The Power of Silence – Congolese Religious’ Memories of the Colonial and Missionary Past.

This article examines how Congolese religious – Jesuits and Annonciades in Congo and Congolese clergy in Belgium – look back at the colonial past and at the role of missionaries. It demonstrates that they approach this mostly in positive terms, even with gratitude and praise, although there is also vague criticism and, in the 1970s in the context of Africanization, explicit opposition against the dominant narrative. The silencing of the dark pages of the colonial past can be explained in several ways. In doing so, Congolese religious both overcome a reading of the colonial history of Congo in which Congolese are mere victims, and reclaim control over their own history. They also confirm their belonging to their transnational congregations and to the Catholic Church in general. Finally, the dominance of positive elements in these collective colonial memories should also be read against the backdrop of infrastructural decay and political impotence in present-day Congo. Contrasting this to the colonial era allows for the Congolese religious to implicitly voice an indictment of the authorities while keeping them save from repressive actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]