The Congo in Flemish Literature: An Anthology of Flemish Prose on the Congo, 1870s - 1990s

First-everanthology of Flemish Congo prose

This book presentsthe first anthology of Flemish prose on the Congo, the former colony ofBelgium, in English translation. Because of the Dutch language barrier, Flemishliterature on the Congo has traditionally remained inaccessible to and thusneglected by international scholarship, as opposed to French or English proseon this part of the African continent. That this particular perspective hasthus far remained underexposed, or even disregarded, is all the moreregrettable in light of the fact that the vast majority of Belgians who went towork in the African colony came from Flanders. The Congo in Flemish Literature now represents a key step towardsfilling this lacuna by providing an overview of the different societal attitudestowards the colonial undertaking prevailing in Belgiumduring and after the colonial era, the way the relationship between Belgium andthe Congo changed over time, subject to the zeitgeist and sociopolitical andeconomic developments, and the individual authors' varying points of view withregard to the colonisation. Flemish Congo prose offers a fascinating glimpseinto Belgium's colonial past and legacy, primarily during the colonial era, butalso at the time of its violent aftermath following Congolese independence on30 June 1960, and well into the following decades.