More than half a century after Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo gained their independence, Belgium is slowly acknowledging the exploitation and human suffering wrought by its decades-long colonial rule in central Africa.
King Leopold II s name scrubbed from Belgium s largest tunnel after thousands vote for rebrand
Belgian king has become a controversial figure due to his history of brutality in the former colony of Congo
8 March 2021 • 2:01pm
A protester holds a portrait of Belgian King Leopold II during a protest organised by Black Lives Matter Belgium last summer
Credit: YVES HERMAN /REUTERS
The Leopold II tunnel is being rebranded as the Annie Cordy tunnel – a Belgian singer who died aged 92 last year – following a public vote.
“This is a first, symbolic step towards a better balance in the naming of public spaces” said the Brussels Minister of Mobility Elke Van den Brandt.