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The Troubled Heart of Africa: A History of the Congo, by Robert Edgerton
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Written over a century ago, Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness continues to dominate our vision of the Congo, unlikely as it might seem that a late-Victorian novella could encapsulate a country roughly equal in size to the United States east of the Mississippi. Conrad's Congo is hell itself, a place where civilization won't take, where literal and metaphor darknesses converge, and where human conduct, unmoored from social (Western, in other words) norms, turns barbaric. As Robert Edgerton shows in this crisply narrated yet sweeping work of history, the Congo is still trying to awaken from the nightmare of its past, struggling to pull free from the grip of the "heart of darkness" cliche.
Plundered for centuries for its natural resources (which remain Africa's most abundant), the Congo was not always a place of horror. Before the Portuguese landed on its shores at the end of the 15th century, it was a prosperous and thriving region. The Congo River, the world's second longest as well as the deepest, and one of the only routes to the continent's interior, provided indigenous populations with ample means for living and trading. What the Portuguese found first to exploit were people, and with the slave trade began a dizzying downward spiral of conquest and degradation that continued for centuries. By the 19th century the race to explore the full length of the legendary river masked a fight for territorial and moral control among the French, Arabs, British, Germans, as well as American missionaries, all of whom dreamed of possessing Africa's very heart. When King Leopold of Belgium managed to solidify control in 1885, the Congo "question" seemed solved. His reign, of course, was almost pathological in its cruelty-the true source of Conrad's "horror"-and its grim legacy endures to this day.
Edgerton documents the Congo's long, sad history with a sense of empathy with and admiration for the character of the land and its inhabitants. Since independence in June 1960, the country has endured the machinations and disappointments of one dictator after another, beginning with Patrice Lumumba, and continuing through Joseph Mobutu, Laurent Kabila, and today Kabila's son, Joseph, who assumed power after his father was assassinated in January 2001. Whether called the "Congo Free State," or "Zaire," or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the country remains perilously unstable.
s20The Troubled Heart of Africa is the only book to give a complete history of the Congo, filling in the blanks in the country's history before the advent of Henry Stanley, David Livingstone, King Leopold, and other figures, and carrying us straight into today's headlines. The Congo continues today to be the subject of intense speculation and concern, and with good reason: upon it hangs the fate of sub-Sahara Africa as a whole. Here is a book that helps us face the stark truths of the Congo's past and appreciate both the enormous potential and uncertainty of its future.
- Sales Rank: #561361 in Books
- Published on: 2002-12-01
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.68" h x 1.34" w x 6.32" l,
- Binding: Hardcover
- 320 pages
From Publishers Weekly
During the past few years, the Congo, long exploited for its natural resources and among the most corrupt countries in Africa, has been explored by a number of authors. Most of these books have been journalistic accounts, but Edgerton offers a historical narrative of a country ravaged by colonial exploitation and the corrupt rule of a native despot. His story is familiar, but it is told accurately and well, from the arrival of Portuguese explorers in the 16th century through the recent, brief rule of Laurent Kabila. The author doesn't neglect the detrimental role played by the West: the rule of Belgium's King Leopold symbolized the worst of colonial exploitation. But Edgerton (The Fall of the Asante Empire), a professor of psychiatry at UCLA, refrains from turning this into an anti-West morality tale. He shows how Arab invaders spread cannibalism and notes that Africans have not redeemed themselves when in charge of the country. As a result, there's little reason to doubt Edgerton's conclusion: "Even if an agreement about elections and army integration were, by some miracle, to take place, there is no reason to believe that peace would be restored" to this embattled country. This book serves as a basic primer on how one of the world's most mineral-rich countries was turned into one of its greatest tragedies. 8 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Without a doubt one of the most troubled regions in Africa, the Congo has a complex, often disturbing history. Populated by several different cultures, including the Mbuti Pygmies and the Bakongo, the Congo was unknown to Europeans until Diogo Cao, a Portuguese captain, ventured into its depths in 1482. Cao and his men were treated well, and in time more Europeans followed, many of them famous explorers, such as David Livingstone and Henry Stanley. Missionaries followed as well, determined to convert the peoples of the Congo to Christianity. King Leopold's "ownership" of the Congo--private property until Belgium "bought" it from him in 1908--devastated the denizens by forcing them to work under conditions so horrific that the population plummeted from 20 million to 6 million in less than 30 years. The year 1960 brought Congolese independence and ultimately brought to power Joseph-Desire Mobutu, who proved to be every bit as corrupt as his European predecessors. Joseph Kabila, the son of Mobutu's successor, now faces an international war and startling poverty levels. An engrossing albeit tragic history. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
About the Author
Robert B. Edgerton teaches in the Departments of Psychiatry and Anthropology at UCLA. He has been a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, and president of the Society of Psychological Anthropology. His previous books include Warriors of the Rising Sun: A History of the Japanese Military and Hidden Heroism: Black Soldiers in America's Wars. He lives in Los Angeles.
Most helpful customer reviews
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
A Good Primer on The Congo
By Carl Robinson
This book describes Africa's Heart of Darkness-The Congo. It is a region of heavy jungle in central Africa that is best known, to put it mildly, for barbarism.
In many ways the book is more about the European explorers and pioneers that lived in the region rather than the indigenous people of the Congo. Sub-Sahara Africa has little history and fewer cultural artifacts.
This is an easy read for those interested in Africa and its dark heart.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Fascinating history of the DRC.
By Kari
This book opened my eyes to many pieces of history of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Robert Edgerton does a masterful job presenting key elements that brought this region of Africa to the place it is in today.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful.
A summary history of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
By Kevin M Quigg
Another fine book from Edgerton. For an anthropologist, Edgerton does a good job writing history. There have been several fine books about the Congo Free State and even Mobutu's Zaire, but none have wrapped up the history of this huge country as Edgerton has in this recent book. Basically, the author starts out with the description of the country, followed by a chapters on discovering the Congo, the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, the independence and civil war period, and Mobutu's Zaire.
The history goes through 2001.
I would have loved to see some views on what will happen to the Congo. Edgerton states that this country is rich in natural resources, but I wonder if it can really remain one single country due to the many tribes who live in the DRC. Ethnic hatreds flamed by neighboring aggressive countries will test the strength of this country remaining as one. If not, perhaps the DRC and it's people will continue to hang on after more bad governments. For those interested in Africa, this is a worthwhile book.
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