“Our Lady of Congo”: The creation and reception of an early missionary propaganda devotion

In 1891, the founder of the Matadi mission commissioned a neo-gothic master sculptor in Ghent to create a Madonna and child with a kneeling, imploring African released from the shackles of slavery at the Virgin’s feet. The very name of this devotional statue –Our Lady of Congo– and the decision by the Holy See to choose the Blessed Virgin as the patron saint of Congo could have propelled this icon as the tutelary figure of the new colony. The sculpture only had mixed success in Congo, but in Belgium, however, it was effectively used as missionary propaganda, notably by a pious association for the “redemption of slaves” in Ghent. These divergent receptions are analyzed based on historical and iconographic sources, using comparative data to shed light on the theme of slavery as appraised in Catholic Europe and in Africa. The role of institutions, familiarity, and emotions is stressed in gauging the efficacy –or rejection– of images, which must be cast in complex genealogies, in their local and global contexts, and in different regimes of visuality.Accepté sous réserve de modification mineure. Date prévue de parution prévue: été 2019