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The Speech by King Leopold II
to the Missionaries about to Journey into
Kongo, Africa

(1883)

"Reverends, Fathers, and Dear Compatriots:

The task asked of you to accomplish is very delicate and demands much tact and diplomacy. Fathers, you are going to preach the gospel, but your teaching must be inspired by first, the interest of the Belgian government state.

The main goal of your mission in the Congo is not to teach the Negro the knowledge of God because they already know Him. They talk and commit themselves to their God. They know that killing, steeling, adultery and blasphemy are not good. Let us have courage to admit this fact so we won't teach them the things that they already know.

Your role essentially will be to easily facilitate the task of administrative and industrial personnel, that is to say you will go to interpret the gospel a way to protect and serve the interest of Belgium in that part of the world.

To do so, you will see that our savages be not interested in the richness that their soil possess in order that the not want them. Thus they not be involved in murderous competition with us and dream to live a luxurious life.

Your knowledge of the scriptures will help use special texts, recommending the fiddles to love poverty. Such as "The Beatitudes", blessed are the poor for theirs is the kingdom, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom heaven. You will do all that you can to cause the Negro to fear being rich in order that he may go to heaven.

From time to time you can keep them from rebelling and keep them in fear that you will use violence. You will teach them to endure anything, even when they are beaten by your compatriots. You shall teach them that whomsoever uses vengeance is not a child of God.

You will cause them to follow the saints who turned the other cheek. You will take them away from any thing or act that procures them with the courage to confront us. I am alluring to their magic. Example Ju-ju and Voodoo. They should not feel like abandoning their Juju and you should do your best to take them away at the same time.

Your action will be essentially on the young people, for they might not rebel. If the commandments of the father are not conducive to the parents then the children should learn to obey what the missionary teaches. The child should learn to obey what the missionary teaches him because he is the father of his soul. We must force them into submission and obedience.

Dear compatriots these are some of the principles that you must apply. You will find many more in the book, which will be given to you at the end of this session. Teach the gospel to the Negro in an African style in order that they stay submissive to the white colonialists. They will not rebel against the injustice done by them by the colonialists.

Make them always mediate on "Blessed be those that weep, cry for theirs is the kingdom of heaven". Convert the Negro always by means of the whip. Keep their wives in submission for nine months so they work for you graciously. Require from them an offering of recognition to you - goats, chickens, eggs each time you visit their villages. Avoid by all means the Blacks becoming rich. Cause them to sing each and every day that it's impossible for the rich to enter heaven.

Make them pay tithes each week at Sunday mass. Use the money supposed for the poor, to build flourishing business centres. Institute a confessional system, which allows you to be good detectives denouncing and putting down every black that has spirit of rebellion against the system.

Teach the Negroes that their statues and idols are the work of the devil, confiscate them, and fill up out museums with them. Teach the niggers to forget their heroes in order to worship and give praise to ours. Don't give a seat to a Negro when they come to see you. At the most give him a cigarette.

Don't invite him to break bread with you even if he gives you a chicken every time you went to see him. Consider all Negroes as little children and require from them to refer to us as father. My dear compatriots, if you apply to the letter all this, the interest of Belgium in the Congo will be protected for many centuries. I thank you."

--King Leopold II