African International association

The African International association (AIA) was an organization created by Léopold II of Belgium with posted ambitions Humanitaire S for the central Africa in the area which was going to become the State independent of Congo, and nowadays the Democratic republic of Congo. The organization was created in 1876 at the time of the geographical Conférence of Brussels to which Léopold II had invited forty experts, generally for their geographical knowledge or their engagements philanthropists. They came from many European countries. In the beginning, association was thus the fact of several people, with economic interests and humanitarians, but it quickly became dominated by Léopold II and of the concerns of profits in Africa. The original objectives of Association were the discovery of the unknown grounds of the basin of the Congo and the mission of civilizing their inhabitants. Association was considered like front being the receptacle of the ideals philanthropists of the European nations present at the Conference for Africa Sub-saharienne. Each state however establishes its own associations, which never gave an account of their actions to the AIA. The national economic interests quickly took the step on the humanistic and civilizing ideals. Each one of these committees set up national forwardings for the exploration of the interior of Africa, with more competition than of co-operation between them, with the goal not acknowledged to take possession of the grounds discovered for the account of their own state.

Of 1879 with 1884, the explorer Henry Morton Stanley went back to Congo, not this time as deferring to research of David Livingstone, but as an agent of Léopold II, in front under cover of the African International association, establishing in secrecy a state in Congo. At that time, French Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza explored Western bank of the Congo river, and made hoist the French flag on the lately baptized station of Brazzaville in 1881. The Portugal, which also had claims in the area exits of its old treaties with the Empire Kongo, concludes a treaty with the the United Kingdom the February 26th 1884 to block the access of the Atlantic Ocean to the AIA.

At the same time, several European countries tried to take foot in Africa. France occupied the Tunisia and the territory of current the République of Congo in 1881, and the Guinea starting from 1884. In 1882, Great Britain occupied the Othoman Egypt , and penetrated with the Sudan and in Somalia. In 1870 and 1882, the Italy had taken possession of the Érythrée, while the Germany was established with the Togo, to the Cameroun and the South-western African in 1884.

The importance of the divergent national interests caused the ruin of association as an organization multinational philanthropist. The Conference of Berlin of 1884 - 1885 devoted the end of this design of Association, the Conference ending in which became known under the name of Scramble for Africa . In spite of the bankruptcy of the first design of Association, the Belgian section continued to promote humane missions in Africa. The AIA was renamed Study committee of High-Congo “then International association of Congo in 1878. The colonel Maximilien Strauch chaired these two associations. The International association of Congo had posted economic guidelines, but kept some of the humane ambitions of a.I.A. Léopold II however started to make come discreetly from the private investors within Association, with ambitions of profits. It led thus little by little Association to become a private business enterprise. Association will yield its place in 1885 to the State independent of Congo, which will inherit its structures.

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