Unidentified Belgian Congo Family (1946)


Figure 1.-- We note an unidentified family in the Lake Kivu area of the Belgian Congo during 1946. We see a mothef with her two children. They look to be about 4-7 years old. The girl wears a dress. The boy wears what we think is button-on shorts. Both wear sandals without socks. This was common at the time. Belgian children rarely went barefoot. Note the wonderful German shepard pet.

The 1940s was a tumultous decade for the Belgians. The Germans invased (May 1940) and occupied the country untill liberated by the Allies (September 1944). Conditions steadily deteriorated under NAZI occupation as the the authorities exploited the country to support the German war economy. Only the Belgian colonies in Africa remained in Belgian hands. The immediate post-War years were difficult as the country recovered from the War. Only by the end of the decade did conditions Belgium improve as a result of the American Marshal Plan and the beginning steps in European integration. The situation in the Belgian Congo, however, began improving during the War. The Depression of the 1930s caused a decline in the Congo econmy as it was heavily dependent on mining. The demand for metals improved during the War and continued in the post-War era. We note an unidentified family in the Lake Kivu area of the Belgian Congo during 1946. We see a mothef with her two children. They look to be about 4-7 years old. The girl wears a little dress. The boy wears what we think is button-on shorts. Both wear sandals without socks. This was common at the time. Belgian children rarely went barefoot. Note the wonderful German shepard pet.








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Created: 12:37 AM 4/29/2012
Last updated: 12:37 AM 4/29/2012