CATCA 2021

This session examines the history of Congo as a case study of Imperialism… from ‘Independence’ to the ongoing Congo Wars. Topics include - Lumumba’s assassination, Hammarskjold’s death, Katangan succession, Mobutu’s rise, The Rwandan Genocide, Kagame’s rise and Rwanda/Uganda’s invasion of Congo (5 million deaths). It focuses on the roles of foreign actors, including Canada, and their motives. Were they truly motivated by the enlightened Idealism they professed or by the dark Realism described by Joseph Conrad, “It was just robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale”? This session quotes from "Heart of Darkness" to illustrate the continuity of Realism in Imperial policy from Leopold to the present and challenges many of our most cherished historical myths including our ‘Peacekeeping’ missions … “What redeems it is the idea only” (Conrad). Boutros-Ghali and others describe how UN Peacekeepers were misused by our Anglo-American Alliance for control in Congo and Rwanda. We also explore the implications of this history for Social Studies Curricula.