ABSTRACT
The Conclusion summarises of the findings of this ‘humanitarian history from below’, reinforcing the central argument of the book: as with the British West Africans stationed in the Lower Congo in the 1890s, Congolese groups actively contributed to the production of evidence against European wrong-doing. It was not just as disembodied ‘voices’ giving witness statements but also as travellers, go-betweens, translators, and debaters that African individuals were key to the co-production of evidence. However, the Conclusion also sounds cautionary notes against the celebration of this history, noting the various burdens placed upon witnesses, and the limitations of humanitarian interest in and sympathy for their efforts. Briefly, the findings of this study are viewed in relation to more recent history and current affairs, namely the promotion of democratic rights in Democratic Republic of Congo, and efforts critically to integrate a ‘decolonial’ version of black history in secondary and tertiary education in South Africa, Europe, and the USA.
