Projets
CONGOCONNECT
Connections/Collections: objets et institutions de pouvoir au nord-est du Congo
The north-east of the Congo, on the border between Equatorial and Interlacustrine Africa, has
been very important in the history of Africa, geographically, culturally and politically. Despite
abundant interest in the contemporary history, focused primarily on conflict research, the history
of the pre-colonial and colonial era has remained poorly studied. A large part of the RMCA subcollection
from this region was assembled during an important scientific expedition in the history of
the Belgian Congo by A. Hutereau (1911-13). This expedition competed with other major
expeditions from the American Museum of Natural History (1909-15) and from the Ethnologisches
Museum in Berlin (1907-8). The Hutereau collection and many smaller sets of objects collected
throughout the colonial period (by C. Delhaise, J. Henry de la Lindi and other historical
personalities) represent a unique part of colonial scientific heritage and of the cultural heritage
of north-east Congo, but unfortunately these were never investigated as such. We will explore
them as sources in light of different disciplines and in an international perspective, comparing them
to other important collections and archives.