The People's Petition to Belgium

As a part of our #ReRightHistory campaign, the Africans Rising movement is issuing a demand to the leaders of Belgium to initiate a process of apology and redress for the historic crimes and present-day injustices committed against the people of the Congo, all of which are a result of Belgium's brutal colonial reign in the Congo. We write this letter because the continued subjugation of the Congolese people forces us to examine its historical roots and initiate conversations and actions aimed at righting the wrongs of brutal histories and legacies of colonialism, enslavement and systemic racism. You can read our full letter to Belgium's leaders here: https://bit.ly/3lZMVoP

If you agree with the sentiments of this letter and our campaign, we ask that you sign this petition. Through our numbers we will make our voices heard and encourage global healing as we come together to #ReRightHistory. 

Crime Against Humanity in the DRC

On June 30, 1960, Patrice Emery Lumumba, Congo's first democratically-elected Prime Minister, delivered a scathing account of Belgian colonial rule. In the presence of then-King Baudouin of Belgium, Lumumba evoked the many atrocities of Belgium’s eighty years of colonial rule, including "humiliating slavery imposed by force," land seizure and racist laws. The "wounds are too fresh and too painful still for us to drive them from our memory," Lumumba lamented. 

Lumumba was excoriated and ridiculed by Western governments and media for his bold and lucid account of Congolese suffering under Belgium and the rule of King Leopold II. 

While the Belgian state offered an apology in 2002 for its role in Lumumba’s assassination, Belgians are still in deep denial about their colonial past. The atrocities committed under King Leopold II’s rule in the Congo (1885 – 1908) are well documented and represent some of the most heinous crimes committed in human history. Congolese were forced into labor to produce rubber, children were held as ransom, villages were razed, hands, feet and genitals were amputated - all in an effort to extract maximum labor, resources and profit from the Congolese people.  In 1890, African American human rights activist and Civil War hero George Washington Williams said that what was unfolding in the Congo were crimes against humanity. An estimated 10 million Congolese perished under the King’s reign as he extracted ivory and rubber to enrich his Kingdom.

The People's Demand

• An apology issued by Belgium to the Congolese people for its role in robbing the country of democratic leadership and sponsoring the kleptocratic Mobutu regime. 
• Reparations paid by Belgium to the Congo. 
• An immediate end to the pilfering of Congo’s riches.

About the #ReRightHistory Campaign

The Africans Rising #ReRightHistory campaign is a challenge to the continued exploitation and subjugation of African people. Through critical conversations racial and global actions aimed at getting former colonial powers to right the wrongs of the brutal legacies of colonialism, enslavement and systemic racism, this campaign is an action plan for truth, justice and healing from these historic injustices. Find out more about the campaign here: https://www.africans-rising.org/rerighthistory/