Colonization Of Mongo Basin Effects Essay Research

Colonization Of Mongo Basin :Effects Essay, Research Paper

The Congo basin is a vast area of land in Africa which straddles the Equator. Its

historical records begin with the “discovery of the Congo River by the Potugese”.(Nelson

1994:2) This land was inhabited long before European arrival, the Mongo and other indigenous

people of this area already lived in this area. This essay will delineate the short term and lasting

effects of European Imperialism in the Congo basin in regard mostly to the Mongo.

To evaluate the changes which took place with the arrival of Europeans, first one must

learn about the Mongo prior to colonization. The Mongo lived in the segmentary lineage model.

They were arranged in small-scale villages, with kinship and seniority being large social

determinants. These were not the only factors involved, personal achievement played a very

important role in the Mongo. The result was a complex, competitive and dynamic

society.(Nelson 1994:13) The economy of the Mongo was based on the idea of subsistence but

in some areas specialization occurred and the result was trade among groups. This dates back to

the first settlers of the Congo basin. The first migrants moved to the most favorable living areas,

mainly by the water. These groups would fish for their food. Other groups would settle inland

and take up hunting and gathering as their main sources of food. These groups eventually started

to trade and a market system began.(Nelson 1994: 18) The Mongo were an inland group whose

main food producing activities included hunting, gathering, fishing and agriculture. No one activity

was dominant, each was equally important and was used according to the natural factors,

including season, and local interests.(Nelson 1994:19) The Europeans came to this part of

Africa and did not understand these people at all. This misconception led to much ignorance of

the native groups. The lifestyle of the Mongo and others were soon to change.

The ignorance on the part of the Belgians, on first arrival, to the Mongo way of life led to

many misconceptions on the part of Europeans. Firstly, the colonialists viewed the forest and its

inhabitants as uniform and stagnant.(Nelson 1995:15) Two ideas grew out of the Mongo’s

relationship to the forest. The first made the forest seem impenetrable and a cause of the

Mongo’s “non-development”. The second interpretation made the forest into a resource with

unlimited supply and the Mongo as the beneficiaries. Supposedly the forest made life easy for

the Mongo and they had become lazy.(Nelson 1994:15) The idea that Africans were lazy was

very common among colonizers. This gave them the right, in their minds, to force the Africans to

work so as to educate the natives in “proper” work habits.

The African has not our notions of work. His ideal is a

lazy existence typical of inhabitants of tropical

countries…The lure of wealth does not exist for him,

for he is content merely to live. The more [the African]

gains by working, the faster he will rest.(Leplae

1920:14)

The Belgian government, like any colonizer, used the Congo basin for its resources.

These resources included people, in the form of slaves, ivory from elephants and rubber.

Europeans did not actually go to collect these resources on their own, they had the natives bring

the goods to them. “Fishermen abandoned their traditional ways of life to become professional

slave and ivory traders.”(Nelson 1994:43) The Belgian government set up outposts all down the

Congo river as trading posts. With this increase in trade came an increase with contact between

the Mongo and Europeans. Trade had previously existed in this region but the new markets built

upon these trading routes making them more generalized and larger. As well an alteration to

these networks occurred introducing new patterns and relations of work and commerce. These

changes were not even throughout the basin. Communities which lived along the river were much

more affected by this new trading than were inland communities.(Nelson 1994:57) Belgium’s

relationship with the colony was definitely not mutually beneficial. Belgium bought the raw

materials at extremely low p prices and could then sell the goods at market prices and make a

considerable profit. Although many resources were taken from the Congo basin, the basis for

choice was always the major European market. As the price of one good fell, the government

would change their policy and concentrate their efforts on another good. This policy led to many

problems as it only considered the short-term and completely ignored the long-term

repercussions. The repercussions were the exhaustion of some resources. An example of this is

a village headman speaking to a British missionary:

Tell them [the rubber agents} that we cannot and

therefore will not find rubber; we are willing to spend

our strength at any work possible, but the rubber is

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