In the great race for African colonies in the late 19th century the comparetively small country of Belgium managed to secure one of the prizes of central Africa, the Congo. Incredibly the colony was the personal possession of the Belgian monarch, but was grossly mismanaged, and control was turned over to the Belgian state in 1908. Despite this, native Congolese were accorded very few rights, and suffered a very similar form of apartheid to that which existed in South Africa. International agitation combined with internal strife through independence movements culminated in the independence of Congo in 1960.
The design of this note dates to 1914, albeit the colours of the note changed over time, even in short periods of time. This particular note was issued in 1943, and was printed in England by Waterlow & Sons. The allegorical female with child and the beehive are said to have represented industry. This note was overprinted with Troisieme Emission for the third issue of this note. Curiously, as in Belgium, this note is bilingual with French on the face of the note, and Flemish on the reverse. It is P-13Aa.
