At Dialo, Zanda Thisaluke and Mr de Witte. Masks for the Makuanda (initiation) 1931. Courtesy of Tervuren, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Belgium
About Voices of
Power and Survival
Kung Leopolds II
Voices of Power and Survival lends concretion to the tale of European colonialism by describing King Leopold II’s conquest of present-day Congo and subsequent genocide. Oppression gave birth to a resistance movement embodied by Patrice Lumumba, the freedom fighter who was shunted aside and assassinated under murky circumstances shortly after becoming Congo’s first prime minister. Neoconialism has taken a heavy toll on Congo and its abundant natural resources. Amassed by means of conquest and missionary activity, the Congo collections also reflect the museum’s own colonialist background.
