(…) slavendrijver

“l’heroisme militaire belge aneantit l’arabe esclavagiste / de belgische militaire heldenmoed verdelgt den arabische slavendrijver”
This inscription is part of the ‘Monument for the pioneers in Congo’ in the Parc du Cinquantenaire, which was erected in 1921. The heroic figure depicted above the text represents a colonial Belgian soldier beating up a slave driver.

Connecting slave trade in the former colony to ‘arabs’ was seen as politically incorrect, and the word ‘arab’ was removed from the text in 1990.

On October the 5th 1991, Congo military veterans organised a manifestation around the reparation of this ‘mutulation’, and the word ‘arab’ was re-inserted.
(see: l\’image du noir dans les espace publics)

The Front National Belgique interprets the removal of the ‘arab’ word as an act of historical censorship: If you want you can read on their website: http://www.fnb.to/FNB/Article/Bastion_53/arabe_esclavagiste.htm#retour%201
Article by Lucas Catherine about this: http://cas1.elis.ugent.be/avrug/erfgoed/jubel/lc.htm
Secretary of state of the Brussels capital Region Emir Kir in 2005:
http://cas1.elis.ugent.be/avrug/erfgoed/jubel/biv.htm