How the World Runs on Looting the Congo

[African Peasant]

They almost did. Laurent Kabila (the father) came into power with that agenda however he made the mistake of coming to power with the help of Rwanda, Uganda however was killed because he wanted to cut them off. Rwandans and Ugandans wanted positions in the Congolese govt. especially among security and intelligence positions in addition to other influential positions in exchange for putting Kabila into power. Kabila, wasn't having it so they murdered him and it doesn't help that genocidal maniacs like Kagame are the poster boy for development (invited in international conference and prestigious institutions of higher education like Harvard, Oxford etc... to talk about governance and development) although there is no dissent in that country and political opponents end up missing/dead and Tutsis are a minority, and he is the US' specifically the Clinton and Obama Administration's favorite due in part also that Kagame has been able to exploit the West's guilty conscience on not intervening during the 1994 genocide.

One positive thing about DRC (a country of 80 million) is that the level of tribalism is very minimal compared to other African countries. You can run into any Congolese, and they speak Kikongo, Tshiluba, Lingala and Swahili (at least two of the four main languages) in addition to French and the country is over 90% Christian. They also intermarry like crazy among the different ethnic groups. There is definitely a sense of nationalism. Congolese are getting even more politically mature as they are beginning to understand that Congo's problems is a problem of occupation and foreign aggression by the East African countries (Uganda and Rwanda) with the help/approval of Western industrialized countries in addition to an extremely corrupt political class willing to sell out their own people for foreign interests. A strong Congo means it's game over for its neighbors whether it be Angola or the aforementioned east African countries and international community.

Etienne Tshisekedi died this past week. Tshisekedi was a staunch political opponent since Mobutu all the way up until last week. His party UDPS is by far the most popular party in DR Congo by a mile and it cuts across all ethnic lines. His party is responsible for Kabila having to rethink changing the constitution by introducing a referendum that would allow to go beyond his term which expired last December. The thing about Tshisekedi and his party is they have never picked up arms and always led a nonviolent movement in a country where power is obtained through the gun as a result he was never able to ascend to power or become president despite being the most popular politician in the country's history outside of Lumumba.

Tshisekedi died in Belgium last week and was responsible for an agreement that would name the Prime Minister from his party and other key cabinet positions from his party while elections will be organized in December of 2017. The enforcement of this agreement could be a game changer for the country. Kabila has lost all legitimacy even the international community is turning on him even though he lost his elections in 2011 against Tshisekedi but due to massive fraud he was able to pull it out while the international community looked the other way. I think a change in the political class and governance definitely will go a long way but then again that's with all of Africa.

Oza mwana ya mboka ?

 

[Frangala]

It might be due to the fact that Congo's ethnicities (outside of what is now Lower Congo Basin and Katanga) are quite small. There has been ethnic conflict in Eastern Congo between indigenes and Banyamulenge (Congolese Tutsi) and Hutus.

The Banaymulenge problem falls into the notion of foreign aggression. Banyamulenge are a small minority in those parts and are propped up by Rwandan govt. to influence local politics so much as dislodging existing village chiefs who are representative of the larger population of those Eastern provinces. It's manufactured tension with the influence of Rwanda and Banyamulenge since they are Tutsis probably see their allegiance with Rwanda than the govt. in Kinshasa.

The plan for Congo for outsiders has always been Balkanization especially with the resource-rich East. Rwanda is one of the most densely populated countries on the continent. They are using their Tutsi brethren in the East as a way to achieve that by creating chaos and trying to ethnically cleanse the non-Tutsi population in the East to clear the way.

 

[Bawon Samedi]

Okay just finished doc and it confirms my belief that a fully developed Congo would be the second coming of the Mali Empire... I knew the USA depended on Congolese cobalt but NOT to the point of threat of invasion!

Also the youth leader part should be scary for Africans.

 

[Trajan]

Okay just finished doc and it confirms my belief that a fully developed Congo would be the second coming of the Mali Empire... I knew the USA depended on Congolese cobalt but NOT to the point of threat of invasion!

Also the youth leader part should be scary for Africans.

The country contains insurmountable potential for economic prosperity through its raw minerals. Its potential GDP output measured in minerals is more than Europe and the United States’ current GDP combined.



If they ever get right I'ma be there like

 

[Bawon Samedi]

The country contains insurmountable potential for economic prosperity through its raw minerals. Its potential GDP output measured in minerals is more than Europe and the United States’ current GDP combined.



If they ever get right I'ma be there like

I don't think you seen this thread. You should look through it if you have the time.
Lets discuss the potential of what is the Democratic Republic of Congo

 

[loyola llothta]

Possibly the man's past is such a blur because he basically grew up in exile in Tanzania and other East African countries in obscurity that nobody knows his real story and upbringing and he is very secretive person who doesn't make public appearances or give interviews.

I hear people question him and ask for proof ...but he stay silence and never provide any substantial documentation


How do you feel about Rwanda , Uganda and other east African countries involvement in congo especially with all those west military bases in the east africa location (djibouti) with china recently added military bases

 

[Red Shield]

Bingo. That's what I was getting at in that HL thread on Somalia/Oil. You need a steady hand steering things when you're getting off the ground. That's what the Khaleejis had/have: absolute monarchs. Russia had the Tsars/Lenin/Stalin, Lee Kuan Yew, Park Chung Hee of South Korea. The format tends to be authoritarianism while they modernise and then liberalisation once you're good. Even in the UK real democracy i.e everyone being allowed the vote as well as more liberal policies and govt inclusive of all classes only came along after empire and the industrial revolution.

Democracies (Western style) cause chaos in Africa since it's alien and prone to corruption and exploitation by outsiders. Obviously I'm not advocating for Mugabe style despots but a benevolent dictatorship.

I absolutely agree with this..

all that democratic shyt is fine once your country is finally developed. but until you hit that point. The country will need to be lead by an intelligent leader with vision and ruthlessness.

 

[$cam-U-Well_Jack$on]

Y'all do some bomb posting on this side.

 

[EndDomination]

I wouldn't even feel mad if the Congo got a Mao like figure who united the country and kicked out all of the neo-colonialists

Wipe out 2/3s of the Congolese including the majority of the intelligentsia.
Victory
I would've suggested a Chavez-like figure with far more robust economic policy.

 

[EndDomination]

Developmental authoritarianism, to be exact. One example is Meles Zenawi/Hailemariam Desalgn. Or the Communist Party of China. The real secret to the ChiComs success is that they have an ideology (although it looks funny given their capitalism nowadays). Also, a highly bureaucratic party which has differing centres of power.

Looking toward Shenzhen's development by the hand of the CP of China is a prime example of state-interference to strengthen the country area by area.
We could hope, but benevolent dictators coming from a tradition of corruption is a difficult feat.

 

[Samori Toure]

Okay just finished doc and it confirms my belief that a fully developed Congo would be the second coming of the Mali Empire... I knew the USA depended on Congolese cobalt but NOT to the point of threat of invasion!

Also the youth leader part should be scary for Africans.

It would be the second coming of the Kingdom of Kongo.

Kingdom of Kongo - Wikipedia

For some reason people really sleep on how incredible the Kingdom of Kongo was.

 

[Bawon Samedi]

It would be the second coming of the Kingdom of Kongo.

Kingdom of Kongo - Wikipedia

For some reason people really sleep on incredible the Kingdom of Kongo was.

Everything about the DRC and its wealth points to the Mali Empire. Unless you can show me the Kingdom of Kongo being as wealthy as the Mali Empire and the world DEPENDING on the Kingdom of Kongo then to me the DRC leans more to the Mali Empire...

 

[Samori Toure]

Everything about the DRC and its wealth points to the Mali Empire. Unless you can show me the Kingdom of Kongo being as wealthy as the Mali Empire and the world DEPENDING on the Kingdom of Kongo then to me the DRC leans more to the Mali Empire...

You are proving my point. People really sleep on how large and wealthy Kongo was. Kongo just like Mali was a large trade Kingdom. Kongo was so wealthy that the ManiKongo (King) gave the Portuguese a portion of the land that is now in Angola, because Portuguese helped Kongo fight off the Jaga.

He is a little info on Kongo.

http://www.britishmuseum.org/pdf/KingdomOfKongo_TeachersNotes.pdf

 

[Bawon Samedi]

You are proving my point. People really sleep on how large and wealthy Kongo was. Kongo just like Mali was a large trade Kingdom. Kongo was so wealthy that the ManiKongo (King) gave the Portuguese a portion of the land that is now in Angola, because Portuguese helped Kongo fight off the Jaga.

He is a little info on Kongo.

http://www.britishmuseum.org/pdf/KingdomOfKongo_TeachersNotes.pdf

Giving land=/=having HALF of the world depending on you.

This is what made Mali Empire so damn rich.

"Mali was the source of almost half the Old World's gold exported from mines in Bambuk, Boure and Galam."

(--Stride, G.T & C. Ifeka. Peoples and Empires of
West Africa: West Africa in History 1000-1800".
Nelson, 1971)

"The most important foundation of Malian power,however, was control of gold, and it is as a man of gold that Mansa Musa is still remembered. His story is quite important to world economic history, since the supply of gold he commanded played a crucial role in the economic growth of the Mediterranean."

--Merry E. Wiesner 2002. Discovering the Global Past

"It should be remembered here that during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries there was an acute shortage of precious metals in Europe and in the Muslim lands and that the only really important source of gold was in the western Sudan and its hinterland."

--M. Ma³owist (1966). The Social and Economic Stability of the Western Sudan in the Middle Ages. Source: Past and Present, No. 33, (Apr., 1966), pp.3-15. Published by: Oxford University Press

"The rising European demand for gold, added to the perennial market in the Islamic states, stimulated more gold production in the Sudan, to the enormous fiscal advantage of Mali. In the latest medieval period overall, West Africa may have been producing almost two-thirds of the world's gold supply."

-- Ross E. Dunn. 1987. The adventures of Ibn Battuta, a Muslim traveler of the fourteenth century

^^^I'm sorry to say but the Kongo Kingdom is not touching that level of richness. However when we look at the DRC in terms of resources we see parallels that are similar to how rich in resource Mali was.

Lets see how much the DRC's resource is worth.

It is rich in natural resources, with an estimated $24 trillion worth of untapped deposits of raw mineral ores, including the world's largest reserves of cobalt and significant quantities of the world's diamonds, gold and copper. For many years, the DRC has suffered from extreme poverty pitted against extreme wealth.

The DR Congo

More importantly lets use just ONE of DRC's main resources as an example... "Cobalt" Lets just say "Cobalt" is the DRC's version of Mali's gold. But more importantly what is Cobalt used for? Well...

Cobalt has been used to create vivid blue colors in glass and ceramics for thousands of years and it is still an important pigment. Many other uses for cobalt have been developed during the past century. In 2010, about one-half of the cobalt consumed in the United States was used in the manufacture of superalloys, which are corrosion-resistant alloys that retain their strength at very high temperatures. Gas turbine engines and other components used in aircraft and space vehicles, chemical and petroleum plants, and powerplants depend on the high-temperature strength of superalloys. Cobalt also has impressive magnetic properties that it retains at temperatures as high as 1,121 °C. Cobalt is an important component of the magnets used in computer disc drives and in electric motors; it helps them operate more efficiently at a wide range of temperatures. Globally, the leading use of cobalt is in rechargeable batteries to help increase battery life and stability and to reduce corrosion. Mobile phones, portable computers, and hybrid and electric vehicles all depend on the energy produced by chemical reactions in these rechargeable batteries. Cobalt also plays a vital role in human and animal health; it is an essential element in vitamin B12, which helps ensure proper brain function and aids in the formation of red blood cells.

https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2011/3081/pdf/fs2011-3081.pdf

And again WHO HAS the largest supply of Cobalt?

The DRC is responsible for around 60% of global cobalt mine supply and accounts for the vast majority of artisanal cobalt units that enter the supply chain.

The True Extent of the DRC’s Artisanal Cobalt Industry

Cobalt is just one of the MANY DRC resources. I'm sorry but I'm seeing more parallels to the Mali Empire than Kongo Kingdom when it comes to a fully stable and developed DRC. A fully developed DRC would be a MONSTER! And a world power like the Mali Empire. Hell the DRC like Mali has foreigners trying to claw for its resources. The DRC like Mali would be the RICHEST nation because of it having a full monopoly on precious minerals that the world needs. The world during the medieval times needed gold and salt which Mali had a monopoly on and thus it made them extremely rich. DRC is home to the worlds most important resources and a fully developed DRC would have a monopoly on it and thus making it the richest nation.

No one especially not me is "sleeping" on the Kongo Kingdom especially when I made a thread on them.
Lets talk African History: The Kongo Kingdom

However if we're talking about a fully developed DRC then the KK does not meet the parallels...

And PS: KK did not have a large trade like Mali did. Mali's trade was reaching the whole Mediterranean, Middle East and other parts of Africa.

 

[Samori Toure]

Giving land=/=having HALF of the world depending on you.

This is what made Mali Empire so damn rich.


(--Stride, G.T & C. Ifeka. Peoples and Empires of
West Africa: West Africa in History 1000-1800".
Nelson, 1971)


--Merry E. Wiesner 2002. Discovering the Global Past


--M. Ma³owist (1966). The Social and Economic Stability of the Western Sudan in the Middle Ages. Source: Past and Present, No. 33, (Apr., 1966), pp.3-15. Published by: Oxford University Press


-- Ross E. Dunn. 1987. The adventures of Ibn Battuta, a Muslim traveler of the fourteenth century

^^^I'm sorry to say but the Kongo Kingdom is not touching that level of richness. However when we look at the DRC in terms of resources we see parallels that are similar to how rich in resource Mali was.

Lets see how much the DRC's resource is worth.

The DR Congo

More importantly lets use just ONE of DRC's main resources as an example... "Cobalt" Lets just say "Cobalt" is the DRC's version of Mali's gold. But more importantly what is Cobalt used for? Well...


https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2011/3081/pdf/fs2011-3081.pdf

And again WHO HAS the largest supply of Cobalt?

The True Extent of the DRC’s Artisanal Cobalt Industry

Cobalt is just one of the MANY DRC resources. I'm sorry but I'm seeing more parallels to the Mali Empire than Kongo Kingdom when it comes to a fully stable and developed DRC. A fully developed DRC would be a MONSTER! And a world power like the Mali Empire. Hell the DRC like Mali has foreigners trying to claw for its resources. The DRC like Mali would be the RICHEST nation because of it having a full monopoly on precious minerals that the world needs. The world during the medieval times needed gold and salt which Mali had a monopoly on and thus it made them extremely rich. DRC is home to the worlds most important resources and a fully developed DRC would have a monopoly on it and thus making it the richest nation.

No one especially not me is "sleeping" on the Kongo Kingdom especially when I made a thread on them.
Lets talk African History: The Kongo Kingdom

However if we're talking about a fully developed DRC then the KK does not meet the parallels...

And PS: KK did not have a large trade like Mali did. Mali's trade was reaching the whole Mediterranean, Middle East and other parts of Africa.

We know about Mali, because there are copious written records about that Kingdom. So for obvious reasons we know less about Kongo due to the lack of written records, but a while back I did some research on Kongo and I remember reading that a researcher believed that Kongo's trade contacts may have extended as far inland as as the Swahili City States. The thought stemmed from the fact that some artifacts were found in those city states that were only produced in the Kongo.

It is good stuff either way.