Gazing in the Congo (DRC): the dark heart of Africa (2006-2017)

[M-A Lagrange]

I see we are in agreement.

The issue is tied to why I found Hochschild's book, King Leopold's Ghost ultimately patronizing. For all the faults of the Congo Free State and King Leopold, the horrors of the Congo were not merely a product of the Europeans who exploited the area and the people. King Leopold did not commit the original sin by biting the African apple, although he was infamous for declaring his desire for a slice of the African cake.


C'est le Congo

Tom

Tom,

Well, we can be in agreement. Not on everything but that's life.

I personally think that what ever Leopold did, he just emplfied an existing behaviour.
What really estanished me in my research was that before the coming of the Portugese and then the Brits and the French in Kongo Empire, the notion of soldier was pretty much "modern".
Alright, they fought on other tribes and killed women and children and took slaves but it was for defense purpose or to expend the imperium of the Empire. Which was not that unified but still, had some very common roots with what was done in Europe at that time. The Army was a nobel profession and its purpose to defend the land and the people.
When the Portugeses arrived, they disturbed that military tradition by imposing slave trade to a first willing King and then an unwilling King. After the fall of the last King of Kongo, the army tradition changed and the practice of razzia and political deportation through slave trade became the army bread and butter.
Leopold's mercenaries came after and took benefit from it.
I do believe that it did influence deeply the Congolese understanding of governance and security management.

Stan,

You're so right. the network was so crazy in Goma. But what was funny in the end was that we all figured out that if celtel was down it would mean someone is coming or CNDP was giving trouble to the FARDC.
We just had to look at the UN choppers:
If they were in the sky: VIP visit,
If none in the sky: CNDP. (great parties to forget that the city was only protected by Nkunda will to not take it).

C'est comme ca. Petit a petit, l'oiseau fait son nid.

M-A