Latest / The History of Belgium: A Small Country with a Giant Colonial Legacy — Fexingo History / The 1894 Biafrans in Belgium: Congo's Forgotten Envoys
Transcript
- Lucas: So, we've talked a lot about the Belgian Congo in the 1950s and the lead-up to independence, but I want to go back much further – to the very beginning of Leopold II's colonial project. There's this one story that I think really captures the weird, tragic, and deeply cynical nature of early colonial propaganda. Luna: Oh I'm listening. What is it? Lucas: In 1894, three chiefs from what is now southeastern Nigeria – from the region of Biafra – were brought to Brussels. Their names were Mbiyia, Okori, and Akwa. They were part of what you might call a diplomatic mission, but it was really a propaganda tour organised by Leopold's agents. Luna: Wait, Nigerian chiefs? Why would Leopold bring them to Belgium? Lucas: That's a great question. Leopold II was at that point deeply invested in his Congo Free State – a massive territory in Central Africa that he personally owned. But back in Europe, he faced a lot of skepticism. People doubted that he could actually govern such a vast land, and there were already rumours of brutality. So he decided to put on a show: bring a group of 'African dignitaries' to Brussels, parade them around, and have them publicly endorse his rule. It would make him look like a benevolent civiliser. Lucas: Now, the three Biafran chiefs weren't actually from the Congo. They came from the Niger Delta region, an area that was under British influence. But Leopold's agents, working through the so-called 'International African Association', had connections there. They convinced these chiefs – or maybe pressured them – to travel to Europe. The chiefs probably thought they were going to negotiate trade deals or seek protection against British encroachment. Luna: So they were effectively tricked into being props for Leopold's propaganda? Lucas: Pretty much. When they arrived in Antwerp in June 1894, they were treated like celebrities. Newspapers covered their every move. They were taken to visit factories, museums, and even the royal palace. Leopold himself received them. There are photographs of them in traditional attire, looking bewildered, surrounded by top-hatted Belgian officials. Lucas: But here's the thing: the chiefs weren't passive. They had their own agenda. Mbiyia, the most prominent, gave speeches – through interpreters – about the need for friendship between Africa and Europe. But he also subtly criticised the slave trade and the exploitation of African resources. He called for a just partnership, not domination. And he asked Leopold directly to protect his people from the brutal raids of the so-called 'Arab slavers' – though in reality, Leopold's own Force Publique was already committing atrocities in the Congo. Luna: Did Leopold actually promise them anything? Lucas: He did. He made vague promises of protection and trade. But as soon as the chiefs returned to Biafra, those promises evaporated. Within a few years, the region was fully under British colonial control, and the chiefs lost their autonomy. Mbiyia died in 1898, disillusioned. Okori and Akwa faded into obscurity. Lucas: The Belgian public, meanwhile, had a field day. They saw the chiefs as exotic curiosities. There were public receptions, and the chiefs were even taken to the seaside resort of Ostend. The whole thing was a massive PR success for Leopold. It helped quell criticism and buy him time to consolidate his grip on the Congo. Luna: It reminds me of the human zoos that came later, like at Tervuren in 1897. Lucas: Exactly. The Tervuren exhibition was just three years after this. And the Biafran chiefs were a precursor to those 'villages indigènes'. But I think their story is more complex than just being victims. They were also trying to play the colonial game – using European diplomacy to protect their own people. They just didn't have the power to back it up. Lucas: And there's another layer: the chiefs came from a region that, ironically, would later be a centre of anti-colonial resistance. The Biafran secessionist movement in the 1960s – the Biafran War – has roots in the same ethnic and political tensions that these chiefs were navigating a century earlier. Luna: That's a heavy connection. So this visit wasn't just a footnote; it was part of a larger story of how colonialism used spectacle to mask violence. Lucas: Absolutely. And it shows how even the 'guests' of the colonial powers were never really in control. They were used, then discarded. But they left a record – letters, newspaper interviews, photographs – that let us see their side of the story, at least partially. Which is more than we have for many other African voices from that era. Luna: What happened to them after they returned home? Lucas: Mbiyia died just a few years later, reportedly of poisoning – some say by rival chiefs, others by colonial agents who saw him as a threat. Okori lived until the 1920s and became a Christian convert. Akwa vanished from the historical record. But their descendants still remember them. In fact, there's a small museum in the town of Calabar, Nigeria, that has a display about the chiefs' European tour. Lucas: So, in a way, their story survived. And it's a reminder that the 'civilising mission' was always a lie. Leopold wasn't interested in civilisation; he was interested in rubber and ivory. The Biafran chiefs were just a useful tool for a few months, then forgotten. Luna: It's amazing – and depressing – how far back this pattern of exploitation goes. Lucas: It does. And while the chiefs' visit is a small story, it encapsulates so much of what's wrong with early colonial contact. The power imbalance, the manipulation, the propaganda. And yet, the chiefs still managed to assert their dignity and voice – even if it was drowned out by the noise of European self-congratulation. Luna: Makes you wonder what else is buried in the archives. Lucas: There's always more. And that's what keeps me coming back to this history. Every time you think you've seen the worst of it, you find another layer. But also, every time you find evidence of resistance, of people trying to hold onto their humanity in the face of overwhelming force. The Biafran chiefs were part of that, in their own way. Luna: Thanks for sharing that. I'd never heard of them. Lucas: My pleasure. It's one of those stories that I think deserves to be better known. And it ties into so many themes we've explored before – the human zoos, the rubber terror, the Force Publique, the origins of Congolese resistance. It all connects. Luna: Definitely gives a lot of context for the later episodes. Lucas: Exactly. So next time you see a picture of Leopold II looking grand, remember the three chiefs from Biafra who were used to make that image possible – and who were then thrown away.