In East Africa in the early 20th century, the old stereotype of a savage land had long since been shed; after all, for it to have become one of the world's top Great Powers, East Africa's own territory could not possibly be that far behind.
Moreover, many Belgians were not completely ignorant of the situation in the Belgian Congo. As Belgium's most important overseas colony, quite a few Belgian companies and personnel frequently traveled back and forth between Belgium and the Congo Colony.
During the war, a number of Belgian shipping companies took up the business of transporting migrants, and these shipping companies had already been the main link for communication and trade between the Belgian Congo Colony and the homeland before the war.
