The History of Congo:

by Charles Didier Gondola

This book begins with a survey of Congo's early history, when diverse peoples such as the Luba, the Kuba, and the Nilotic inhabited the area, and continues by tracing the country's history through the Belgian period of colonization and the dictatorships of Mobutu and Kabila. Biographical portraits present important figures in Congo's storied history. An annotated bibliography and chronology help make this the most current and accessible introduction to this fascinating, complex, and long-suffering nation.



The Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire, is located at the center of Africa. The country encompasses the entire Congo River Basin, the potential source of 13% of the world's hydroelectric power. The Congo River Basin also contains one-third of Africa's rainforests, countless species of trees, and more then 10,000 species of flowering plants. Congo contains extremely valuable deposits of diamonds and coltan, a metal used in high-tech machinery. Because of this abundance of natural resources, Congo has unfortunately been the site of colonial domination, repressive dictatorships, and internecine violence between rebel groups and neighboring countries.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Africa

215 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Kev Nickells · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably one for when you're not feeling wobbly. Absolutely brutal, undending terror largely inflicted by colonial forces. Particularly the Belgians. I knew colonialism was bad to the Congolese people but I perhaps didn't know the scale and severity, which should probably be considered in similar terms to the holocaust - that is, an unspeakably terrible thing that we are at pains never to repeat.
Frustratingly, there's a real dearth in English about the Congo. This is good and scholarly but brief - could easily have spread to several books. Grimly fascinating.