Master Dissertation by Eva Rosseau
In the early years of Belgian colonialism, construction largely depended on the import of prefabricated housing types. Despite the colonial propaganda celebrating the ingenuity of these prefabricated steel houses, there are also more critical positions to be found in contemporary literature. The French travel writer Edmond de Mandat-Grancey, for instance, was anything but impressed by the iron prefab buildings he saw in the Congo Free State: “In [the double walls of] this genre of construction […] which the Belgians are so fond of […] all the rats and snakes of the country are having a cosy get-together”. What struck the author most, was the fact that “even though a lot of trees exist in the country, with wood out of which planks could easily be made, it is still easier and cheaper [for the Belgians] to import planks of pine-trees from Antwerp — which is of course extremely expensive”. More remarkable is that this critical stance was not limited to such foreign visitors. In his memoirs, the Belgian lieutenant Georges Moulaert, who joined the Congo Free State’s army in 1902, similarly wrote how: “construction wood still had to be imported from Europe, even though the beautiful forest of Mayumbe was connected to the railway line” and even explicitly criticized the highest colonial officials in Boma because of it:
« On vivait en marge de l’immense territoire qui s’étendait au-delà de Léopoldville : territoire qui ne demandait qu’à se développer, riche de toutes les possibilités, mais dont l’ampleur dépassait étrangement la petite mentalité fonctionnariste des cercles de Boma. »
Whether spurred on by this critique, or by the profit margins on building materials in the colony, several wood exploitation companies did establish in the Mayumbe forest, along the Boma-Tshela railway line, by the end of the 1920s — e.g. Société Forestière et Agricole du Mayumbe (AGRIFOR), Société des bois et produits de Mayumbe (BOPOMA) or Compagnie Industrielle des Bois du Mayumbe (CIBOMA). In the following decades, the wood industry developed further. In this master dissertation Eva Rosseau investigated how these new industrial activities of wood exploitation transformed the forests along the railway. Through a cartographic analysis of archival documents, she makes tangible how the forest landscapes were turned into a productive landscape of sawmills and wood factories, paying ample attention to the ‘epistemological’ and ‘physical’ occupation of a territory that was far from the ‘pristine forest’ or the ‘Terra Nullius’ many travel writers described.
— Robby Fivez & Johan Lagae
This thesis examines the colonial exploitation of the Mayumbe forest, particularly focusing on the timber industry and the role of the Chemin de Fer du Mayumbe (CFM). The primary objective is to investigate how economic and administrative decisions made within the logic of timber exploitation shaped territorial changes in the Mayumbe landscape and how these changes can be visualized. This study is significant as it sheds light on the lesser-known history of colonial resource extraction in Central Africa, revealing the intricate dynamics of power and control in the region.
The thesis employs a comprehensive cartographic analysis to understand how colonial authorities asserted dominance over Mayumbe. The central analytical tool for this investigation is the 1932 map of the Mayombe region and its concessions, created by Natal-Pierre-Marie De Cleene, a Catholic missionary and administrative officer in the Congo. This map serves as a key to understanding the spatial distribution of timber exploitation concessions along the Boma-Tshela railway line, which was crucial to the colonial economy. Adding layer after layer on top of this 1932 map, allows to understand the territorial transformations and broader strategies of control and exploitation employed by colonial powers.
The dual nature of colonial claim-making in Mayumbe—epistemological and physical— is explored in depth in the first chapter of the dissertation. Epistemological claims involve the assertion of knowledge through documented observation and classification, often communicated through travel writings and scientific studies. These writings were instrumental in forming a Eurocentric worldview that justified colonial expansion. Physical claims, conversely, involve the direct appropriation of land and resources through legal frameworks established by colonial authorities. In the Mayumbe, colonial land legislation created a legal foundation for the systematic exploitation of natural resources and the subjugation of indigenous populations (Clement, 2013; De Cleene, 1935). The critical analysis of these two claims reveals how colonial powers used knowledge production and legal maneuvers to legitimize their control over Mayumbe land.
The second chapter focuses on how timber companies’ land claims were closely tied to the CFM railway construction, transforming the forest landscape and facilitating the timber industry’s expansion. The map illustrates how the CFM facilitated access to remote forest areas, enhancing timber extraction efficiency. The CFM railway was essential for the timber industry, connecting Boma with Tshela and enabling large-scale timber extraction by overcoming logistical challenges. The chapter also explores the resulting tensions and conflicts among colonial administrators, timber companies, and local communities, highlighting the resistance strategies employed by the indigenous population.
The third and final chapter examines the timber industry in Mayumbe in greater detail, delving into three case studies: the tensions between larger timber firms and smaller ‘colons’, the Agrifor strategies employed to obtain a particular piece of land in a protected forest area, and the effects of Possibilité quota imposed by the colonial government.
In conclusion, this thesis provides a comprehensive analysis of the colonial exploitation of the Mayumbe forest, with a particular focus on the timber industry and the role of the CFM railway. By integrating cartographic analysis with archival research, the study uncovers the complex dynamics of colonialism in the region, offering a nuanced understanding of the processes of land appropriation, resource extraction, and resistance. The research underscores the importance of colonial archives as key sources for reconstructing the history of colonialism and its lasting impact on African landscapes and communities.
— Eva Rosseau
Overview of concessions in the Mayumbe forest, Natal De Cleene, 1932