[1] The territory of the Congo was created by Belgian colonial rulers that borrowed the name used by the historic Kongo Kingdom.
[1] Congolese nationalism first erupted in 1959 during riots against Belgian colonial rule.
[1] Attempts to solidify the country quickly collapsed after independence when Mobutu Sese Seko rebelled against the government of Patrice Lumumba in 1960.
[1] After several years in power Mobutu renamed the country Zaire in 1971 and sought to define and forge a united Zairian nation through his policy of authenticity, that included efforts to purge Christianity from Zaire – for it was deemed colonial.
[1] There have been critics of Zairian/Congolese nationalism who believe that it was a manipulative ploy by Mobutu to gain legitimacy for his rule, though this criticism has been challenged by the persistence of a post-Mobutu nationalism after the fall of Mobutu from power and the renaming of the country back to the Democratic Republic of Congo.