Land of Tears Quotes

“As applied to the Africans, the Commission noted, “It is in spite of himself that the native in the beginning must be induced to throw off his natural indolence and improve his condition. A law, therefore, which imposes upon the native light and regular work is the only means of giving him an incentive to work; while it is an economic law, it is at the same time a humanitarian law.”
― Robert W Harms, Land of Tears: The Exploration and Exploitation of Equatorial Africa

“Red Rubber: The Story of the Rubber Slave Trade Flourishing on the Congo in the Year of Grace 1906”
― Robert W Harms, Land of Tears: The Exploration and Exploitation of Equatorial Africa

“Complementing the imposing stone edifice of the Palace of Colonies were three “traditional” African villages, with houses built of bamboo and thatch in the Bangala style. Two of them were located along a large pool, with dugout canoes at the waterfront. The third village was away from the water in the trees. Palm trees and other tropical vegetation were planted in and around the villages to give them an air of authenticity. The European visitors were not allowed to enter the villages, but they could watch from behind iron fences, much as they would watch animals in a zoo. A sign proclaimed, “Do not feed the blacks. They are already being fed.”
― Robert W Harms, Land of Tears: The Exploration and Exploitation of Equatorial Africa

“Livingstone’s tomb in Westminster Abbey was inscribed with a quotation from an unsent letter that he had written to New York Herald publisher Gordon Bennett in April 1872, which ended with the words “All I can add in my loneliness is, may Heaven’s richest blessing come down on everyone—American, English, or Turk—who will help heal the open sore of the world.”
― Robert W Harms, Land of Tears: The Exploration and Exploitation of Equatorial Africa