Five Years with the Congo Cannibals

by Herbert Ward

The dramatic first-hand account of the establishment of the Congo Free State, a private colony set up under King Leopold of Belgium to stamp out the Arab slave trade in central Africa, written by a participant in the wars and adventures of the 1890s in that country.
Recruited to the service of the Congo Free State by the famous explorer Henry Morton Stanley, the author's first two years were spent along the upper and lower Congo River.
After being replaced by a Belgian officer, Ward joined the Sanford Exploring Company, but was soon recruited once again by Stanley, who was then assembling the Emin Pasha relief expedition.
Appointed with the rank of lieutenant, Ward held the position allocated to them for the next 14 months, only finally returning to England in 1899.
All during this period, he kept a diary and made careful sketches of all he saw and experienced, which included many instances of violence, savagery, cannibalism-and beauty.
His work provides some of the most detailed descriptions ever captured of the main tribes, of human sacrifice, of the central African Arab slave trade, the wildlife and the interior of Africa before urbanization. It is a glimpse of an Africa which has gone forever but the imagery he captured in writing and image is as enduring as ever.
This is a new, completely reset edition, which contains all the original illustrations digitally restored to the highest possible quality.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

236 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1891

About the author

Herbert Ward was a British sculptor, illustrator, writer, and explorer of Africa. In 1884, Ward met Henry Morton Stanley in London, when he was interviewed for a post as an officer in the independent Congo State, Stanley recommended Ward for a position, and he worked for the next two years along the upper and lower Congo River, where he first met Roger Casement. The latter was working on construction of a railroad to bypass the cataracts of the lower Congo river. After being replaced by a Belgian officer, Ward joined the Sanford Exploring Company, where he became a member of Henry Morton Stanley's Emin Pasha Relief Expedition. Ward later became a sculptor. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre, and became a member of the Royal Society of British Sculptors.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A travel diary written by a British colonist in 1890 about his periples in Congo. Informative but also certainly romanticized and embellished. Very pleasant to read, though. Clear and easy to understand for non-English speakers. I took a lot of notes.

[Juan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave it 4 stars mostly because of its historical record of native tribes and groups of the Congo region. There are a significant amount of derogatory stereotypes and eugenic references throughout the book, that although put in the context of the times, really show how disgusting many of the “sophisticated” world viewed foreign cultures. With that being said, there are great stories that were recorded and phenomenal sketches that record some of the people Ward encountered. I’m glad I read it, but now I feel like I owe it to myself and the groups being spoken about to read more in depth to get a full grasp of the world this era took place in.

[Bobby Daugherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book by one of the first Englishmen to enter Africa and work, live, and travel among the locals. He speaks well of the savages but they were cannibals and certainly not civilized.