Emotions in/out of Place: Sentiment, Performance and the Magic Lantern in Belgian Colonial Charity Campaigns

What is it about?

During the late nineteen and early twentieth centuries, the magic lantern became a popular tool for colonial propaganda. Illustrated lectures were used by missionaries to raise money and sympathy for the colonial project and simultaneously by others to criticize the very same project. In both cases they aimed at triggering specific emotions of awe, pity, disgust or admiration. This article focuses on the propaganda efforts by the Belgian Scheut Missionaries, with a special look at Jozef Napoleon Flameygh, a priest heavily involved in these campaigns. By studying Flameygh’s lectures, personal letters, and other materials, we uncover how emotions and identity played out in missionary activities. We learn about Flameygh’s public and private personas, showing how he presented himself differently in different settings. Through this research, we see how the magic lantern shaped colonial propaganda and missionary identities, and how ideas of masculinity influenced Flameygh's role. Despite his public image as a hero, Flameygh’s private writings reveal his doubts and vulnerabilities, shedding light on the complexities of missionary life and discourse.

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