Congo Republic Independence Day
Independence Day Date:
August 15, 2010
Independence Day is a public holiday in the Republic of the Congo.
Over the years, many nations have been invaded and governed by foreign administration. Under the rule of foreign government, the natives were barred from exercising freedom in any form. Independence Day for a nation signifies a day when the nation retrieved their rights from the foreign rulers and gained back their esteem of statehood.
Similarly, the Republic of the Congo gained back its independence on the August 15, 1960 from France.
History of Independence Day in the Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo is located in the central part of Africa. The Pygmy people were the ancient inhabitants, followed by the Bantu Tribes, who tamed the Pygmy people to establish their rule. During the Bantu expansions, they used the Congo River for their trade. It was in the 15th Century that the European traders started using the Congo River which ignited a relationship between the Bantu Tribes and the Portuguese traders. Earlier relationships between the Congo king and the king of Portugal were healthy. But with the discovery of Brazil, the Portuguese started appointing black slaves from Congo to work in the Portuguese plantations in Brazil. This huge need of black slaves by the Portuguese king started depopulating Congo leading to riots and constant attacks by the neighboring states. Finally a series of revolts started against the Portuguese because of this slave trade.
These revolts led to several wars of the different regions of Congo against Portuguese invaders. These wars somehow led to disintegration of Congo and many new states thereby came into existence, gradually, Congo shirked into a small nation, which submitted them to be the Portuguese, who destroyed the place. Later, due to over industrialization in Europe, there suddenly grew a demand for African Rubber, Oil and Cotton.
The French, Portuguese and British joined hands to conquer territories in Africa and set their rule over the Congo River Basin. The French conquered a major area to the north of the Congo River and gradually brought middle Congo, Chad, Gabun, Obangui-Chari under their jurisdiction with Brazzaville as the capital. Since then Congo’s economic advancement have been restricted to natural resources of rubber, cotton and the newly discovered oil reserves. Due to ill treatment and tortured labor system, rebellions started against the French invaders and the difference in ethnicity laid siege to several riots in Brazzaville in 1959.
After September 1958 AEF was dissolved and the four union territories became a part of the French community, leaving the central part which was then named as Congo Republic, which gained formal independence on August 15, 1960. Fulbert Youlou was appointed the first president of the Republic of the Congo.
The Republic of the Congo’s Independence Day Traditions and Activities
Since then, this day is celebrated every year by the Congolese as their Independence day, the day when they gained back their rights to their motherland. This day is declared as the National Holiday and celebrated by a host of events within The Republic of the Congo. As the Republic of Congo is on the verge of completing their 49th independence anniversary, the celebrations are surely going to be big this year, and even bigger the next time.
With every “Fête Nationale” (Local name for Independence Day) the Congolese realize their needs to develop their country in every possible way which can pave the way for a strong nation.
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_the_Congo
