Latest / The History of Belgium: A Small Country with a Giant Colonial Legacy — Fexingo History
The 1960 Leopoldville Riots: A City on Fire
In January 1959, Leopoldville erupted. A banned ABAKO rally spiraled into three days of looting, arson, and gunfire, leaving dozens dead and shattering the myth of Belgian paternalism. This episode unpacks the spark—a police crackdown on Joseph Kasa-Vubu's party—and traces how the violence forced Belgium's hand, accelerating the timetable for Congolese independence. We walk through the city's streets, from the African quartiers to the European boulevards, and reckon with the colonial state's brutal response: the Force Publique's barricades, the emergency curfews, and…
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