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A Journal of a Tour in the Congo Free State
A Journal of a Tour in the Congo Free State by Marcus R. P. Dorman is a historical travel account documenting the author's journey through the Congo Free State during the early twentieth century. Through journal entries and observations, Dorman describes the region's landscapes, waterways, settlements, commerce, transportation, and social conditions.
The work provides a contemporary perspective on the Congo during the period of King Leopold II's administration, offering observations of the territory and its rapidly changing political and economic environment. As a travel record, it also reflects the attitudes and perspectives of its era, making it useful for readers examining the history of European colonialism in Central Africa.
This book is valuable for readers interested in Congo history, African exploration, colonial history, travel literature, Central African geography, and early twentieth-century historical accounts.
The work provides a contemporary perspective on the Congo during the period of King Leopold II's administration, offering observations of the territory and its rapidly changing political and economic environment. As a travel record, it also reflects the attitudes and perspectives of its era, making it useful for readers examining the history of European colonialism in Central Africa.
This book is valuable for readers interested in Congo history, African exploration, colonial history, travel literature, Central African geography, and early twentieth-century historical accounts.
- GenresTravelNonfictionHistory
172 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1905
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May 25, 2021
We remember the Congo Free State as a reign of terror- where a despot lorded over millions with only one goal, to harvest as much rubber and any other natural resource as possible. Who has not seen the harrowing photograph of the Congolese looking at the severed hands of his young child. But Mr. Phipps Dorman would have us believe otherwise. He goes into the remotest region of Africa to ascertain the truth with his own eyes, and the truth surprises him. According to him the the state is much too benevolent, even to the point of spoiling the "lazy" native by allowing him too much free time and getting too little work out of him.
Of course a contemporary person who travelled to a remote jungle so as to not take things at face value, to not form opinions based on the sensationalist newspapers, would know much more about the situation than I do, especially considering that I have not even tried to research the matter yet. So was the entire Congo fiasco just based on some lying natives' "testimonies" blown out of proportion? Phipps Dorman actually meets one of the natives whose photos and testimony were doing rounds in Europe at the time, as a proof of how cruel King Leopold's administration was being; and he exposes the native for the lying sack of sh*t that he is, by looking at his severed limb and coming to the conclusion that it had fallen off after getting gangrene from a boar bite, and did not at all look like a hand severed by a sharp weapon as a way of punishment.
This is a good enough first hand account of the Congo Free State, albeit a bit boring, as it is just a bit too full of praises for the State and literally every single white individual is portrayed as being on a civilising mission, shouldering the heavy burden of bringing civilisation to the lazy, unhygienic, greedy Congolese. I didn't expect anything else but I found the book boring also because nothing much adventurous happens, and all the time he kept on talking about the big game he was going to hunt, but he never came to doing it. It is an average Travel account of the Congo journal, you can read it for a first hand account of the place, but don't expect any breathtaking action.
Of course a contemporary person who travelled to a remote jungle so as to not take things at face value, to not form opinions based on the sensationalist newspapers, would know much more about the situation than I do, especially considering that I have not even tried to research the matter yet. So was the entire Congo fiasco just based on some lying natives' "testimonies" blown out of proportion? Phipps Dorman actually meets one of the natives whose photos and testimony were doing rounds in Europe at the time, as a proof of how cruel King Leopold's administration was being; and he exposes the native for the lying sack of sh*t that he is, by looking at his severed limb and coming to the conclusion that it had fallen off after getting gangrene from a boar bite, and did not at all look like a hand severed by a sharp weapon as a way of punishment.
This is a good enough first hand account of the Congo Free State, albeit a bit boring, as it is just a bit too full of praises for the State and literally every single white individual is portrayed as being on a civilising mission, shouldering the heavy burden of bringing civilisation to the lazy, unhygienic, greedy Congolese. I didn't expect anything else but I found the book boring also because nothing much adventurous happens, and all the time he kept on talking about the big game he was going to hunt, but he never came to doing it. It is an average Travel account of the Congo journal, you can read it for a first hand account of the place, but don't expect any breathtaking action.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review