Episode #80- What Went Down in the Congo Free State? (Part I)

Our Fake History

PodcastOne

History, Education, Society & Culture

4.7 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 15 January 2019

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

There are few colonial enterprises as infamous as the Belgian King Leopold II's Congo Free State. While most people have a vague understanding of the atrocities that took place there, many don't know the strange story of international fraud that led to the founding of the state. King Leopold successfully convinced the world that he was a great humanitarian and anti-slavery advocate, while he was secretly operating one of the planet's most brutal slave states. In this episode we look at colonialism in the late 19th century and try and set the scene for one of the era's most audacious cover-ups. Tune in and find out how murderous cyclops explorers, infamous poetry, and a guy who hates music in general all play a role in the story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	There's a story that was recorded by a traveler while he was moving through Central Africa.
0:13.4	In the course of his journey, this traveler came across a man from a tribal group known
0:18.0	as the Basoko.
0:20.4	As the two got to know each other, the Basoko man eventually told the traveler a story
0:25.2	that came from his people.
0:27.6	The story was about the first time the Basoko ever encountered anyone with light skin.
0:34.1	What followed was a bizarre tale about the day a boat full of strangers floated through
0:40.0	Basoko territory.
0:41.4	We're told it went like this.
0:45.0	Quote.
0:46.7	The chief of the strangers was covered with cloth and his face was white and it shone
0:51.4	like sunlight on the river.
0:53.6	The stranger chief had only one eye.
0:56.3	It was in the middle of his forehead.
0:58.8	When the Basoko went out on the river in their war canoes to fight and capture the strangers,
1:03.8	they cried, meat, meat, for they intended eating their bodies.
1:08.9	But they were not to be captured, and they killed many of the Basoko with sticks which
1:14.0	sent forth thunder and lightning.
1:16.7	They spoke words in a strange tongue.
1:19.2	He drifted on down the river and passed the strong Basoko with jeers.
1:25.2	End quote.
1:27.5	So what's going on in this story?
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from PodcastOne, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of PodcastOne and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.