Two countries of modern Central Africa exist that are both known by the name Congo. These are the Republic of Congo, which is also referred to as Congo Brazzaville as well as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which was previously known as Zaire. The dual naming is due to the river separating both countries, which is known as the Congo River. It is sometimes referred to as the dark heart of Africa and the first people to inhabit its lands were the pygmies or the short people. However, the region was soon overtaken by the Bantu speaking people such as the Bakongo and the Bateke who arrived in Congo using trade routes and settled in neighboring countries such as Angola, Gabon and the DRC.
Congo Kingdoms
Bantu kingdoms such as the Kongo, the Teke as well as the Loango established themselves and they began to compete for resources and the territory. These Kingdoms largely profited from slave trade especially with the arrival of European traders who offered ready market for the slaves. The Kongo and the Teke in particular used this to undermine each other’s influence on the region. Thus, with the end of slave trade, these Kingdoms could not survive and they all collapsed giving way to European rule.
The DRC on the other hand is the better known of the two Congos. It has changed names several times, from the 1880s to 1900s when it was known as Congo Free State. With the arrival of the Belgians into the country, the title changed to Belgian Congo and after independence, it became known as the Republic of Congo or Congo- Leopoldville to distinguish it from Congo –Brazzaville.
The history of Congo reflects the societies of the ancient Africa. There are hundreds of ethnic groupings in this country with the oldest inhabitants being the pygmies, just like in Congo Brazzaville. The pygmies, referred to locally as Batwa or Mbuti, were mostly hunters and gatherers who mainly used bows and arrows for survival. Since they did not grow food, they depended mostly on the newer arrivals, the Bantus who survived on agriculture. In fact, to them, success was measured in terms of the granary sizes and the food that was stored. The hoe was their production instrument and they practiced their agriculture on the banks of rivers, as well as in the savannahs and forests. The Hamites, who mainly inhabit the north eastern and eastern sides of DRC, are the most recent immigrants and they are involved in agriculture as well as cattle keeping.
Politics
The political organization of pre–colonial Congo also varied depending on the ethnic tribe. Some formed band societies such as the Mbuti pygmies, which were mainly a cluster of nuclear families. Other tribes believed in lineages that connected them to a common ancestor. Others such as the Ambum people were organized in clans, which could not trace this common ancestry but nonetheless believed in being a community. Intermarriage in clans was not allowed. There were also chiefdoms of varying sizes, kingdoms as well as empires.
REFERENCES
Mukenge, T. Culture and Customs of the Congo Greenwood Press 2002
Republic of the Congo U.S Bureau of African Affairs: Electronic information and publications office
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