Tippu Tip Arab Trader Background You were born Hamad bin Muhammad bin Jum’ah bin Rajab bin Muhammad bin Sa’id al Murjabi in Zanzibar as a part of the ruling trading class. Your mother was an influential Muscat Arab, and both your father and grandfather participated actively in trading expeditions to Central Africa. Working for the Sultanate of Zanzibar, you traded with them slaves and ivory to acquire rich clove plantations on the island. Throughout your trading expeditions, you developed routes and relationships that allowed access to the profitable Central African ivory market. In the 1880s, you traveled to the Eastern Congo, where you stayed on the request of the Zanzibar Sultanate to maintain the trading interests of Zanzibar. While there, you developed good relationships with Belgian explorers, and when fighting broke out between natives and representatives of King Leopold at Stanley Falls (Kisangani), you worked with the Belgian consul to resolve the issues. It was after this that Henry Morton Stanley, the explorer after which Stanley Falls was named, worked out a deal with the Zanzibar Sultanate to make you the Governor of Stanley Falls. Shortly after your appointment, fighting broke out between a Congo Free State fort in Stanley Falls and one nearby over the escape of a slave woman. You quickly sieged the other fort, resulting in its eventual fall. This incident prompted you to move Arab leaders and forces into the Stanley Falls region of the Congo Free State. Your nickname comes from the sound his many guns made as he walked. Portfolio Powers Overt ● As a consequence of your trading exploits, you has access to vast stores of funds. ● You has the ability to use the reserve forces held at Stanley Falls (Kisangani), which include some of your own men. Kasong’wa Nyembo Chieftan of Luba Background The Luba were the largest ethnic group in the Congo Free State, and remained a strong political force until the late 1800s, when the Luba royal family began to lose its influence. Without a clear plan for succession, the society began to break down, and this was capitalized on by adjacent groups, which included the Yeke Kingdom, lead by Mwenda Msiri, and the Arab­Swahili peoples, which included Tippu Tip, the famous Arab trader. To fight back, the Luba needed weapons and engaged in slave trade, both from other tribes and within their own tribe. With the arrival of King Leopold II, the Luba people were reasonably independent and had acquired funds and ammunition to be self­sustaining. You were the leader of the Luba at the time, and through your work you developed a strong connection between the Luba and mineral resource centers, which include primarily copper. Relatively young for a tribal leader, you do not come from royal heritage, and instead have garnered a large amount of public support for your rebellion against the regime of King Leopold II. You are a very argumentative leader, and often forgo negotiation in order to best achieve your aspirations. Being raised in an environment of internal slave trading, you have developed a very closed personality and you were willing to use any required measures to finish the task at hand. The method behind your achievements was for the most part very hidden from your people. You are a native of Lubumbashi and have lived there your entire life. Portfolio Powers Overt ● You have a lot of sway in the Luba community and can mobilize a large part of the overall population. ● You, while you do not control funds from copper, are able to influence workers in copper mines and thus copper production. Nzinga Mkongo Chieftan of BaKongo Background The BaKongo were one of the strongest tribes in the region for centuries, a position maintained due to their access to the ocean and rivers. While covering a territorially small region, the BaKongo controlled in essence the mouth of the Congo River. This meant that the tribe was necessarily the first point of contact with any European powers that entered the region by sea. It has remained prosperous throughout its time by adjusting to meet the necessary circumstances. This was no exception in the 1880s when King Leopold launched an exploration force into the Congo. The BaKongo people used this as an opportunity to further affirm their political status, and have worked closely with the Belgians since their arrival and colonization of the region. You have been the birth­right leader of the BaKongo for the past 20 years, and thus have been a key player during the arrival of the Belgian explorers. Born to royalty, you believe strongly in the merits of a monarchy and see it as the best way to govern a large territory. You rarely go out into the public, or interact with your people; however, your family name is well­respected so the BaKongo people generally accept your leadership style. Your family has a strong influence over Boma, but you personally reside in Matadi. Portfolio Powers Overt ● You have control over ports, and thus can govern (with the approval of Belgium) movement into and out of the Congo. ● You have a very obvious relationship with Belgium that gives you access to some of their funds. Erasme­Louis de Chokier Belgian Royal Representative Background You were born in Belgium in 1838 to the aristocratic de Chokier family. The close relationship between your family and the Leopolds led to a strong friendship forming during your childhood. You loved spending time with King Leopold, and served as his right­hand man throughout his reign as King. You are unmarried, and felt an indescribable feeling of loss when King Leopold married Marie Henriette of Austria. After his marriage, he was looking for a volunteer to manage his properties in the Congo Free State. You jumped at the opportunity and immediately set out. You came to the Congo Free State with the first expedition team and have been living in Boma since. You report directly to King Leopold, and are formally responsible for maintaining his image in the colony. Your work is primarily accomplished through a network of intelligence agents and spies who report directly to you and the Royal family, not to the Belgian parliament. Your personality is generally tame and tempered, and you have an immense pride for Belgium. You actively promote the welfare of the Congolese people, but believe that they are best cared for under the loving watch of King Leopold. Portfolio Powers Overt ● You can obtain expedited orders from Belgium and can grant the royal seal of approval. Mwenda Msiri Chieftan of Yeke Background Born in 1835 in Tanzania, you came from a trading family that did well in the ivory and copper business. Having achieved a small fortune, you also gained access to guns and used them to solidify your power. You quickly gave up the trader lifestyle when you began your military career. In 1860 you aided the Wasanga people in eliminating their rival clan’s leader, which earned you their respect and adoration. Over the next few years, you were able to situate yourself powerfully in that region (which included Katanga) and after killing the heir to the Wasanga throne, you took on the leadership and founded the Yeke Kingdom. You then began to look outward and married into the Luba royal family, whose influence at this time was beginning to decline. Desperate to gain more power in the region, you secretly married a member of the Twa royal family. With the arrival of European powers, the Yeke kingdom was pushed further and further south until King Leopold’s expedition team sent you a treaty to sign over his land to them. You immediately rejected the treaty, citing the independent empire you built as evidence of your ability to retain self­governance. In the end, you retained the territories just south of Luba territory for your own. Portfolio Powers Overt ● You have access to ammunition and other military resources. ● You have access to the immense profits of your formal trading empire. Mutombo Nsenda Boma Police Commissioner Background You were born in Boma in 1850 to a middle­class family; your father worked closely with the Mkongo royal family, and your mother worked with local healers. You grew up in a very average neighborhood, with rather normal experiences. When you were 20, you enlisted in the fighting force and worked to protect your city from small threats. At 25, you entered the police force and worked as a patrolling officer for 7 years; you were involved in setting up a strong security system within Boma that has made the public feel generally safer. When you were 32, you were offered the position of Police Commissioner; however, you did not believe you were at that time qualified, and did not accept it. You continued your patrol work, and went on to solve a case of serial poisonings. In 1885, the chieftain of BaKongo, Nzinga Mkongo, again offered you the position of Police Commissioner, and you accepted. As Police Commissioner, you serve as a part of the BaKongo advisory council and were initially against the involvement of Belgium in the Congo Free State. However, the rest of the council supported the European colonization, and being loyal to the government you accepted their decision. Since the Belgians installed themselves in Boma, you provided them with police forces for protection while being careful to keep enough police forces active throughout the city. Portfolio Powers Overt ● You command a large portion of the BaKongo armed forces through the Boma police force. Bokondji Chieftan of Bangala/Mongo Background You were born in 1827, and in spite of being a part of the royal family, you were raised among your people with very few extra privileges.