]

I. THEIR BASIC SAVAGERY Fat black bucks in a wine-barrel room, Barrel-house kings, with feet unstable, Sagged and reeled and pounded on the table, Pounded on the table, Beat an empty barrel with the handle of a broom, Hard as they were able, Boom, boom, BOOM, With a silk umbrella and the handle of a broom, Boomlay, boomlay, boomlay, BOOM. THEN I had religion, THEN I had a vision. I could not turn from their revel in derision. THEN I SAW THE CONGO, CREEPING THROUGH THE BLACK, CUTTING THROUGH THE FOREST WITH A GOLDEN TRACK. Then along that riverbank A thousand miles Tattooed cannibals danced in files; Then I heard the boom of the blood-lust song And a thigh-bone beating on a tin-pan gong. And “BLOOD” screamed the whistles and the fifes of the warriors, “BLOOD” screamed the skull-faced, lean witch-doctors, “Whirl ye the deadly voo-doo rattle, Harry the uplands, Steal all the cattle, Rattle-rattle, rattle-rattle, Bing. Boomlay, boomlay, boomlay, BOOM,” A roaring, epic, rag-time tune From the mouth of the Congo To the Mountains of the Moon. Death is an Elephant, Torch-eyed and horrible, Foam-flanked and terrible. BOOM, steal the pygmies, BOOM, kill the Arabs, BOOM, kill the white men, HOO, HOO, HOO. Listen to the yell of Leopold’s ghost Burning in Hell for his hand-maimed host. Hear how the demons chuckle and yell Cutting his hands off, down in Hell. Listen to the creepy proclamation, Blown through the lairs of the forest-nation, Blown past the white-ants’ hill of clay, Blown past the marsh where the butterflies play: — “Be careful what you do, Or Mumbo-Jumbo, God of the Congo, And all of the other Gods of the Congo, Mumbo-Jumbo will hoo-doo you, Mumbo-Jumbo will hoo-doo you, Mumbo-Jumbo will hoo-doo you.” […] III. THE HOPE OF THEIR RELIGION A good old negro in the slums of the town Preached at a sister for her velvet gown. Howled at a brother for his low-down ways, His prowling, guzzling, sneak-thief days. Beat on the Bible till he wore it out Starting the jubilee revival shout. And some had visions, as they stood on chairs, And sang of Jacob, and the golden stairs, And they all repented, a thousand strong From their stupor and savagery and sin and wrong And slammed with their hymn books till they shook the room With “glory, glory, glory,” And “Boom, boom, BOOM.” THEN I SAW THE CONGO, CREEPING THROUGH THE BLACK, CUTTING THROUGH THE FOREST WITH A GOLDEN TRACK. And the gray sky opened like a new-rent veil And showed the Apostles with their coats of mail. In bright white steel they were seated round And their fire-eyes watched where the Congo wound. And the twelve Apostles, from their thrones on high Thrilled all the forest with their heavenly cry: — “Mumbo-Jumbo will die in the jungle; Never again will he hoo-doo you, Never again will he hoo-doo you.” Then along that river, a thousand miles The vine-snared trees fell down in files. Pioneer angels cleared the way For a Congo paradise, for babes at play, For sacred capitals, for temples clean. Gone were the skull-faced witch-men lean. There, where the wild ghost-gods had wailed A million boats of the angels sailed With oars of silver, and prows of blue And silken pennants that the sun shone through. ’Twas a land transfigured, ’twas a new creation. Oh, a singing wind swept the negro nation And on through the backwoods clearing flew: — “Mumbo-Jumbo is dead in the jungle. Never again will he hoo-doo you. Never again will he hoo-doo you. Redeemed were the forests, the beasts and the men, And only the vulture dared again By the far, lone mountains of the moon To cry, in the silence, the Congo tune:— “Mumbo-Jumbo will hoo-doo you, “Mumbo-Jumbo will hoo-doo you. Mumbo … Jumbo … will … hoo-doo … you.”

Excerpts from “The Congo: A Study of the Negro Race” by Vachel Lindsay Those on the outside viewed the Congo as savage and uncivilized during the period of colonization.  This poem reflects that viewpoint through its characterization of the natives as “fat black bucks” and “tattooed cannibals,” as well as the dismissal of the religious traditions as “voodoo.”  Foreigners did not understand that some of the Congolese tradition was based around survival and necessity, a hardship that fewer people in Western society had to deal with.  The Congolese culture was rejected as different and strange and was assumed to be harmful to those who were not a part of the society.  Because of this, the end goal in the Congo was to extract as many resources as possible while converting the Congolese to more respectable people.  The speaker in the poem sees this transformation and describes the new Congo as “a land transfigured...redeemed were the forests, the beasts and the men.”  It also goes on to say that after Christianity had been brought to the natives, the “mumbo-jumbo” could no longer hoo-doo anyone, which portrays the negative attitudes people associated with the native religion. This changed land is seen as the much better option of the two and promotes the idea that Western ideology and methods are the most beneficial for the rest of the world as well.

From the moment the Price family entered the Congo, they did not view the Congolese as civilized people.  The natives in Kilanga had their own society and culture before the missionaries arrived, but all of that was ignored once Nathan brought his family to Africa. For example, the Price girls reacted similarly to the speaker in the poem during their first interactions with Anatole, focusing on his facial tattoos rather than what he had to say to them.  Much of the ignorance throughout the beginning of the novel was perpetuated by Nathan because he viewed the village’s religion as paganism and did not take the witch doctor seriously.  Orleanna had even believed the respected witch doctor to be the Congolese version of the town drunk, proving how far out of line the Prices were during their stay in Kilanga. Nathan Price attempted to fully reform the village to the Christian way, and urged the village to abandon their ungodly beliefs.  Brother Fowles had made more progress with his conversions by identifying and relating to the village chief, a strategy that should have been utilized by both the Price family and all other foreigners in the Congo during this time.  All Nathan wanted was for the villagers in Kilanga to accept Jesus and become a transformed village, but his blind determination and refusal to compromise was his downfall in the end.

[illustriouscongo]

Stone grave statue from the Lower Congo

The grave statues show a remarkable transition in the cultural ideals of the Congo. The sculptures date back to the 1850s and through 1930, when European trade had just begun to develop in the region, so they are decidedly not an ancient tradition. As such, a wealth of material goods had flooded the Congo, and perceptions of just what it meant to be successful and powerful were shifting. These ntadi, named after their component rock, were made to order by the now wealthy chiefs, and reflect more the characteristics they wished to be remembered for than their physical appearance. New values, such as wealth and power, were reflected by slave-trader-esque poses and scrolls, depicting how the chiefs were taught to read European writing. More rare, but still present, were traditional family values, exhibited in a few statues of mother and child. Whether or not this is a reflection of male pride or cultural collide is up to interpretation.

What cannot be argued is that these grave markers were looted, in large part, by an ethnologist named Robert Verly, who had thought them to be ancient artifacts. This sounds an awful lot like grave robbing, which is disrespectful regardless of culture, showing another example of the transcendence of decency to satiate greed in the Congo.

[illustriouscongo]

La Tête historique de M’siri, Msiri fût coupé la Tête - Tshibumba Kanda-Matulu

Mwenda Msiri Ngelengwa Shitambi, or M’siri, was the ruler of a region in Katanga from about 1856 to 1891.  Beginning in 1890 there was competition between Great Britain and King Leopold of Belgium for the land ruled by M’siri, and both foreign entities pushed for negotiations and had attempted to create treaties to pursue their colonialist ambitions.  M’siri resisted, but eventually Leopold sent in 400 troops to take Katanga by force.  M’siri was shot during the conflict and he was decapitated as an example for the rest of his men.  Many of M’siri’s men were murdered that day as well and the resulting position of leader was left unclaimed, so in the weeks following there were many conflicts between native chiefs over who would be in charge.  Foreigners had once again left disorder and destruction in their wake, mindless of the suffering of the natives.  

The artist of this painting, Tshibumba Kanda-Matulu, oftentimes focuses on political matters and uses his artistic skill to make political statements.  This painting captures the aftermath of M’siri’s beheading.  The Price family in The Poisonwood Bible was almost always ignorant of the political strife facing the natives.  The Congolese in Kilanga were basically unaffected by the change of power and “independence,” but in other areas of the Congo it would have been much clearer that the foreign countries were taking the Congolese resources for themselves and leaving ruin wherever they went.  Those in charge continued to amass their wealth even while others starved to death and suffered under poor conditions.  As Leah said near the end of the novel, “[the Congo] is not a poor nation...it is a nation of the poor.”  The focus was almost always on the monetary gain and not on the standard of living for those who had originally been residents of the Congo.  The missionary work done by the Prices hurt more than it helped because of that fact that it was an extension of the foreign influence.  The Prices had no interest in communicating and understanding the natives, only in converting them to the “correct” way of life.

[illustriouscongo]

Mbuti Pygmy ritual mourning music

The rituals and traditions of the Congo were already in place when the foreigners arrived and claimed the “untouched” land.  The Pygmies kept to themselves and did not seem to interact a whole lot with the rest of the natives or Europeans.  The goal of the Europeans was to model this new society into another Europe or United States.  The only problem with this is that that transformation would erase the key elements that made the natives unique.  They were able to preserve some of their culture, but it was not an easy feat with the pressure from all sides to conform.  The main source of trouble between the natives and the foreigners was the unwillingness of the foreigners to accept that fact that not every nation would be exactly the same and that sometimes a difference in behavior and culture is a beneficial occurrence for all parties involved. 

Though the Prices only glimpsed the Pygmies on a handful of occasions, they were exposed to the mourning rituals of their native neighbors.  The time of extreme weather and famine resulted in a great number of deaths among adults and children of the village alike.  It is obvious from the reader’s point of view that death in the village was not a new thing, and the natives had made the mourning a part of their life, almost to the point of normalizing it.  It came as a shock to the Price family after Ruth May’s death because of the fact that it was treated as any other child’s death was treated.  Anatole made the point later on that there was no reason that the Price’s loss should outweigh the loss of any other Congolese family.  In the end, the colonization and attempted reform of the Congo did not change the fact that they were all human and all experienced tragedy.  It was through the tragedy of Ruth May’s death that the two cultures came to understand each other better than they ever had before. 

[illustriouscongo]

Chained slaves on a Belgian rubber plantation, early 1900s

King Leopold II of Belgium was a man with big dreams for the land he attained in the Congo.  Right from the start he ignored the fact that the Congolese already had their own culture and way of life.  He did not see them as people, only as a source of profit for himself.  Though he told other countries that he would be in charge of a humanitarian effort in the Congo, that soon deteriorated into a crisis of unbelievable proportions.  In his eagerness to begin making money Leopold turned to enslaving the natives in order to harvest rubber and mine diamonds.  The rubber plantations were where the worst abuses could be found, as countless Congolese died and even more were mutilated.  The hands of the men were cut off to motivate the slaves and uphold the ridiculous, unattainable quotas set by Leopold.  A great deal of foreign-directed hostility was born from Leopold’s actions in the Congo.  From that point on the Congolese were never truly free from foreign influence.

The Poisonwood Bible is filled with political turmoil, especially in the second half of the book.  At the beginning, the Prices were unaware of the tension, as seen through Nathan’s interaction with the Belgian doctor.  The doctor referenced the rubber plantations and told Nathan that missionaries had no place in the Congo.  Nathan, of course, argued with the doctor and insisted that the United States was gifting the Congo with civilization and an advanced way of life.  The ignorance of some of those who were trying to “help” also encouraged the mistreatment of the Congolese.  As the story progressed, the girls each learned the truth and dealt with it in her own way.  Rachel retained her racist attitude in contrast to Leah’s work with Anatole to win the Congo’s freedom.  The actions taken during this period in history are painful to reflect on, but it is necessary to recognize the injustices that occurred during the colonization of the Congo.

[illustriouscongo]

Andrews Sister & Danny Kaye - “Civilization (Bongo Bongo Bongo)” (1948) 

Lyrics

During the colonization of the Congo, King Leopold II of Belgium did all that he could to cover up the atrocities of Belgian rule.  Many years passed before people such as Mark Twain and Edmund Dene Morel began publicly protesting the treatment of the Congolese.  Before criticisms surfaced, however, most people outside of the Congo, especially in the United States, believed that foreign intervention was helping the natives and was keeping the communist Soviet Union at bay.  Many people tend to believe that their way of life is correct over a different one, and that is the attitude that was used when dealing with the Congo.  This song was chosen because it gives a fictional account from the perspective of the Congolese.  For a person who has never experienced a first world life before, the products and habits used of the United States can appear to be dangerous or pointless.  The speaker in the song explains that he is happy with his life in the Congo, and that no matter what strategies are used he will not be convinced to leave his home.

This pertains to The Poisonwood Bible because the whole purpose of the Price family’s presence in Kilanga was to change the current culture into something they believed to be more “civilized.”  It was not something the Congolese wanted nor deigned to adopt.  There were multiple instances where one of the Price girls would explain something to the natives and it would be met with confusion or rejected altogether.  Neither culture fully understood the other, and it was a long time before the Prices began to understand that the Congolese could not be convinced to change their ways.