Precolonial (…-1885)

Illustration for website e-classe.be
Resources on Belgian colonization for teachers of the French Community of Belgium

The e-classe platform of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (FW-B) offers a set of subject-specific resources for teaching Belgian colonization in the classroom. It is organized around five themes: before colonization, the colonial period, colonial propaganda, collective memory, and opening dialogue.

Through a partnership with RTBF and SONUMA, the platform also provides audiovisual archives for classroom use (see also resource laplateforme.be).

Access to e-classe is restricted to teachers of the French Community of Belgium.

e-classe.be
Dossier sur la colonisation belge
Place & period
Precolonial (…-1885)
Congo Free State (1885-1908)
Belgian Congo (1908-1960)
Ruanda-Urundi (1919-1962)
DR Congo (1960-...)
Rwanda (1962-…)
Burundi (1962-…)
Theme
Governance
Decolonization
Diaspora
Economy
Heritage and memory
Gender
Violence
Independance
Education
Propaganda
Racism
Resistance
Type
Video
Documentary
Historical sources
Database
Testimony
Lesson package
Organisation
Language
French
Target audience
1st stage secondary
2nd stage secondary
3rd stage secondary
Duration
N/A
Logo of website Laplateforme.be
Films and Documentaries from the Belgian French Community

Laplateforme.be is an online platform that promotes and distributes audiovisual works produced in the French Community of Belgium, across all genres and formats.

The entire catalog – more than 1,000 Belgian films produced since 1952 – is freely accessible to teachers from the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (see also resource e-classe.be).

Several films and documentaries address the Belgian colonial episode in Burundi, DR Congo and Rwanda. Others delve into the former colonies' contemporary history, with echoes from the colonial past. Will you screen one of the movies or documentaries on offer in your class?

Laplateforme.be
Selection of works on (post)colonial history
Place & period
Precolonial (…-1885)
Congo Free State (1885-1908)
Belgian Congo (1908-1960)
Ruanda-Urundi (1919-1962)
DR Congo (1960-...)
Rwanda (1962-…)
Burundi (1962-…)
Theme
Governance
Decolonization
Diaspora
Economy
Heritage and memory
Gender
Violence
Independance
Education
Propaganda
Racism
Religion
Resistance
Type
Video
Documentary
Movie
Database
Testimony
Organisation
Language
French
Target audience
1st stage secondary
2nd stage secondary
3rd stage secondary
Duration
N/A
Cover of card game “(Dé)colonisation : cartes sur table !”
A card game on colonial history and decolonization

What we remember of the past is by definition incomplete. How far does your knowledge of history before, during, and after the Belgian colonial period extend?

With this card game, students explore 35 historical milestones related to Africa, the DR Congo, and Belgium in a fun and engaging way. Some events and figures are well known, while others have yet to enter the collective memory. The timeline also highlights anti-colonial resistance and the role of women.

The card game can be ordered for free.

More info
Order card game (free)
Place & period
Precolonial (…-1885)
Congo Free State (1885-1908)
Belgian Congo (1908-1960)
DR Congo (1960-...)
Theme
Decolonization
Heritage and memory
Gender
Independance
Racism
Resistance
Type
Game
Organisation
Year
2025
Language
French
Target audience
2nd stage secondary
3rd stage secondary
Duration
50 / 100 min.
Cover of educational dossier “500 ans de colonisation au Congo”
An educational dossier based on the documentary "Kongo"

What does over 500 years of Western presence in Central Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo mean? To explore this topic with your students, this educational dossier takes as its starting point the three-part documentary series Kongo. 500 Years of Colonization, 50 Years of Independence in Congo (2010).

Through seven thematic sheets, students navigate history by examining racial segregation, the “cut-off hands” scandal, acculturation, stereotypes, exploitation of people and resources, the motives behind colonization, and land appropriation. These sheets include, among other materials, excerpts from the Kongo series, audiovisual sources, and written documents. Two additional sheets focus specifically on analyzing audiovisual discourse.

All ressources are available online for teachers in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation via the e-classe platform.

More info
Watch documentary "Kongo" (Laplateforme.be)
Place & period
Precolonial (…-1885)
Congo Free State (1885-1908)
Belgian Congo (1908-1960)
DR Congo (1960-...)
Theme
Governance
Decolonization
Economy
Violence
Independance
Education
Propaganda
Racism
Religion
Type
Lesson package
Documentary
Historical sources
Audio
Video
Organisation
Year
2020
Language
French
Target audience
1st stage secondary
2nd stage secondary
3rd stage secondary
Duration
N/A
Painting “Délégation portugaise accueillie par le roi du Congo en 1491" by Tshibumba Kanda Matulu
The history of Africa and the DR Congo by Congolese historians

How to teach (de)colonization from an African perspective? 

The BOKUNDOLI platform – developed by Congolese historians – brings together a wealth of knowledge and teaching ressources on the history of Africa and the DR Congo!

Dossiers and quizzes highlight topics such as the ancient African empires, slavery, colonization, resistance, and democracy. Thanks to the educational database, you can quickly access historical context and sources. Scientific articles, key concepts, events, maps, statistics, artworks, and notable African figures are all “building blocks” to help you construct your lessons.

Explore BOKUNDOLI website
Educational database
Teaching module "History of Africa"
Place & period
Precolonial (…-1885)
Congo Free State (1885-1908)
Belgian Congo (1908-1960)
Ruanda-Urundi (1919-1962)
DR Congo (1960-...)
Rwanda (1962-…)
Burundi (1962-…)
Theme
Governance
Decolonization
Diaspora
Economy
Heritage and memory
Gender
Violence
Independance
Education
Propaganda
Racism
Religion
Resistance
Type
Lesson package
Historical sources
Database
Video
Audio
Work of art
Organisation
Year
2021
Language
French
Target audience
1st stage secondary
2nd stage secondary
3rd stage secondary
Duration
N/A
Logo of “KlasCement”
Find teaching resources on the (post)colonial past

KlasCement is the educational platform of Onderwijs Vlaanderen ("Education Flanders"), where teachers and organizations share teaching resources. You can find full lesson plans, teaching packages, exercises, diagrams, presentations, videos, activities, quizzes, teaching tips, and more.

Explore the thematic page on (de)colonization or search specifically for other teaching materials on the colonial history of Belgium, Burundi, the DR Congo, or Rwanda.

Teachers belonging to Onderwijs Vlaanderen have access to all resources on KlasCement.

Website KlasCement
Thematic bundle on (de)colonization
Place & period
Precolonial (…-1885)
Congo Free State (1885-1908)
Belgian Congo (1908-1960)
Ruanda-Urundi (1919-1962)
DR Congo (1960-...)
Rwanda (1962-…)
Burundi (1962-…)
Theme
Governance
Decolonization
Diaspora
Economy
Heritage and memory
Gender
Violence
Independance
Education
Propaganda
Racism
Religion
Resistance
Type
Database
Lesson package
Historical sources
Book
Audio
Video
Game
Walk
Movie
Documentary
Expo
Testimony
Podcast
Organisation
Language
Dutch
Target audience
Primary education
1st stage secondary
2nd stage secondary
3rd stage secondary
Duration
N/A
Logo of “Het Archief voor Onderwijs”
Audiovisual resources to see and hear the colonial past

Looking for audio or video on the Belgian colonial past to animate your classes?

The Flemish platform Het Archief voor Onderwijs ("The Archive for Education") by meemoo is an audiovisual database created by and for teachers. Among thousands of historical and contemporary audio and video clips, you will find many resources on Belgian colonialism. Thematic collections help you quickly locate relevant material:

Teachers belonging to Onderwijs Vlaanderen have access to all audiovisual resources on Het Archief voor Onderwijs.

Website 'Het Archief voor Onderwijs'
Place & period
Precolonial (…-1885)
Congo Free State (1885-1908)
Belgian Congo (1908-1960)
Ruanda-Urundi (1919-1962)
DR Congo (1960-...)
Rwanda (1962-…)
Burundi (1962-…)
Theme
Governance
Decolonization
Diaspora
Economy
Heritage and memory
Gender
Violence
Independance
Education
Propaganda
Racism
Religion
Resistance
Type
Database
Historical sources
Audio
Video
Organisation
Language
Dutch
Target audience
Primary education
1st stage secondary
2nd stage secondary
3rd stage secondary
Duration
N/A
Photo of a man playing the game “Perspectives on the Colonial Past”
A virtual journey through the eyes of seven characters

Life in Congo during the colonial period was far from the same for everyone.

In this online game, students reconstruct the everyday world of a historical figure. Their story takes shape from photographs, maps, newspaper articles, paintings, and testimonies that bring the past to life. 

Will your students step into the shoes of a Congolese forced laborer, a Force Publique soldier, an "évolué", or a housewife? Or will they become a Belgian missionary sister, a railway worker, or the wife of a plantation owner? And what is their message for us today?

[This game is also available as workshop in the BELvue museum]

Play game
Teacher manual
More info
Place & period
Precolonial (…-1885)
Congo Free State (1885-1908)
Belgian Congo (1908-1960)
Theme
Governance
Economy
Gender
Violence
Independance
Racism
Religion
Type
Game
Workshop
Historical sources
Testimony
Video
Work of art
Organisation
Year
2021
Language
Dutch
French
Target audience
Primary education
1st stage secondary
2nd stage secondary
3rd stage secondary
Duration
30 min (game); 180 min (workshop)
Photo of a protest march in Brussels after the death of George Floyd in 2020
Explore current debates through a historical lens

How to discuss Belgium’s colonial past with your class?

In this educational package from the BELvue museum, students have to think for themselves. They analyze opinion pieces, historical syntheses, and primary sources in order to form their own informed viewpoint on the colonial past. Five contemporary hot topics are dealt with: 

  1. Colonial monuments
  2. The comic Tintin in Congo
  3. Restitution of artworks
  4. Political apologies
  5. Reparations

Which themes would you like to explore with your class? Or do you rather want to search through the 24 historical sources with accompanying questions to find new material for your own lessons?

More info
Place & period
Precolonial (…-1885)
Congo Free State (1885-1908)
Belgian Congo (1908-1960)
Theme
Governance
Decolonization
Economy
Heritage and memory
Gender
Violence
Education
Propaganda
Racism
Religion
Resistance
Type
Lesson package
Historical sources
Organisation
Year
2021
Language
Dutch
French
Target audience
3rd stage secondary
Duration
(5x) 50 min.
Precolonial (…-1885)