Perception

In the early nineteenth century, King Leopold of Belgium believed that they should take part in the invasion of Africa and capitalize off of the resources available. Adam Hochschild scrutinizes the techniques and strategies behind the Belgians’ tactics in their brutal takeover of the Congo in his book, King Leopold’s Ghost. King Leopold is arguably one of the most ferocious tyrants in history. He not only manipulated the Congolese people but also the Europeans who put their faith in him to open up free trade in the Congo. While this created many benefits for the Belgians, the blood shed was high for the indigenous people of the Congo. Not long after the invasion and take over people seemed to forget about the atrocities that happened. After only twenty short years the colonial agents working in the Congo had little understanding of what happened there. Georges Prosper Remi, better known as Hergé, wrote a comic starring his most famous character, Tin Tin, in the Congo. This comic illustrated the popularized impressions of what it was like for the Belgians to be in the Congo.

The story starts off with Tin Tin on a boat to the Congo. While him and his dog, Snowy, are on board they run into some troubles. Snowy accidentally finds a stow away in the lower cabin. Tin Tin and Snowy represent the Belgians while the stow away represents the other European nations. The stow away tries to get rid of Snowy by throwing him out of the window and into the ocean. Tin Tin jumps in after Snowy but they both are struggling to stay afloat until they get saved by an all African crew. This first encounter represents the bond between the Congolese and the Belgians. However, this was not historically accurate according to Hochschild. According to Hochschild, (referring to pictures taken of the Congo) “They (the white soldiers) are seated on wicker chairs, a dog at their feet, in front of a tent or simple thatched-roofed building, smiling. Behind them stand their unsmiling African servants, holding some emblem of their status: a servicing tray, a towel draped over an arm, a bottle ready to pour” (Hochschild, 117). In the comic Tin Tin and the African crew members were equal and Tin Tin showed them great appreciation for their help. The Belgians saw the Africans as a lower class of people and used them as slaves.

The day after Tin Tin is in the Congo he is approached by men from The New York Times, The London Daily, and the Diario de Lisboa. The men ask for Tin Tin to write about his experience in the Congo for them but Tin Tin rejects the inquiries. This scene represents the cryptic thinking of the Belgians. According to Hochschild, “Publicly, however, Leopold took the high road, pronouncing himself shocked at reports of misdeeds in his domain” (Hochschild, 173). They did not allow anyone else to interject with what they were doing in the Congo because they knew it would be shamed and stopped. The world was oblivious to the torturous actions happening and blindsided when the evidence was present.

Tin Tin had a Congolese boy follow him around named Coco. He acted as Tin Tin’s servant during his expedition and provided support. Tin Tin was respectful and kind to Coco and Coco was loyal and obedient to Tin Tin. During their expedition their car collides with a train and the train falls over. Tin Tin apologizes to the people on the train and uses his car to pull them back to the village. This contributed to the idea that the invasion was equally beneficial for the Congolese and the Belgians. However, according to Hochschild, “The Congo in Leopold’s mind was not the one of starving porters, raped hostages, emaciated rubber slaves, and severed hands. It was the empire of his dreams, with gigantic trees, exotic animals, and inhabitants grateful for his wise rule” (Hochschild, 175). Leopold did not see the Congolese as people rather he saw them as just property to be taken over. This is contradictory to what was showed in the Tin Tin comic where he cared about Coco and the Congolese that he ran into.

I do not think that Tin Tin in the Congo should be banned and taken out of circulation. The book itself is an important part of history. It provides valuable content that allows readers to get an understanding of how the world saw the colonization of the Congo.

References

Hochschild, Adam King Leopold’s Ghost

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1999

Prosper Remi, Georges Tin Tin in the Congo

1930