Urban
Decolonization

Brussels

Belgium’s colonial history is a deeply significant yet underexplored aspect of the country’s past, and this oversight is particularly evident in the public spaces of Brussels. While remnants of this colonial legacy are scattered throughout the city, many people remain unaware of their existence and the stories they tell. These traces—whether in the form of monuments, plaques, street names, or buildings—carry messages that were crafted in the colonial era to justify and glorify Belgium’s role in colonisation, particularly in the Congo.

What is often overlooked is how these public symbols were not just commemorations, but intentional tools of propaganda. They were designed to influence public opinion, portraying colonisation as a civilising mission and masking the exploitation and violence inherent in the process. Without context, these symbols blend into the cityscape, and the ideologies they represent persist, unnoticed and unchallenged.

Participants in our exploration agreed that this history is not sufficiently taught in Belgium. By not engaging with these traces of colonialism, there is a missed opportunity to critically examine Belgium’s past and its ongoing effects on society today. Education about colonial history should go beyond the classroom and engage with these public spaces, making people aware of what these monuments represent and encouraging them to question the narratives they uphold.

What made our exploration of these colonial remains so valuable was the wide range of topics they opened up for discussion. Each monument or plaque is not just a reminder of the past, but a starting point for conversations on broader societal issues. Discussions emerged on how propaganda was communicated through public art, how colonialism intersected with racism and sexism, and how architecture and urban planning were used to reinforce colonial power structures. The remains also sparked conversations on trade, economics, and the day-to-day lifestyles that were shaped by Belgium’s colonial endeavours.

In this way, engaging with these remnants of colonial history not only allows for a deeper understanding of the past but also prompts reflection on the present. It challenges participants to think critically about how history is presented in public spaces, how certain narratives are privileged over others, and how we can use this awareness to foster more inclusive and honest public dialogues about Belgium’s colonial legacy.

Monument aux Pionniers Belges au Congo (Monument to the Belgian Pioneers in Congo)

Many participants have spent a lot of time in this park without ever noticing this monument. 

The participants were uncomfortable with the fact that the monument presents the colonisation of the Congo by Belgium as a way of saving the Congolese from slavery to the Arabs. 

The participants of Arab descent were disturbed by the instrumentalisation of this period to valorise the white Belgian colonists. Participants of sub-Saharan African descent were disturbed by the caricatured representation of black people in the fresco, in particular the fact that they seemed incapable of defending themselves and that they were not agents of their own destiny but dependent on the help of the colonists. 

The participants were enthusiastic about the idea that the work should be contextualised, that it should not be left abandoned or without comment, but that there should be a structure with the possibility of hiding the monuments and that there should be numerous events organised around this monument, on stage, to give a voice to Afro-descendants in particular.

Square Lumumba and Spirito Brussels : The story of the conversion of colonised people to Catholicism

It was interesting to note that none of the participants knew the details of Lumumba’s death. He was assassinated on the orders of the Belgian state, and his body was then dismembered and dissolved in acid to leave neither evidence nor a place of pilgrimage for his supporters. 

We found that Belgium’s colonial history remains largely unknown, even though it represents more than a century of history that has had a profound impact on the country and its colonies. 

The participants appreciated the various quotes from Afro-descendant authors, but felt that the plaques were not sufficiently visible and that the Square in general should be given greater prominence. Some Afro-descendant participants explained that they had known at an early age who the important figures in Belgian politics were, but only very belatedly who the important politicians in Congo, Rwanda or Burundi were.
Spirito Brussels : The story of the conversion of colonised people to Catholicism. 

We also spoke about the figure of Andrée Blouin, political activist, human rights defender and writer from the Central African Republic, who unfortunately remains largely unknown, despite the fact that she was an important player in the independence of African countries. During her lifetime, her activism caused concern in the Western world: the Eisenhower administration and the Belgian authorities were concerned about her alleged communist links, and the New York Times described her as ‘a militant of extreme African nationalism’. However, she described herself as a socialist committed to African nationalism. Among other things, she organised and mobilised women within the Parti Solidaire Africain, an organisation in the Belgian Congo whose aim was to liberate Africa from colonial domination. She later became head of protocol in Patrice Lumumba’s government, formed in the wake of Congolese independence from Belgium. Blouin was expelled from the Congo in 1960 just before Lumumba was executed by political rivals with the support of the Belgian state.

The Matonge Fresco : Namur’s Gate, Gateway to Love? and Cinéma Vendôme : The responsibility of art in colonial propaganda

Some of the Afro-descendant participants said that they did indeed have a number of good qualifications, but that finding a job was still quite complicated, not least because of discrimination in recruitment. They have the impression that they are always too well qualified or too poorly qualified for the jobs they are offered. 

The participants were also uncomfortable with the rather caricatured representation of the neighbourhood. 

There is sometimes talk of taking down this work, which has already been taken down and then hung up again, and the participants had mixed feelings about this idea.

Toison d’Or Gallery and Colonial Pharmacy

The participants were very surprised that the original letters had remained on the front of the pharmacy and were unaware of the history of this very busy gallery. 

They thought there was a certain irony in the fact that today some of the gallery’s guards are of Congolese origin, while the whole place is the symbol of a major plundering of the Congo.

We also discussed the 2-speed health system in the Congo during the colonial era, which meant that medical training and care were given primarily to Belgians. 

Union of Colonial Women

The participants felt that the site should have been marked with a plaque to show what the building was used for at the beginning of the 20th century. They were surprised that initiatives of this kind existed to prepare Belgian women to leave for the Congo. Together we discussed colonial propaganda and how the gender issue was crucial. We tackled the issue of ‘white’ feminism, i.e. non-intersectional feminism, which claimed to emancipate and support women but which in reality focused solely on white and Belgian women at the time. It was also interesting to point out that even today some of the participants do not find themselves in ‘mainstream’, ‘universalist’ feminism, and do not feel represented or understood in the complexity of their realities as women subjected to sexism by movements that also perpetuate racism. 

One question kept cropping up: how could women who, at the time, travelled to the Congo and had a whole household staff of Africans under their command, including women, for example, to do the housework and educate the children, claim to be feminists?