< 1. Leopold II of Belgium >
＜ １．ベルギー国王レオポルト２世 ＞
A king who didn't look like cruel person left a permanent scar on Congo.
冷酷非情には見えない王が遺したもの。
<2. Belgium and the Congo Free State >
＜ ２． ベルギーとコンゴ自由国 ＞
Dawn and the beginning of tragedy
Here was the Kingdom of Congo with a population of 2 - 3 million people since the 14th century.
In 1482, Portugal, a pioneer in the Age of Discovery, discovered this kingdom and the two kingdoms began diplomatic relations.
The king of Congo became Catholic and began to actively adopt Western civilization (the technology and institution).
However, many slave merchants became working behind the scenes, and conflicts of slave hunts among tribes were intensified for obtaining guns.
The next king that felt a sense of crisis about the slave trade appealed to king of Portugal and but it was ignored.
Before long, the kingdom was adding another layer of confusion due to expanding slave hunts, the spread of guns, and repeating throne succession war.
But this was only a beginning of tragedy.
Eventually the Portugal withdrew, and France replaced it in the 17th century, began to trade of slave and ivory with the Kingdom of Congo.
After Western Europe experienced the industrial revolution, in the end of the 19th century when the slave trade declined, each country began competing for obtaining a colony in the last continental Africa.
In 1884, Western powers decided to divide Africa at the Berlin Conference, this area was divided by France and Belgium, and finally the kingdom of Congo disappeared.
黎明と悲劇の始まり
ここには１４世紀から続く人口２００～３００万人のコンゴ王国があった。
１４８２年、大航海時代に先鞭をつけたポルトガルがこの王国を発見し、両王国は国交を開始した。
コンゴ王はカトリック教徒となり、西欧文明（技術、制度）を積極的に取り入れ始めた。
しかし奴隷商人が暗躍し、銃入手の為に奴隷狩りによる抗争が部族間で激化した。
次の王は奴隷貿易に危機感を持ちポルトガルに訴えたが無視された。
やがて王国は拡大する奴隷狩りと銃の蔓延、度重なる王位継承戦争で疲弊の度を深めていくことになる。
しかしこれは惨劇の序章に過ぎなかった。
やがてポルトガルは撤退し、１７世紀にはいるとフランスが進出し、奴隷と象牙の貿易を行った。
西欧は産業革命を経て、奴隷貿易が衰えた１９世紀末になると、各国は最後に残ったアフリカで植民地の獲得競争を始めた。
１８８４年、欧米列強はベルリン会議でアフリカ分割を決め、この地はフランスとベルギーによって分割され、ついにコンゴ王国は消滅した。
< 3. Atlantic slave trade >
＜ ３．大西洋奴隷貿易 ＞
In the centuries, the slaves who were taken away from the Guinea bay in Africa ranged from 1,000 million to 20 million people, perhaps the area was robbed of a half of the population and the society was seriously damaged.
The eastern area that occupied the majority of the Congo became the private estate of Leopold II of Belgium (Congo Freedom Country).
At first, the king advanced modernization of the country, but it turned into tyranny when it became a deficit.
The indigenous peoples were forced to be slaves and were thoroughly forced to work to gather ivory and rubber.
At that time, even in European countries that it was natural to exploit colonies, the tyranny was hard criticized.
Unwillingly Belgian government bought the Congo Freedom Country from the King of Belgium and it became colonial Belgian Congo (1908 - 1960).
On the other hand, small areas on the west side became French territory.
France entrusted the development of the Congo to a white company and it carried out exploitation thoroughly.
These tyrannies laid waste to the society and prepared a path that would become a country where violence and dictatorship occurred frequently even if they would be independent.
この数世紀の間に、アフリカのギニア湾から連れ去れた奴隷は１０００～２０００万人にのぼり、おそらくは人口の半数が奪われ、社会は大打撃を受けた。
コンゴの大半を占める東側の地はベルギー国王レオポルト２世の私有地（コンゴ自由国）となった。
当初、国王は近代化を推し進めたが、赤字になると暴政へと転換した。
現地住民は奴隷にされ象牙やゴムの採集に徹底的に使役された。
当時、植民地で収奪することが当然の欧州諸国においても、この暴政は非難の的となった。
しかたなくベルギー政府は国王からコンゴを買い取り、植民地ベルギー領コンゴ（1908年 - 1960年）となった。
一方、西側の小さな地はフランス領となった。
フランスはコンゴの開発を白人企業にゆだね、白人企業は徹底した搾取を行った。
これらの暴政が社会を荒廃させ、独立しても暴力と独裁が横行する国家となる道筋を準備した。
＊４
The tyranny of the King of Belgium
In the Congo Freedom country (1885-1908), the King monopolized the trade of ivory and rubber, and gained enormous wealth.
At that time, a demand for Congolese natural rubber for automobile tires was robust.
While eight years of its latter half, the rubber production increased by 24 times, but it was due to the harsh a quota system that indigenous people was imposed on.
If the people could not achieve the quota, their hands and feet were cut.
In addition, the population has decreased to 9 million from 30 million of the initial stage.
The number of people killed was comparable to the Jewish massacre (Holocaust).
The army founded by the king was commanded by white officers and the soldiers consisted of indigenous warriors and slaves.
The purpose of this army was not to maintain security, but to overwork the people (indigenous people that became slave).
The army whipped the people, kidnapped the women and children of those who did not comply with the quota, and burned down the village.
The soldiers had to submit to the superior officers a human hand that was cut as a proof of ammunition that they used for the subjugation.
This purpose was only to prevent using wasteful bullets.
In addition, the King aimed to expand own territory.
When a tribal king of the south side (Zambia) partnered with a British national policy concern, he sent the army, shot to kill the king and changed a puppet king.
This continues to the next time.
ベルギー王の暴政
コンゴ自由国（1885-1908）において、王は象牙とゴム取引を独占し巨万の富を得た。
当時、自動車タイヤ用にコンゴの天然ゴムの需要は旺盛であった。
後半の８年間でゴム生産量は２４倍になったが、これは先住民の過酷なノルマ制によるものだった。
ノルマを達成出来ない住民は手足を切断された。
また人口は当初の３０００万人から９００万人にまで減少した。
殺された人数はユダヤ人虐殺（ホロコースト）に匹敵した。
王が創設した軍は白人の将校が指揮し、兵は先住民の戦士や奴隷からなった。
この軍の目的は治安維持ではなく、国民（奴隷にされた先住民）を酷使する為であった。
軍は国民を鞭打ち、従わない者の婦女子を誘拐し、村を焼き払った。
兵は討伐時の弾薬使用の証明として切断した手を上官に提出しなければならかった。
これは銃弾の無駄遣いを防止する為であった。
また王は領土拡大を目指し、南部（ザンビア）の部族長が英国の国策会社と手を結ぶと、軍を送り彼を射殺し、傀儡を据えた。
次回に続きます。
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