Map

Map of Colonial Africa 1899
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This map shows the colonial boundaries of countries on the equatorial west coast of Africa in 1899. This display mainly features artists who worked in the Congo Free State or the Belgian Congo (now Democratic Republic of the Congo). From 1870 Congo Free State was the private property of King Leopold II of Belgium, who exploited the country’s natural resources and its people to enormous gain. There were a number of protests against the savage colonial practices there, including the mutilation of workers who did not meet rubber production quotas.

In 1908, Belgium bowed to international pressure and forcibly adopted the state from the King, renaming it the Belgian Congo. Although conditions improved dramatically, the Congolese people still had no political power. After much political agitation, independence was achieved in 1960. The following years were marked by political instability, culminating in a coup d’etat by General Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, who renamed the country Zaire.

In 1997 Mobutu’s regime was toppled by Laurent-Désiré Kabila who changed the country's name back to Democratic Republic of The Congo-Kinshasa. DRC is currently under an uneasy peace, it is in transition from a civil war to a presidential democratic republic.