“If we are Congolese, today, it is thanks to Léopold II”

They are a former senator, singer, association member, artist or student. If not all of them experienced independence in 1960, they have one thing in common: they are Congolese. All agreed to return to this moment in the history of their country. And the look they take, 60 years later, on the consequences of independence allows them to perceive their everyday reality.

Sinzo Aanza is a writer and visual artist. That day, he wants to show us a street. A priori, nothing extraordinary. There is asphalt on the ground. Normal. What is less appears a few meters further: “You see, we just passed by the house of one of the members of the government. Right after his house, the asphalt disappears and the street becomes dirt again.“A situation which, for many, would perfectly illustrate the country’s problems.”More and more people, even the average person, know that there is money mismanagement. It’s practically obscene when you compare it to the life of the majority of Congolese.“

However, on the evening of June 30, 1960, the date of independence, the Congolese hoped for better. Much better. After years of colonialism, they aspired to a future in love with freedom and prosperity. But the reality is not really that hoped for. “Independence was good. But all the problems and the disorders which the country knew come from this independence which was not well enough prepared“, explains Florimond Muteba, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ODEP, the Public Debt Observatory.

At 70, he remembers this moment in history but today sees the faults, which have been present for years. “Since all this time, we have had time to regroup. But we didn’t do it. It is not the fault of the West if 60 years later, we are still on the same level. It is a false speech to say ‘go on there is nothing to see’, ‘let us do what we want with our people’, ‘let us plunder our country as we want’“.

Thanks to colonization, we had peace.

At 86, Leon Engulu was at the forefront in early 1960. He was around the “round table” in Brussels, organized in Brussels by King Baudouin. He was there, alongside the future first President, Joseph Kasa-vubu, and the future Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba. “The three of us are pioneers of independence, explains the one who was a senator but also a minister, under Mobutu, in particular. If we are Congolese today, it is thanks to Léopold II. A stranger who came to gather our peoples who lived separately. Thanks to colonization, we had more tribal wars, it was over. Thanks to colonization, we had peace.“Lucid, he praises Leopold II, but is also very critical of himself:”It was Léopold II who created this Congo. Of course, with a lot of mistakes. But we too have made mistakes. We have killed innocent people.“

So what has the independence of the Congo left, 60 years later? Leon Engulu responds: “I will be frank. For me, we are going backwards. We have moved back from the inheritance we have received. At the time of the colony, school was free, medical care free. We don’t have that today. And there was little unemployment, very few unemployed.“

Education, employment and youth

Teaching. For many, the level is no longer what it used to be. And it is a young man who says it. “When the Belgians arrived. They built schools and universities. This allowed our ancestors and their children to benefit from a good education“, explains Daniel Aloterembi, 25 and a final year student at IFASIC. A man of letters, he deplores that”a person can claim to be licensed in letter, but sometimes unable to write a sentence in French without making mistakes. It is a great disappointment for me. The authorities must try to raise this level of education to try to move forward. It is unimaginable to think that our parents who have an average education have a higher level than us. We need to question ourselves and see how to fix this problem.“

►►► Read also : What moral responsibility for royalty in the colonization of the Congo?

The job. This is one of the big problems and one of the priorities of young Congolese in the DRC. Eunice Etaka is a lawyer and member of Lucha. This non-partisan, non-violent Congolese citizen movement was launched on May 1, 2012 in Goma, in the DRC, following a fed up of young people shocked, indignant and revolted by the situation of general chaos in the country. “80% of young people are unemployed. What do they do ? Currently, there is practically total chaos, socially, economically and politically“, she laments.

“Unfortunately, colonization took another form. It is no longer official but has become unofficial. Looting continues but in another form, continues the young Congolese. The negotiation of raw materials is made of nonsense. The treatment of the Congolese as a human being poses a problem. It is treated unevenly inside and even outside the country“.

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