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.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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
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Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
