.22Red Rubber.22 Congo Free State propaganda war

a father stares @ hand , foot of five-year-old daughter, severed in punishment force publique. photograph john hobbis harris.



mutilated congolese children, image king leopold s soliloquy, mark twain’s political satire, aging king complains incorruptible camera witness had encountered in long experience not bribe. book illustrated photographs harris.

leopold profited ivory of resource-rich congo , more rubber, primary product of congo. rubber vines grew throughout central africa; harvesting rubber vine more difficult tree. prices african rubber went up, , asian producers of less expensive rubber gained market share.

consequently, leopold demanded high productivity workers , system of extracting rubber minimal expense. leopold s agents used forced labor or slave labor rubber , ivory, clear violation of berlin conference act. keep high production numbers constant, leopold created army of enforcers called force publique (fp) in 1885, when ordered creation of military , police forces. in 1886, sent number of belgian officers , non-commissioned officers territory create military force.

humanitarian disaster

the force publique became slave drivers, forcing people work nothing. enforced leopold s law against selling rubber , ivory other nations. fp s methods included mutilation, village destruction, killings, , mass murder motivate slaves , locals higher outputs. cutting off right hands , daily slave whippings common.

this brutality later dubbed red rubber , in reference blood of africans. fp caused millions of deaths, perhaps tens of millions, , more widespread mutilation.

leopold denied knowing of these details. belgian professor daniël vangroenweghe (nl) estimated leopold gained 1,250 million present day euros exploitation of congolese people, rubber. other belgian sources calculated profits congolese exploitation prior 1905 500million present-day euros..

rubber yielded huge profits state , companies anglo-belgian india rubber company (abir). value of abir shares went 500 francs (1892 gold francs) 15,000 gold francs in 1903. dividend in 1892 1 franc. in 1903 dividend 1,200 francs, more double of original price of share.