Charles Lemaire (26 March 1863 – 21 January 1926) was a Belgian officer and explorer of Central Africa. He was known for his voyages of discovery and the detailed reports he wrote of his expeditions and his time as an official in the Congo Free State. Lemaire was also the first director of the

Colonial University of Belgium The Colonial University of Belgium ( nl, Koloniale Hogeschool van België) was a Belgian institute of higher education, located in Antwerp. Founded in 1920 and discontinued in 1961, the institute prepared students for a life in the Belgian Congo ...

which existed in Antwerp from 1920 to 1962, and was the first true promoter of Esperanto in Belgium.

Biography

Charles Lemaire was born in Cuesmes on 26 March 1863. He attended military school, graduating in 1886 with the rank of second lieutenant. Enlisting in the service of the Congo Free State, he reached Banana in 1889, beginning his career there as deputy to Van Dorpe, Commissioner to the

Cataractes District Cataractes District was a district located in the Kongo Central province, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It dated back to the days of the Congo Free State and the Belgian Congo. History Article 3 of the decree of 16 April 1887 provided ...

. In this role, he oversaw the shipment of supplies into

Léopoldville Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one of ...

and lead reconnaissance missions through Kimpese.

Commissioner of Équateur

Lemaire was appointed as the Commissioner of the Équateur District on 29 November 1890, arriving at his post in December of that year. He formally moved the capital of the district from Equateurville to

Coquilhatville Mbandaka (, formerly known as Coquilhatville in French, or Coquilhatstad in Dutch) is a city on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo located near the confluence of the Congo and Ruki rivers. It is the capital of Équateur Province ...

, ordering the construction of new post in the area. He ordered expeditions into the region, both to suppress rebellious villages and to scout for areas rich in rubber. While he was ordered to meet certain quotas of rubber harvesting, Lemaire made little effort to do so, citing the lack of proper infrastructure and workers. He had refused to meet the quotas, writing in a letter he had sent to the government ''“We will have to be cutting off hands, noses, and ears if we intend to collect rubber in the Équateur district (where no preparations had been made). And I don't think we drove away the Arab bandits in order to take their place.''" In June of 1893, Lemaire was replaced in his role as commissioner by Leon Fiévez, in part due to his failure to meet rubber quotas.

Exploration of the Congo

Lemaire carried out cartographic work in Katanga between 1898 and 1900. Appointed captain-commander in 1902, he explored Bhar-El-Ghazal with before returning to Europe in 1905 via the

Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest ...

. Between April and September 1898, Lemaire's expedition was accompanied by photographer and taxidermist François Michel (1855 – 1932). He was in charge of taking photos of the expedition along the way, and building up a natural history collection. Other members of the expedition included caravan leader Justin Maffei, Belgian painter , and geologists Jean De Windt and William Caisley. They started at the East African coast, to

Moliro Moliro is a community in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo beside Lake Tanganyika on the border with Zambia. It is in Tanganyika Province, Tanganyika province. The Congo Free State Enclave of Moliro was founded in 1902, with its ow ...

and Lake Dilolo, following the

Congo River The Congo River ( kg, Nzâdi Kôngo, french: Fleuve Congo, pt, Rio Congo), formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the second largest river in the world by discharge ...

and ending on the west coast of the continent. Apart from a few Europeans, the expedition was made up of hundreds of Africans engaged as porters, laundresses or soldiers. Accused of abuse towards the native soldiers, and guilty of mistreatment of the civilian population, he was demoted and retired in disgrace, before coming out of retirement in 1920 to direct the Colonial University of Belgium. He was elected an associate member of the Académie des sciences coloniales in 1923. He died in Brussels on 21 January 1926.

Awards and legacy

Lemaire was named an

Officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

of the Order of Leopold and Commander of the Order of the Crown. Two species of fish from Lake Tanganyika, '' Grammatotria lemairii'' and '' Lamprologus lemairii'', have been named after him. The

Lemaire Channel Lemaire Channel is a strait off Antarctica, between Kyiv Peninsula in the mainland's Graham Land and Booth Island. Nicknamed "Kodak Gap" by some, it is one of the top tourist destinations in Antarctica; steep cliffs hem in the iceberg-filled passa ...

is also named for him.

Publications

* 1894: ''Congo et Belgique: (à propos de l'Exposition d'Anvers)'' / par le lieutenant Lemaire, Ch. * 1895: ''Au Congo: comment les noirs travaillent'', par le lieutenant Lemaire, Ch. * 1898-1900: ''Etat indépendant du Congo. Mission scientifique du Ka-Tanga. Itinéraire parcouru du 5 août 1898 au 2 mars 1900'' / Observateurs le lieutenant Ch. Lemaire * 1901: ''Mission scientifique du Ka-Tanga: résultats des observations astronomiques, magnétiques et altimétriques effectuées sur le territoire de l'État indépendant du Congo'' / par le capitaine Lemaire, Charles, Bulens éditeur, Bruxelles.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lemaire, Charles Commanders of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Belgian cartographers 19th-century Belgian military personnel 20th-century Belgian military personnel 1863 births 1926 deaths Congo Free State people