Postcolonial Belgium

Abstract

Belgium recently celebrated a number of major anniversaries related to its colonial history. This coincides with great societal interest in the Congo and the appearance of an abundance of new books. Strikingly, the prior decade's debates over Leopold II's ‘genocide’ and the assassination of Lumumba appeared to be over. Instead, there was great nostalgia for the Belgian Congo. A single and less critical narrative dominated, epitomized by David Van Reybrouck's bestseller on Congolese history and by the sustained monopoly of Leopold II monuments. This situation drastically contrasts with the postcolonial memory in neighbouring countries, particularly the Netherlands. The Belgian particularity can be explained by the Belgian identity crisis following the rise of Flemish nationalism and the years of government negotiation. But it should also be accounted for by the absence of counter-voices and viewpoints. The traditional left-wing criticism of postcolonial triumphalism was limited to Internet publications that were given scant attention by a broader readership. Academic historians published extensively on the Congo, but embarked on ‘new imperial history’ and avoided debate. There was no opposition from another traditionally critical angle: scholars in the former colony or postcolonial migrants in the former metropole. Congolese historians were only marginally given the floor – not a single one has been translated into Dutch – and Belgium has the smallest postcolonial immigration of all former colonial empires. Only since the 1990s has it allowed greater numbers of Congolese within its borders. These immigrants, and particularly the second generation, are gradually becoming more vocal. Anthropologists and artists, who may be an avant-garde of new postcolonial debate, accompany them.

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