A Short History of Congo

The country was first inhabited by the Pygmies during its pre-colonial area. The Bantu came and drove the Pygmies to the mountains, and they formed kingdoms to dominate the land. Three Bantu kingdoms gained domination in the country: the Kongo, the Loango, and the Teke. These groups formed trade links with the neighboring European countries and slave trade began. The Portuguese, upon discovering the land of Brazil in the 15th century, needed more slaves ergo buying more slaves from the Bantu. After hundreds of years, the rule of the Bantu kingdom has been put to an end and so is slave trade.

In the year 1880, the Frenchman Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza made an agreement with Makoko, the leader of the Bateke people, and signed a treaty with him giving the French people the control over the country. Upon signing the treaty, the country became known as the French Congo. In 1905, its name was changed to Middle Congo and after 5 years became a colony of the French Equatorial Africa together with the countries of Gabon, Chad and Ubangi (which is the present day Central African Republic). Brazzaville became its federal capital.

During the Second World War, Brazzaville became the capital of Free France. Middle Congo joined its neighboring countries such as Chad in supporting the Free French Movement. The French colonial period has not been that good to the Congo as evidenced by forced labor. The Brazzaville Conference of 1944 granted French citizenship to France’s colonial subjects which lead to the elections of local assemblies in its colonies.

The French Equatorial Africa was dissolved in 1958 and its territories became autonomous regions. The Congo gained its independence from France in 1960 and named itself the Republic of the Congo.