On December 12, 1904, Chief Lontulu laid 110 twigs in front of a foreign commission. Every twig represented a person in his village who died because of King Leopold’s horrific regime in the Congo— all in the name of rubber. Chief Lontulu separated the twigs into four piles: tribal nobles, men, women, and children— then proceeded to name the dead of one-by-one. His testimony joined hundreds of others to help bring an end to one of the greatest atrocities in history.
1904 年 12 月 12 日, 隆土路酋長把 110 根樹枝 攤在外交委員會的面前。 每根樹枝代表他村子裡 每一位因為利奧波德國王 在剛果的恐怖政權而死的村民—— 為的只是橡膠。 隆土路酋長把樹枝分為四堆: 部落貴族、男人、女人,和孩童—— 接著逐一唸出每位死者的名字。 他和其他數百人的證詞, 協助將歷史上最大的 暴行之一畫上句點。
Beginning in the late 1800s, European countries participated in the so-called “Scramble for Africa.” They colonized 90% of the continent, exploiting African resources and enriching their countries. Belgium had recently become an independent kingdom. Its ruler, Leopold II, wanted to acquire what he called “a slice of this magnificent African cake.”
從 1800 年代末開始, 歐洲國家參與了 所謂的「瓜分非洲」。 90% 的非洲大陸都被他們殖民, 剝削非洲的資源, 讓自己的國家更富足。 比利時才剛成為獨立的王國, 其統治者利奧波德二世 也想要分一杯羹, 他形容成「切一片 這塊壯麗的非洲蛋糕」。
Meanwhile, he read colonial explorer Henry Morton Stanley’s reports about traveling through Africa. Stanley emphasized the Congo basin’s majesty. So, in 1879, Leopold contracted him to return to the Congo. There, Stanley deceived leaders into signing some 450 treaties allowing for land use. Leopold persuaded the US and European powers to grant him ownership of the Congo, pledging to protect free trade in the region. And on May 29, 1885, a territory more than 80 times the size of Belgium and home to 20 million people was declared his own private colony— by no one it actually belonged to.
同時, 他閱讀了殖民探險家 亨利莫頓斯坦利的非洲旅行報告, 斯坦利很強調剛果盆地的壯觀。 所以,在 1879 年, 利奧波德聘請他返回剛果。 在那裡,斯坦利欺騙當地的領導人 簽下約 450 份協議, 允許土地的使用。 利奧波德說服美國和歐洲列強 授予他剛果的所有權, 他承諾會保護該地區的自由貿易。 1885 年 5 月 29 日, 這塊面積比比利時 大 80 餘倍的領土, 2000 萬人的家園, 被宣告成為他的私人殖民地—— 做此宣告的都未擁有這塊地方的主權。
Leopold lost no time consolidating power in what he called the Congo Free State. He claimed land, raised an army, and forced many Congolese men to complete unpaid labor.
利奧波德抓緊時間,在他所稱的 「剛果自由邦」中鞏固權力。 他索求土地,招建軍隊, 並強迫許多剛果人做無償的勞務。
Things got even worse when, in 1887, a Scottish inventor redeveloped the pneumatic tire, creating a massive international market for rubber. The Congo had one of the world’s largest supplies. Leopold seized the opportunity, requiring villages to meet ever-greater rubber quotas. Congolese men had to harvest the material from wild vines. As supplies drained, they walked for days to gather enough. Leopold’s army entered villages and held women and children hostage until the impossible quota was met. Soldiers sexually violated women and deprived children of food and water.
1887 年,狀況變得更糟糕, 那年,蘇格蘭發明家 重新開發了充氣輪胎, 為橡膠創造了巨大的國際商機。 剛果是世界最大的橡膠供應國之一。 利奧波德抓住機會, 要求村落要達成比以往 更高的橡膠產額。 剛果人必須從野生藤蔓 取得這種材料。 隨著供應源耗盡, 他們得走好幾天的路 才能收集足夠的量。 利奧波德的軍隊進入村落, 挾持婦女和孩童作為人質, 要達成不可能達成的產額才肯放人。 士兵性侵婦女, 剝奪孩童的食物和水。
Congolese people rebelled— they refused to cooperate, fought Leopold’s soldiers, hid in the forests, and destroyed rubber vines. Leopold’s army responded to resistance or failure to meet quotas with unflinching torture and executions. Because guns and ammunition were expensive, officers ordered soldiers to prove they used their bullets in the line of duty by removing a hand from anyone they killed. However, many soldiers hunted using their guns. To avoid harsh penalties and account for lost bullets, they cut off living people’s hands. They also used this practice as punishment. If rubber quotas weren’t met, soldiers would sever people’s hands and bring them to their commanders instead of rubber.
剛果人民起來反抗—— 他們拒絕配合, 和利奧波德的士兵打起來, 躲在森林裡,破壞橡膠藤。 利奧波德的軍隊對於抵抗 或未能達成配額的處理方式 是毫不猶豫的酷刑和處決。 因為槍和彈藥很昂貴, 軍官命令士兵要證明 他們的子彈都是用在勤務上, 證明方式就是殺人之後取下一隻手。 然而,許多士兵用他們的槍去打獵。 為了躲避嚴厲的懲罰 和解釋用掉的子彈, 他們直接砍下活人的手。 他們也把這種做法當作懲罰。 如果沒有達到橡膠配額, 士兵就會砍下村民的手, 來代替橡膠,交給指揮官。
The regime dramatically upended daily life and agriculture, causing widespread starvation and disease. Meanwhile, King Leopold built monuments and private estates with the wealth he extracted.
這個政權大大顛覆了 日常生活和農業, 造成饑荒和疾病無所不在。 同時,利奧波德國王 用他壓榨來的財富 建造紀念碑和私人莊園。
Soon, people brought international attention to the horrific abuses of Leopold’s Congo Free State. In 1890, American journalist George Washington Williams accused King Leopold of “deceit, fraud, robberies, arson, murder, slave-raiding, and [a] general policy of cruelty.” In 1903, Diplomat Roger Casement wrote a report that corroborated the nature and scale of the atrocities. It was published the following year.
沒多久,利奧波德的剛果自由邦中 這些可怕的虐待引發了國際關注。 1890 年, 美國記者喬治華盛頓威廉斯 指控利奧波德國王 「欺騙、詐欺、搶劫、縱火、 謀殺、劫掠奴隸, 和普遍採用殘酷政策」。 1903 年, 外交官羅傑卡斯曼寫了一份報告, 證實了這些暴行的性質和規模。 該報告於次年出版。
In response, Leopold appointed his own commission to investigate the accusations.
利奧波德的回應是指派他自己的委員會
They heard numerous witness statements in the Congo— Chief Lontulu’s included. The report only confirmed the worst. Facing pressure, Leopold relinquished control of the Congo to the Belgian government in 1908.
來調查這些指控。 他們聽了剛果無數證人的陳述—— 包括隆土路酋長的。 該報告證實了最糟糕的情況。 面對壓力, 利奧波德於 1908 年 將剛果的控制權交給比利時政府。
But this did not mean justice. The Belgian state awarded Leopold 50 million francs “in testimony for his great sacrifice in favor of the Congo.” He died the following year. Crowds booed his funeral procession. For more than 50 years following, the Congo remained a Belgian colony, until declaring independence in 1960. That year, the Congo elected its first prime minister, Patrice Lumumba. But months later, he was unseated in a US and Belgium backed coup. In early 1961, Lumumba was assassinated under Belgian supervision. The coup launched the country into a decades-long dictatorship.
但這不等於正義。 比利時政府獎賞 利奧波德 5000 萬法郎, 「以象徵他為剛果做出的偉大犧牲」。 隔年他就過世了。 群眾對他的送葬隊伍發出噓聲。 接下來的 50 多年, 剛果一直是比利時的殖民地, 直到 1960 年宣佈獨立。 那年,剛果選出了第一任總理, 帕特里斯盧蒙巴。 但幾個月後, 由美國和比利時 支持的政變將他趕下台。 1961 年初, 在比利時的監督下,盧蒙巴被暗殺。 政變讓該國陷入了 長達數十年的獨裁統治。
Around 10 million Congolese people are thought to have died during Leopold’s occupation and looting of the Congo. Despite this devastation, calls for reparations have gone unanswered. To this day, throughout Belgium can be found the monuments King Leopold built on a foundation of inconceivable cruelty.
一般認為約有 1000 萬名剛果人 是在利奧波德佔領和掠奪 剛果的這段時期死亡。 儘管受到這樣的蹂躪, 要求賠償的呼聲卻沒有得到回應。 至今, 在比利時各地仍能找到利奧波德國王