From the World of African Literatures:
Ever since the end of the 19th century when it was savagely exploited by Europe and annexed in 1908 by Belgium, Congo (formerly the Belgian Congo, later Zaire and since 1977 the Democratic Republic of the Congo) has undergone almost a century of violence characterised by "the annihilation of all that is human for the goal of economic development". This comment by the Congolese writer and critic Mukala Kadima-Nzuji helps to understand why successive governments have severely restricted people rights and opportunities. Nevertheless, mention should be made of La Psychologie des Bantu [The Psychology of the Bantus] (1910), an essay by Stefano Kaoze, who was one of the first Congolese to have been ordained as a priest and to have written in French. However, it is primarily the atmosphere of freedom at the end of World War II and the creation of the monthly La Voix du Congolais [The Congolese Voice] in 1945, which marked the beginning of a truly Congolese literature...[continue reading]
