Ruanda-Urundi (1919-1962)

Revisit History: A Colonial Present - City Tour Antwerp, ACCES
Tour of Antwerp’s colonial heritage

Can you truly understand the present by looking at the past?

Revisit History is an educational concept at the intersection of education, heritage, and social change. Various formats invite participants to reflect on history, representation, power, and citizenship.

One of these formats is Revisit History: A Colonial Present. During a guided city tour in Antwerp along unexpected colonial heritage sites, young people are introduced to Belgium’s colonial past. They are encouraged to link historical structures to current societal issues.

Revisit History: A Colonial Present also offers other formats for young people, school groups, and teaching teams. Workshops, dialogue sessions, or reflective interventions are set up on request and tailored to specific needs. Students can also take part in the Impostor Game workshop, in which they critically examine kingship, capital, and missions.

Website ACCES
Revisit History Tour
Instagram
Place & period
Congo Free State (1885-1908)
Belgian Congo (1908-1960)
Ruanda-Urundi (1919-1962)
DR Congo (1960-...)
Rwanda (1962-…)
Burundi (1962-…)
Theme
Governance
Decolonization
Economy
Heritage and memory
Propaganda
Racism
Diaspora
Violence
Independance
Education
Religion
Resistance
Type
Guided tour
Walk
Work of art
Workshop
Game
Organisation
Language
Dutch
Target audience
2nd stage secondary
3rd stage secondary
Duration
120 min.
Photo of students of Lovanium University during a parade celebrating Congolese independence on 30 June 1960 in Léopoldville
Historical thinking about (de)colonization

This comprehensive teaching package from the KU Leuven focuses on historical thinking about the (post)colonial period after 1945. It is linked to the book Decolonization in Past and Present. Postcolonial and Subaltern Perspectives for History Education (2023).

Five key themes are addressed:

  1. The independence of British India and the Belgian Congo
  2. Belgian colonial collective memory
  3. The colonial legacy in Israel-Palestine, India-Pakistan, and the Rwandan genocide
  4. Migration to Western Europe after 1945
  5. Subalternity

Knowledge clips support students in critically analyzing sources (usefulness, reliability, perspective, representativeness, comparison) and in working with key concepts such as historical situatedness, causality, presentism, and collective memory.

Discover thematic teaching modules
Teacher manual
Book 'Decolonization in Past and Present' (2023, Dutch)
Place & period
Belgian Congo (1908-1960)
Ruanda-Urundi (1919-1962)
DR Congo (1960-...)
Rwanda (1962-…)
Theme
Decolonization
Diaspora
Heritage and memory
Gender
Violence
Independance
Racism
Type
Lesson package
Historical sources
Video
Organisation
Year
2023
Language
Dutch
Target audience
3rd stage secondary
Duration
(20 x) 50 min.
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 the educational dossier “Rwanda 1994”
Trying to understand the Rwandan genocide through its long history

Will it ever be possible to fully grasp the Rwandan genocide? That is the question explored in the "Rwanda 1994"-dossier by MNEMA.

The educational dossier is structured around a series of questions about Rwanda’s long history. A variety of sources (photographs, letters, newspaper articles, official documents, ...) and learning materials (maps, political cartoons, songs, comics, graphs, ...) help students gain a deeper understanding of this dark chapter in human history.

"Rwanda 1994" also addresses the direct impact of the genocide on neighboring countries, Burundi and the DR Congo. 

More info
Teacher manual
Place & period
Rwanda (1962-…)
Ruanda-Urundi (1919-1962)
DR Congo (1960-...)
Burundi (1962-…)
Theme
Governance
Heritage and memory
Violence
Propaganda
Racism
Type
Lesson package
Historical sources
Audio
Comic
Testimony
Organisation
Year
2019
Language
French
Target audience
3rd stage secondary
Duration
N/A
Cover of “La propagande au ralenti n° 2: analyse de la propagande coloniale d'hier et d'aujourd'hui”
Deconstructing colonial propaganda: a manual

How do you sell a colonial project in order to gain acceptance?

Taking this question as point of departure, this educational dossier deconstructs Belgian colonial propaganda. Proposing a framework for analysis, it examines posters, maps, calendars, advertisements, magazines, illustrated books, and short films. Can students distinguish fact from fiction?

The constructed image of the population under colonial administration also acts as a mirror: it reflects oneself today. For this reason, the dossier concludes by exploring contemporary echoes of colonial representations from the past.

More info
Teacher manual
Place & period
Congo Free State (1885-1908)
Belgian Congo (1908-1960)
Ruanda-Urundi (1919-1962)
Theme
Decolonization
Heritage and memory
Independance
Propaganda
Racism
Religion
Type
Lesson package
Historical sources
Video
Organisation
Year
2018
Language
French
Target audience
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
Photo of five African railway workers and a European supervisor
Traces of the colonial past preserved in the State Archives of Belgium

Teacher looking for archival sources on the colonial pasts of Belgium, Burundi, DR Congo and Rwanda?

The Belgian State Archives preserve the largest collection of records on Belgium’s colonial past – over 10 kilometers of documents!

The virtual exhibition Archives I Presume? offers a curated selection from this vast collection. Dozens of letters, photographs, maps, plans, government publications, and statistics bring the Congo Free State (1885-1908), the Belgian “model colony” Congo (1908-1960), and the Ruanda-Urundi administration (1919-1962) vividly to life. Through subthemes, teachers can quickly and easily find ready-to-use sources for their lessons.

Explore virtual exposition
Place & period
Congo Free State (1885-1908)
Belgian Congo (1908-1960)
Ruanda-Urundi (1919-1962)
Theme
Governance
Economy
Violence
Racism
Religion
Resistance
Type
Historical sources
Database
Expo
Organisation
Year
2010
Language
Dutch
French
English
Target audience
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
Ruanda-Urundi (1919-1962)