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