King Leopold II | Brussels | Belgium
The
Berlin Conference allowed African territories to be divided between
the involved nations. Today's Democratic Republic of Congo was the
only colony that wasn't under the rule of a country, but under
personal rule of King Leopold II of the Belgians. King Leopold II is best known for the
widespread atrocities that were carried out under his rule, as a
result of which more than 15 million people died in the Congo
Free State. Today Belgium people have
carried out protests and petitions to remove King Leopold II statues
from their cities. There has been a proposal
to allow artists to legally graffiti Leopold II statue, in Brussels,
every six months, according to city councilor Bruno De Lille.
Brussels Minister Bernard Clerfayt, said that “Belgium has not yet
sufficiently faced up to its colonial past,”and affirmed that a
monument to commemorate the victims
of the colonization should be erected next to the statue of Leopold
II. Is the minister using James E. Young concept of
counter-monuments?
