Through five striking paintings by Congolese artist Tshibumba Kanda Matulu, discover how colonial power was established in Congo, from Stanley’s first arrival to Belgian rule. His artwork reveals the calculated stages of colonial control: exploration, betrayal, deception, and systematic elimination of indigenous power. This visual journey through history, seen through Congolese eyes, reveals how one of history’s most brutal colonial enterprises was built – and the extraordinary resilience of those who endured it. More than historical documentation, these paintings offer a uniquely Congolese perspective on events usually told by Western voices.

Have you encountered yet another glowing tribute to “Le Hangar,” the supposed birthplace of modern Congolese art? Open any book about Congolese art history and three colonial names inevitably dominate the narrative: Georges Thiry, Pierre Romain Desfosses, and Laurent Moonens – as if Congolese art began with their “discovery.” This persistent colonial lens transforms art histories into tributes to European “mentors,” erasing centuries of pre-existing artistic traditions. Behind Le Hangar’s carefully curated image lies a darker truth: it served both as Belgium’s desperate attempt to rebrand its brutal colonial image into that of a “cultural protector,” and as a sophisticated system for controlling and profiting from Congolese art.
This essay examines both local and global contexts to expose how Le Hangar served not as an artistic sanctuary, but as a tool of colonial propaganda and economic exploitation—a reality that still shapes how Congolese art history is told today.