We started the project with a pilot research on the archival records related to the territory of Stanleyville (current day Kisangani, DR Congo), with a threefold objective. First, we aim to find traces of foraging activities which might have caught the attention of colonial officials. Second, we want to document the interactions, porosity and circulations between the urban node of Stanleyville and its direct environment. And third, we are on the lookout for all traces of ecological considerations and interspecies relations which might help us write a more-than-human history of the region. We have been collectively investigating the following archival records:
- Annual reports of the territories of Stanleyville, Isangi, Ponthierville, Bafwasende, and of the districts of Stanleyville and Aruwimi
- Archives of the department of agriculture of Belgian Congo, where we collected files related to wild-growing plants, fishing and hunting activities
- Archives of the Gouvernement Général of Belgian Congo, for court records, legislation, and general administrative despatches
Photo credits: rapids near Stanleyville, collection Africamuseum Tervuren; unknown photograph n.d.