D R Congo: Indigenous and Ethnic Groups

Title.

Grant Terzakis
Period Four
5/7/09
Hjelmgren

There are over two hundred Ethnic groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Four ethnic groups stick out from the others because they are larger in size. These ethnic groups make up large amount of the population of the Democratic Republic of Congo. These four modern day ethnic groups are known as the Luba, Mongo, Kongo, and Mangbetu-Azande. 

Before the colonial times in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the area was divided up into three kingdoms, one of them being the Kongo. According to “infoplease.com “the kingdom of Kongo has origins around 1000 A.D. Also,  another kingdom was the Loango, which reached its climax at around seventeenth century A.D. And another smaller Kingdom called the Tio (“infoplease.com”).  When the Portuguese discovered this area for themselves in around 1482 A.D. (“infoplease.com”), trading went on in this area, resulting in the slave trade. When this area was signed over to the French in 1880, it was originally called the French Congo. Then later in 1905, the name came to be Middle Congo. This area soon to be called the Democratic Republic of Congo, become part of the French colony in Africa along with the countries, Gabon and Ubangi-Shari. The people native to the Democratic Republic of Congo have had many hardships and have gone through many different political difficulties throughout their time; such as being traded for goods and wealth and a constantly changing ruling country.

The slave trade hit hard in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Europeans forced people of almost every ethnic group (including ethnic groups mentioned before) to capture people from other ethnic groups just to survive. People of the Democratic Republic of Congo even had to capture people of their own ethnic group. Forced labor was also a huge issue in the Democratic Republic of Congo. When King Leopold II of Belgium took control of the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1885, he made massive forced labor projects using men women and even children to make a profit in the lucrative ivory and rubber business. If a slave did not meet the king’s quota, the slave would most often be killed or have their hands severed from their wrists. This caused the victims of forced labor to work harder. Slaves often worked themselves to death. From the years 1890 to 1910, between five and eight million people died or were killed as a direct result of the trade of rubber.

            Colonialism dealt a harsh blow to the ethnic groups of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The trouble first started with the arrival of the first European ship led by Belgium’s Diogo Cao. He set up ties between Belgium and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These ties eventually ended up in the complete take over of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Abundance of natural raw materials and the ability to exploit Congolese people was a huge money make for the Belgians, but it tore apart families and communities. The Congolese ethnic groups had little chance of overcoming the European takeover anytime soon. The colonization and exploitation of the Democratic Republic of Congo led to the tearing apart of many communities and the death of thousands.

            Even after approximately thirty years of independence of European rule, the land of the Democratic Republic of Congo still has fighting between different cultures. Even though the fighting between the Congolese and the Europeans ceased with the declaration of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s independence, the current issue is between the ethnic groups that now inhabit the Democratic Republic of Congo and the constantly reforming government the free republic. The conflict lasted almost a decade; government forces supported by Angola, Namibia, and Zimbabwe were at war with rebel forces backed by Rwanda and Uganda. From the result of fighting, malnutrition and dieses the conflict claimed over three million lives. A war caused mainly for the control of the vast majority of the countries natural resources and some political indifference has taken its toll on the majority of the violent, and even peaceful ethnic groups.

            Joseph Kabila became the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo after his father’s assassination in 2001. He has done a lot to help revitalize the Democratic Republic of Congo in the recent years. In an interview, he was asked numerous questions about how things were going in the Democratic Republic of Congo, also including some personal questions. One of the questions asked during the interview was, “Which suits you better, being a soldier or being president?” Kabila’s answer was, “Well, I don't know. I believe you should ask my mother that question. But it's true that I became a soldier, an officer, well, because I volunteered. But I became a president, especially from 2001, because of those tragic circumstances. But you learn to live with the situation that you're put in.” When Kabila was a soldier he experienced many different hardships. Those hardships were probably very different then those of a political leader. A versatile leader like Joseph Kablia knows both of those kids of hardships. He might be the person the lead the Democratic Republic of Congo to a new light.

                                                                                                      WORKS CITED
"BBC NEWS | Africa | Country profiles | Country profile: Democratic Republic of Congo." BBC NEWS | News Front Page. 28 Jan. 2009. 04 May 2009 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1076399.stm>.

This source gave me valuable information on current events in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"BBC NEWS | Africa | Country profiles | Timeline: Democratic Republic of Congo." BBC NEWS | News Front Page. 04 May 2009 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1072684.stm>.

 
This Source gave me a very useful timeline of key events in the Democratic Republic of Congo's history.

 

 

"Congo, Republic of: History, Geography, Government, and Culture Infoplease.com." Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free online reference, research & homework help. Infoplease.com. 04 May 2009 <http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107427.html>.

 

This source gave me information on the coming of Europeans to the Democratic

Republic of Congo.

 

 

Gettlemen, Jeffery. "An Interview With Joseph Kabila." The New York Times 3 Apr. 2009. 4 May 2009 <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/04/world/africa/04kabilatranscript.html?_r=1>.

 

This source gave me information abouyt the various ethnic groups of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

 

 

Turner, Thomas. "Self-Determination | Regional Conflict Profile | DRC." Foreign Policy In Focus |. 04 May 2009 <http://presentdanger.irc-online.org/conflicts/drc.html>.

 

This Source gave me information about the Slave trade in relation to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

               

 




Grant Terzakis: Last Updated May 22, 2009