Pierre Ryckmans (Congo)
Encyclopedia
Pierre Ryckmans was a Belgian
civil servant and Governor-general of the Belgian colony of Congo
from 1934 to 1946.
, sixth child of Alphonse Ryckmans and Clémence Van Ryn. The Ryckmans family came from Mechelen
, where they had been lawyer
s for two generations (incidentally, Pierre Ryckmans is an uncle of the writer and sinologist
Pierre Ryckmans
, known under the pen name of Simon Leys). His father, Alphonse Ryckmans, was member of the Catholic party
, a senator in the Belgian Senate
, and city councillor.
He started philosophy
at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
(Louvain
, Belgium
). During his first year, he translated a Spanish novel by Blasco Ibanez. After two years of philosophy and one year of preparation for law, he spent one year in Braunfels
, Germany
(learning German), and some months in Galway
, Ireland
(learning English), and the on the Aran Islands, where he learnt his sixth living language, Irish
. Every year, he passed his Law examinations in the Central Jury. He receives his law degree in Louvain in 1913.
started. Volunteer in August 1914, he spends the winter on the Yser
front, where he apparently enjoys the comradeship of the front, despite the hardships. But he had been drawn to Africa, even before the war, and when Belgium wanted officers for Africa
, he was a candidate; after a month and a half at Officers-school, he left in September 1915 for Africa, first for Cameroon
(then a German colony), then Kitega, chief town of Urundi (German East Africa
-now Burundi
) where he arrived in August, 1916. He went to Mahenge
(in the south-west of German East Africa) in 1917, coming back to Kitega in July, 1918.
He goes on leave in 1920, and on 3 February 1920, he marries Madeleine Nève; the newlyweds go back to Burundi via the Cape and the Congo. Pierre Ryckmans stays in Usumbura as acting Royal Commissioner during the leave of the Commissioner, Alfred Marzorati, then goes back to Kitega, where he will stay - apart from a second interim in 1925 - till 1928.
These years as Resident - Commissioner for Burundi - were probably the happiest of his life. When he arrived in 1916, Burundi was divided, the chiefs were fighting for power; a foreigner, Kilima, had a huge domain; the Mwami
(sovereign of Burundi) Mutaga, had died in 1915, leaving as heir Mwambatsu, a child of five. The Belgians, in the beginning, without archives, without knowing the leaders, had to organize the country. Pierre Ryckmans expels the foreigner who claimed to rule the country, puts up a regency council, includes in it some opponents, and makes it adopt some reforms in land tenure and cattle contracts; these reforms lighten the burdens of the poorest peasants.
) for Belgian radio listeners (published in "Allo Congo" in 1934) when he was appointed Governor General of Congo, in October 1934.
At that time, Congo was badly hit by the economic crisis. The European population, 23.000 in 1931, had fallen to 18.000. Harsh reforms by the previous Governor, General Tilkens, had disheartened the civil service. The Belgian devaluation of 1935, under the Paul Van Zeeland
government, enables the new governor to lower the import duties and raise the export duties, keeping thus the budget in balance. This move, with the support of the Minister, E. Rubbens, helped to have the economy moving again. In 1936, the economic situation is improving apace. The Governor is active, does not stay in Leopoldville (now Kinshasa
), but is often on tour.
At the time, not only government, but also simple administration, was centralized in Brussels. All civil servants were appointed by Brussels. The Governor could pass regulations – but those had to be approved by decree (by the Minister) within six months, or they lapsed. Therefore some of the reforms he wanted – such as recruiting magistrates from the administrative officers with a law degree, who had local experience, could not be put into practice. But the governor stressed the independence of administration from private interests - such as the large mining companies - and the right of Protestants – as well as Catholic
s - to receive government subsidies for their schools.
His first five years in Congo - during which he was twice on leave – were years of progress. The last year – 1939 – sees Congo prosperous, but ends with the anxieties of the “phony war
”.
Everything changes on May 10, 1940.
One should read the Governor’s war speeches – for instance, on May 28 - when the Belgian Army capitulated - “ peace is not signed, and will not be signed before our country is free...All our efforts must be made to hasten the day our country is free again...” and read in his biography (1) what J. Stengers says in his foreword, or the account – by J. Vanderlinden -of the parade by Allied troops (Congolese Force Publique
, Tirailleurs from French Equatorial Africa
, and sailors from the British sloop
HMS Bridgewater
) on June 9, 1940. At the time, not all Belgians in Congo thought that the Allies would win the war, but were later grateful to the Governor for having led them without hesitation (2).
On May 10, there were four Ryckmans children - out of eight - in Belgium. Two daughters, first refugees in France with their aunt, managed to get to Lisbon, and were reunited with their parents in September. Two sons spent the whole war in Belgium.
From now on, for Pierre Ryckmans, helping to win the war is the first priority. It is not easy – the military command was at first neutralist - then some officers wanted to fight in Ethiopia when Belgium was not yet at war with Italy – local opinion thought the Governor “too soft” - the Governor, with no instructions from the exiled Government in London, which since its hesitations in July 1940, had lost much prestige; he must discuss with the Allies – first the British, then the British and Americans – who, more than a military collaboration, want production of strategic materials – first gold
, then (after Pearl Harbor
) tin
and rubber
– and then uranium
.
Meanwhile, the Government in London wants to curb his powers – censor his speeches, give him assistants he does not want; European workers organize trade-unions; European and African workers go on strike; peasants must be sent to gather rubber or open mines; soldiers mutiny...In short, it is a tired Governor who greets victory.
His war speeches, “Messages de Guerre”, are published in 1945.
Then, for many years – till 1957 – he defends the work done by Belgium in Ruanda-Urundi in the United Nations Trusteeship Council
. He was also Commissioner for Nuclear Energy in Belgium and helped re-negotiating the terms of the cooperation between Belgium, UK and the US following the Atomic Energy Act of 1946
(3). He was also member of the council of the University of Lovanium
(the first Congolese university, founded by Louvain University in 1954).
For health reasons, he could not play a role in preparing Congo for independence. He died in February, 1959.
In June 1960, after the declaration of independence of Congo, his son André, who was a civil servant in Lower Congo, was looking for isolated Europeans in a helicopter. The helicopter came down in Lukala, a small town in Bas-Congo
. André (4) and the pilot were first made prisoners, and then killed, by Congolese soldiers.
In 1962, father and son were posthumously ennobled by King Baudouin I and given the title of count
in the Belgian nobility
.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
civil servant and Governor-general of the Belgian colony of Congo
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
from 1934 to 1946.
Early Life and Family
Ryckmans was born in Antwerp, BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, sixth child of Alphonse Ryckmans and Clémence Van Ryn. The Ryckmans family came from Mechelen
Mechelen
Mechelen Footnote: Mechelen became known in English as 'Mechlin' from which the adjective 'Mechlinian' is derived...
, where they had been lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
s for two generations (incidentally, Pierre Ryckmans is an uncle of the writer and sinologist
Sinology
Sinology in general use is the study of China and things related to China, but, especially in the American academic context, refers more strictly to the study of classical language and literature, and the philological approach...
Pierre Ryckmans
Pierre Ryckmans
Pierre Ryckmans , who also uses the pen-name Simon Leys, is a writer, sinologist, essayist and literary critic....
, known under the pen name of Simon Leys). His father, Alphonse Ryckmans, was member of the Catholic party
Catholic Party (Belgium)
The first Catholic Party in Belgium was established in 1869 as the Confessional Catholic Party .-History:In 1852 a Union Constitutionelle et Conservatrice was founded in Ghent, in Leuven , and in Antwerp and Brussels in 1858, which were active only during elections...
, a senator in the Belgian Senate
Belgian Senate
The Belgian Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Chamber of Representatives. It is considered to be the "upper house" of the Federal Parliament.-History and future:...
, and city councillor.
He started philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven is a Dutch-speaking university in Flanders, Belgium.It is located at the centre of the historic town of Leuven, and is a prominent part of the city, home to the university since 1425...
(Louvain
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
). During his first year, he translated a Spanish novel by Blasco Ibanez. After two years of philosophy and one year of preparation for law, he spent one year in Braunfels
Braunfels
Braunfels is a town in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany. It is located on the German Framework Road.- Location :The climatic spa of Braunfels lies at a height of some 100 m above the Lahn valley...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(learning German), and some months in Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
(learning English), and the on the Aran Islands, where he learnt his sixth living language, Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
. Every year, he passed his Law examinations in the Central Jury. He receives his law degree in Louvain in 1913.
First World War and early years in Africa
He had been called to the bar in Antwerp when World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
started. Volunteer in August 1914, he spends the winter on the Yser
Yser
The Yser is a river that finds its origin in the north of France, enters Belgium and flows into the North Sea at the town of Nieuwpoort.-In France:The source of the Yser is in Buysscheure, in the Nord département of northern France...
front, where he apparently enjoys the comradeship of the front, despite the hardships. But he had been drawn to Africa, even before the war, and when Belgium wanted officers for Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, he was a candidate; after a month and a half at Officers-school, he left in September 1915 for Africa, first for Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
(then a German colony), then Kitega, chief town of Urundi (German East Africa
German East Africa
German East Africa was a German colony in East Africa, which included what are now :Burundi, :Rwanda and Tanganyika . Its area was , nearly three times the size of Germany today....
-now Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
) where he arrived in August, 1916. He went to Mahenge
Mahenge
Mahenge is a limestone plateau area in the Ulanga District, Morogoro Region, Tanzania, Africa. There is a town there of the same name. It is about south east of Singida, in the miombo woodland bio-region....
(in the south-west of German East Africa) in 1917, coming back to Kitega in July, 1918.
He goes on leave in 1920, and on 3 February 1920, he marries Madeleine Nève; the newlyweds go back to Burundi via the Cape and the Congo. Pierre Ryckmans stays in Usumbura as acting Royal Commissioner during the leave of the Commissioner, Alfred Marzorati, then goes back to Kitega, where he will stay - apart from a second interim in 1925 - till 1928.
These years as Resident - Commissioner for Burundi - were probably the happiest of his life. When he arrived in 1916, Burundi was divided, the chiefs were fighting for power; a foreigner, Kilima, had a huge domain; the Mwami
Mwami
Mwami is the chiefly title in Kirundi and Kinyarwanda, the Congolese Nande and Bashi languages, Luhya in Kenya and various other Bantu languages, such as the Tonga language . The word is usually translated as king...
(sovereign of Burundi) Mutaga, had died in 1915, leaving as heir Mwambatsu, a child of five. The Belgians, in the beginning, without archives, without knowing the leaders, had to organize the country. Pierre Ryckmans expels the foreigner who claimed to rule the country, puts up a regency council, includes in it some opponents, and makes it adopt some reforms in land tenure and cattle contracts; these reforms lighten the burdens of the poorest peasants.
Congo and the second World War
He comes back to Europe in 1928 and joins the bar in Brussels. However, a lot of his time is given to public lectures on the role of Belgium in Africa; most of them are published in two books, “Dominer pour Servir” (1932) and “La Politique Coloniale” (1934). He goes back to Africa for six months in 1931-32 as member of the commission to study the labour problem, where he is in charge of Congo-Kasai province. He gives lectures at the Colonial University in Antwerp; he was giving radio talks on the Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the CongoDemocratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
) for Belgian radio listeners (published in "Allo Congo" in 1934) when he was appointed Governor General of Congo, in October 1934.
At that time, Congo was badly hit by the economic crisis. The European population, 23.000 in 1931, had fallen to 18.000. Harsh reforms by the previous Governor, General Tilkens, had disheartened the civil service. The Belgian devaluation of 1935, under the Paul Van Zeeland
Paul van Zeeland
Paul Guillaume van Zeeland was a Belgian lawyer, economist, Catholic politician and statesman born in Soignies....
government, enables the new governor to lower the import duties and raise the export duties, keeping thus the budget in balance. This move, with the support of the Minister, E. Rubbens, helped to have the economy moving again. In 1936, the economic situation is improving apace. The Governor is active, does not stay in Leopoldville (now Kinshasa
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
), but is often on tour.
At the time, not only government, but also simple administration, was centralized in Brussels. All civil servants were appointed by Brussels. The Governor could pass regulations – but those had to be approved by decree (by the Minister) within six months, or they lapsed. Therefore some of the reforms he wanted – such as recruiting magistrates from the administrative officers with a law degree, who had local experience, could not be put into practice. But the governor stressed the independence of administration from private interests - such as the large mining companies - and the right of Protestants – as well as Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
s - to receive government subsidies for their schools.
His first five years in Congo - during which he was twice on leave – were years of progress. The last year – 1939 – sees Congo prosperous, but ends with the anxieties of the “phony war
Phony War
The Phoney War was a phase early in World War II – in the months following Britain and France's declaration of war on Germany in September 1939 and preceding the Battle of France in May 1940 – that was marked by a lack of major military operations by the Western Allies against the German Reich...
”.
Everything changes on May 10, 1940.
One should read the Governor’s war speeches – for instance, on May 28 - when the Belgian Army capitulated - “ peace is not signed, and will not be signed before our country is free...All our efforts must be made to hasten the day our country is free again...” and read in his biography (1) what J. Stengers says in his foreword, or the account – by J. Vanderlinden -of the parade by Allied troops (Congolese Force Publique
Force Publique
The Force Publique , French for "Public Force", was both a gendarmerie and a military force in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1885, , through the period of direct Belgian colonial rule...
, Tirailleurs from French Equatorial Africa
French Equatorial Africa
French Equatorial Africa or the AEF was the federation of French colonial possessions in Middle Africa, extending northwards from the Congo River to the Sahara Desert.-History:...
, and sailors from the British sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
HMS Bridgewater
HMS Bridgewater (L01)
HMS Bridgewater was a built by Hawthorne Leslie, Newcastle on 19 September 1927....
) on June 9, 1940. At the time, not all Belgians in Congo thought that the Allies would win the war, but were later grateful to the Governor for having led them without hesitation (2).
On May 10, there were four Ryckmans children - out of eight - in Belgium. Two daughters, first refugees in France with their aunt, managed to get to Lisbon, and were reunited with their parents in September. Two sons spent the whole war in Belgium.
From now on, for Pierre Ryckmans, helping to win the war is the first priority. It is not easy – the military command was at first neutralist - then some officers wanted to fight in Ethiopia when Belgium was not yet at war with Italy – local opinion thought the Governor “too soft” - the Governor, with no instructions from the exiled Government in London, which since its hesitations in July 1940, had lost much prestige; he must discuss with the Allies – first the British, then the British and Americans – who, more than a military collaboration, want production of strategic materials – first gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, then (after Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
) tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
and rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
– and then uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
.
Meanwhile, the Government in London wants to curb his powers – censor his speeches, give him assistants he does not want; European workers organize trade-unions; European and African workers go on strike; peasants must be sent to gather rubber or open mines; soldiers mutiny...In short, it is a tired Governor who greets victory.
His war speeches, “Messages de Guerre”, are published in 1945.
United Nations and last days
He wanted to leave to his successor the political changes which had to be done in Congo. In his last speech in Africa, “Vers l’Avenir” , published in his speeches to the Government Council “Etapes et Jalons” (1946), he speaks mainly about the massive help which Belgium must give to the Congo, to allow Congo to develop for the greater well-being of its inhabitants.Then, for many years – till 1957 – he defends the work done by Belgium in Ruanda-Urundi in the United Nations Trusteeship Council
United Nations Trusteeship Council
The United Nations Trusteeship Council, one of the principal organs of the United Nations, was established to help ensure that trust territories were administered in the best interests of their inhabitants and of international peace and security...
. He was also Commissioner for Nuclear Energy in Belgium and helped re-negotiating the terms of the cooperation between Belgium, UK and the US following the Atomic Energy Act of 1946
Atomic Energy Act of 1946
The Atomic Energy Act of 1946 determined how the United States federal government would control and manage the nuclear technology it had jointly developed with its wartime allies...
(3). He was also member of the council of the University of Lovanium
University of Lovanium
The University of Lovanium was a Catholic Jesuit university in Leopoldville/Leopoldstad in Belgian Congo.-History:The university was established in 1954 at Kimwenza.Its name was derived from the old name, Lovanium, for Leuven in Belgium...
(the first Congolese university, founded by Louvain University in 1954).
For health reasons, he could not play a role in preparing Congo for independence. He died in February, 1959.
In June 1960, after the declaration of independence of Congo, his son André, who was a civil servant in Lower Congo, was looking for isolated Europeans in a helicopter. The helicopter came down in Lukala, a small town in Bas-Congo
Bas-Congo
Bas-Congo is one of the eleven provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the only province with a coastline and it borders Bandundu province to the east and Kinshasa to the northeast...
. André (4) and the pilot were first made prisoners, and then killed, by Congolese soldiers.
In 1962, father and son were posthumously ennobled by King Baudouin I and given the title of count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
in the Belgian nobility
Belgian nobility
In the Kingdom of Belgium there are at the moment approximately 1,300 noble families. Some 20,000 individuals are titled. The noble lineage of only ca. 400 families dates back to the 17th century. As Belgium is a democratic constitutional monarchy there are no legal privileges attached to bearing a...
.