Leopold II's Brussels Geographic Conference founds the International African Association

Background. The Brussels Geographic Conference was held in September 1876 at the request of King Leopold II. Nearly forty experts, primarily geographers or wealthy philanthropists, were invited. The stated goal was to explore and 'civilize' Central Africa. Leopold provided space in Brussels for the new association's headquarters, with national committees planned in participating countries.

Stated Aims. Originally conceived as a multi-person, scientific, and humanitarian assembly, the International African Association aimed to 'discover' the unexplored Congo and 'civilize' its natives. Its full name reflected these goals. However, the organization quickly became dominated by Leopold and his economic interests, morphing from an international philanthropic association into a private commercial enterprise.

Legacy. The Association served as a front for Leopold's purportedly altruistic projects in Central Africa. It was succeeded by the Committee for Studies of the Upper Congo and the International Association of the Congo. These bodies eventually dissolved when Leopold renamed the area the Congo Free State, a private colonial project undertaken on his own behalf.