Le partage du gateau (Dividing the Cake), Sam-Ilus

The Democratic Republic of Congo, also called the DRC, is a victim of colonial violence and exploitation, as this piece successfully illustrates. My name is Ray, and the painting I chose to talk about is Le partage du gateau, or, “Dividing the Cake” by Sam Ilus. The painting shows a DRC shaped cake being torn apart by Congolese and foreign leaders, while ordinary citizens get stepped on during a frenzy to control the nation. I chose this piece because it was eye-catching. It is very colorful, and its illustrations are exaggerated and striking. It piqued my interest because at first sight, you don't really understand what’s happening. You just see a large group of people with chaos all around them. People screaming, war ships flying in the sky, and guns blazing. After examining it more, I could further grasp an idea on the message Ilus is trying to convey. The piece also related to me because I'm from another African country that gets exploited for its resources as well, Tanzania. Tanzania was important to the German Empire because of its valuables such as gold and rubber.The artist, Sam Ilus was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is rich in minerals and natural resources, resulting in a history of commercial and colonial extraction and exploitation. The history of exploitation can date back to the 1480s, when the Portuguese arrived in the Kingdom of Kongo (present day DRC) and realized that they came upon a land that is vast in natural wealth, and rich in resources- one particularly being people. The Congo was home to a great supply of strong, disease free slaves. The Portuguese made the country vulnerable from the inside out by supplying rebels with money and modern weapons. Congolese armies were defeated, leaders were killed, and the Congo was successfully conquered. By the 1600s, the once thriving land turned into a slave and trade center for Europeans. Ilus is known for creating confrontational art that grapples with socioeconomic and political problems facing his country, and this is just one out of many in his catalog. The way I see it, Sam Ilus is pushing to spread awareness of the ongoing conflict the Democratic Republic of Congo is facing, and this painting, Le partage du gâteau, is doing just that. This has been Ray, with another Bulldog Art Tour.