In Words and Pictures: The Democratic Republic of the Congo
« « An Interview with Wildlife Photographer Andy Biggs | 11 Reasons Every Photographer Needs a Website or Blog » »Oct 19th, 2008 | By andrew | Category: Books
The International Rescue Committee estimate that as many as 45,000 people die in the Democratic Republic of the Congo every month. I take a look at this tragic, war-torn country through the eyes of a writer and six photojournalists.
Blood River by Tim Butcher
Blood River reads like a novel of the apocalypse as Tim Butcher travels through a bizarre world where progress halted and went into reverse long ago. The houses, roads, factories, machines and boats constructed by the Belgian colonists now lay rusting in the tropical heat. The locations where the movie African Queen starring Katherine Hepburn was filmed in 1951 are impassable and dangerous.
The author’s mother passed this way safely in 1958 on her way from Zimbabwe to England, and his copy of a 1951 travel guide lists railways, ferry services, highways and guest houses. But since then the story of the Congo has been one of horror, blood and regression.
Deep in the Congo’s jungle, grandfathers are more exposed to modernity than their grandchildren. The author recounts an encounter in a remote village in the east with an old man who remembered cars and motorcycles. He was delighted when the author came through on a motorbike as the village children had never seen one before.
It’s estimated that 45,000 people a month are dying in the Congo, from a combination of war, malnutrition and disease. The infrastructure of the country, especially the east, has broken down and the jungle is gradually reclaiming the buildings and roads built by the Belgian colonists. Various rebel groups occupy different parts of the country.
The author repeats the mantra throughout the book that jungle is safe, town is dangerous; because it’s in the towns where one can encounter soldiers, rebels and bureaucratic, corrupt officials, and the jungle where one goes to hide or escape from marauding soldiers that regularly rampage through.
Butcher travelled through this primeval landscape on a personal mission to follow the footsteps of Stanley, perhaps Africa’s most famous explorer. His account of his journey is interwoven with the history of Stanley, the Congo’s Portuguese discoverers, Belgian colonists, the country’s independence and its struggles since with dictatorships, rebellions and corrupt politicians.
The history of the Congo is tragic. The primary goal of the Portuguese and then the Belgians was to exploit the jungle’s natural resources. They did so ruthlessly and murderously. First came the slave trade, and afterwards Belgian colonisation. Independence in 1960 was followed by dictatorship, corruption and war. It seems the ordinary people of the Congo have never had the opportunities for the peaceful, democratic existence the majority of us enjoy.
Even though the author’s journey was incredibly dangerous he sounds quite matter of fact about the hardships and difficulties that he encounters. Tim Butcher is a war correspondent and in the book he writes about the dangers he faces in his work, taking the possibility of dying in his stride as he strives to minimise risk.
This is an incredible book, not only for the bravery of the author, but for the lessons it teaches about the Congo’s bloody history and present problems. It’s a terrifying lesson in what can happen when progress reverses and a place regresses, as law and order fade and chaos, anarchy and war take over, and the leaders, not only of the country itself but of her neighbours, are only interested in exploitation and personal gain.
More Reviews
(All external links open in a new window)
Read more reviews of Blood River by Tim Butcher here:
Official Blood River Website
Photography in the Congo
After reading Blood River, I think that any photojournalist working in a country like the Democratic Republic of the Congo is extremely brave. Here are the best photo stories about the Congo that I could find:
Rape of a Nation - Marcus Bleasdale
The Congolese Sape - Héctor Mediavilla
[Update] This photo story was actually shot in Brazzaville, in the Republic of the Congo, which is a different country to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Brazzaville is located on the north bank of the Congo River, opposite Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is on the south bank.
Congo - James Pomerantz (click on ‘Congo’ in the left hand menu)
In the D.R. Congo with Unicef - Julien Harneis
Julien Harneis - Congo photos at Flickr
Gorilla Killings, Virunga - Brent Stirton
Counting the Cost of Gold - My interview with photojournalist Richard Wainwright
National Geographic
Who Rules the Forest? - The Mbuti pygmies of Congo’s Ituri forest
Who Murdered the Virunga Gorillas?
Gentle Gorillas, Turbulent Times
Congo Trek - A Journey Through the Heart of Central Africa
More Resources
Wanderlust Magazine - Interview with Tim Butcher
Wikipedia - African Queen
Wikipedia - Democratic Republic of the Congo
Wikipedia - Tim Butcher
Share This Post
Add to Digg, StumbleUpon, Facebook; E-mail to a friend etc...
Subscribe to Free Updates
Subscribe to free updates by RSS or E-mail.
Related Posts
- None Found
3 comments
Leave a comment »
Trackbacks
-
Link Roundup (Oct. 20) | Collective Lens
October 20th, 2008 7:44 pm
:
[...] In Words and Pictures: The Democratic Republic of the Congo Magical Places Fine Art has a comprehensive summary of the situation in the DR Congo: “The International Rescue Committee estimate that as many as 45,000 people die in the Democratic Republic of the Congo every month. I take a look at this tragic, war-torn country through the eyes of a writer and six photojournalists.” [...]
Your links under photography in the Congo include items relevant to the DRC and the Republic of Congo(Brazaville) - these are two very different countries. Blood River is written about the DRC and has nothing to do with Congo Brazaville.
Thanks for pointing this out Wendy. You’re right, the Congolese Sape story was shot in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo - which is a different country.