Second Congo War 1998-2003 Africa's world war

[Tom Odom]

I shared this review with some other Rwanda watchers.

Oxford University Press Enters the Tabloid Market

A review of:
Africa's World War: Congo, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Making of a Continental Catastrophe

by Gerard Prunier. Published by Oxford University Press, 2008.

Reviewed by: Thomas (Tom) P. Odom

LTC US Army (ret)

Author, Journey Into Darkness: Genocide In Rwanda

In early 1994 while serving as the US Defense Attaché in Kinshasa, Zaire I had an unexpected visitor, a Zairian army lieutenant colonel who told the Marine Security Guard that he had “urgent business” to discuss with “le Colonel Odom.” Since he knew my name, I asked my NCO, Stan, to go get him. As I sat down with my visitor, I signaled Stan to stay and listen.

The Zairian began with a blast against US perfidy, imperialism, and assorted rot until I asked him to explain what had him all excited. Swelling even more, he proclaimed he had written proof that the US had secretly invaded Zaire in the 1970s. Intrigued I asked him to show me and he handed me a dog-eared copy of Michael Crichton’s novel, Congo.

Crichton’s book began with a introduction that treated a fictional infiltration of the Congo in 1979 as fact to entice a would be reader. Central to the story was a heretofore unknown breed of super apes who would wreck havoc on the 12-person invasion force.

The literary slight of hand worked on the Zairian colonel, so well in fact that he then tried to blackmail me with a threat to go public. He was crushed when I told him that a movie made from the book was already available. I offered to find him a copy but offered no cash. He left no doubt in search of further conspiracies whose revelation might help his cash flow.

Reading Gerard Prunier’s latest book, Africa’s World War, made me feel like I had that Zairian colonel back in my office. A tale of dark conspiracy woven with incompetence made me wonder if there was indeed a fictional Congo with an eastern neighbor, Rwanda, out there. Prunier’s writings suggest there has to be a parallel universe. Certainly there are elements of recognizable truth involved in Prunier’s tale if you have the regional expertise to recognize them. Without a firm grounding in the region, however, one risks being fooled just like the Zairian colonel back in 1994.

I remain amazed that a university press--especially Oxford University Press--went to print with this.

Tom