The Belgian-Congolese colonial past, long removed, re-emerged at the end of the last century, amplifying controversial issues and intertwining with instances of truth, justice and reparation. The public debate originates from the drama of the Rwandan genocide (1994) which calls into question the colonial and post-colonial past of Belgium; and is marked by the reinterpretation of two important historical moments: the wellknown “Congo atrocities” perpetrated in the Independent State of Congo (1885-1908) and the involvement of Belgium in the assassination of the Congolese leader Patrice Lubumba (1961). This article originates from a recent research dedicated to the theme of the trauma of decolonization experienced by the Anciens du Congo following the precipitous loss of the colony. It extends the gaze to some aspects that emerged in the memory-history dialectic that are intertwined with historiography, between closures and innovative interdisciplinary paths. The reflection is based on the consultation of a variety of documentation (biographies, oral and printed sources, memorials, websites) and also on the evaluation of some scientific and popular publications, whose impact on the public debate has been significant.