| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"maff" |
| Date: |
23 Feb 2005 05:26:11 AM |
| Object: |
OT: Belgium confronts its heart of darkness |
Belgium confronts its heart of darkness
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=613728
King Leopold was hailed as a hero for 'civilising' the Congo. Now a
remarkable exhibition in Brussels tells the forgotten history of a
brutal exploitation that killed millions and shamed a nation
By Michela Wrong
23 February 2005
In the sprawling palace of Tervuren, in a leafy suburb of Brussels,
Leopold, King of the Belgians has finally been dethroned. A daunting
statue of the hook-nosed monarch has been heaved from centre stage in
the royal museum that was his brainchild and built with the proceeds of
his African adventure.
The avatar of the former national hero now skulks in a distant corner;
in his place are a series of antique black and white photographs of
mutilated bodies in turn-of-the-previous-century Congo. One of the
stark and disturbing images shows a father from the Nsala tribe
contemplating the chopped-off hand and foot of his daughter in front of
him. The sepia-tinted horror show is part of "Memory of Congo, The
Colonial Era" a remarkable exhibition that has set off a critical
re-examination of Belgium's grisly record in its only colonial
possession.
Belgium
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.atheism/msg/5ce5f10fcf564d5f
Imperialism
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.atheism/msg/5caa8368cb2e7b29
Colonialism
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.atheism/msg/4949801e8849003c
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