 Colonial authorities discussed ways to ameliorate the situation of the Congolese.Since the 1940s, the colonial government had experimented in a very modest way with granting a limited elite of so-called "évolués" more civil rights, holding out the eventual prospect of a limited amount of political influence.To this end "deserving" Congolese could apply for a proof of "civil merit", or, one step up, 'immatriculation' (registration), i.e., official evidence of their assimilation with European civilisation.