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Paper short abstract:

This paper reflects on the archival practices developed during the DIGICOLJUST- project. The project revolves around the conservation and exploration of the archives of the military courts of colonial Congo (1885-1960). They document a cruel history of colonial violence, oppression and coercion.

Paper long abstract:

The paper reflects on the archival practices developed during the DIGICOLJUST- project. DIGICOLJUST, currently in its second phase, is a BESLPO-funded project that combines insights from archival heritage preservation and colonial history research to preserve and explore the archives of the military courts of the Congo Free State (1885-1908) and the Belgian Congo (1908-1960). These archives constitute a sensitive and contested part of the colonial "displaced" public archives held at the Belgian State Archives. They consist of more than 5,500 case files produced by the dozens of military courts that existed during Congo’s colonial era. These trial records often document cruel events of colonial violence, oppression and coercion. The archivist must thus be aware of the sensitivities in making this archive accessible.

First, the paper will outline what has been done so far to make the archives of these military courts (known as conseils de guerre) accessible. It will analyse the choices made in the creation of contemporary research tools. I will especially consider the decision not to identify court cases through the defendants' names. In this way, I question how privacy concerns relate to the issue of accessibility.

Secondly, the paper will critically examine our initiatives to provide Congolese citizens with access to this shared archival heritage. In line with what Michael Karabinos (2019) has argued for other colonial archives in European institutions, I wonder whether our decision to fully digitize all court cases of the Conseil de Guerre de Léopoldville hasn't given us a false sense of satisfaction.