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The violent past of the statue  

This statue belonged to Ne Kuko, one of the nine kings of Boma, in western DR Congo.Alexandre Delcommune (1855-1922) was the first Belgian to settle in Boma, at the mouth of the Congo River. He worked there for a French trading house and led a trading post overseas. Delcommune had an economic conflict with the nine kings of Boma, which arose after the drought of 1878 in Congo. Extreme weather conditions had caused a loss of revenue and the nine kings decided to increase taxes on their trade routes. European traders found this unpalatable and they attacked the chiefs as punishment. With the support of mercenaries, they attacked eight of the nine chiefs of Boma at night. Houses were set on fire. 

Delcommune led the offensive against Ne Kuko. This attack surprised the inhabitants of the village of Kikuku and caused panic, forcing them to abandon the statue in their flight. This is how it ended up in the hands of Delcommune, who was well aware of its value. In the past, he himself had appealed to the object in return for payment. He therefore called it a "hostage, more important still than a human hostage". The chief Ne Kuko asked for the statue back after the attack, but Delcommune refused and took it to Belgium in 1883.   

Donation to the AIA 

In Brussels, Delcommune was received with great esteem by Maximilien Strauch, General Secretary of the Association Internationale Africaine (AIA). This organisation was founded by Leopold II to conquer territories in Africa under the guise of humanitarianism. Delcommune donated the statue of Ne Kuko to the AIA before returning to Congo in 1883, this time in the service of the Association Internationale du Congo (AIC).