History of the Congo in Books

For years the Congo was a place Westerners were eager to explore, partly because of its beauty and challenging terrain but mostly because of the vast amount of natural resources it held. My own interest in the Congo began with a single book, Facing the Congo, which describes the modern day journey of Jeffrey Tayler down the Congo River as he attempts to recreate the earlier voyage of Henry Stanley. In fact, after reading this initial book I found that many of the books on the Congo were travel memoirs that were inspired by earlier writings.

Understanding the culture and political situation of the Congo is a daunting task, but there are several good books available to help you appreciate the role of the Congo in the world. The following selections span the entire literary history of the Congo from the colonial period to present day journeys into the country and political issues that are still making headlines.

Through The Dark Continent by Henry Stanley

Through the Dark Continent is divided into two volumes in which Henry Stanley describes his legendary journey into the heart of Africa and down the Congo River. This is a very detailed primary source of Central Africa and important because Stanley describes the land and people before they suffered from corruption and exploitation. The hardships that Stanley faced on his expedition are incredible and I am amazed that he made it because I cannot think of a single modern day feat that can compare to what Stanley accomplished. You really need to read this book with a 19^th mind frame, and then remember that with this book Stanley gave the world what it wanted to hear and propelled colonialism in the Congo.

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Conrad's novel is based on his own travels to the Belgian Congo aboard a steamship that he commanded in 1890. Even though Heart of Darkness is a novel it is an upfront account of imperialism and the results when everything goes wrong. A thorough reading of the novel will show it to be about more than imperialism though, make sure you read this one slowly and deliberately to pick up on all the assessments, character developments and moral and philosophical viewpoints.

King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild

This is a great book for a comprehensive look at the colonization of the Congo by King Leopold of Belgium. I like Hochschild's historical account because he goes back far enough in history to detail all the events that led up to the ownership of the Congo by Leopold rather than just focusing on the time that Leopold ruled the Congo. This is not an easy book to read, the events that took place in the country really are horrific and heart wrenching. This book gives you enough detail without overwhelming you with facts.

Swimming in the Congo by Margaret Meyers

I love this book because it is a series of short stories told through the innocence of a child's eyes. The story follows the life of a six year old living in the Congo with her missionary parents and the observations she has of those around her are told with the honesty you can only expect from a child. The book takes place in 60's when there is a lot of political change but the author does not go into the political aspects that were consuming the country. This is definitely a more enjoyable read that you will have a hard time putting down.

Facing the Congo by Jeffrey Tayler

Tayler decided to recreate the river down the Congo that Henry Stanley made after reading A Bend in the River and discovering that no one has completed the trip since. In Facing the Congo, Tayler describes the entire trip that he was able to make and all the challenges he faced. I think this travel memoir had such an impact on me because the challenges Tayler faced in 1995 were strikingly similar to those described by Conrad in Heart of Darkness. The Democratic Republic of the Congo that Tayler traveled had its own dangers and difficulties that echoed the problems of its past.

There are many more resources detailing the Democratic Republic of the Congo but I think these do the best of introducing you to the country, its people and its past.