Ubangi-Shari

Coordinates: 7°N 20°E / 7°N 20°E / 7; 20
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

7°N 20°E / 7°N 20°E / 7; 20 Ubangi-Shari (French: Oubangui-Chari) was a French colony in central Africa, a part of French Equatorial Africa.

Colony of Ubangi-Shari
Oubangui-Chari (French)
1903–1960
Flag of Ubangi-Shari
Flag
Coat of arms (1958–1960)
Coat of arms
(1958–1960)
Anthem: "La Marseillaise"
  •   Before 1916
  •   After 1916
StatusColony of France
Capital
Official languageFrench
Commonly spoken
Sango
Demonym(s)Ubangi-Sharian
Commissioner General 
• 1903
Charles Noufflard [fr]
• 1958–1960
Yvon Bourges
Prime Minister 
• 1958–1959
Barthélemy Boganda
• 1959
Abel Goumba
• 1959–1960
David Dacko
Establishment
• Established
29 December 1903
• 
Autonomy as CAR
1 December 1958
13 August 1960
Currency
Preceded by
Succeeded by
French Congo
Central African Republic
Today part ofCAR

It was named after the

rivers along which it was colonised. It was established on 29 December 1903, from the Upper Ubangi (Haut-Oubangui) and Upper Shari (Haut-Chari) territories of the French Congo; renamed the Central African Republic (CAR) on 1 December 1958; and received independence on 13 August 1960.[1]

History

French activity in the area began in 1889 with the establishment of the outpost Bangi at the head of navigation on the Ubangi
.

The Upper Ubangi was established as part of the

4th parallel, the area was contested from 1892 to 1895 with the Congo Free State, which claimed the region as its territory of Ubangi-Bomu (Oubangui-Bomou). The Upper Ubangi was a separate colony from 13 July 1894 until 10 December 1899, at which time it was folded back into the French Congo. The Upper Shari region was established as part of the French Congo on 5 September 1900.[1] That same year the Company of the Upper Ubangi Sultanates took over 140,000 km2 of Upper Ubangi as a concession.[2]

The

On 15 January 1910, this administration was merged with the

overseas territory on 31 December 1937.[1]

Between 1915 and 1931, stamps were overprinted for use in Ubangi-Shari, and later specially printed for the colony.

During

Free French. It was granted autonomy as the Central African Republic on 1 December 1958, and independence under the same name on 13 August 1960.[1]

Concession systems and atrocities

Ubangi-Shari had a similar concession system as the Congo Free State and similar atrocities were also committed there. Writer André Gide travelled to Ubangi-Shari and was told by inhabitants about atrocities including

executions, the burning of children, and villagers being forcefully bound to large beams and made to walk until dropping from exhaustion and thirst.[4]

The book "Travels to Congo" by Gide, published in 1927 describes the horrors of the concession companies in French Equatorial Africa. The book had an important impact on the anti-colonialist movement in France.[5] The number of victims under the French concession system in Ubangi-Shari and other parts of French Equatorial Africa remains unknown.

See also

navigable waterways
of Ubangi-Shari, 1931
Forces Françaises Libres
near Bangui, 1940

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f World Statesmen. "Central African Republic." Accessed 29 Mar 2014.
  2. ^ Richard Bradshaw and Juan Fandos-Rius, Historical Dictionary of the Central African Republic (Scarecrow Press, 2016), p. 176.
  3. ^ World History at KMLA. "Central African Republic". Accessed 29 Mar 2014.
  4. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  5. ^ Voyage au Congo suivi du Retour du Tchad Archived 16 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine, in Lire, July–August 1995 (in French)

External links