Van Schuylenbergh, P. 2021. ‘Le Congo belge sur pellicule. Ordre et désordres autour d'une colonisation (ca. 1940-ca. 1960)’. Gabrielle Chomentowski et Thomas Leyris (eds), Revue d'Histoire contemporaine de l'Afrique (RHCA) 1, special issue : Médias et décolonisations en Afrique (années 1940-1970) : 16-38. Genève : Université de Genève. DOI: https://doi.org/10.51185/journals/rhca.2021.e289. URL: https://oap.unige.ch/journals/rhca/article/view/01.vanschuylenbergh  (PR).

Article in a scientific Journal / Article in a Journal

By creating propaganda structures allowing maximum centralization and control of cinematographic productions shot in the Belgian Congo, the colonial authority, with the help of the catholic missions, demonstrate their desire to make and frame movies in order to meet a double objective: to present an idealized vision of a “modern” colony and to educate the Congolese population. The progressive transformation of spectators' lifestyles, the confrontation with new forms of political, economic and social powers and the 1950s troubles led the colonial power to encourage the films that show the peace and harmony of a united Belgian-Congolese community; at this moment, critics began to claim more openly a rebalancing of community relations and to denounce the gray areas of colonial power whose themes (delinquency, poverty, unemployment) are, so far, neglected by colonial cinema. Contradictory visions emerging around the independence ultimately demonstrated the final incompatibility between Congolese and Belgians.