‘We had the Bible, and they had the land’: How the West plundered Africa under the guise of Christ

 

History shows what was behind European humanitarian missions in Africa

For decades, humanitarian aid has been the epicenter of Western engagement with the African continent. Africa has been largely depicted as a continent lacking essential needs, from food and medicine to governance and human rights. While this act is largely encapsulated in the ideals of cooperation and generosity, history offers a reminder that beneath some of them lie hidden dark secrets that perpetuate a sense of dependency and efforts that hinder Africa’s progress.

Historically, deceptive benevolence disguised as humanitarianism dates back to the colonial era, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. After the discovery of vast natural resources by the 19th-century explorer and journalist Henry Morton Stanley, Belgium’s notorious King Leopold II contacted him and convened the Brussels Geographical Conference in 1876.

The conference was promoted as a humanitarian mission to ‘civilize’ the region, end the Arab slave trade, sponsor Stanley’s expeditions, and open the Congo to global commerce – which in practice meant trade in looted goods by colonial invaders. In 1877, King Leopold II called for the establishment of the International African Association (IAA), ostensibly a humanitarian organization governed by a board of explorers and geographers.

Although Stanley’s expeditions were largely financed by the New York Herald, The Telegraph, and royalties from the sale of his writings, he was British and hoped to persuade Britain to colonize the part of Africa where the resources had been found. His efforts were cut short, however, as the British government was reluctant to add the Congo to its already burdensome colonial holdings around the world, especially during a domestic recession.

Recognizing that Leopold’s proposed ‘humanitarian’ organization would not simply occupy the territory but serve as a vehicle for trade in looted resources, Stanley endorsed the idea. Funding soon followed from Dutch and British businessmen. Yet Leopold sought to conceal his personal imperial ambitions, placing trusted associates in key positions within the organization.

A notable example was Colonel Maximilien Charles Ferdinand Strauch, who acted as both a businessman and the IAA’s largest financial contributor. In reality, the funds came directly from Leopold’s personal wealth, funneled through Colonel Strauch. This created the illusion that the association was managed by an independent international board rather than serving as Leopold’s private instrument of colonial expansion.  (more...)

‘We had the Bible, and they had the land’: How the West plundered Africa under the guise of Christ