Past event
Byre World 24/25: The Mothers of the Belgian Empire's Stolen Children - FREE but please book
During Belgium's colonisation of what are now the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi, mixed-‘race' children born from relations between European men and African women were taken from their mothers and placed in orphanages. As these African countries approached independence, many of the children were removed to Belgium. Most mothers never saw their children again. Their stories have been conveniently forgotten. In conversation with François D'Adesky, who was forcibly separated from his Rwandan mother in 1953, Nicki Hitchcott and John D McInally discuss this traumatic episode in Belgium's colonial history with a particular focus on the mothers of the Belgian empire's stolen children and their stories.
This event has received financial support from The Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Running time: 1h 30m
*Please note this event is in replacement of the previously advertised Byre World: Summoning the Spirits event, which will now be postponed until a later date.