KINSHASA (Reuters) – Belgium’s King Philippe returned a traditional mask to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday as a goodwill gesture during his first visit to the former Belgian colony since taking the throne in 2013.
The visit is being closely watched in both countries, where the legacy of Belgium’s colonial rule from 1885-1960, which resulted in millions of Congolese deaths, looms large.
In 2020, Philippe became the first Belgian official to express regret for the “suffering and humiliation” inflicted on Congo. But he stopped short of issuing an apology, and some Congolese have demanded he do so this time.
Philippe offered an initiation mask of the Suku people to Congo’s national museum as an “indefinite loan”. The mask has been held for decades by Belgium’s Royal Museum for Central Africa.
“I am here to return to you this exceptional work in order to allow Congolese to discover and admire it,” Philippe said, standing next to Congo President Felix Tshisekedi. “It marks the symbolic beginning of the reinforcement of the cultural collaboration between Belgium and Congo.”
The king arrived on Tuesday in the capital Kinshasa with his wife, Queen Mathilde, and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo for a week-long visit that will also take him to the eastern cities of Bukavu and Lubumbashi.
He is due to address a joint session of Congo’s parliament later on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Benoit Nyemba and Nellie Peyton; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Alison Williams)
