Belgium’s prime minister apologized to Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda for the pain its colonization inflicted upon families with mixed-race children during its colonial rule.
The New York Times reports the apology took place on Thursday during a Parliament session, becoming the first time the country acknowledged its violent history toward African countries.
The country historically colonized the African nations for eight decades. Under the colonial rule of Belgium, segregation was law. The Roman Catholic Church forbade interracial relationships and banned interracial marriage.
Racist policies forced the disjunction of African families with mixed-race children, or “métis,” in which officials kidnapped, deported and forced the adoption of the children. Historians say the kids were taken from their homes and placed in Catholic orphanages and schools. Métis offspring were also segregated from other Africans, undoing most of their traditional upbringings.
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