The Congo
by John Gerlach

Zine
48 pages
Publisher: Microcosm

The story of the Congo is  the story of imperialism, foreign governments drawing boundaries and associating disparate tribes, resources being mined and profiting the rich and powerful, racism, fears and stories of cannibalism, civil wars, a series of corrupt foreign and domestic leaders, and no end in sight. Once thought of as “The Dark Continent,” Sub-Saharan Africa has a long and dreary road ahead to take back their own resources and construct a positive path towards the future. This is the tale of how the war-ravaged Congo never stood a chance at forming its own democracy or nationalizing wealth produced within its borders. The Simple History Series is an ongoing set of digestible bits and stories told the way they are often not taught in school.

Epilogue: Leopold hired a man to give his deeds in The Congo a positive public image. When personal relations between them went sour, the publicist sold their correspondence to Randolph Hearst, showing the actual deeds of Leopold in The Congo and the resulting generations of atrocities that unfolded there.