Henry Morton Stanley

On March 21, 1871, Henry Morton Stanley began his trek to find the missionary and explorer David Livingstone. Stanley was a Welsh-American journalist and explorer who was famous for his exploration of central Africa. Upon finding Livingstone, Stanley reportedly asked, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” He is also known for his search for the source of the Nile, his work in enabling the plundering of the … Continue reading Henry Morton Stanley

Batetela Drummers of Belgian Congo

The history and culture of the African continent has long fascinated me, particularly the 19th century colonial “Scramble for Africa.” This was due in equal parts to obtaining my mother’s childhood stamp collection when I was around 10 years old and my dad introducing me to the works of L. Rider Haggard at around the same time. Thus, my collections have always contained a fair … Continue reading Batetela Drummers of Belgian Congo

Middle Congo #1 (1907)

Wait a minute….hasn’t this stamp appeared on ‘A Stamp A Day’ before? Well, yes and no. A number of French possessions in western Africa overprinted the first three designs issued by Middle Congo, usually in changed colors. The lower-denomination leopard stamps are the only designs that I currently own from a few of these colonial entities. Previously, I have included these stamps on the entries … Continue reading Middle Congo #1 (1907)

Congo Free State #24 (1894)

The Congo Free State (État indépendant du Congo,  meaning “Independent State of the Congo”, in French, or Kongo-Vrijstaat in Dutch) was a large state in Central Africa from 1885 to 1908, which was in personal union with the Kingdom of Belgium under Leopold II. Leopold was able to procure the region by convincing the European community that he was involved in humanitarian and philanthropic work … Continue reading Congo Free State #24 (1894)

Ruanda-Urundi #38 (1931)

Ruanda-Urundi #38 (1931)

Ruanda-Urundi was a territory in the African Great Lakes region, once part of German East Africa, which was ruled by Belgium between 1916 and 1962. Occupied by the Belgians during the East African Campaign during World War I, the territory was under Belgian military occupation from 1916 to 1922 and later became a Belgian-controlled Class B Mandate under the League of Nations from 1922 to … Continue reading Ruanda-Urundi #38 (1931)

Belgian Congo #142 (1932)

Belgian Congo #142 (1932)

Belgian Congo (Congo Belge in French and Belgisch Congo in Dutch) was a colony of Belgium in central Africa from 1908 until independence as the Republic of the Congo (République du Congo, also called Congo-Léopoldville) in 1960. It had originally been established in 1885 as the personal colony of King Leopold II of Belgium called the Congo Free State (État indépendant du Congo). By the turn of the century, … Continue reading Belgian Congo #142 (1932)