King 's Ghost : Illuminating Congo 's Heart Of Darkness

The king Leopold’s ghost “Great Congo scandal” was a hit topic starting from the 19th century even till today. The King Leopold’s Ghost book consist of a wide range of topic, starting with the effort made by King Leopold II to make Congo get colonies, People who resisted the colonization of Congo, New Imperialism. The administration of King Leopold II portrayed humanitarianism and also a philanthropist to the public by gathering explorers, geographer and anti-slavery reformers to make the International African Association, but he manipulated the government and the people from other colonies by using slave trade, suffering, and Genocide and also to extract rubber and ivory form what was known as the “Congo Free State” according to Craig page 867.

Africa was not treated as if African people were already living there but as “an expanse of empty space waiting to be filled by the cities constructed through the magic of European industry.” (101) What occurred in the Congo was also happening in neighboring countries by other world leaders but, the Congo had the most rubber. For example, Germany controlled Cameroon and Portugal ruled Angola by the same tactics as Leopold. However, the Congo was exploited the most due to American and British politics about WWI. In the end, “men who carried it out for Leopold were no more murderous than many Europeans elsewhere in Africa.”

Because hardly anyone would dare to explore the somewhat mythical land previous to the ‘Scramble for Africa’, no one knew what to expect of the people there. In 1350, a monk declared “that Africa contained one eyed people who used their feet to cover their heads” (Hochschild 6). In addition to a skewed perception of the mysterious, dark-skinned people, people of power in the Congo did not think very highly of natives. Stanley and many others said that the Africans were “lazy by definition” and that they needed to work (Hochschild 68). Most people took his word for truth. In the United States, people supported the colonization of the Congo, because it resolved the post-Civil War problem in The South. Many Southern officials were convinced that because Africa was the “native home of the negro”, the Congo was the perfect place to send them (Hochschild 79). This belief not only gave Leopold more support, but it widened his reign to the United States. Leopold knew that if people brought to light the atrocities that were occurring, human rights activists- like Morel- would end his ability to control The Congo. Luckily, he had people such as Stanley and the United States Southern officials that did not see the immorality of the injustice that prevailed over the Africans, to support his

In the late 19th century, the idea of imperialism arose, where one country would extend its power and rule over another. At the same time, Kipling introduced his famous theory of the “White Man’s Burden” in a poem about how it was a white man’s moral obligation to go to uncivilized areas of the world and civilize them. With these two notions in place, many European countries began to explore places in Africa and Europe and were supposed to civilize them. However, in reality, most European countries instead took advantage of the power and control they had and used it against the people they conquered. Above all leaders, none were more ruthless than King Leopold of Belgium, who gained control over the Congo Free State. King Leopold was completely responsible for the negative effects of the Congo Free State on its region and its people that resulted in the deaths of million of natives because of the role he played in colonizing the area, his purpose for colonization and the way it affected the natives, and because of the cruel way he treated and punished the natives.

unearth the source and extent of the veiled forced labor. The master is King Leopold of Belgium. Of course, this is contrary to his popular image on the world map. Leopold never even set foot in Congo but cunningly managed to drain off the minerals and natural resources of poor Congolese men and women at the expense of their blood. On the international stage, Leopold pretended as the most loyal and generous. Lest did Europe and America know that he was living on the blood of millions of people. Leopold had implemented a brutal system in Congo that exploited Congolese in their own country. The power-hungry man disguised in the umbrella of colonialist charity to harness terror on helpless people. He managed to wipe out 10 million lives through

Over ten million Africans were killed in the Congo during the European imperialism invasion that in 1850. In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad uses the setting to show the detrimental effects of European imperialism has on the mind, Africa, and those who would became intricate pawns in the capitalist greed of European companies. During the book Africa can be seen as a character that is fighting against the invaders.

In conclusion, the era of the rubber trade in the Congo Free State is one of most scandalous periods of Africa’s history. It continues to put images of the horrific violence of the forest, where greed exists. By the European rubber agents caused untold human suffering among an overwhelmed and defenseless African population. These nightmarish visons first emerged from the publication of the Congo Reform Association an international organization dedicated to inform, shock, and mobilize public opinion against the autocratic rule of King Leopold II. Their goal was ultimately successful: in the face of mounting criticism at home and abroad, the King was forced to abdicate his sovereignty over the Congo Free State to Belgium in 1908.

The Congo was ruled by King Leopold II of Belgium from 1876 — 1908. Conrad’s book, Heart of Darkness allows us to examine the structure of imperialism from the perspective of the winning side. This structure was founded upon the belief that one group’s knowledge, morals, religious and political views are superior than another.

The one and a half million miles of land that The Democratic Republic of Congo covers is covered with plentiful natural resources. It has long rivers, tall mountains, and an abundance of wildlife. This is one of the many reasons why King Leopold, from Belgium, claimed this land at the Berlin Conference. This triggered over a hundred years of suffering due to slavery and unfair laws. Through this hardship, the people of Congo came together to fight, and gain, their

Striving to not be left behind by the African colonial train king Leopold II’s attainment of the Congolese people left a scar that is still very visible today. His hunger for power, money, and global recognition by the European powers drastically altered the way of life for those residing in the Congo for generations. King Leopold II’s authority of the Congo was solidified during the Berlin Conference as the he had convinced the European powers of the necessity of Belgium’s presence in the Congo under the guise of charity.

King Leopold’s Ghost is a novel which reflects on the historical colonization of the Congo region and the subjugation of its people. The book gives a unique view on the characters involved, such as Henry Morton Stanley, who has frequently been praised by Western Society. The author, Adam Hochschild, also recounts the terrible acts that occurred in the Congo Free State under king Leopold II. He speaks about the underhandedness of Belgium’s role in obtaining the colony, and the massive deception scheme created by the king in order to subjugate 20 million people out of greed.

The wishes of perseverance of some are the destruction of others because every action has a reaction. King Leopold came to the Congo to eradicate all signs of autochthony there and to accomplish his goals at the expense of others. The Congo was once a free land and with the arrival of Leopold it became a captive land. Ayi Kwei Armah in his book, Two Thousand Seasons, gives a clear example of the devastation that the white parasites bring upon an indigenous land, therefore, this book is linked with the atrocities that King Leopold performed on the Congo, shown on the film Ghost of King Leopold. King Leopold imposed a slave labor system on the Congo to remove its wealth on the material level and the spiritual to

Europe and America have taken a land of culture and community and constructs a land driven by greed. Kingsolver depicts Europe and America as morally compromised because of their economic and political manipulation of the Congo. For foreign countries , “ Congo was born too rich for her own good, and attracted attention far and wide from men who desire to rob her blind...Exploitive and

Present at the Berlin Conference was the enigmatic and unscrupulous King Leopold II; moreover, Leopold II had successfully swindled the European community into believing that he was responsible for carrying out altruistic endeavors and civilizing the African people by proselytizing them and assimilating them into European culture. Ultimately, the African Subcontinent and its people were viewed as the antithesis of the Europeans. Under these false pretenses, Leopold II was able to procure the vast amount of precious resources in the region including ivory, rubber, and a vast array of minerals and gems. In 1892, Leopold II openly declared that all resources in the Congo Free State now belonged to him; moreover, the pursuit of goods extended beyond the exterior. The colonialists had encroached upon the interior of the Congo Free State where they could further exploit the land and its people. In the novel, this encroachment is characterized by the implementation of several stations in the interior of the Congolese jungle. In the coming years, several atrocities were committed against the Congolese people…. The political and cultural context of this era play an instrumental role in understanding Marlow’s rationale for abandoning his previously held convictions; moreover, his internal struggle stems from his anachronistic stance on the treatment of humans. In contemporary society, one may perceive the conventions of

It is clear that the Congo can be associated with many qualities. One of the most significant qualities of the region is the quality of disorder and chaos. It is what Marlow first realizes within the Congo upon seeing the French warship shelling the empty coastline on the threat of “a camp of natives” and the Outer Station’s “decaying machinery” (Conrad 11,12). Here, we see an environment that possesses none of the traits that make up European civilization. The unfamiliar landscape causes the Europeans to become disoriented and paranoid to the point where they see anything as a possible threat and