Memorial

This is a rather dismal photograph of a rotting monument to a shameful subject. Its full title is "Monument to the Fallen of the Belgian Colonial Effort".

The modern information plaque beside the monument gives the following:
"The monument to the Congo (1911-1921) is typical of the colonial spirit of the age, which has since been called into question by History. In the lower section, a young black man represents the River Congo. He is surrounded by two groups: on the right, a Belgian soldier sacrifices himself for his fatally wounded captain; on the left, a Belgian soldier overcomes the slave-dealer. In the central strip, the African continent, now open to civilisation, advances towards the group of soldiers around Léopold II. Above, Belgium receiving the black race is depicted as a proud young lady."

In the lettering at the left, the section of stone carrying the phrase "L’ARABE" has been recently inserted (in both the French and the Flemish text). Marc Brans tells us that it always read "l'arabe" but it was vandalised and had to be repaired.