The 1922 Elisabethville Riots: Race and Labor in Belgian Congo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the 1922 Elisabethville riots, a violent confrontation between European workers and the colonial state in Katanga. They examine the origins of the Union Minière du Haut-Katanga, the labor system that brought black workers from Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland, the white miners recruited from South Africa and Britain, and the stark racial wage gap that exploded when copper prices crashed. The discussion covers the role of the Comité Spécial du Katanga, the 'color bar' in colonial mining, the response of Governor Maurice Lippens, and the lesser-known strikes of 1919 and 1921 that preceded the riots. Lucas draws on the testimonies of black mineworkers and the eventual reforms that still maintained segregation. A nuanced look at an early anti-colonial labor uprising that foreshadowed later independence movements. #BelgianCongo #Katanga #Elisabethville #Lubumbashi #UnionMinière #CopperBelt #1922Riots #ColonialLabor #ColorBar #MauriceLippens #ComitéSpécialduKatanga #NorthernRhodesia #Nyasaland #CongoHistory #LaborHistory #AntiColonialResistance #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo