Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest edition - Nov. 1, 2024
This pancocojams post documents some article excerpts and YouTube discussion thread comments about former United States President Donald Trump's references to "The Congo" along with other nations or places that he alleges are sending prisoners to illegally enter the United States.
Read Addendum #1 below for my Editorial note about why I believe that Donald Trump includes "The Congo" as one of the places that he alleges prisoners are bein sent from to illegally enter the United Staes.
Read Addendum #1 below for my Editorial note about why I believe that the term "the Congo" may be familiar to Trump and to other Americans (Trump supporters and those (such as me) who don't support Trump.
The content of this post is presented for historical and educational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all who are quoted in this post.
****
QUOTES FROM VARIOUS ONLINE SOURCES
These online sources are numbered for referencing purposes only.
SOURCE #1
From https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/16/politics/donald-trump-congo-release-prisoners-immigration/index.html "Everything he is saying isn’t true’: Congolese governments
denounce Trump’s baseless stories about emptied prisons" By Daniel Dale, CNN, Published March 16, 2024
There is no evidence for former President Donald Trump’s
repeated claims that “the Congo” has emptied prisons to allow violent criminals
to come to the US border as migrants – and the governments of both the
Democratic Republic of Congo and the neighboring Republic of Congo say Trump’s
assertions are entirely false.
“Everything he is saying isn’t true,” Democratic Republic of Congo spokesperson Patrick Muyaya Katembwe told CNN in a text message on Thursday. Asked specifically about Trump’s claims about Congolese prisons being emptied of violent criminals, he said, “Never ever, it’s not true.” And, he said, “we want him to stop” telling these stories, since “it’s very bad for the country.”
Serge Mombouli, the Republic of Congo’s ambassador to the US, said in an email to CNN on Friday: “There is no truth or any sign nor a single fact supporting such a claim or statement.”
A CNN fact check found the same.
Facts First: Trump’s claims are baseless. Experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo, plus both pro-immigration and anti-immigration organizations in the US, told CNN they have not seen any evidence of Congolese prisons being emptied. Trump’s presidential campaign and an allied super PAC did not respond to requests to provide any evidence. A CNN search of two media databases turned up no evidence. And federal figures show that there is no “very big” influx of Congolese migrants of any kind, let alone former prisoners in particular.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, keeps making claims about emptied Congolese prisons as he criticizes President Joe Biden’s handling of immigration. For example, Trump said during a Fox News town hall in late February: “We have people coming in from everywhere. They’re coming in from the Congo. They interviewed some people last night. ‘Where are you from?’ ‘Congo.’ ‘Where did you live?’ ‘Prison.’ They’re emptying out their prisons into our country.”
During a visit to the border later in February, Trump said, “The Congo – a very big population coming in from jails from the Congo. You look at the jails now, you take a look at the jails throughout the region, but more importantly, throughout the world. They’re emptying out because they’re dumping them into the United States.”
But media databases contain no corroboration for these stories. And human rights organizations that monitor the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Republic of Congo say they know of no evidence for them.
[…]
rump also made unproven claims in 2023 about migrants being
emptied out of foreign prisons. By January 2024, he was referring specifically
to migrants who had been prisoners in “the Congo.” Then, by February 2024, he
was claiming that the Congolese migrants acknowledged having been incarcerated
for “murder.”
He has never provided a specific source for any of these
remarks.”...
SOURCE #2
From https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/18/politics/fact-check-trump-october-immigration/index.html "Fact check: Debunking Trump’s October lying spree about
immigration" By Daniel Dale, CNN, Fri October 18, 2024
..."Migrants and “the Congo”: Trump repeated his false claim that “a huge number” of migrants are “coming out of jails in the Congo,” explaining that this was because foreign countries are deliberately “releasing their prison populations into our country.” Trump and his campaign have never been able to provide any proof for this claim about “the Congo,” and both the Democratic Republic of Congo and the neighboring Republic of Congo told CNN in March that it is false. Experts on both countries also told CNN in March that they had not seen any evidence of Congolese prisons being emptied, let alone evidence of either country somehow having brought ex-prisoners into the US as Trump has claimed."...
****
SOURCE #3
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie1YRT276Ys "Trump accuses DRC of bringing people from prison to the US", published by VOA Africa, May 31,
2024 #trump #drc #congo
[summary statement] "In remarks on Friday, one day after a jury found him guilty of 34 felony counts, former President Trump said, "Congo, Africa just released a lot of people, a lot of people from their prisons and jails and brought them into the United States of America.
Trump has made similar claims about migrants from the
Democratic Republic of Congo in the past, which drew a response from the DRC."
--snip-
'DRC'=Democratic Republic of the Congo; (also known as Congo-Kinshasa). DRC is the largest of two adjacent nations in Central Africa that include the word "Congo" in their name. The other much smaller nation is Republic Of The Congo (abbreviation "CG" and also known as Congo-Brazzaville).
Here are some comments from this video's discussion thread (with numbers added for referencing purposes only). These comments are presented in relative chronological order except for replies, with the oldest comments given first.
1. @CocoT.M.June 2024
"This is not true.
From where does he get information like this one about Congo?
I can say that "IT IS A FAKE NEWS"."
**
Reply
2. @mcrayfourd, July 2024
"How do you know it’s not true"
**
Reply
3. @elishakatolo3973, August 2024
"I live in Congo. Why would Congo do that? @mcrayfourd"
**
Reply
4.@Wadiyatalkinabeet_, September 2024
"@elishakatolo3973 To get rid of your violent criminals lol this isn’t rocket science"
**
Reply
5. @Wadiyatalkinabeet_, September 2024
"Prison stats would disagree with your assumption"
**
Reply
6. @DeepSkyAngel, September 2024
"this is not fake but it's the consequence of all people seeking asylum claiming to be a political prisoner. so yes this is true. everyone claims to be a prisoner, and some people from Rwanda also call themselves prisoners of the congo east war conflict."
**
Reply
7.@michaelregis1015, October 2024
"@mcrayfourd the burden of proof is on the person making the claim. It's not the job of the skeptic to provide proof against the unsubstantiated claim."
**
8.@RodneyKimbangu, September 2024
"If he can point out where the Congo is on the map in relationship to the US, then we can start to talk
**
Reply
9. @DeepSkyAngel, September 2024
"@RodneyKimbangu No hard feelings against your kind little
man. Maybe in 300 years you’ll have a functioning country."
**
Reply
10. @RodneyKimbangu, September 2024
"@DeepSkyAngel Alright, big girl! When you and your
religious leader learn some geography and you can point to 25 random countries
on the map, holler. Maybe then, we could chat!"
**
11. @noellakabazimya2187, July 2024
"Lies"
**
Reply
12. @zo.6930, July 2024
"Says the orangatun from the Congo"
Reply
"
**
Reply
14. @DeepSkyAngel, September 2024
"Those are people who come seeking refugee status and claim they were prisoners in the DRC. I am talking about Congolese citizens and some Rwandan citizens pretending to be refugees of war from the east coast."
**
Reply
15. @SaraMianda, October 2024
"@DeepSkyAngel lol and they’re just getting visas??? Please stop"
**
Reply
16. @SaraMianda, October 2024
"@DeepSkyAngel even if that’s true, it takes years, oh and I mean YEARS before they could possibly get permission to come. I speak that from ALot of experience being Congolese myself."
**
Reply
17. @DeepSkyAngel, October 2024
"@SaraMianda maybe you don’t really know what’s going on in your community. If you don’t know that most people get a tourist visa and then come here seeking asylum and saying that they were prisoners, either you’re lying or you’re really ignorant."
**
Reply
18. @SaraMianda, October 2024
"@DeepSkyAngel - You think they're giving out tourist visas? LMAOOO- My aunt waited over 10 years for a refugee visa. 10! And i have family rn in the congo that have been waiting over 5 years for a visa, and this is after being approved to come to the USA. My little brother has been denied countless times for a tourist visa. I have so many examples. Please dont speak on what you dont know. Maybe thats what they do, but they got to get here first, and trust me, they're not giving out visas."
**
Reply
19. @DeepSkyAngel, October 2024
"@SaraMianda lol are you listening to yourself? Just because you can’t get any doesn’t mean everybody else isn’t. Please wake up. People come to the US everyday even from your country. You’re just part of those out of luck. 2 people can walk into an embassy with the exact same case and 1 get a visa and 1 get rejected. Keep that in your mind."
**
Reply
20. @SaraMianda, October 2024
"@DeepSkyAngel - You're delusional and i will not entertain your uneducated responses any longer. Look up where the congo is on the map and steps and processes it takes to come to this country from there. And then come back when you're more educated on the topic, okay?"
**
Reply
21. @DeepSkyAngel, October 2024
"@SaraMianda sorry to break it to you darling. But not only I know the country I have visited it many times for my work. You call me uneducated when you don’t even know who you’re talking to. Maybe you’re the ignorant."
**
Reply
22. @SaraMianda, October 2024
"@DeepSkyAngel you've visted. I was born and raised there and have family there. Please, dont speak to me on this topic."
**
Reply
23. @DeepSkyAngel, October 2024
"@SaraMianda born and raised in a country doesn’t mean you know the full country. You probably never been in more than 2 provinces in your country. So spare me. I know more than you think, your ego just won’t let you admit that I am right."
**
Reply
24. @SaraMianda, October 2024
"@DeepSkyAngel LMAOO, and you know this because you know me personally? You're speaking on a topic you literally have no experience with. PLEASE. you spare me. Dont visit my country any longer if thats how you feel. We dont want you there. Good day sir.”
**
25. @aw8119, September 2024
"This sociopath is the race card on steroids"
**
26. @placidenmp2841, September 2024
"Mr Trump must receive a good advices. He is WROONG ABOUT CONGO. When million people are killed at DR Congo, No body is talking about that. Just for political reason, He is telling lies. Ndoki!!!"
**
27. @jasonc0065, September 2024
"Trump is referring to Brazzaville, where Fayulu is from, lol. Tshisekedi doesn't release prisoners, and Trump knows this. Trump and Tshisekedi support each other. This might even be an AI."
**
28. @Davis-j8w, September 2024
"The best lie in the world 🌎"
**
29. @francistmofgod2028, September 2024
"This is a big lie of the century,
Do you have any evidence?
Which congo are you talking about?
It's like one of Congo releases prisoners and says you know what you're going in the US😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂."
**
30. @jaures1394, September 2024
"He is talking to uneducated..."
**
31. @louisdorkandu9546, October 2024
"What Congo is he talking about? More than one of the Congolese residents in the USA Batter campaign for him in their community now with these words it is imperative to change the language. We are really sorry that it is the Congo opposite we don't care. #Camala Top"
**
32. @decepays, October 2024
"This is a pure ignorance of Congo, which way do they use to come there. Does he even know the distance ?? This cant be a président"
**
33. @sowah2f, October 2024
"A lot of Europeans come to America and overstay their visas and are now illegal, which by the way represents a high percentage of illegal immigrants. He has never once complained about a European immigrant 🤔. I wonder why!"
**
34. @yalibiND, October 2024
"What is he talking about????? This is a big fat lie!!! I had it with 😳😳😳"
**
35. @msyallen, October 2024
"The rhetoric. This is why people show hate. It's the
Republic of Congo btw. Please make it 🛑 stop"
36.
"Lol this is how you know everything is controlled… the Congo
did not release prisoners when this video was posted (4 months ago) They
released them just a week ago 😂…"
****
SOURCE #4
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSWJ2YuT_Lc "SHOCK: WHAT JUST HAPPENED AT THIS PENNSYLVANIA TRUMP RALLY?!" published by Luke Beasley, October 30, 2024
All of these comments are from October 30 and October 31, 2024.
These comments are presented in relative chronological order except for replies, with the oldest comments given first. Full Disclosure: I added one comment to this discussion thread.
1. @tflowers6582
"Trump is beyond
fear-mongering, trump is a terrorist and trying to radicalize and activate his
mob. Some are racists, some are
misogynists, some are low information, but all are reprehensible and dangerous.
💙🌊💙🌊💙🌊"
**
2. @LorraineFisher-p3d
"I can’t be positive of course, but I’m pretty sure that when
Trump lists the places All the Bad Guys Kamala “imports” to America, he Always
includes the Congo. Could it possibly be that They are the Blackest Scariest
People he can Possibly imagine????🙀🙀🤷♂️
💃🏼🐈🐈💙💙💙💙💙💙"
*
3. @garylopez8810
"If you think about what Trump is saying with just a little
thought you would understand that what he is saying is complete nonsense.
Why would a U.S. Government "import" criminals
into the Country when there are genuine, honest immigrants waiting to be
approved for immigration? People who are willing to pay their way to have a
chance in the U.S.?
How could any person with only the slightest bit of common
sense believe that rubbish? Because a rich (though not as wealthy as he
pretends), abusive, bullying, professional grifter, misogenystic, chronically
racist, and probably fascist man, who is so vain he has to wear a fake suntan
and admires the Worlds worst authoritarian, murdering, dictators over his own
Nations Leaders says it is true?
He is now being blatently racist and authoritarian as if
he's laughing in the face of the people who oppose him."
**
4. @marysparks2975
"The hatred and disdain for manufactured "other"
and "different" eminating from this monster and his followers is
palpable...and horrifying! We must all vote in unity as a massive blue wave to
stop this madness!"
**
5. @marilynsummit1764
"I like to know what kind of super buses are these coming from the Congo to USA. Especially since the Congo is in Africa 8,400 miles away. I guess these super buses can ride over water since they have to ride over the Atlantic ocean. He's dumb. He doesn't know geography or where the Congo is. That's why he only mentions three places. Congo, Mexico and Venezuela. He doesn't know any others. He could say they are bringing immigrants from Canada."
**
6. @katyrye
"They're busting in the Congo but the Congo' not in South
America they can't bus from the Congo"
**
7. @aljoschalong625
"Busing people from insane asylums and prisons in Congo to
the US is quite a miraculous adventure.
This feeble-minded idiot obviously lost the rest of his
mini-mind."
**
8. @trinavallbacka5835
"Criminals are being taken from jails and bussed to the US?
What? How on earth is anyone stupid enough to believe this? Children would know
that’s ridiculous"
**
9.
"Does his maga goats ever wonder where’s the proof. The pics
of buses and buses and buses of all
The immigrants coming from The Congo to America. Where’s the proof. Really. It’s 2024 and no one in the Trump campaign has a camera or a reporter to take pics of all of his stories and lies. Really????
If Trump tells you the moon is blue you would believe him
?!!!😂🤭🤣🤪🤡"
**
10. @lccsd2392
"These effing lies! Who would make a deal with the Venezuelan
dictator, in the middle of a coup, to bring Venezuelan prisoners into America?
For what purpose? These people have the critical thinking of a can. They just
want permission to hate.
Democrats may have to get out and defend the win. You may
have to gather and march and protest. At least Biden will be holding the space
and probably with help"
**
11. @gordowg1wg145
"trump, and all his mouth-breathing sheep, seem to think of
"immigrants" as anyone with "brown" skin - but
"immigrants" come from "white", "asian" and
"middle eastern" countries, too, and while losing the first will
cripple the country, add in the latter and it will destroy the country!"
**
12. @quillowl4319
"question... how would trump know where each of the millions
of illegal immigrants came from, and how
would he know what they were doing before they came? where is the evidence to
back up his claims?"
**
13. @Marcshark-t8o
"🤡” they cant get enough
buses 🚌 😳/ NIETHER COULD Y🫵U COACHELLA 🥴MAN 👨”
🤮🫵🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣"
**
14. @DavidFalconer-t1z
"Doesn’t Biggly brain know that the Congo
is on the west coast of Africa. So it makes sence to him the almighty,knows
that migrants are coming buy bus from the Congo across the Mexican border..and
a small 10.000 mile journey buy ship.😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅"
**
Reply
15. @azizip171@DavidFalconer-t1z, as a friendly
correction, the two African nations that are referred to as "the
Congo" - "Democratic Republic of the Congo" and "Republic
Of The Congo"- are located in Central Africa, not West Africa.
And, yes, Trumps' statements that people are being bussed from the Congo to the Mexican border are just crazy and fearmongering."
16. @billymanilli
"Why would "enemy" countries PAY to "bus bad
people" here? Think about anything
the moron says for more than 10 seconds, and it sounds INSANE (because it
is...). I'm losing my mind here.... at
least 90% of people I'm related to and/or friends with eat it all right up."
**
17. @duanemcdude7956
"the Congo is bussing insane patients and prisoners across
the ocean ? I'm totally sure these 3rd world countries are buying millions of
penniless broke ass criminals airline tickets what 1st class? Or is Biden
paying the airfares for them? If you believe this bull you need to re-educate ,
being stupid is no way to go through life."
**
18. @EricTurner-f3x
"I'm still not entirely sure Donald Trump understands the
difference between "insane asylum" and "seeking
asylum". What an idiot.
Reply
19. @katywalker8322
"
Reply
20. @t3hwaddledee
"
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this comment.
**
Reply
21.@fighter4freedom
"He also doesn't understand the difference between a VISA
credit card and a VISA issued to immigrants so they can live legally in the
U.S. THAT is why he and maga keep
claiming that immigrants are getting credit cards......."
**
22. @a.c.p.7312
"Listen to the Donald, he is just crazy, makes things up,
exaggerates, lies, it is insane!"
**
23. @cherylbarrett3443
"You have to be incredibly stupid to believe the
obvious lies that Trump tells"
**
24. @SuPRxJuaN
"this is why we need to focus a little more on the quality of
nationwide education and a little less on military spending."
**
25. @VladDImpala
"Drumpf is an utter moron, "they are BUSING" people
"from the Congo"?! How ignorant is this orange freak? Its obvious,
Drumpf is reading from a teleprompter, he wrote none of this nonsense, he also
doesn't comprehend what he's saying."
-snip-
This comment was originally written in bold font.
**
26. @SlimeKingK
"How coincidental that he says they can't get enough busses
for the alleged criminals coming from a continent away... Projection AF reflecting the bus issues for
multiple of HIS rallies! Hand-Me-Down
Hitler really needs to be buckling his seatbelts for sentencing... He's gonna try to leave the country, I'd
wager."
27. @motomanxxxmotomanxxx
"
Well, a lot of people
are gullible.They believe anything someone tells them,especially if it is what
they want to hear. Donald Tramp is a master manipulator. He knows how to play
into people's wants and even better for him, he knows how to play into their
fears. He is like a horror film director. He gives his followers a scary
scenario the destruction of American
society, caused by the evil Democrats and how he is the hero and he is the only
viable solution to the problem, the one who can save them from the tyranny. But
there actually isn't any tyranny. He blows everything so far out of proportion
and exaggerates everything to strike fear into the hearts of Americans, and
like a reader of a good novel or comic book, depending on his followers reading
levels, they buy into it. Eat it up with a fork and spoon and ask for seconds."
**
28. @AmerigoMagellan
"Is there any Congolese is the comments? Why does the POS 🍊🤡
insults your nation so much?"
**
29. @stephaniehenry5617
"So there's a bus line now from America to Venezuela."
**
30. @GloriaPitts-qp8mo
"You have to be honest with the people. Trump knows certain
white people and how they really feel about minorities. There is fear in the
country, and trump knows what buttoms to push to activate that hate and
uncertainty. In their mind, they are losing the country. Trump feeds on these
deep insecurities. He is very good at creating chaotic situations. Will we get
out of this mess that trump has been pushing for almost nine years?. Only God
knows how this election will end. This is what America gets for taking so much
for granted and constantly laughing at a dangerous fool.😢😢😢"
**
31, @Chopped_49
"Did he seriously bring up “enough buses” it’s mind boggling
how he repeatedly points at others for things he has done or is planning on
doing."
**
32. @danielleS257
"OH MY LORD.
These people are crazy and their leader is King of Crazy. His people need nothing but fear & hate
to inspire their adoration"
**
33. @BoloSparks
"They took our buses!"
**
34. @ReEvolutionary
"Trump refers to the Congo, as if it is in Venezuela?!?!"
**
35. @deynissa
"I still don’t understand how ppl can listen to what he’s
saying, and actually believe it. Venezuela is 60% empty?!?!? Bussing criminals
from the Congo?!?!? These ppl must only have a ‘concept’ of intelligence and
common sense 🤷🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️."
**
36. @NikkiStarnova-hq9nx
"Well that explains why there were no buses to take trump's
disciples across the hot desert back to their I'm compensating for something
big trucks.
Biden sent all the
buses to the Congo to pick up all the criminals to bring back to the States so
they could vote and take over rundown apartment complexes to force the
residents to pay them the rent, not the scumlord."
**
37. @nickhewitt1402
"I can't believe it. My neighbor' actually believes Trump's
nonsense. I had to give up, I just hope she doesn't vote."
"How can there be so many people that believe the garbage
coming out of his mouth? 🙄"
**
39. @G1Z
"This “man” has shown the inner madness that is Amerikkka.
Tens of millions of people support this “man” through it all. Amerikkka is, and
has always been an anti-intellectual, xenophobic country. So of course Don The
Con is their king."
**
40. @nancyhajeski3360
"Wow, Trump thinks migrants can be bused from Congo to
America. Where the hell did he go to grammar school that he doesn't know
there's a fairly large ocean between Africa and the Americas."
Reply
41. @thenoize8356
"
**
42. @marionmarshall7380
"The Congo… con-goooo… is the only country in Africa he knows
the name of. 😂"
**
43. @j.c.5749
"Does trump know where the Congo is?"
"They're bussing them from Africa???"
**
45. @jjennings899
"He always talk about the Congo smh."
**
46. @AT.inbetween
"Buses from the Congo aren't cheap. BTW, Biden's stock market beats Trump hands
down!"
Reply
"Why would "enemy" countries PAY to "bus bad
people" here? Think about anything
the moron says for more than 10 seconds, and it sounds INSANE (because it
is...). I'm losing my mind here.... at
least 90% of people I'm related to and/or friends with eat it all right up."
**
48. @kaakrepwhatever
"He's saying that they are emptying the jails in the Congo
and busing them here. He seems to think that the Congo is part of Venezuela,
just like he wants to deport all the Haitians here to Venezuela."
**
Reply
49. @davidadelmann8579
"O M G JUST HOW STUPID CAN ANYONE BE? ? ?"
**
50. @Jerry10939
"These MAGA people don’t understand there is no continuous
road from South America to North America that a bus can travel because there is
no road between the Darien Gap between North and South America in Central
America."
**
51. @sharktomesmiles
"What is the price for
the bus from the Congo? Is it a different price going there?"
**
52. @MrCopacetic23
"Do white immigrants exist? It’s funny they always get left
out of this tired ass rant."
ADDENDUM #1 - MY THOUGHTS ABOUT WHY DONALD TRUMP REFERS TO "THE CONGO" IN HIS LIES ABOUT MIGRANTS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES TRYING TO ILLEGALLY ENTER THE UNITED STATES
I very much doubt that Donald Trump ever believed that "the Congo" has sent and is still sending its prisoners (or that any other nation is sending its prisoners) to the Mexican border to illegally enter the United States.
I believe that "the Congo" may be the only name of an Africa nation that Trump is familiar with (now and/or before his cognitive abilities worsened).
I believe that Trump is aware that "the Congo" may be the only name of an African nation that most of his followers are aware of.
****
ADDENDUM 2 - WHY THE "THE CONGO" MAY BE THE MOST FAMILIAR NAME OF AN AFRICAN NATION TO PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES (BEFORE THE AVAILABILITY OF THE INTERNET)
The term "the Congo" sounds like the word "Conga" and we were familiar with "Conga drums" and the "Conga line dance". However, those terms weren't and aren't necessarily automatically associated with the African Congo(s). It may be more likely for people in the United States to associate Conga drums with the African continent, my guess is that the majority of Americans have no idea that the Conga line dance has its source in an African dance.
Here's some information about the Conga line dance from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conga_line
"Conga line
a novelty line dance that was derived from the Cuban
carnival dance of the same name and became popular in the US in the 1930s and
1950s. In order to perform the dance, dancers form a long, processing line,
which would usually turn into a circle. It has three shuffle steps on the beat,
followed by a kick that is slightly ahead of the fourth beat. The conga, a term
sometimes mistakenly believed to be derived from the African region of Congo,
is both a lyrical and danceable genre, rooted in the music of carnival troupes
or comparsas."
- end of quote-
**
As a pre-teen and teenager growing up in the early 1960s, I'm not ashamed to say that what introduced me to the word "Congo" and the mind expanding idea that Africans could have kings and queens was the syndicated television cartoon series "King Leonardo And His Short Subjects".
I was 11 years old when "King Leonardo And His Short Subjects" was first televised. Until I looked looked that cartoon series up for this post and a post I published yesterday*, i didn't know that was its title. I thought its title was "Leonardo Lion: King Of Bongo Congo".
Somehow I learned that "bongo" and "congo" were African words. "Bongo Kongo" is a fictitious name for an African kingdom, just as "Wakanda" is a fictitious place name. I remember the name "Bongo Kongo" even this many decades after watching those King Leonardo And His Short Subjects" cartoons. Those cartoons and the fictitious place name "Bongo Congo" probably also stuck to former President Donald Trump who likely saw those cartoons in the early 1960s just like I did. My guess is that Leonardo Lion, King of Bongo Kongo may be the reason-or one of the reason why Donald Trump is telling lies in 2024 about the one or both of the real Central African nations that are both referred to as "the Congo".
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* Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-early-1960s-king-leonardo-king-of.html for the pancocojams post entitled "The Early 1960s "King Leonardo" (King Of Bongo Congo) American Cartoon Series (information & three YouTube videos)."
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