The story of the Congo Free State : $b Social, political, and economic aspects of the Belgian system of government in Central AfricaWack, Henry Wellington
History
The story of the Congo Free State : $b Social, political, and economic aspects of the Belgian system of government in Central Africa
Wack, Henry Wellington
Belgium -- Colonies -- Africa -- Administration; Congo (Democratic Republic) -- History -- To 1908
In the documents you will find the passages to which I have now
come, which are contained in this: “Flogging a native by order of
De Keyser. At Basoko, the headquarters station of the district
of the Aruwimi, where the notorious De Keyser [meaning thereby
the Plaintiff], of hand-cutting fame, was in command, women were
daily flogged for the most trivial offences, etc.” This, you will
notice, is stated to have occurred in November, 1897. It was a
time when Captain Burrows himself was not in the Congo State at
all, but you will hear from Captain De Keyser that there is not
the smallest ground for the allegation of cruelty that was made
against him. It is true that a chief was taken down in the steamer
on which Captain De Keyser was, but the suggestion that he was
treated in that barbarous fashion is entirely untrue. The next
passage which has to be read is with regard to Basoko, and as to
Basoko, what I have told you is that at Basoko, for fourteen days
only, Captain Burrows was at the place where Captain De Keyser
had his command. “At Basoko, the headquarters station of the
district of the Aruwimi, women used to be flogged almost daily
for the most trivial offences. In one case five women were beaten
for daring to go to a village a short way up the river to buy
food without having previously informed the commandant.” Thus,
after six and a half years, during which no breath of accusation
has been made with regard to these matters by Captain Burrows,
there comes this extraordinary attack: “De Keyser, of hand-cutting
fame”; “De Keyser’s massacre”; De Keyser described as walking
about the station where he was employed with his gun, and shooting
with reckless cruelty at the natives—De Keyser, who is accused
of taking a man prisoner and practically roasting him on the
stack-pipe of the boat as he is going down the river. There was
not only that, but the imputation of habitually flogging women
at this place. These odious and appalling accusations, the echo
of which follows a man through his whole life, are made against
him, and made against him by whom? By a man who had been in the
service of the Congo State itself, who, in the year 1897, as I
have shown, made himself the defender of the administration of
the Congo State, and declared in an article which was put in the
interview which he had with _L’Étoile Belge_, that there was no
foundation whatever for the accusations which had been made against
the Belgian officers, and he was able to say so because he knew
the truth. He attacked Captain Salusbury and disposed of that.
This man, who in 1897 was taking that attitude, who afterwards
leaves the service of the Congo State and feels himself aggrieved
because he has not been so highly paid, because he has not had such
distinction conferred upon him as others have had conferred,—he,
seven years afterwards, enters into this—is it too much to call
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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