In the shadow of the tree sultans: African elites and the shaping of early colonial politics on the Katangan frontier, 1906–17

Abstract

This article examines the relationships between the Belgian colonial administration, Catholic missionaries, and local African leaders during the early twentieth century in eastern Congo. The article extends the argument that the state was weak by outlining how Belgian rule was shaped by local elites in the first instance. This study also reconsiders the misconception of an all-powerful Catholic Church that grew up in this period. This misunderstanding arose from works by historians that drew more on metropolitan agreements and missionaries’ self-promotion than on local archives. Instead, this article is one of the first studies to use the local archives. It examines the experiences of two Latin missions in the territory of Kongolo, in northern Katanga; the Society of Missionaries of Africa (SMA) and the Holy Ghost Fathers (HGF) and their relationships with local polities. A concordat Leopold II signed with Rome in 1906 may have sped the growth of Catholic out-stations, but both sets of missionaries struggled to expand their congregations in the face of opposition from traditional elites and the pervasive influence of the rural economy. Leaders of the SMA and HGF congregations lacked the personnel and resources needed to impose their agendas in full. The limits of Church and state control in conjunction with the power wielded by local big-men in their dealings with European priests have been greatly understated in the recent literature.