Statues do not always just exist for the commemoration of someone or something great. There can often be different meanings and purposes to the erection of certain monuments, some of which play a significant role in the way society remembers certain figures and events. In some cases, including the case of King Leopold II of Belgium, these monuments can even be used as an attempt to rewrite history. We will be looking at Leopold II’s statue in the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kinshasa, why it was erected, and why it was pulled down.

“Statue in Kinshasa“, Steeve P, CC BY-SA 4.0,

Who Was King Leopold II?

King Leopold II ruled Belgium from 1865 until his death in 1909. During his time as king, he gained possession of the Congo, a very large area of land in central Africa. He was able to achieve this through the Berlin Conferences of 1884 and 1885, a conference between European nations to discuss what areas of Africa each country was entitled to. Unlike other areas of Africa that were colonized by other European nations, the Congo was not treated as a colony, rather as Leopold’s own personal property. His horrific treatment of the people of the Congo is understood now, however the story of Leopold II is one of much propaganda and a look at the concept of rewriting history. Leopold tried to paint himself as a hero who had saved the people of the Congo from slavery and oppression, as well as having “civilized” the region. He did so through the use of things such as monuments and museums, as many people were unaware of the atrocities that were actually happening under his rule in what he called the Congo Free State. The people of Belgium were seeing the wealth that his endeavors in the Congo generated, and how it was able to fund all sorts of projects domestically, however they had no way of knowing about the horrors this wealth was built upon.

Truth Comes to Light

In the 1890s, a man named Joseph Conrad took a trip to the Congo where he was able to witness some of the brutality that those in Europe had thus far been entirely blind to. He wrote a book titled Heart of Darkness which exposed much of this brutality, which in turn helped to unravel the truth. This book has also been cited by Adam Hochschild, the author of the book King Leopold’s Ghost which was published in 1998, and played a role in the public’s perception of Leopold in modern times. As more information about the horrors occurring in the Congo became available to the public, many turned against Leopold II. His public image was becoming increasingly negative and he would die a disgraced king in 1909. That could have been the end of King Leopold II’s legacy, but his nephew and the succeeding king of Belgium, Albert I had other plans.

Albert I led a campaign to restore Leopold’s legacy. He did so through the use of monuments honoring him over the course of his reign to try and change public perception of his disgraced uncle. This included one statue of Leopold that was erected in 1928 in the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kinshasa (which at the time was called Leopoldville). This statue was a replica of another statue in Belgium, and was constructed by Thomas Vincotte. After two decades had passed since Leopold II’s reign, there was little resistance to this monument. However, its existence would become a symbol of Leopold’s brutality as well as the countless attempts to build up his legacy through the use of propaganda.

“Statue de Léopold II à Kinshasa“, Steeve P, CC BY-SA 4.0,

Controversy of the Statue

King Leopold II’s reputation has been very different at different points in history. When this monument was first unveiled in the Congo, there was not much contestation, as a lot had happened in the world since Leopold’s reign over the region, although it was not particularly celebrated by the people of the Congo either. For almost four decades, the statue stood in the nation’s capital, a reminder of the horrors the man being commemorated was responsible for. However, as time goes on, views change. As the decades pass there become less and less people that experienced the Congo under Leopold. This may be a large factor in what allowed the statue to remain standing in the very place that Leopold terrorized.

The statue was taken down for the first time in 1967 under the rule of Mobutu Sese Seko, the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the time. This was a part of a policy of his known as authenticité. It was then that the country would be renamed to Zaire along with the renaming of cities within the country, to erase the names left by European colonization. The country would actually be renamed again in 1997 and it would again be called the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This all came after the Congo finally won its independence from Belgium a few years earlier in 1960, and although at this point, not as many people living in the Congo at the time had lived under Leopold II’s rule, it was definitely the popular decision to remove the statue.

The Return of Leopold II

When the statue of Leopold II was removed in 1967 that should have been the end of it. Public opinion of Leopold in the Congo would not have allowed for the statue to return for any reason. In 2005 however, the statue of Leopold II was put back up in Kinshasa, to much public criticism. The idea to put the statue back up was a decision made by Christophe Muzungu who was the Congolese Minister of Culture at the time. Muzungu argued that it should be put back up because he wanted to remind the people of the Congo of their history. He stated that “A people without a history is a people without a soul” (BBC 3). This is an argument that many have used to justify leaving up statues of controversial figures, saying that removing these statues would be erasing history. While many people of the Congo were strongly opposed to the idea of the statue going back up, there were others who actually agreed with Muzungu’s point.

In 2020, statues of Leopold II in Belgium were vandalized following the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. An article from africanews.com asks some Congolese about their thoughts, which helps us to understand their attitudes towards Leopold II and how he was previously commemorated in the Congo. One businessman named Pitchou Kangudie said “This monument should have been vandalized a long time ago because he made the Congolese suffer a lot” (Africanews 4). However, other people had somewhat different views. Another man named Jose Batekele said “Leopold II, for us, is a part of our history, a memory, a reference for our children” (Africanews 5). This is something that makes the dialogue regarding the removal of monuments so interesting. Everyone can be in agreement that Leopold II committed atrocities against the people of the Congo and does not deserve to be honored for it. However, some will argue the these statues should remain standing to serve as a reminder of the past, and the hardships that the people overcame, as well as a lesson for the future.

While some may be able to understand and even agree with Muzungu’s position, the return of the statue in Kinshasa in 2005 was not a popular decision. It was so unpopular that it was subsequently taken down very shortly after being put back up. While the statue may have only stood again for a few hours, it can be very interesting to look at the dialogue that it rekindled, not just having to do with Leopold’s legacy and the atrocities that he committed, but also with the idea of monuments in general. We can argue that monuments should remain standing for educational purposes as well as serving as a symbol of a people’s struggle and suffering in the past. However, a statue depicting King Leopold II in a public space, whether we want it to or not, looks like a symbol of honor and respect for a man who is truly undeserving of such.

The Crumbling Legacy of King Leopold II

In recent years, monuments to Leopold in Belgium have also come under fire by the public. As mentioned before, statues in Brussels have been vandalized by people following the rise of Black Lives Matter. An article from The Brussels Times also details the removal of a bust depicting Leopold II in Ghent, with Belgian politician Astrid De Bruycker saying “The criminal actions of Leopold II, among others, do not deserve tribute” (Johnston 3, The Brussels Times). It seems that as time moves forward, and information about history becomes more readily available to the general public, Leopold II’s legacy is failing, and the propaganda he worked so tirelessly to push during his lifetime has been rendered ineffective at this point.

After the statue on Leopold II was taken down in Kinshasa was taken down for the second time, it was taken to a museum where it still exists today. The general consensus in both Belgium and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo seem to be out of favor of Leopold entirely, although positions on the concept of monuments depicting him vary. This monument of Leopold II that stood in the very place that he harshly exploited during his lifetime, that stood for nearly forty years, then again for one more day, served as a reminder of the suffering that he caused. Many felt insulted by statue’s existence alone, and for good reason, however others found value in the reminder of his rule. The terror of King Leopold II should be known and understood by future generations. How we go about teaching this however, may continue to be disputed.

References

Beurden, Jos Van. “Congo, Belgium, and Leopold’s Troublesome Legacy.” Inconvenient Heritage: Colonial Collections and Restitution in the Netherlands and Belgium, Amsterdam University Press, 2022, pp. 99–115.

Stanard, Matthew G. “Chapter 4 Commemoration and Nostalgia, 1985-1994.” The Leopard, the Lion, and the Cock: Colonial Memories and Monuments in Belgium, Leuven University Press, 2023, pp. 139–180.

Hochschild, Adam. “Adventures in public history.” The Public Historian, vol. 32, no. 4, 2010, pp. 85–95, https://doi.org/10.1525/tph.2010.32.4.85.

Malhotra, Ananya agustin, and Alejandro Posada Téllez. “Leopold II Statue in Kinshasa – – Contested Histories.” Contested Histories, 2022, contestedhistories.org/wp-content/uploads/Democratic-Republic-of-Congo_-Leopold-II-Statue-in-Kinshasa.pdf.

Zeilig, Leo. “Léopold’s Congo.” Lumumba: Africa’s Lost Leader, Haus Publishing, 2008, pp. 1–12.

Times, The Brussels. “Ghent Removes Leopold II Statue: ‘His Criminal Actions Do Not Deserve Tribute.’” The Brussels Times, 18 June 2020, www.brusselstimes.com/117309/ghent-removes-leopold-ii-statue-his-criminal-actions-do-not-deserve-tribute.

“Africa | DR Congo’s Leopold Statue Removed.” BBC News, BBC, 4 Feb. 2005, news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4235237.stm.

AfricaNews. “Good Riddance to Sour History: Congolese on Toppling of Leopold II Statue.” Africanews, Africanews, 12 June 2020, www.africanews.com/2020/06/12/good-riddance-to-sour-history-congolese-on-toppling-of-leopold-ii-statue/.

Hochschild, Adam. “Belgian Congo.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 5 Apr. 2024, www.britannica.com/place/Belgian-Congo.

Manson, Katrina. “Congo Hopes New Museum Can Heal Nation’s Scars.” Reuters, 11 Mar. 2010, www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62A593/.