Tintin in the Congo is a comic book written in 1930 by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. The lighthearted cartoons and dialogue in the comic depicts a peaceful Congo, where everyone gets along and lives happily amongst the wild animals. Although the book can be seen as enjoyable and harmless at a surface level, it also represents the countless inaccurate portrayals of European colonization in popular media. From the actual cartoons to the way people interact with one another, Tintin in the Congo includes themes that can should be viewed through a historical lense to understand the reality of life in the Belgian Congo. We will analyze specific scenes in the comic book and relate them to works such as Hochschild’s “King Leopold’s Ghost”, Headrick’s “The Tools of Imperialism”, and Burbank and Cooper’s “Imperial Repertoires and Myths of Modern Colonialism”.

An important theme throughout Tintin in the Congo is the Africans relying on Tintin and idolizing him as a holy figure. Not only do the natives welcome him with open arms, they all talk about Tintin after he leaves as if their savior had to depart. We understand from all other accounts that this was absolutely not the case when it came to the relationship between Africans and Belgian colonizers under King Leopold.

The image to the right (Hergé 62) was taken from the last page of comic book. The cartoon shows the entire village praising Tintin and even his dog Snowy to an extreme level. The Africans are saying things such as, “Them say, in Europe all young white men is like Tintin…” or even a mother telling a child, “And if you not good, you never be like Tintin!” Even the the dogs at the bottom are talking about Snowy and how fantastic he is; it’s no coincidence that even Tintin’s dog is bright white. Ironically, this scene is the exact opposite of what happened in reality. As Burbank and Cooper stated, “European empires left fragmented societies and great disparities of economic condition in their wake.” (289) The Belgian Congo was not left in this prosperous state after the imperialists left and the Europeans, represented by Tintin, most certainly weren’t seen as saviors in any context.

The cartoon to the right is from a scene where Tintin resolves a conflict between two Africans. (Hergé 27) Not only is the entire scenario absolutely absurd, Hergé then shows the Africans talking to each other about how the “White man very fair.”

Furthermore, the fair “White man” even saves the Africans from other white men. The cartoon to the left shows Tintin catching a European thief to protect the native Africans. (Hergé  15) Of course in a comic book, every situation is drawn as harmless; in reality, Europeans such as Stanley murdered and tortured anyone in their way. An account from “King Leopold’s Ghost” states, “Soldiers made young men kill or rape their own mothers and sisters.” (Hochschild 166) A cartoonist isn’t going to show such scenes in a comic book such as Tintin, but the reality of the Belgian Congo couldn’t be further from this book. When an entire nation hides its history and only leaves the public with comic books such as this one, the world slowly forgets about reality and replaces it with heroic old Tintin.

Interestingly the scene from the right is the only time Tintin can be seen manipulating the Africans. (Hergé 20) Not only is he forcing them to do labor, he’s guilting them through his dog, saying the Africans should help cause the dog is getting tired. Contrary to Headrick’s “The Tools of Imperialism,” the African’s themselves have access to modern transportation.

Now what further issues can lighthearted cartoons such as this create? We look at the chapter “The Great Forgetting” from “King Leopold’s Ghost.” This chapter discusses the complete absence of the history of the Belgian Congo in museums, novels, textbooks, and any other public outlet throughout Belgium. Before his death, Leopold ensured all accessible accounts were burned or hidden from the general public. Marchal, a retired diplomat, went around Belgium to collect information on Belgium’s activity in the Congo. Hochschild writes, “The testimony papers were stamped Ne pas a communiquer aux chercheurs – no access for researchers. Marchal protested that it was seventy years after the commission had delivered its report, and that he was of ambassadorial rank. It made no difference. He was not allowed to see the files.” (Hochschild 297) Such a grim and important time in history should be transparent to the world, yet the Belgian government has kept it a secret. With that being said, works such as Tintin in the Congo can contribute to the erasure of history and the forgotten time of suffering.

Although Tintin in the Congo shows an inaccurate and misleading depiction of the Belgian Congo, the comic book should not be banned and taken out of circulation. As we see through Marchal’s struggle in “King Leopold’s Ghost,” media should never be banned or burned to hide history. Tintin in the Congo itself actually represents the Belgian government and their attempt to hide their heinous colonization, and this comic book is an example of how Belgian artists and authors used popular media to mask reality. Therefore depending on how one uses it, this comic book written in 1930 is a great historical artifact.

Works Cited